great post jeff, you’ve got

great post jeff, you’ve got quite an impressive setup there…you must’ve known i was going to ask the following question: Pictures???? 🙂

Pictures, that could be um…bare-assing …… finishing the rack enclosure and cable management ….. and patching holes painting, new furniture and fixtures, mounting the 9 in 9.2 speakers in the media room are some of the “other projects” I need to get to!

Picures soon… well depends on what you consider soon!

 

Ok, that aside, i have a question–why do you have two servers? Especially given the impressive size of one of them. Are you using WHS for the backup abilities? If speed is your biggest concern and you have a huge size, there are probably better solutions (like UNRAID, or FreeNAS)

I started with the WHS for MyMovies Server, Recorded TV Automated Storage, Squeezebox Server. Really like the no nonsense easy setup pc backup, folder duplication for photos, music, data, and docs. (No duplication for Movies, would rerip if needed)… and maybe soon internet offsite access to the server. Full server failure, pull disk and copy. But had bad rips and bluray stuttering, (was probably the AF drives, or non intel NIC or throttling but thats fixed now). So built W7 server, waiting for Vail. Now Vail and MyMovies server are up in the air, so waiting. Not sure if Im up to learning a new OS right now for UnRaid, FlexRaid or FreeNAS. How tough? (Never used anything but Windows) 

The 2 servers is just where I’ve sortof uneded up at this point. But I’m still on the journey .. end not in sight………….

 

For RecordedTV storage, that’s where the WHS is actually convenient, in that part of the updates are that it can transfer your recordings over to your WHS and then all your systems can see it.

Since I don’t have to worry about space, size or heat with my HTPC case, I’m thinking of adding the 2nd 2tb EURS drive to the HTPC (for a total of 5.5 TB recorded TV storage (that should handle it!), moving to Recorded TV Movies and 2nd Recorded TV drive with batch files. All the R-TV local should make commercial processing easier and faster. (I would think) As opposed to the WHS Recorded TV option.

So my needs for the WHS are dindling, if I’m thinking all of this out correctly. I’m not new, but I’m not that bright about these things. But I still like the pc backup and duplication/failure copying options.

My mind keeps going back to 1 HTPC feeding 3 TVs with the extender for 98% of the viewing, why wouldn’t I just attach the movie drives and MyMovies server to the main HTPC, but I never see a lot of nodding heads on the forums when I bring this up!

I think that’s why the long post and the questions, I’m looking for one of you guys to push me and knock me off occam’s razor. But I’d need that burden of proof  🙂

The principle is often incorrectly summarized as “the simplest explanation is more likely the correct one”. This summary is misleading, however, since the principle is actually focused on shifting the burden of proof in discussions.

Thanks

Jeff