Download Microsoft Windows Home Server Unleashed (2nd Edition) eBook

I have been working with the Vail pre-release for months and moving slowly in using the server in any meaningful way. Now this book is out and I'm immediately finding many ways to quickly utilize various features on our home server. I can't put this book down!

This was my first home server install and I can say this book is just fine for folks new to home server and have some basic technical background. Example, I messed up and didn't configure my homeserver with a static IP. The book simply outlines why this is important, and it saved me much troubleshooting a month later after the install and the dynamic server IP address changed.

While Home Server 2011 unleashed contains fairly obvious features like file sharing and management, security, and web access, the book goes on to explain areas not so obvious. Following the step by step instructions on setting up a sharepoint site on the windows home server, I now have sharepoint foundation (free limited version of Sharepoint) running for the family to share pictures, files, calendar events and collaboration. Since two of my kids are in college, I have a local computer set up where the kids can connect via a remote session and share or pull information. The book clearly outlines how to connect via the internet so all family members can still participate. Need to keep your windows patches up to date, chapter 14 explains how to install, configure and manage WSUS. Have a Mac (or Linux) and want to connect to the home server, there is a section on how to do that. It provides step by step instructions on how to first get your Mac onto the home server network and than how to specifically connect the Mac. Want to set up a windows home server website, chapter 12 is dedicated to working that step by step - no prior knowledge required. Desire to remote connect in to your home server and do all admin tasks from a locally connected client if your server is not in the same room. Once again, simply laid out in the book. Generally I search the web for fast solutions, but in this case, I've learned to go to this book as my primary reference.

I was initially concerned this was the first 2011 Home Server book out and may have been rushed to market, but that is not the case. It has many helpful insights, well written and like I said earlier, supplies valuable information to a wide range of non-technical and technical home server users. And even more critical, I generally do web searches before I open a book. I'm finding it's faster to just open this book then do a web search.

Highly recommend.

I bought the 2nd edition hot off the press in April 2010, hoping for a comprehensive as well as up to date WHS reference. This appears to be the first review here of the 2nd edition, so if the previous edition deserved the praise it received for completeness in earlier reviews it apparently dropped several entire subjects in the update.

Specifically, don't look for help on any of the following:

1. Building or adapting your own hardware platform for WHS. Not a word.

2. Installing WHS software. Not a word. The book assumes you bought a complete box ready to boot up.

3. Add-ins. As far as this book is concerned, the subject doesn't exist.

4. Running other applications on WHS. There is a whole chapter on installing Windows SharePoint Services, (a business-class server app, the usefulness of which in the average household is not clear to me) but that's it. No help on trying to figure out what will work and what won't.

5. Backing up WHS itself. Backing up shared folders is briefly covered, but not a word on backing up the backup database even though Microsoft published a procedure a couple of years ago and a very handy add-in "BDBB" automates the process. And nothing on selecting and connecting an external hard drive to use for backups. (When you're backing up several hundred gigabytes, the speed advantage of eSATA over USB 2.0 is quite significant)

6. Security. Should you install antivirus software? Sorry, no help there. But a whole section on auditing if you want to detect malicious users in your household, along with some standard advice on securing household PCs.

All of the above is not to say the book does not contain a lot of useful information, but the claims that it covers everything of interest are more than slightly exaggerated. There's also a good deal of bloat in the form of excessively detailed step-by-step instructions on working through windows dialogs, along with a lot of stuff on registry editing, VBS scripts, and command-line arguments for those who enjoy doing things the complicated way rather than clicking a few buttons. There is a page-long vbs script provided, for example, to tell you how much free space you have on a hard disk. I guess both kinds of stuff are there to support the claim that the book supports beginners through advanced technical users.

I'm still looking for a comprehensive WHS reference.

It's a good book, generally well written and reasonably comprehensive covering the basics. I would rate it between a "Dummies.." book at the low end and Que's excellent "Using..." series on the high end.

If you've never worked with servers before you'll definitely need something like this to get started because servers don't operate like souped up Windows machines and this one will get you going.

The book could be improved with better standardization of the methods used to describe navigating the various toolbars. Sometimes it's not clear exactly where the starting point is to get you into the dropdowns. The index is pretty thin, which is unfortunate because I generally use it a lot and there are many things I can't find. Also, the book would benefit from being organized into the first section to get you started and following sections to "tweak" performance after its up and running, rather than the exhaustive description of all the features you have to wade through to find what you want.

I would buy it again, but would opt for a Que book instead if one was available on this topic.