Is your Windows Home Server v1 getting a bit long in the tooth? Or have you just not gotten around to building your first WHS box?
Good news!
While doing some pricing research online today, I saw that the components for my WHS 2011 box have dropped in price. If you’d like to build an identical system that’s super-green and has TONS of storage, here are the specs, prices, and URLs:
Part # |
Description |
Price |
Shipping |
Microsoft WHS 2011 OEM |
$119.99 |
$0.00 |
|
HP ProLiant Microserver |
$279.99 |
$0.00 |
|
Western Digital 2 TB Green HD |
$79.99 |
$0.00 |
|
Western Digital 2 TB Green HD |
$79.99 |
$0.00 |
|
Western Digital 2 TB Green HD |
$79.99 |
$0.00 |
|
Western Digital 2 TB Green HD |
$79.99 |
$0.00 |
|
Crucial 2 GB 240-Pin DDR3 RAM |
$28.99 |
$0.99 |
|
|
SUBTOTALS |
$748.93 |
$0.99 |
Grand Total: $749.92 delivered from www.newegg.com as of 06/04/2011.
Proof (copy of the shopping cart):
To do the actual install you’ll need to plug in a keyboard, monitor, mouse, and network cable. You won’t need any of those after the configuration is done (except for the CAT5e cable) so I didn’t include them in the price since they’re only tools used temporarily.
To install the OS (which is on a DVD) I used my laptop to turn the DVD into an ISO (using IMGBurn), then burned that ISO (using the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool) onto a USB flash drive (another temporary tool).
When all is said and done, you’ll have the HP server sitting on a shelf somewhere with only a power cable and CAT5e cable plugged into it.
FINAL SPECS
64-bit processor / 3 GB RAM / 8 TB storage / gigabit / eSATA on the back, built-in video / 5.25” bay for adding an optical drive later / about 47 Watts of power. (That costs < $30 per year in my neck of the woods to leave running 24×7.)
Throw in a USB sound card and you can even do MagicJack for home phone.