Servers – Coming to a Home Near You (Maybe Even Yours!)

Posted on January 20, 2008 at 7:37 am

If you are a fan of old movies then you have no doubt seen the flicks from the 50s and 60s where servers were depicted as these massive machines that only a special few got access to. With their tape drives whirring, lights flashing and occasional odd noise they were marvels kept in climate controlled rooms and costing millions of dollars.

What a difference a few decades makes. Today, servers are becoming as commonplace as the microwave – and just like the microwave, they may soon be coming to a home near you!

2008 is lining up to be known as the year that HDTV finally comes into its own, and the year that servers leave the corporate computer rooms and find themselves in your homes. With many families now having multiple computers, gaming consoles and other electronic, networkable devices, the need for a home server is rapidly growing.

Massive amounts of data are beginning to reside within our homes and as we move towards digital pictures, digital camcorders and such. Many people are starting to wonder how they share that data – and most importantly, how do they back it up.

The Home Network Is Born

The idea of a home server isn’t new – it has its root as far back as the early 90s. True computer geeks have probably had a server or two running in their homes for years. However, for the average family the task of setting up and maintaining a server has always been far outside their reach. Not only has it been expensive to do, but the administration has been beyond the capabilities of most home users.

Home networks began to appear in earnest after the introduction of high speed Internet access. Mom and dad wanted to share the same pipeline as their son or daughter and began setting up simple methods of sharing – traditionally over Ethernet. As technology improved, and more devices started being able to be networked (printers, fax machines, game consoles, etc.) the home network grew. When wireless networking became popular the home networks exploded – now everyone, whether they wanted to or not, was on some sort of network. Operating systems such as Windows, Mac OS and Linux began to come with networking wizards and automatic setup features. Just plug and play – and sometimes pray!

The Next Generation

Now we’ve entered into the next generation of home networks. We have all these machines talking to one another, yet sharing data and backing up files has always been a second thought. How does dad make sure junior doesn’t accidentally erase his work files? What happens when the computer with all the family finances on it crashes? How do you access the files at home when traveling? Questions that were not even thought of a few years ago are now starting to be asked by a number of people who recognize that their home network is becoming a vital part of their digital lives.

People may not know what a home server is; but many people are starting to realize that they need one.

Microsoft recently entered into this emerging market with Windows Home Server, a product based off the stable Windows 2003 Small Business Edition OS. It has been designed from the ground up as a “plug it in, turn it on and forget about it” appliance for the home user. The keyword here is appliance. It doesn’t need a monitor, keyboard or any input devices — just a network connection and electrical power. In a few minutes you can have your entire home network storing and sharing data on a central server. PC’s are automatically backed up, and your important data is stored in a redundant fashion – if a hard drive fails, no problem, your data is safe.

At MacWorld 2008 this past week Apple took their first jump into this emerging market as well with the introduction of the Time Capsule. Though not as full featured as the Microsoft offering, it does offer automatic backup of home computers as well as Wi-Fi base station. No doubt the Time Capsule will increase in functionality as it evolves to catch up with Microsoft to match the file sharing and remote access features.

The big selling point for both of these guys is that they are designed to be appliances in your house. You don’t worry about them – you just pluck them down in a corner or a closet and forget about them. They take care of themselves!

Microsoft is even having a little fun with the introduction of the Home Sever by launching the Stay at Home Server campaign to explain to people why they might need a server in their house.

The Future

Today, you’ll find houses being built with wiring closets and jacks in every room. Every new electronic device coming onto the market is networkable in one way or another. Gone are the days when computers and other devices didn’t communicate with each other or the outside world. We are a digital, connected world.

Microsoft is already reporting that sales of Windows Home Server have far exceeded expectations. HP, one of the manufacturers of WHS appliances, reportedly sold out a 3-month supply in 3 weeks. No doubt the Apple offering will be a smash successful as well. There are even a number of open-source Linux-based home servers being developed and worked on.

Who would have thought back a decade ago we would have a server sitting in our house. Then again, who would have thought a decade ago that we’d be so connected?

This is a guest post by Robert Stinnett, a technology enthusiast.