MalVeauX

Hey guys,

I was wondering if it's possible to make Windows Server 2008 function like Windows Home Server. Example, can I have the `storage pool' the way WHS has it, where you just add drives `to the pool' and then the shared folders just show up as a singular space on the network rather than having to share multiple drives and having to click through several different places for similar data sets. It was beautiful to have all my movies show up in the movies shared folder, regardless of them being physically on several different HDD's. I would like to see if I can configure Windows Server 2008 to do the same thing. But so far, I've not found the tools/roles/services to do this in Sever 2008. Certainly not as easy as WHS.

So can I configure Server 2008 to work like WHS did, storage wise? I don't need backups or anything. I just liked how WHS had the storage pool, drives were added, and all the data appeared on the network in the same share folders, regardless of their physical location.

Edit:

Closest thing I've found so far is using Namespaces, but it only seems to work for Domains and not just a simple life location on a physical drive. But it pools the data into one `nameplace' for easy navigation (essentially what I'm after), but unfortunately really complicated.

Any help is appreciated!

Very best,

Manyak

DFS is actually very simple once you try it. Yes it only works for domains, but you can still make your server a domain server but just not add any computers to it. Then you access your files through "\\domain\files\", with a username of "\\domain\username". And that's it.

But either way, you can do a similar thing using RAID (either through hardware or through Administrative Tools -> Computer Management -> Disk Management). Just create a JBOD RAID array, and whenever you add a hard drive you can expand the array with the drive. A real RAID level would be better for performance and redundancy, but then you'd be limited to using drives of the same size (or wasting space).

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MalVeauX

Heya,

It's so close to what I'm after. WHS does it automatically of course.

DFS and Namespace lets me make a domain controller, AD DS, and then add a Namespace. I can add targets to the folder of the Namespace, but those targets are all separate servers. I really just want to be able to add folders from separate drives on the same machine, not just separate drives on separate servers. But it doesn't seem to want to do that.

Since WHS pools drives together as a single shared space, it has to be possible of course, I'm just trying to find out how to replicate that or do the same thing without actually just using WHS, and instead, do it in Windows Sever 2008.

I'd even switch to Linux if there was an easy way to do this.

I just want to be able to have several HDD's in the same machine and have all their content show up over the network in the same place (like a shared folder) and not as separate volumes (like having several disks with DVD .iso and not have it shared several times where I have to have several folders to browse through to see them all, I just want to have to open one folder and see all of them, even if they're physically on separate drives).

Very best,

Manyak

It sure can do that, my server is set up like that right now. The targets are just separate shares - it doesn't matter what server, computer, or OS they are from. Just that each of them is a share.

The only limitation, which I can imagine is what you're doing, is that you're trying to set targets as folders within a share, or trying to use local paths. That won't work. If you want to share D:\Movies and D:\Music, you can't just share D:\ and then set targets as subfolders. And you can't set targets using the local paths either - you have to create the separate shares \\server\movies and \\server\music, and then set those as the targets.

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DuckieHo

OT: I thought W2K8 could do differential backups?

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Manyak

Yes it can, but that and DFS are two separate things. DFS does namespaces, which consolidates separate shares from different PC's under a single one, and replication, which hosts a share on two PC's at once so that if one goes down the other can still host the files.

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MalVeauX

Heya,

Really?! If this is so, I'm very excited.

Bear with me, I'm new to Server 2008. I came from WHS simply because I was tired of having to pool drives and having no real control on that (plus, adding a drive to the pool required it to be formatted which is a down side, as I'd rather just add drives with data on them already as I please and server it out). That's why I moved to Server 2008 (on top of being able to get it for much cheaper than WHS).

So from a fresh Windows Server 2008 install (no roles installed):

1. Install File Services (with DFS Namespace/Replication).

The next part is where I tried a few things, but then removed the roles because I didn't know what I was doing, so:

A. Needed the server to be a domain controller to be able to use DFS and name space. So I install:

A1. Install ActiveDirectory DomainServices.
A2. Install DNS.

Now I can go to DFS and create a new Namespace.

-- So I have to have AD DS and DNS, correct?

If I get an `ok to go' on that, I will reinstall those roles.

And if that's correct, I'll make a new Namespace again. But this time, I'll probably need help making the shares. I didn't quite understand that part.

My goal is to have the following if possible:

Drive 1 - Data set
Drive 2 - Data set
Drive 3 - Data set

Network: Server name // Domain (name space) // Data set

So that in that one folder, I want to see all the data from those 3 drives in the same place (instead of 3 separate folders for each set)--if possible.

It can. I simply was pointing out that the simple and automated backups of WHS wasn't something I needed to replicate in a fashion in Server2008 (which can be done of course, but it's not my server's real role since it's just there to serve out .ISO dvd's basically).

Very best,

Manyak

Correct

Though technically it'll be either...

\\ServerName\Namespace\Data Set

or

\\FQDN\Namespace\Data Set

...depending on what options you pick when creating the namespace.


As for making the shares, each data set is a different hard drive, right? Then just share the root folder of each drive from my computer, and when creating the namespace make the target \\server\drivesharename, not X:\.

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MalVeauX

Heya,

Ok, so I have AD DS and DNS going. I can now make Namespaces. I made one. Ready to add things to it. But that's where I get stuck.

I called my NameSpace Library.

Now I have two separate drives with similar data on them that I want to share so that their contents appear in a folder under //servername/library then. The drives are in the same computer as the drive with Server 2008.

I make a new folder in my name space, called Movies.

This is where I am stuck.

1. Do I need to go to Admin Tools - Share and Storage Manager and use `Provision Share' to create the shares for each disk? I tried that, then went to my namespace, I added the share I made as a target under the `movies' folder I made in my namespace. It worked. But when I did the same thing to the 2nd drive, and added it as a target as well under the `movies' folder, it did so successfully, but it does not display the files. I used text files as a test. Drive 1 had DVD.txt and Drive 2 had DVD2.txt. Only DVD.txt is showing up (the contents of Drive 2 are not showing up).

I'm not sure how to make my shares on each drive so that when I go to add them to my namespace they will have their combined contents showing up under my folder in my namespace.

Thanks so far for the help; I think I'm on the verge of the epiphany if you're willing to bear with me a wee bit more. :P

Very best,

Manyak

Nah no need for all that, just do it the same way you would in any other windows. Right click on the drive in my computer, then go to properties->sharing->advanced sharing. Then check the box that says "share this folder", and then you can set a name for it and the permissions. That's it

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