What is a Windows Home Server (WHS)?

WHS is a piece of software from Microsoft that is specifically designed to serve files and other media to clients and provide a backup solution for them. These clients can either be PCs or other devices like the Logitech Squeezebox. Once installed on your home network, a piece of software called a 'connector' is installed on every PC or laptop you have. This software will then automatically backup the entire contents of your PC or laptop every night and manage and rotate these backups for you.

This means if the hard disk on the PC fails, you can simply purchase another one and let WHS restore the entire contents to the point of the last backup. As the backup software only sends changed files to the server, the nightly backups should only take a few minutes. Any disks that are attached to the PC i.e. external USB drive can also be backed up via WHS.