2009 has been a busy year in many respects. This site has seen strong continuous growth with more than twice the number of daily visits at the end of the year as at the beginning of 2009. We’ve got a new Windows Home Server MVP, added new moderators and editors, released several Add-Ins, and even saw the births of two new kids amongst the team here.
Windows Home Server has seen amazing growth as more OEMs are releasing new Home Servers and more people are learning about how Windows Home Server can be a great benefit in their home networks. We’ve also seen the continued push into the Small Business sector, where WHS is a natural fit to back up the PCs in an office.
I wanted to take a look back at some of the highlights of the past year, as a reminder of how far we’ve come and how much has changed. This is by no means an exhaustive list, so please post in the comments if you’ve got a favorite item from the past year.
Most importantly, thanks to you all for making this such a great community. I can’t wait to see what 2010 brings!
March 23 – Windows Home Server Power Pack 2 released
March 30 – Forum member “scooter” leaks images of the upcoming LX195
April 1 – HP announces GX3297 32-drive server (April fools)
April 12-May 5 – HP announces 2.5 software update for EX485/EX487 and community responds with displeasure at “missing out” on new features
April 12 – Forum member “cakalapati” releases 2nd generation debug cables
April 13 – Fireplay for WHS Add-In released
April 21 – New BDBB release adds support for backing up over network plus other improvements
April 24 – SanEncore Add-In released to help get 2.5 software update on EX47x servers
April 30 – HP announces the LX195
May 5 – HP announces Software Upgrades and European Availability for MediaSmart Servers
May 28 – HP announces release of Online Backup and Mac Backup Add-ins for EX470/EX475
July 1 – Nigel “Cougar” Wilks gets Microsoft MVP Award for Windows Home Server
July 30 – WHS Port Forward Add-In released
August 14 – Damian “dbone1026″ joins as contributing editor and moderator
August 18 – HP offers extended warranty and out-of-warranty repairs for the MediaSmart Server
Sept 14 – HP announces the EX490 and EX495
September 16 – Nigel “Cougar” Wilks releases PHP and MySql Installer Add-Ins
Sept 29 – HP announces the Storageworks X510 Datavault
October 1 – Alex named MVP for WHS for 2009
October 2 – Nigel “Cougar” Wilks releases Wordpress Installer for WHS Add-In
October – HP announces European and Austrialian availability of the MediaSmart Server
November 24 – Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 released
December 9 – Nigel and Alex release WHS Health Add-In
Dec 17 – HP delays 3.0 Software Update for the EX47x and EX48x servers
Article by Alex Kuretz
I'm Alex Kuretz, and I'm the founder of MediaSmartServer.net. I was the Lead Test and Integration Engineer at HP for the MediaSmart Server until April 2008 when I moved on to other opportunities outside HP. I've kept active in the Windows Home Server community, creating several add-ins and helping users make the most of their Home Servers.
