Customer Reviews

Windows Home Server User's Guide (Expert's Voice)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After reading some other reviews, I am editing this... If you are comfortable with your computer, then my 1 star stands, and my orginal review is what is written after this next paragraph.

But... if you just wished your home server came with an instruction manual, then this book makes a fine instruction manual, but nothing more. When I got this book, I already had my server running for a few months, and was looking for deeper knowledge than could be found from just clicking all the features and figuring them out... there is nothing in this book that added to my knowledge (really... nothing). So, if your looking for an instruction manual, maybe this will work for you, as for me, the review below still stands:

First of all, I would like to say I'm a big fan of most books published by Apress. I find the majority of them through on their given topic, and well written.
"Windows Home Server Users Guide" is the first book from this publisher I've gotten where I feel like they let a book get past their editors that is nothing more than a fluff piece attempting to cash in on a new technology.
This book does nothing more than to painstakingly itemize each and every tab and dialog that you will ever see in an attempt to bulk up a book that really tells you nothing. I found no added insight from this no-meat itemization of each field presented. Anybody that had what it takes to get their home server running could have written this book.

Let's look at an example of where the writer attempt to expand on interpreting the log file if you have an error... this is taken directly from the book:
"You will notice a series of error codes in the log file; for example, 0x8007000e. If the information
contained in the installation log file is not very helpful, you might try doing a search on the Internet for
that error code, or contacting Microsoft Product Support and telling them the error code and asking for
some assistance."

This is a common sample of the useless type of "extra information" that you can expect to get from this book. The rest of the text is nothing more than lots of pictures of each and every screen and dialog you will ever see, accompanied by write-ups similar to the one I have given. In fact, to find this example, all I did was randomly pick a page out of the book to prove this point. I did not look for a particularly bad example, but just the first example that I opened to.

In summary, Apress is a publisher that I have grown to trust, but after this piece of swill, I will be focusing a more critical eye on them before I purchase sight-unseen again.

Chances are, if you are reading about this book you have heard about Windows Home Server from Microsoft. Perhaps you are a computer enthusiast who wants to "roll their own" solution using the OEM version of the software (Microsoft Windows Home Server OEM); or maybe you are looking into a pre-packaged hardware solution like the offers from HP (HP EX470 MediaSmart Home Server (AMD Live/ 64 Bit Sempron Processor, 500 GB Hard Drive)); or maybe you just want to read more about what Windows Home Server (WHS) is and see if it meets your needs. Whatever level you are at, "Windows Home Server User's Guide" will help you learn more about WHS, guide you through what it can do and hopefully help you with your decision on what to buy, or help you decide if WHS is for you.

There are a number of books that are coming onto the market about WHS. Many of them are large techical books that can drown the non-geek user with information that goes into too much detail about what goes on behind-the-scenes. Many of the books assume you are using the OEM software and building your own system. Instead of helping the user learn more about WHS, they confuse them with meaningless jargon and technical details -- precisely what Windows Home Server was meant not to do.

Luckily, in this book the author has done a good job of keeping the book on a level that can be understood by all. He doesn't assume that you are using one solution or the other, but rather walks you through what WHS is and how it can help you regardless of the solution you end up using.

Each chapter walks you through features of WHS and how it can help connect your digital home and family, and shows you how to get the most out of it. Throughout the chapters the author has put in side notes that give you alternative ways of doing tasks, suggesting where to go for more information or warning you about potential risks. The chapters themselves are concise and full of illustrations and actual screen shots to help you understand what steps need to be taken. In short, this is the manual Microsoft should have included with the software!

I particularly enjoyed how the author covered more "geek" features of the product by talking briefly about them (such as the API -- or Application Programming Interface) but then instead of devoting pages on pages of text to something that both changes frequently and is too much information for the average WHS user simply points you to resources where you can find out more about it if the subject interests you. In this way the author stays true to the audience without trying to make this a "catch all" type book.

In short, if you are getting ready to purchase Windows Home Server or are deciding on if this is a solution for you, I would highly recommend you pick up a copy of this book and read it. It will help you make a more informed buying decision and double as a great getting started guide to getting Windows Home Server setup and running in your house.

After buying this book I was glad that I didn't buy it new. It is a good resource to have when you are building your WHS. A lot of the subject matter seems to be the same as that in the HELP menu. If you are not that familiar with networks and home networking then this is a good resource. Buying this book used was a better investment over buying it new.

A user guide with a lot of details regarding all WHS features and ehancements.
Easy to understand, helpfull to discover all WHS options.

I don't normally go out of my way to trash a book....

This book is nothing but screen shots and step by step instructions on how to configure and use a very straight forward operating system. If you feel comfortable using most Windows operating systems, you DON'T need this book.

If you still want to buy this book - Buy mine, I am selling it on Amazon for a good price ;-).

This book explains nothing that you can't get by simply reading the help files. There is nothing extra here, and it offers nothing in the way of tweaks, let alone hacks or ways to increase the functionality of the server beyond the basics. By the time you have set up the basic server, which is fairly simple, you will have learned everything in this book.

I suppose if you are a real computer newbie, this might have some info for you but then again you probably shouldn't be setting up a server even as simple as WHS.

Skip it.

For the life of me, I don't understand the harsh review this book got. The main critique seems to be that the book isn't meaty enough. Having used it to get me through my first WHS install and two subsequent ones, I find that charge a bit, well, unfair.

The book essentially goes through each Tab in the Windows Home Server console - that much I agree with in the other review. But I found that every single feature I was interested in was covered in more than enough detail to get me through it but never got longwinded or boring. It's precisely the concise nature of the book that makes it so useful. It's light and small, you can easily store it near the computer and you can *find whatever you want quickly* in it.

The truth is, WHS is pretty straightforward and there's not a whole lot to it. What you see on the tabs if pretty much what's there other than Add-ins and the System Settings. The only really tricky task that I found was getting Remote Access to work and this book got me through it with flying colors. In fact, the same goes for every other task. Instaed of installing it and trying to figure it out later, I used this book as I went along and had no problems. The *only* thing I found tricky other than configuring remote access (and it's not the WHS side that's the problem, it's the router) was syncing user accounts on WHS with other accounts to machines I hooked up with Connector.

Although I would have been pleasantly surprised to find a little more on the WHS SDK, every single important topic is covered and covered well. The author does a phenomenal job of getting to the point, telling you what you need to know and not confusing it with stuff you won't care about.

Overall, it's an excellent book and the perfect WHS companion.

Well as I have said there are currently 6 Windows Home Server (WHS) books on the market and i'v read them all (yikes). So is the User's Guide from author Andrew Edney any good?
Yes, Yes and Yes. What Andrew has managed to do is write a complete guide of getting the most out of your Windows Home Server. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned pro there is something for you within the books 300+ pages.
Starting with what WHS is (just in case you didn't know), Andrew then takes us in detail, through the features of the product including how to install and most importantly the steps you should follow once installation has finished.
Andrew also includes a network primer and details on how to build your own Windows home Server as well.
Thoroughly recommended and defiantly one of the best WHS books currently on the market.