For years, power home users had to improvise making their own servers, so Microsoft finally came out with a special version of Windows two years ago, dubbed Home Server. Since then there hasn’t been much activity, mostly because Microsoft had its hands full with Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2.
But now, Microsoft has a new version of home server in the works, and Microsoft seems to be going all out. Among other things, this is a 64-bit-only product. Even Windows 7 still comes in 32-bit flavors. And there is more. Datamation has the details.
Microsoft quietly announced the beta test of the next version of Windows Home Server (WHS) this week — but questions still remain about its long-term survival.
Codenamed “Vail,” the next version of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) WHS adds media streaming via remote access, the ability to backup and restore multiple PCs, and a simplified user interface (UI), according to a recent blog post by Dave Berkowitz, Microsoft’s senior communications manager.