KYSBSUG October 2011 – Meeting #92
Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials (WSSE)
Presenter: Kevin Royalty [SBS-MVP]
Date: Thursday October 13, 2011
Time: 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM Eastern
Venue: Money Concepts
Address: 323 Townepark Circle, Louisville, KY 40243

This event is FREE, but due to limited seating, registration *IS* required.
Registration URL: http://kysbsug92.eventbrite.com

Description:
There has been a lot of talk about Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials(formerly code named "Breckenridge") which is like Windows Home Server, but on steroids: 
http://blogs.technet.com/b/storageserver/archive/2010/11/08/announcing-windows-storage-server-2008-r2-essentials.aspx

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much in the way of hardware from vendors.
Good news though – this month Kevin Royalty [SBS-MVP] is coming to Louisville to visit the Kentucky Small Business Server User Group (KYSBSUG) to show both the software AND the hardware available for WSSE.

More info and updates for your network admin pleasure.

SBS 2003

• KB #303650 – SBS 2003 – Intranet site is identified as an Internet site when you use an FQDN or an IP address
  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/303650/

SBS 2008

• KB #2589338 – SBS 2008 – Error message when you attempt to change the software update settings
  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2589338/

SBS 2011 Standard / Essentials

• KB #2554629 – SBS 2011 Essentials – Update Rollup 1 for Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials is available
  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2554629/
• KB #2500662 – SBS 2011 – [SDP 3][e1c48c54-07f6-4290-9e4f-ae7651c003a4] Windows Small Business Server 2011 All-purpose data collection and analysis
  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2500662/
• KB #2585336 – SBS 2011 Standard / Essentials – SBS 2011 Essentials | Standard users are unable to access RWA after migration
  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2585336/
• KB #2535810 – SBS 2011 – SBS 2011 Standard Edition Crashes Unexpectedly
  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2535810/
• KB #2578298 – SBS 2011 – Unable to import Users and Destination server into the dashboard during migration
  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2578298/
• KB #2554637 – SBS 2011 Essentials – (see below)

WHS 2011 / Windows Storage Server Essentials 2008 R2

• KB #2554637 – SBS 2011 Essentials, WHS 2011, WSSE 2008 R2 –

  The client-side package of Update Rollup 1 for Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, for Windows Home Server 2011, and for Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials is available
  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2554637/

• KB #2554634 – WHS 2011 – Update Rollup 1 for Windows Home Server 2011 is available
  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2554634/

Other

• KB #297019 – Limits to using personal folders (.pst) files over LAN and WAN links
  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/297019/

Microsoft Partners who subscribe to the Microsoft Action Pack Subscription (MAPS) can now download Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials (formerly codenamed “Breckenridge”).

Title: Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials
File names: 
SW_DVD9_Win_Storage_Server_Essentials_2008_R2_English_Install_X17-30240.IMG &
SW_CD_Win_Storage_Server_Essentials_2008_R2_English_Clt_Restore_X17-30259.IMG
Date Available: 05/16/2011
Language: English
File size: 4,572 MB
Download URL: Click here

Note: A Microsoft Partner Network login and subscription to MAPS is required to access this download.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Processor: 1.3 GHz
RAM: 750 MB
Hard Disk Space: 1.2 GB

Props: Thanks to Susan Bradley for the heads-up.

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:

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.

Every time someone walks in my office and sees the setup I’m running, their response is usually, “Good lord – how much does it cost to run all this stuff?”

My home office has…

…a lot of stuff in it…

…or so they tell me.

People think I’m burning $100 bills to keep warm, but it’s not as bad as it looks. I admit it – I do have a bit of a monitor fetish. But in my defense, the monitors only get used when I’m in the office and I physically turn them off whenever I leave. Typically, I run 4 monitors at a time. I only turn all the screens on when I’m editing books and need to spread pictures / virtual machines / research documents / manuscripts / websites across the workspace. So, from a power standpoint, the monitors are no big deal.

However, that 7’ tall server rack in the corner is the big power hog. The equipment in the rack stays turned on 24x7x365. In addition to the money for the electricity, there are noise and heat issues.

