Windows Home Server Team Blog

I do think the home of the future will have a central device that will act as a storage device, router, etc.  What have you.  

Since a lot of apps will be in the cloud, local storage may simply be a cache.  Or one may choose to store data locally only if it's sensitive.

But I think when that time does come, the device will more likely be provided by a service provider kind of like a cable box, rather than owned by the homeowner.  If it is owned by the homeowner, it will have to be a true "appliance".  Which Home Server is not.

Home Server is a great step towards a central digital center for a home -- but ultimately i don't think a "Server" the way we currently understand it (a beefed-up PC) will be what ends up in most peoples' homes because of the simple fact that it requires WAY too much management for the average consumer.

So, yes, the home of the future will have a digital device akin to a water heater -- an appliance.  Not a PC.

My current prognostication.  May change on short notice.

To the question will home servers be as ubiquitous as water heaters in x years... ah, maybe?

I love WHS and the possibilities it promises. And... a computer is not a water heater. I replaced my water heater last year because I don't drain it. I got 10 years out of it, never had to lift a finger to service it. Computers aren't in the same league.

Twice since I've installed WHS, backups have failed resulting in the WHS backup service stopping. The fix, right now, is to restart WHS and the offending client. If WHS can restart the server and the client automatically after a failed backup (if that remains the fix), so I don't have to do it, then we're approaching water heater SLA's. If I have to intervene to address the problem... well, then I think we're a long way off from having the water heater/home server analogy mean anything.

Regards,

Lang

WHS is an awesome product that presents an amazing platform for services to reach more home users than full blown Windows Server.  It's one of the best ideas MS has put out in the last few years.  So, here are my predictions:

In 3 years, there will be a bunch of WHS's in enthusiast's homes, gadget'y folks, but not like PC's just yet.

In 10 years, some sort of "central hub" will be in 75% of homes - it may be a decendent of WHS (dare I dream?) or some other copy cat product or service.

In 100 years, if you listen to Al Gore and all of his tree-hugging, pot-smoking, hippie minions, the world will have been destroyed by global warming, so there won't be much need for WHS (or a water heater for that matter...)

I can't speak for everyone but a WHS will be in my home for the next 50+ years ;0)

After using the RC for less than a week, I'll be recommending this product to all my extended family and friends.  Since I end up troubleshooting their networks & computers anyways, a handy route into their computers is always nice, and the security of backups is added bonus.  

My grandfather was a plumber by trade, and was always the first call for free plumbing tech support.  So I guess that runs in the family.

I think comparing the current level of interaction WHS required to the water heater we currently use is not a fair comparison. WHS has to be given time to develop and grow to the point where it is a zero-interaction device.

I remember reading about a prototype server being developed for enterprise server farms. They were basically big Lego blocks and you just attached them together, like Lego, to expand the capacity, upgrade the processor, install a new OS, etc.

I think in 5-10 years time I think this will be the model WHS type products are using. Need more storage add a green block. Need the new OS? Add a new red block. Faster processor? Add a blue block.

like the other commenters, it isn't at appliance level yet - though I don't know whether computer gear will reach the level of ubiquity that water heaters (necessity) or microwaves (non-essential, but who would want to go without?) are at. Home airconditioning draws better parallels - where people go for ducted, in-wall boxes, split-systems, fans, etc. Different solutions for different budgets and goals.

I like the "add a block" idea of enhancing the server, if the addition of storage to a storage pool was done better it'd be there. How about automatically including the added USB storage into the pool, but without destroying the existing data on the drive? Ditto if you add a network drive, if there was a UPnP Storage Profile it could easily and automagically find and aggregate these into the pool.