Home Server

A “Home Server” is a new server role and niche that is being pushed by the combination of market forces (increasing digital content and devices in the home), and new product (Microsoft’s launch of its “Windows Home Server” OS) development. The concept of a home server is a system that stores shared media, provides users access to that media, and manages user connectivity and access.

Some of the key features in Microsoft’s Home Server are backup services (to protect digital media), connectivity (to allow users in the home to share media, as well as share media with anyone with internet access), and organization.

The hardware for Home Server is not yet defined, but will most likely trend towards sleeker and quieter designs than traditional servers, involve a significant amount of storage, and require hardware most in tune with a storage server. Serving of web content, as well as streaming and serving devices may require more robust hardware as these features are used.