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In a conversation with a friend this week, I realized that I have mastered a very dark art. I have figured out how to move around between many computers, using them frequently, while never being without my data and information regardless of the computer, the operating system, the browser and the like.

I am not sure how you work, but if you are in the technology industry like me, you find yourself using several different machines. At work I have a desktop PC that I use running Windows 7 with both Firefox and Internet Explorer 8 as browsers. I also have a company issued laptop that runs Windows 7 and Internet Explorer.

At home it get’s much messier. My main machine runs Windows 7 with Internet Explorer 8 as the main browser, but I also find my time split with a Macbook Pro laptop with Safari and Firefox, a two Mac Pros both with only Safari, and occasional use of an iMac with Safari as well.

That’s a big stew of machines and several different regular browsers. Now the question is (other than why do I have so many machines) what do I do with them and how do I manage to do that comfortably on any machine? I’ll break this down into a few types of productivity, and then explain how I manage to move through this quagmire with grace and style.

Email

One of the most frustrating things to use on multiple computers and now phones, is email. The most simple of internet transports, email can be a total mess when you start checking it in more than one place. Traditionally, email moves over two protocols, POP3 for sending email, and SMTP for receiving email. If you don’t know what those are, feel free to read the Wikipedia links. The problem with using POP3 for receiving email, is that you pretty much have two options. You can download the message to your computer and remove it from the server, making it impossible for you to retrieve from the next machine, or you can download it while leaving a copy on the server, which means the next machine will download the message regardless of whether you have identified it as junk or not.

This all sounds so messy, but fear not, there is a very lovely solution in sight. Not every email service supports it, but Gmail does. I migrated my personal domain email over to Gmail a few years ago, and enabled IMAP support. IMAP is an alternative protocol to POP3 that instead of downloading messages, maintains a live connection to your mailbox.

The benefit of this solution is that if I delete an email with my email client, it is automatically deleted from the server. If I send an email, a copy of that email is stored in the sent items on the server. If I reorganize my entire email folder system, it is reflected the next time I log in from another machine.

This functionality takes all of the tedium out of managing my email in multiple places. While I am at work, I don’t use an email client, I simply manage my email on the web. When I come home and open up Thunderbird, in a few seconds all of the changes I made to my mailbox are reflected and I am exactly how I left it the last place I was. This even works for managing my email on my iPhone. If I delete a message it’s gone, if I send it, it’s sitting on my desktop in sent items the next time I am home. I am sold.

Files

Another really frustrating point when working between machines is constantly thumbing around files, emailing them, dealing with version hassles and simply being frustrated because you don’t have access to something. I have parsed my files in two manners. All of what I call “productivity files” are stored in the service Dropbox. The Dropbox program is on all of my PCs, Macs and iPhone and the service makes sure that a recent copy of all of my files I need is synced to all of the machines. The files are all stored in the same place in the same file structure.

These files are also available, including 30 days worth of version history, online. This has come in very handy when I deleted something and then realized I needed it, or just wanted to go back to a previous version of something. When I open a document, change it and save it, within seconds the changed version is updated on all of my machines. I never have to make any effort to move or manage the files.

I have replaced the Camera app on my iPhone with the Dropbox app and now every photo I take is instantly available on all of my computers. Another awesome convenience is a public folder that I can copy files to and then provide a link for anyone to download them, I have used this an infinite number of times already to share a file quickly with a friend via IM or email, it’s much more convenient than sending the actual file or trying to transfer it via IM transfer.

While the $10/mo service I pay for (2GB per month is free) gives me plenty of space, some of the music and video files I work with are just too big to conveniently transfer over the internet, for those files I use Windows Home Server. Windows Home Server is where all of my media is saved when I am at home, and conveniently, Microsoft gives you the ability to make your server publicly available so you can log in and download a movie or some songs that you realized you wanted to have somewhere else. Pretty handy feature! There is also the ability to add files to it while you are remote.

The last convenient feature with Windows Home Server is the ability to remote desktop into any computer on my home network via the server as a gateway. If it happens that I have not stored the file in Dropbox, and I am not saving it on the server, I can physically take control of any PC on my network (and Macs via VNC) and get the file I need and move it to a location I can get to. I love thumb drives, but I don’t find myself needing them quite as much anymore.

Bookmarks

There was a long time when I just plain didn’t use bookmarks. I still read MOST of the sites I follow via RSS, but with all of the banking sites, retirement sites, my personal sites, things I just want to look at again later, as well as webmail, Bloglines and work email, bookmarks are just easier. I keep all the ones I really use in a hierarchy in the browser’s bookmark toolbar so I have quick access.

