Windows Home Server - WHS - started life in 2007 with an announcement at the CES show, although it was the best part of a year before it was readily available. It was based on a slightly cut-down version of Microsoft's then flagship server operating system, Windows Server 2003 R2, supplemented with a number of innovations to make it more useful and easier to use in a home environment. These included the Dashboard, providing at-a-glance status information and a simplified way to manage the system, and the highly-acclaimed Drive Extender. Usually on a Windows computer, each disk drive has its own letter to identify it. So, the first drive is C, the second is D, the third is E and so on. In a server environment there might be multiple drives; what Drive Extender did was transparently merge them all into one single pool. Add another drive and it became part of the pool, without any need to worry about whether it was G: or M: or whatever. Additionally, WHS would make multiple copies of files and store them on different drives, such that data would not be lost in the event of a drive failure, must like the way a RAID system operates.
At the same time, HP announced a range of 'baby servers' running WHS. They were joined by a handful of other, smaller manufacturers, but it was painfully obvious even in the early days that there was no widespread support for this innovative product.
A few years later, Microsoft released a follow-on product in the form of Windows Home Server 2011 (WHS 2011). In some ways this was more of the same, but updated to use grown-up Windows Server 2008 R2 and with additional polish. But - to the shock of enthusiasts and pundits - the innovative Drive Extender technology was gone. This time round HP did not launch a supporting server, and shortly afterwards pulled out of the market altogether. An even bigger shock took place in 2012 when Microsoft announced there would be no further editions of WHS. Instead, home users were pointed in the direction of Windows Server Essentials - at ten times the price... Retail sales of WHS 2011 would end on 31st December 2013, although the product would be supported until 2016. Intriguingly, manufacturers can still supply "embedded" versions until 2025, although none appear to have chosen to do so.
Much of the technology pioneered in WHS has subsequently appeared in other Microsoft operating systems. For instance, the Dashboard appears in other server products and Drive Extender has re-appeared in Windows 8 under the name Storage Spaces.
WHS failed for several reasons. Firstly, it was ahead of its time. There is now a proven market for home storage solutions, but it is satisfied by NAS products that are simple and easy to use. Secondly, because of its complexity, WHS appealed mainly to technical people and enthusiasts, who appreciated being able to purchase a "real" server operating system for a fraction of the normal price. And thirdly, Microsoft did not really put a lot of weight behind the product in terms of marketing.
As stated at the beginning of this article, stocks of WHS 2011 are still available from the likes of eBuyer, CCLonline, Amazon and others. It costs between £35-£40. Some people are buying it not for use as a server, but for use as a general purpose operating system on a desktop or laptop. This is an attractive proposition for people who really do not like Windows 8 and are prepared to put in the effort to get it working.
WHS 2007-2013. R.I.P.