Back in 2004 when I first installed the rack, it sported big Compaq ProLiant 1600R servers with 325-Watt power supplies (see right). I was glad to have the horsepower back in the day, but running those hot and loud machines was tough on the peace and quiet in the house and on the wallet.

Several years later I got into virtualization and happily consolidated those old power-hungry monsters into tidy little virtual servers. I also and changed from CRT monitors to LCDs and swapped the conventional network switches for “green” ones. Currently the rack holds 4 physical servers, which in turn handle about 40 different virtual machines. The newer boxes are more energy efficient, but there’s always room for improvement. This week I’m replacing my old worn out ghetto Windows Home Server with a new one.

SWAPPING WHS V1 for WHS 2011

Since Windows Home Server 2011 needs a 64-bit processor, I had to move to new hardware. Here are the specs to compare:

You may remember the HP ProLiant Microserver from The World’s Fastest Small Business Server post last year. I *love* those servers!

Certainly, a 64-bit processor and 3x the RAM would make the new WHS box faster than the old one (in spite of the 1.3 GHz clock speed). But I was curious if going to 4 “Green” drives would use more power than the old server which had 2 “Black” drives and 1 “Green” drive.

MEASURING THE POWER USAGE

There’s a handy little device from P3 International called the #P4400 Kill A Watt that retails for $17-$25 US.

It’s accurate within .2%, and easy as pie to operate – the instruction manual only has one page.

There are 5 buttons on the front:

• Volt (volts AC)
• Amp (amperage)
• Watt / VA (Watts / Volt Amps)
• Hz / PF (Hertz / Power Factor)
• KWH / Hour (Kilowatt-hours / timer)

For our purposes, you only need the Watt button.

1. Plug the Kill A Watt into the wall (I use an extension cord)
2. Plug the server (or other equipment) into the front of the Kill A Watt
3. Turn the server on
4. Wait for a few minutes for the server to boot and settle down
5. Press the Watt button and write down your reading

CALCULATING THE COST

Now that we know how many Watts your server is using (let’s say 75 Watts for the sake of argument) let’s calculate what the financial cost is.

Get your latest electric bill or go to your utility website and find the charge for a Kilowatt-Hour (kWh). In Louisville, that’s currently $0.07068 kWh.

To create a formula, and we’ll assign those numbers to variables:

• W = Watt usage
• C = Cost per kWh

Formula to calculate the cost to run your server…

…per day: (W / 1000) x 24 x C

…per month: (W / 1000) x 730 x C

…per year: (W / 1000) x 8760 x C

What we’re doing is:

1. Converting Watts into Kilowatts by dividing W by 1000
   75 Watts / 1000 = 0.075 Kilowatts
2. Then multiply those Kilowatts x 24 hours in a day to get kWh
   0.075 Kilowatts x 24 hours = 1.8 kWh
3. Finally, multiply the kWh x the Cost per kWh
   1.8 kWh x $0.07068 = $0.12 per day

Example: (75 Watts / 1000) x 24 hours x $0.07068 kWh = $0.12 per day

You can multiply that number by 365 days to get your cost per year = $43.80

Tip – Skip The Math Anxiety

If you don’t feel like doing the math above, just take your Watt (W) and Cost per kilowatt hour (C) and use the online calculator here:
http://mathmerlin.com/

The online calculator shows you the cost per hour, day, week, month and year all at once.

ARE WE GREENER?

So how does the new WHS 2011 Microserver compare to the old junker? I measured both servers while streaming a 24 GB .WTV video file from them.

• OLD Celeron whitebox WHS v1 uses 122 Watts
  Cost to run: $0.21 per day / $6.29 per month / $75.54 per year
• NEW HP ProLiant Microserver WHS 2011 uses 46.5 Watts
  Cost to run: $0.08 per day / $2.40 per month / $28.79 per year

WINNER = NEW HP Microserver with WHS 2011

• Has 2 x the storage as the old box
• Has 3 x the RAM as the old box
• Uses 60% LESS power
• Costs me $46.75 LESS per year to run

I had no idea how much juice that old garbage PC was using. I just assumed that a Celeron would use less power because, well, it’s slower. Right?

