Having all my main machines connected to my WHS v1 server (my EX490), I wanted to start testing the backup/restore capabilities of my WHS 2011 server (my EX487). So I fired up a virtual machine, running Server 2003, and tried to connect it to WHS 2011.

WHS 2011 said nay-nay. The OS was not supported and did not meet the prerequisites. My only option was to cancel.

And so I fired up a different VM, this time running Windows Server 2008 R2. WHS 2011 also had plenty to complain about here, but it let me continue. It complained that the operating system was not supported, and that while they would let me continue, it may not perform as expected and bad things could happen.

Hmm...Windows Server 2008 R2, the same OS upon which WHS 2011 is based, is not supported? You're kidding me, right? What am I supposed to do with my other boxes, running Server 2008 R2, Active Directory, Exchange 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010? (One box is actually just 2008, not R2.)

These are Microsoft OSes, so why aren't they supported? In fact, when I clicked on the help link the WHS 2011 client wizard offered me, it said only the following Microsoft OSes were supported in Windows Home Server 2011: Windows 7 family, Windows Vista family and Windows XP (SP-2 or later).

What about Windows Server 2003, 2008 and 2008 R2? Why were these left out?

Windows Home Server v1, on the other hand, faithfully allowed me to set up ALL of these OSes, and never complained once about them not being supported. And they all back up flawlessly every night. So why would MS yank out the support for them?

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Matt Sawyer
Owner, Dojo North Software, LLC

HP EX490, 4GB, E5300, 15TB - Server 2012 - Sharing and Streaming
HP EX487, 4GB, E5300, 13TB - Server 2012 Essentials - Backups