Every time we talk about getting a new computer, my husband brings up a Mac. Neither of us have ever used one, and I don't want to start completely from scratch. This server would solve our problems. He can have Mac and I can have Windows. Not that I love Windows, but the evil you know is better than the evil you have to learn.
The MediaSmart Server EX485 & EX487: Bringing Your Blended Mac & PC Household Together
Categories: HP MediaSmart Server Computers and Laptops
The "Hybrid" Household 
Let's get one thing straight - even though I'd consider myself, overall, to be a "Mac guy," DOS and Windows run through my veins all the same. Ever since my father brought home our first 80/86 with the green screen and BASIC, I was hooked. I grew up on DOS, and used Windows up until about 6 years ago, when I purchased my first Mac computer - the laptop that would accompany me through much of college, three different careers, and change my computing landscape forever.
However, even though I'm completely decked out now with my MacBook, Mac Mini, iPhone, and iPod - one thing hasn't changed. I still exist in a "blended" family of Macs and PC's, as my girlfriend uses Windows, and it's likely I might add a Windows netbook to my shopping list soon.
My situation isn't unique, either - as Macs grow in popularity, the hybrid household will become the norm.... Dad with his Vista desktop, Son with his gaming PC running XP, Daughter with her MacBook, and Mom with her iMac - can all live in media sharing harmony.
The MediaSmart Server EX485 & EX487 Does It All
You would never have thought that there would be one device that would play nice with all of your different machines and truly unite the media in your household... but now there is. No playing around with shoddy network interfaces through a web browser, no more messing around with the Terminal, and forget about messing around with tons of confusing settings or parameters. The new HP MediaSmart Server, dubbed the "Encore," is super easy to set up.
Here, I'd like to detail some of the fantastic featuresof this media monster, and how it will help your Mac and PC users share a little love!
Time Machine Backups... For Everyone!
I love Time Machine. I've been using it on my desktop for months, and it consistently works well, silently backing up all of my files in the background, wowing me with its super cool "space" interface, and giving me peace of mind. However, I've always wanted to back up my laptop, too - but it's a pain. I'd have to share one of my USB drives across the network, and re-partition it, since Time Machine requires a whole partition for each backup. Yuck.
The MediaSmart Server fixes all of this, allowing you to establish a separate, isolated Time Machine backup for each Mac in your household - without having to fiddle around with ANY settings in the server.
Easy File Sharing
Honestly, seriously, it couldn't have been any easier. After running the Mac software, the MediaSmart Server pops right up in the Mac OS X Finder, allowing you open access to the files (as SMB shares.) You can drag and drop individual files or folders to back up with ease, and the server will show up on any Mac in the house.
Third Party Backup Software
Since the MediaSmart Server operates like any other shared drive on your network, you have the ability to use third party backup software to protect the files on your Macs, if you choose. You may want to do this if you want extra super mega protection of your files by having them in separate places, or just if you feel like it. One example is Mac's Backup program, and there are many others out there as well.
iTunes Sharing
Mac and PC users alike enjoy using the iTunes software as their main media player, and it's no wonder why - it's fun, easy to use, and feature rich.
For the PC's in your network, the MediaSmart Server will "aggregate" content, meaning that it will automatically update and copy over new music files to the server's shared drive. The beauty of this is that your iTunes library will be automatically visible on the network to ANY iTunes user, including those on Mac computers. This means that you can easily stream your iTunes library from a PC onto any Mac in the household.
Media and File Sharing Over the Web
With some simple configuration, you can access your files from anywhere, over the wild wild Internet. Here's the cool part, though - you can do it from both Macs AND PC's, as the web-based interface will support both. Not only will you have access to a fully-featured file browser, but you'll be able to watch and listen to your media as well - as happily on Mac as in Windows.
Stay Tuned...
Make sure that you watch MediaSmart Home for more updates and how-tos on the HP MediaSmart Server EX485 & EX487 - and get the most out of your Mac and PC connected household!
Quick Links
Purchase a MediaSmart Server Encore
Read More About the MediaSmart Server
Tags
:
backupsitunesitunes sharingmaconline accesspctime machine
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December 30, 2008 9:47 AM
December 30, 2008 3:20 PM
What about APPLE TV - will the media server work with my Apple TV? Sounds like it does everything else. But . . .
December 31, 2008 9:54 PM
I just bought a MediaSmart Server in late November and my first MacBook in Dec. It looks like the new MediaSmart models take the place of the Apple Time Capsule and work well with the Time Machine tool on the Mac. It sounds like the older MediaSmart server (which is only 1 month old for me) may get a software upgrade to also support Mac. I would apprecaite if anyone can confirm this is the case with any reference to an HP link. I certainly hope I didn't just buy an obolete piece of hardware and have to now get a time capsule for my Mac.
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January 2, 2009 3:42 PM
Taminar said: Every time we talk about getting a new computer, my husband brings up a Mac. Neither of us have ever used one, and I don't want to start completely from scratch. This server would solve our problems. He can have Mac and I can have Windows. Not that I love Windows, but the evil you know is better than the evil you have to learn.
First of all, thanks for reading my article :) I laughed to myself when I read your post, because my girlfriend keeps telling me the same thing! Whenever she has a problem with her Windows XP machine, I always slip out the inevitable "I need to get you a Mac," even though I try really, really hard not to be a "Macvangelist."
