Windows Home Server

Windows Home Server

Windows Home Server
Codename Preliminary name	Quattro
Kernel version	NT 5.2
CPU architecture	x64
Release date	4th November 2007
Support end	8th January 2013
Preceded by	N/A
Succeeded by	Windows Home Server 2011

Windows Home Server is a "server for the home" solution by Microsoft. The core operating system is Windows Small Business Server 2003, and the Dashboard and an embedded website has been added to it.

Users can log on remotely, can have personal file shares on the server, and can post images to the web using the embedded web site function (Remote Access).

Motivation

A blog post on TechNet says that they "thought long and hard about what we should call the product":

In the 1960s & 70s the idea of a home computer was unheard of outside of science fiction circles. Before the late 1980s home networks were unheard of.

In 1975 Microsoft was founded with the vision of putting "A computer on every desk and in every home...". Microsoft led the charge in creating a world where a "home computer" something you expect to see in a home. By including great support for networking technologies (particularly TCP/IP) in Windows 3x and 95 Microsoft ensured ubiquitous networking in businesses and homes. Today there are over 100 million households with a "home network" and Microsoft led the world in making this happen.

When we set about building Windows Home Server we knew we were going to be defining a new category of products and solutions for consumers. We thought long and hard about what we should call the product. As you would expect, there was no shortage of opinions. In fact some very, very senior executives at Microsoft were quite forceful in saying "whatever you do, don't call it a server". So we worked hard at trying to come up with another name. We tried other "descriptive" names such as "hub". We tried fanciful names (like "Poodle"). But at the end of the day we recognized that no matter what we called the product we would always be describing it as a home server, because that's what it is: A device on a home network that provides centralized services over the network to other devices – helping consumers protect, organize and share their digital content.

In addition, as we did our research we discovered some very interesting things. First, we found that the only people who didn't like the term "server" were technical people who thought they understood consumers. Then we discovered that consumers in our target market (consumers who already have a home network and multiple PCs) understood what a server is, loved the name and the concept, and thought it was "the inevitable next step". In fact we heard loud and clear that many such consumers would feel proud to be able to say they had a server in their home.

This week we started an online advertising campaign for Windows Home Server that, in a humorous way will help explain how Windows Home Server can help families. The campaign complements a range of other communications efforts including events, webinars, online and in-store demonstrations and more.

This campaign will drive home (pun intended) the idea that just as Microsoft was the leader in making "home computer" and "home network" common household terms it is doing it again for "home server". You can find the landing site for the campaign at www.stayathomeserver.com. Over the next few weeks we will roll out more funny video vignettes that will help families understand why they should have a home server in their household.

We've also commissioned a funny fake children's book titled "Mommy, Why is there a Server in my House?" which will help parents explain why there is a new member of the family. We are sure the book will become a best seller! Check out a teaser of the book on www.stayathomeserver.com right now.

We have home computers, home networks, and the era of home servers has just begun...

— "cek",

Mommy, Why is There a Server in the House?

Along with the launch of Windows Home Server, a book was released for publicity: Mommy, Why is There a Server in the House?. The description for the book read like this:

A "stay-at-home" server: you know it's the right thing for your family. But how do you explain this wonderful choice to your children? Finally, there's a book that talks about the home server using small words and fun pictures, perfect for kids. Written by Tom O'Connor and lovingly illustrated by Jill Dublin, this is a book you and your family will want to read over and over again.

—

However, "Tom O'Connor" was not a real person, and the book made this clear in its introduction.

A MSDN blog post covered the launch of the book, saying that:

The team also has a new book out, just in time for the holidays and to help parents answer some of the most difficult questions that parents have to confront... namely that new piece of hardware connected to the home network.
Forget about explaining about the birds and the bees, "Mommy, Why is there a Server in my House?" will help parents explain why there is a new member of the family. You can find more info on this new book on www.stayathomeserver.com today, and coming to a major e-tailer near you.

—"M3 Sweatt", 

Builds

• No information available
• Existence doubtful
• Information or pictures available
• Leaked or released

Beta 1

• 6.0.1282

Beta 2

• 6.0.1301.qhsv1_main.070117-1800

Community Technology Preview

• 6.0.1371.qhsv1_main.070410-0000

Release Candidate

• 6.0.1424.2.qhsv1_rc.070606-1800

RTM

• 6.0.1500.6.qhsv1_rtm_qfe.070906-1800