servers

Aiming to boost the appeal of its Windows Home Server software, Microsoft is offering an update to the operating system that will add both fixes to the existing product as well as add-ons and new features.

Dubbed Power Pack 1, the software makes it easier to choose which files can be accessed remotely, and by whom, and also makes it possible to watch recorded TV programming remotely, essentially letting the Home Server act like a Slingbox of sorts. It also allows the Home Server's contents to be backed up to an external drive.

It's the first significant update … Read more

Microsoft has largely succeeded in getting a PC into the home, but its effort to put a server there will be an uphill battle.

Bill Gates announced the product to much fanfare at last year's Consumer Electronics Show. However, even folks who are bullish on the concept, such as Forrester Research analyst J.P. Gownder, say it's destined to be a niche product for years to come.

In a soon-to-be-published research report, Gownder figures that home servers (not just those running Microsoft's home server product) will reach 4.5 million households by 2012. That's up from … Read more

We fell in love with HP's MediaSmart Server this past fall. You can imagine then, that we're glad to learn about HP adding even more features to its poster child for Microsoft's Windows Home Server, the software at the heart of HP's MediaSmart Server hardware. The three updates will bring server-side McAfee antivirus protection, Windows Vista 64-bit support, and improved data handling for things like quicker photo thumbnails and the ability to stream video. Even better, these updates are all free and will come to current MediaSmart Server owners this February via download.

Given that the point of Windows Home Server is to allow you to store your media files, a bug in the storage process that could result in corrupted files is bound to get attention.

Microsoft has issued a support document for the 13 or so (just kidding) people using Windows Home Server, the company's latest product for those attempting to build the digital home of the future. Apparently there's a flaw in the way Windows Home Server works with certain Microsoft applications, such as Windows Vista Photo Gallery, that could result in corrupted files if you use those … Read more

How is a server like a beehive? In more ways than you might expect. Reconnaissance bees use complex waggling dances to dispatch workers for nectar retrieval in a changing floral landscape. They're able to "rapidly shift foraging strategies to home in on the sweet spots of the moment," according to Bryn Nelson, who wrote about the connection for MSNBC.

Internet servers need to do the same kind of thing--they have to adapt to lulls and surges in traffic volume. Researchers applied the "honeybee communications system" to networked servers with surprising results.

Read the full story … Read more

An analyst friend emailed me the other day to get my opinion on the analyst community's negative Red Hat pile-on. Bank of America, Global Equities Research, and others have recently been hand-wringing over Red Hat's future, suggesting that its JBoss business is stalling, that it's "losing momentum" in emerging markets like China, and (here's the one I find immensely laughable) that hardware vendors like HP are having to step in to fill Red Hat's failing shoes on support.

Trip Chowdhry of Global Equities Research tried to outdo this list, however, arguing that not only does Red Hat stink, but the entire LAMP ecosystem is rubbish, too. He declares that .Net is winning developers' hearts and minds while the LAMP stack is on its way to relegation to the dustbin of history. His bias exposed (just as mine is here: I'm an open-source believer and see rampant uptake of LAMP and open source throughout the enterprise), he has his 15 seconds of fame. Time to move on.

One thing, however, bears further investigation. JBoss. The consensus view from analysts seems to be that JBoss is Red Hat's Achilles Heel. Let's take a look at some data to get a better picture.… Read more

For the second time in a week, Microsoft said a version of its software is ready sooner than expected. On Thursday, the software maker made available a beta version of its Hyper-V hypervisor technology, a release that had been scheduled for early next year.

Microsoft didn't change its timing for the final release of the technology, which is due to ship within 180 days of the release of Windows Server 2008. (That product is slated to be wrapped up ahead of its formal launch on February 27.)

"We're hoping that getting it out and providing a nice … Read more

Microsoft has reached another milestone on the road to the release of Windows Server 2008.

On Wednesday, the company made available the Release Candidate 1 version of the software and promised the final version will be ready in time for the product's February 27 launch. Microsoft plans to launch the product, along with SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008, at an event in Los Angeles.

The event is themed "Heroes happen here" and is planned as a love fest celebrating all the work done by the IT crowd. The software maker also said it will spend … Read more

Adobe Systems on Tuesday is expected to announce that it will dramatically cut the price of its server software for streaming video over the Web.

Flash Media Server 3, which is set for release in January, will now come in two versions. Flash Media Streaming Server will cost $995, and Flash Media Interactive Server will cost $4,500.

With the current version, Adobe sells its Media Server for between $4,500 and $45,000.

The company is lowering prices in response to customer requests, said Kevin Towes, product manager for Adobe Media Server. "What we've been hearing is … Read more