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After Microsoft released its free iSCSI target for Windows Server 2008 R2, we posted a guide on how to install the iSCSI target software on a server. The next logical step was to create a guide for creating a target. To simplify the demo a bit, I also decided to use a virtual disk. Continue Reading

These days, IPMI 2.0 with KVM-over-IP functionality is virtually a requirement on server boards unless one is using an external KVM-over-IP unit plus an IP switched power distribution unit. Being able to remotely administer not just the operating system, as one can with tools like SSH/ Telnet, VNC and Remote Desktop clients is a huge advantage when things go awry. With the new onboard management features, one can power cycle a machine, change BIOS settings, change RAID controller firmware settings, flash cards using DOS based utilities, and recover from operating system kernel crashes where the OS fails to boot, all without having to physically be near a server. Last year, I needed to access some critical data on a server that experienced a Linux kernel panic and was able to remotely reboot and fix the machine, located in California, while on a business trip in Amsterdam. Being able to perform these tasks is generally well worth the $30-50 vendors charge for the functionality. This article will focus on Tyan’s onboard WebGUI allowing one to perform similar functions remotely. Continue Reading

One of the great new features in Microsoft Small Business Server 2011 Essentials (SBS2011E) is the ability to backup the system drives easily. This was a feature that Windows Home Server v1 was generally lacking and is something that users have taken for granted at this point with newer, more full featured versions of Windows Server platforms. Microsoft has been doing a great job of making server administration easy for the novice in SBS2011E and Windows Home Server 2011 and includes a simple dashboard interface to create backups. This guide will show, using the current beta version of SBS2011E both the easy way to configure backups and the more full featured, but harder way. Continue Reading

One important storage principle that many people forget is that RAID is not a backup solution, it is a method of achieving performance targets, redundancy, and up-time. Users backup their PCs to their local servers, but often forget to backup server data off-site. This is especially concerning for any data using the local server as primary storage. One option employed by users is to backup server data to the cloud which provides a redundant, off-site backup solution. Cloudberry Labs’ CloudBerry Online Backup for Small Business Server 2011 Essentials (code name Aurora) is a program that automates cloud backup and also automates server backup to a network share. Continue Reading

Following theIntel SASUC8I and LSI SAS3081E-R 1068e Based RAID Controller Review which featured a LSI 1068e based Intel SASUC8I I have started to take a look at LSI SAS 2008 based controllers. One such controller I have been working with is based on the Supermicro X8SI6-F which has an onboard LSI SAS 2008 8-port SAS2  controller. This onboard controller is essentially a LSI 9211-8i RAID controller shipping with IR firmware. Since LSI’s IR firmware on the lower-end cards like Intel SASUC8I, LSI SAS8081E-R, and the 9211-8i is limited to RAID 0 and RAID 1, the IT firmware makes a lot of sense for those users looking to use OpenSolaris, Linux, or Windows Home Server to manage software RAID and redundancy. Continue Reading

The ability to remotely monitor servers utilizing IPMI 2.0 is a key differentiator between server grade hardware and consumer hardware. Supermicro’s IPMIview software is an often overlooked piece of software that makes managing multiple servers remotely a simple task. While there is a simple web interface that Supermicro uses on many of its boards, the IPMI 2.0 features, including KVM-over-IP can also be accessed through a utility that Supermicro provides. For those users with multiple systems, IPMIview allows for up to twenty machines to be managed and monitored at a time from a remote PC. Best of all, with the KVM-over-IP features, remote temperature and fan speed monitoring, and the ability to remotely power cycle machines, a user can put a system into service never attaching an optical drive, keyboard, mouse or monitor to the machine. Frankly, for larger small business and home servers (8+ drives) this should be considered a must have, especially given the fact that oftentimes at least two storage servers are maintained for redundancy purposes. IPMIview makes this multi-server management very easy because one can easily VPN into the network and manage multiple servers from one desktop application. Continue Reading

HP has created what to some will certainly be a killer add-in. The add-in allows a user to transfer files from the TiVo to the MediaSmart WHS and back and then also watch shows from any PC or Mac provided you use the correct software for TiVo’s DRM.

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