The problem is that I use different browsers on different OSes, so I can’t just sync bookmark files or something. Enter X-Marks. X-marks is a service that works on any browser on any operating system (at least the major ones) that keeps a server copy of all my bookmarks that I can manage. Then when it syncs, it makes sure that everything is how it should be. That way if I bookmark something to look at it later, it’s bookmarked on my PC when I get home.

I can’t tell you how handy it is. I actually keep a bookmark folder called “Random” that I throw this stuff into so I can keep it away from the meticulous organization of my other bookmarks (did I mention I am a bit OCD?)

What Does It All Mean?

What it means is that I always have my stuff. It also means that with a new machine or a necessary reinstall, I can pretty much install X-Marks, Dropbox and Office and I am back in business and can work. It also means that if I find myself on a rogue machine I don’t own, I can get to my stuff if I need to do something. It makes for a very clean workflow for my nomadic computing lifestyle.

I hope this helps those of you that find yourself between machines often. This is also really useful information if you find yourself dual booting (bootcamp for you Mac guys) a lot!

You don’t think of it, you don’t want to. I have hundreds of gigs of data on my network at home. I am double and triple backed up with most things, but only among computers that are here. I would rather not even jinx myself by saying “What if I had a house fire?” So let’s go much more realistic and common, “What if a meteor hit my house? Well, I would be screwed. Insurance would replace my computers and music gear, but I have 70GB+ of photos I would never get back.

Currently all of the PCs in the house backup nightly to our Windows Home Server. A company had recently been asking me to try their product and I finally got around to it for this exact purpose. The tool is called Cloudberry and it’s a backup solution for Windows Home Server. Used in conjunction with Amazon’s S3 service, it makes for a pretty simple, worry free, offsite backup solution.

Cloudberry makes a variety of backup tools, but the one I focused on is Cloudberry Backup for Windows Home Server. Once this Windows Home Server add-in is installed, you click the file shares you want to include in your backup, give it your Amazon credentials, and define when you want the backup to go and how much of your bandwidth it can use.

Bandwidth restriction is pretty important if you don’t want the tool to crush your internet connection when it does larger backups. Cloudberry advertises it’s features as:

I can vouch for the ease of installation and setup, as well as the integration with WHS. Most apps get a settings panel where CloudBerry shows up as a top tier panel item.

So far I am very pleased with the service. It’s one I sincerely hope to never need to use, but for a $30 program and a few bucks a month, it’s nice to know that all of my photographic memories are safe and sound with Amazon.

There is a 30 day trial if you want to give it a shot and Amazon is offering free initial uploads until July. If you have a Windows Home Server and some files you just cannot afford to lose, it’s some pretty inexpensive peace of mind.

I would like to thank Paul Murphy for his comment on my recent Windows Home Server post. It was interesting enough that I thought it warranted stepping into the dark and nefarious world of “The Linux Debate” for a little real world comparison. The comment to “Thoughts on Windows Home Server” goes like this:

Nice article and product breakdown, not seen these before.

Why not save a good few and go for a Linux box, any old hardware and a big HDD though?

It’s an absolutely fair question, but I think it is the question, and the thinking behind it that absolutely separates the two sides of the argument (question).

The Linux Route

Let’s first agree to set aside the notion of free as it relates to software freedom. I am the one putting the server up and I have zero problem with licensing agreements and paid software.

The real advantage for Linux here is the notion of free as it relates to price. We are assuming that you already have a spare PC laying around and putting this server up will cost you nothing. I will submit however that the Windows Home Server route comes with 1 Terabyte of space, and I will argue that any PC you have laying around will not include a Terabyte of storage space. Given that, let’s place your free solution at a total cost of around $100 for the drive you need to add to hold all of your data.

So you have invested $100 in this PC to give it the storage you need, and now you need a little software. The Linux route could be anything from a simple Network Attached Storage Device (NAS) to a full fledged storage and media server. If you are going the first route, something like FreeNAS will do what you want, and as pretty simple to get going. If you look at what WHS does, NAS is just the beginning, so we’ll need something more sophisticated.

There are probably some packages you can find to do this in an all in one install, but to be thorough, you will need a Linux install similar to Ubuntu or Fedora, and make sure to set up Samba for file sharing, VLC Media Player or something similar to stream video, SBackup for automated backup and SSH for remote web access.

So we are similar to relative feature parity, and it cost about $100 if you don’t include the cost of the computer you had laying around.