Obviously, that $46.75 cost savings per year doesn’t pay for even one hard drive in the new server, but that’s not the point. The old box was gimpy, and the hardware had to be replaced to go to the 64-bit platform anyway. The point is that it’s easy to use less energy by making smart hardware choices – choices that still perform REALLY well. The power savings on the new server will more than pay for the cost of the P3 Kill A Watt. The leftover money savings is icing on the cake.

CALL TO ACTION

I encourage you to use a Kill A Watt to see how much juice your server rack or office is burning. You can check the equipment one piece at a time, or just plug a power strip (or your UPS) into the Kill A Watt and check it all at once.

If you have a device that kicks on and off, like a mini fridge or an air conditioner, you can use the KWH button instead of the Watt button and come back an hour later to see the accumulated result. Measuring your electric usage is now quick, easy, and you just must might save yourself some dough.

At long last, you can finally get your grubby little mitts on all of the SBS 2011 download bits. (Hey, I made a rhyme!)

The whole gang is available now online:

• SBS 2011 Standard (SBS v7)
• SBS 2011 Essentials (Aurora)
• Windows Home Server 2011 (Vail)

And you can get them from several places:

• Trial Version
• TechNet
• MSDN

SBS 2011 ESSENTIALS – TRIAL VERSION

Title: Windows Small Business Server SBS 2011 Essentials Trial Version
EN-US_SBS_ESS_EVAL_InstallDVD.iso (3.98 GB)
URL: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/gg604826.aspx

Note: To download the SBS 2011 Essentials trial, you must sign in with a Windows Live ID and answer a few questions (language, business address, phone, contact preferences). Also, the downloader is Java-based, so you’ll need Java installed on the machine initiating the download.

SBS 2011 STANDARD – TRIAL VERSION

Title: Windows Small Business Server SBS 2011 Standard Version
EN-US_SBS_STD_InstallDVD.iso (6.35 GB)
URL: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/gg492833.aspx

To download the SBS 2011 Standard trial, it’s the same info requirements and Java deal as Essentials above.

TechNet SBS 2011 Essentials / Standard Download

MSDN SBS 2011 Essentials / Standard Download

The MSDN download isn’t showing up just yet, but it should be online by the time you read this.

TechNet / MSDN Windows Home Server 2011

Unfortunately, no ETA on the Microsoft Action Pack Subscription (MAPS) copies of SBS 2011 Standard or Essentials yet.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

• 1.4 GHz x64 processor or 1.3 GHz dual-core processor
• Up to 2 sockets (SBS 2011 Essentials) or 4 sockets (SBS 2011 Standard)
• RAM: 2GB min / 4 GB rec / 32 GB max (SBS 2011 Essentials)
  RAM: 8GB min / 10 GB rec / 32 GB max (SBS 2011 Standard)
• 160 GB min disk space (SBS 2011 Essentials)
  120 GB min disk space (SBS 2011 Standard)
• 10/100 Network Interface Card
• Source: http://www.microsoft.com/sbs/en/us/system-requirements.aspx

The new book “Windows Home Server Unleashed (2nd Edition)” by author Paul McFedries is in stores now. This is the third book I’ve worked on for SAMS Publishing, this time as a Technical Editor instead of a co-author. 

The “Unleashed” series of books strives to provide unparalleled technical depth and accuracy, and this book is no exception. The second edition has been updated to include information about Power Pack 3, Windows 7, and other improvements. Paul is an author of over 60 books and has an excellent knowledge of networking, Office, Windows, Macs and the web. He’s even got a book on the iPad!

Title: Windows Home Server Unleashed (2nd Edition)
Publisher: Sams Publishing; 2 edition
Published: April 15, 2010
ISBN-10: 0672331063
Paperback: 792 pages
Language: English
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Buy.com | InformIT / Sams

If you’ve never installed WHS before, or even if you’ve been using it for quite a while, this book has something for everyone; from beginning setup instructions to advanced topics like connecting Linux, Macs, wireless photo frames, setting up SharePoint, and even scripting. I had an absolute blast editing it, and at one point I had 12 machines running at the same time testing out different scenarios and configurations. I really hope you enjoy this book!

The book that everyone’s talking about:

I want a PDF of this, but for now the flash-based version will have to do.

http://www.stayathomeserver.com/book.aspx