The Impact

I would start with the impact being grace. Let’s assume that you don’t mind the additional $290. I didn’t mind at all (of course I got a smoking deal, but still would have gotten one eventually.)

Form Factor

Most likely the entire setup of your Linux server required a keyboard, mouse and monitor. You can obviously unplug these once you are done setting it up, but odds are you are going to need to keep them handy when something goes wrong (and with non-embedded homebrew Linux setups it often does.)

So your server probably looks something like the machine pictured to the right.

There is nothing wrong with this really, but there are a few things worth pointing out that you lose as compared to the Windows Home Server solution:

• Adding additional storage requires tools and a reboot. With Windows home Servers you can pull out a drive tray, add a hard drive with no tools, pop it back in, open the admin control on any PC on your network and add the new drive to your storage pool with a 3-click wizard. You don’t even have to power off the machine.
• The WHS does not require a keyboard, mouse or monitor ever. In fact there is no place to even connect a monitor.
• Pure size. Of course you can get mini cases for PCs, but the odds are that you didn’t have it laying around, and it probably won’t hold 4 Serial ATA hard drives through externally accessible drive bays.

Alright, I admit it. I am willing to pay a few bucks for something that’s sexy. When you look at the Acer server, or any of the HPs, admit it, they are loads sexier.

Pretty hard to argue this. It’s not much taller than our cable modem and maybe 5 times as wide.

Ease of Use

I have already talked about how easy it is to add storage. Let’s talk about how easy it is for the average home user to set it up. The un-boxing process was about as difficult as setup. Once you have it plugged to power, Ethernet and powered on, you stick a client CD in your computer. (After that, the software is available via a share that’s visible on any machine on your network)

The first time the client software is run, it goes through a setup that is literally this simple.

1. Enter the password you want to use to access your home server.
2. Accept or rename the name the home server uses on your network.

Wait you say. I don’t have to configure stuff or setup things? The home server is pretty smart. When you add a client to the system it will create a user. It automatically sets up a shared folder for that user and creates a backup of all the volumes on the client machine.

It also gives you the ability to tailor folder access by user and to create additional shared folders if you need to.

Management User Interface

I can actually take you through the entirety of the Home Server configuration and user interface in 17 screens. Let’s take a look at the first 5 that make up the main configuration tabs:

The first tab manages backup. This is where I can look at any of the machines on my network that are being backed up. I can see all backups, configure backups and delete backups from this single screen.

It’s a simple interface and provides feedback to show you what has happened.

User accounts are the backbone of any network system. It’s super easy to create, manage and delete user accounts.

This includes changing passwords, changing remote access settings, shared folder access and disabling accounts temporarily if you need to.

The next tab allows you to manage all of your shared folders in one place, as well as see the amount of storage they are consuming.

You can create new shared folders here, set duplication settings, change folder access and remove them if you need to.

Literally add more storage space on the fly in 3 clicks. Need I say more?

Notice the pie chart depicting storage usage, the drive health status and the ability to repair storage when you get pesky storage problems.

System information isn’t much about configuration. You can configure the LED brightness, set remote wakeup settings and monitor performance.

It also gives you some information about the system itself. Not much to see here.

Additional Settings

There are 12 more tabs that make up the settings for Windows Update, Backup Settings, Password Policies, Windows Media Center Extender Access, Media Sharing, Remote Access, Add-In configuration, System Monitoring and Alerts, Network Address Configuration, Digital Media Server settings, iTunes Sharing settings and general resource information. This is also where you would shut down or restart the server. Here is a collection of these screens if you want more context.

Clicking each of these will give you the entire picture of not only what Windows Home Server can do, but how easy it is for any user to setup and maintain this little powerhouse.

Remote Access

Remote access is actually pretty interesting. Your Linux solution would probably require either SSH and command line work, or maybe a vnc connection over SSH to do remote screen control.

Windows Home Server’s remote console gives you web based access to your files, remote admin of the server, and Remote Desktop access to any machine you have it enabled for. All it requires is that you sign in with a Windows Live ID, make sure your router is configured accordingly, and choose a domain prefix to your liking. If your router is uPNP enabled it even configures your router for you.

Conclusion

The thing this all boils down to is perceived value. We are talking about $290 here. It’s still a lot of money to some people, but consider that it’s probably close to the cost of the digital camera that takes the photos you are protecting. It’s way less than the cost the machines it’s protecting. It even gives you warnings when machines on your network are missing important updates or have virus protection out of date.

I don’t have a problem quantifying the ease of use, the reliability, the elegance of the solution and the overall look and feel into $290. Being a gadget freak as it is, it’s not a big leap at all. The other thing I love, is that when I explain this to a friend or relative, and tell them how cool I think it is, I have zero reservations in telling him to go get one because I know for sure they can handle it by themselves.

To wrap things up, this goes directly to the heart of the Linux/Windows(or Mac) debate. Sure Linux PCs are always going to be cheaper in actual dollars spent. But I feel like my time is worth something. If I pay for an application that I think feels better to use or just has the extra features and polish that make me more productive, I feel like I have justified that cost.

If you set the “Free Software” argument aside, and agree that most people could care less about a user’s right to modify and redistribute code, this argument comes straight down to cost.

When you take it down to that basic level, it’s probably the same reason I buy Dr. Pepper and you might buy Dr. Thunder. I would rather pay a bit more, and get the taste I expect instead of something that’s cheaper, similar, but probably not as good.

That’s the reality. The Linux solution would work. It just wouldn’t be as pretty. It wouldn’t “feel” as nice, and in the end, it’s just not as good.

This is all of course, just my opinion

This week I was lucky enough to acquire a brand new Acer h340 Windows Home Server at a great price. I quickly got it home and set it up and so far I am pretty impressed. I thought I would share my ideas here for those of you who are thinking about taking the step to a home server.

What Is Windows Home Server?

For those of you not informed, a Windows Home Server is a usually very small, headless (no Monitor, Keyboard or Mouse) server based on Windows Server 2003 technology, that allows all of your home computers to share in it’s storage and scheduling services. There is more to it, but that’s the basics, central file storage and backup.

Why Do I Need One?

Our home network is more complex than most. The basics are Comcast Cable Internet into a Netgear router, the router has an Xbox 360 hard wired to it, another three Xbox 360s connect to it wirelessly, along with a PS3, Wii, several laptops, an iMac, two Mac Pros and my Wife and son’s desktop PCs. There is an Ethernet cable that jumps to my office area and connects up the Windows Home Server, our Printer, one more iMac and my desktop PCs.

That’s a lot of machines. We are already pretty serious about backing up and most of the PCs, even the laptops, have external drives. All of our media is duplicated in a few places and most of my documents are duplicated as well as stored in the cloud on Windows Live Mesh.

The thing I was most excited about with the Windows Home Server was the ability to do system backups. Specifically ones I can do full restores from. The Macs that I use already have scripts that copy my important files to an external drive attached to my main PC desktop. Now they are also synced to the WHS (Windows Home Server.) This is a very convenient arrangement for me.

How Hard Is It To Set Up?

Surprisingly simple actually. I opened the box, plugged in an Ethernet cable and power, waited for it to boot up and installed the client software on my PC. There was a bit of updating at first, but I was only really required to enter a password I wanted to use and create accounts that match the login credentials that we all use at home. Once the client was installed and running the backups were automatically scheduled and I entered a Windows Live ID and picked a domain prefix for the remote site.

I did have one glitch in that uPNP did not configure my router so I had to open a few ports manually, but that was a piece of cake.

So What Does it DO?

The backup thing is obvious. What isn’t so obvious is that it’s an intelligent backup, so it doesn’t ever backup the same file twice, even if it finds it on different computers. It also treats storage space as a single pool, so adding drives doesn’t create new driver letters or complex raid configurations, it just extends the pool effortlessly and you have more space. The Server has 3 externally accessible bays to add up to 3TB of more storage to the included 1TB.

Beyond backups, it allows me remote access to my files, as well as directly to control my PC. I can use a Remote Desktop Connection and tunnel directly to any PC running the client and take physical control of the machine. That’s handy if you need to schedule a Media Center recording or anything that requires you to have your hands on the computer when you are away.

It’s a Media Server, naturally. Windows Media Center and Xbox 360s can connect to it effortlessly to stream Video, Photos and Audio directly to them anywhere on the network. That allows us to get our “My Name is Earl” fix anywhere in the house since the episodes are stored on the server.

Anything Else?

Yes! It’s totally extensible. There are Add-ins that allow you to add a myriad of functionality from cloud sync backup to remote viewing of web cameras. Just a quick search on Bing will show you dozens of plugins that add new functionality.

The really amazing thing is that these full blown servers start at about $350. Even the higher end ones reach to about $750. That’s an amazing value if you have multiple computers and value the protection of your data. The backup solution alone is like a Network Attached Storage device on steroids, everything else is just fluff.