While Macs are far from perfect and not without problems, my personal opinion is that they're quite elegant, friendly, and fun to use. If you can overcome your fear of what's different, and give one a shot, you might just love it. They play nicely with Windows PC's these days (for the most part) and don't forget, you can run Windows natively on a Mac with Boot Camp. As such, you can have the best of both worlds :) I'm familiar with your situation personally, too... it took over a year of exposure and persuasion to get me to buy my first Mac, and I've been in love ever since.
Rod said:What about APPLE TV - will the media server work with my Apple TV? Sounds like it does everything else. But . . .
I wish I had an Apple TV, but at this time I don't, so I can't test it out. However, do you know if Apple TV can stream from any regular shared drive on your network? The MSS mounts in the Finder as a regular shared drive that can be easily accessed by any of your Macs, so I imagine it could stream from there as well. I know you can share the library through iTunes and stream that way, and if the Apple TV connects with iTunes shared libraries, you "should" be in business.
I'll look into this a little more and see if I can find some better information... for now, it's a "maybe!"
Peter Redmer
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January 5, 2009 8:32 AM
Will these Mac extensions be available for BYO WHS systems? I have a homegrown WHS that handles all of my backups and in my blended environment, the TM extensions would be a godsend. Migrating to an MSS would involve moving close to 1.2 TB of data.
Carlos Echenique
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January 8, 2009 4:36 PM
updated: January 8, 2009 4:37 PM
Hi - Thanks for your excellent writeup. I have a household with one iMac and one Macbook. I plan on using the HP MediaSmart not as a backup for the Macs, but as a server for all of my music and videos.
If possible, I'd like to use the Time Machine software on my iMac, NOT to backup my macs, but to backup the media files from the HP MediaSmart onto an external eSata hard drive (connected to the HP MediaSmart).
Will Time Machine "see" my HP MediaSmart AND the external hard drive, so I can backup in this way? If not, is there some other third party software that I can use to do periodic backups of the HP?
Many thanks,
January 9, 2009 1:43 PM
I live in a PC/Mac blended home, and seeing the improvements made to this generation of MediaSmart systems has made me nearly ready to purchase one. The top functions that the server would perform for my household would be to perform backups and share music via iTunes. Obviously, backups are now possible for Windows and Mac OS X, right out of the box. Also, the iTunes music sharing looks great. The only issue that I haven't been able to resolve is whether Macs running older versions of OS X will be able to access the shared iTunes music. It's obvious that HP supports Mac OS X v10.5 (Leopard) with Time Machine and iTunes. But I'm just wondering if my older Macs, running OS X v10.4, will be able to play the shared music over the network. I haven't been able to find anything confirming this. Can anyone here provide an answer?
January 14, 2009 11:05 PM
I like what I read so far. For those of you who have this (i.e., Peter but others chime in please), so I store my itunes library on the mss. This means I can then access my tunes from any pc/mac on the network, right? I can then also access these songs over the internet when I am away from the house, right?
What about when I sync my ipod? I assume it will then sync with my library on the mss. Will all other itunes on my other computers sync as well? Also what about the speed of streaming as well as sync. Is it horribly slow?
Thanks,
Editor / Mac Nerd
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January 15, 2009 12:08 PM
Peejer, you have a couple of great questions, and I'll do my best to answer them... here goes!
1. Yes, you should be able to access the shared library on any PC or Mac in the house running iTunes. It will show up as a shared iTunes library.
2. Yes, you can do this but it's done in a different way. The MSS has a media server that you can access over the web through a web browser.
3. Your iPod will sync with whatever iTunes library the particular computer you attach it to is linked to. This is confusing so let me explain with an example :)
You have two Macs in the house - a laptop and a desktop. You sync your iPod with your desktop, and the iTunes setup on your desktop is linked to an iTunes library which is held on your MediaSmart Server. In this situation, the iPod will indeed be syncing with the library that is held on your MSS.
Now, if you hook that same iPod up to the iTunes setup on your laptop, which has no music files but is receiving the shared library from your MSS... it will ask to wipe and resync your iPod, since there are no actual music files in the library on your laptop.
Moral of the story is that an iPod can only sync with one iTunes library, and if you try to sync it to a different iTunes setup, it won't work the way you described. Frankly, I don't really see this as a downside since I would never need to sync from my laptop anyway, and I don't think most people would.
Also remember that if you add a music file to your iTunes library on your laptop, it will not automatically sync that with your shared library on the MSS - it doesn't work that way unfortunately.
For PC users, there is a music aggregator function that will actively "search" for new media added to any PC in the house and collect them into the central library. Us mac people miss out on that feature for now, but hopefully it will be added at some point!
4. Speed has been good for me, the MSS is plenty fast enough to stream all kinds of media. Your network's speed will be the biggest factor here, methinks. I haven't had any problems at all streaming over my network.
Hopefully this helps - any questions let me know!
Pete
Peter Redmer
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January 15, 2009 12:47 PM
Fantastic replies! Thanks Pete!
You really anticipated my thought about the lack of automatic sync from the laptop to the MSS. But I can easily handle this manually.
I have a pretty fast network here at the house so that shouldn't be a problem.
Thanks for your thoughts and insights. I am about 90% certain to be purchasing one of these when they come out.
All the best,
Editor / Mac Nerd
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January 15, 2009 1:09 PM
Cool - glad to hear it. I know the Mac community will really like this version of the MSS!
Peter Redmer
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January 18, 2009 11:38 PM
As with one of the users posting to this article, I also purchased a EX470 a few months ago and did all the memory and disk upgrades. I also have both Windows and Mac running on my home network. I am very excited to hear about the new HP MediaSmart improvements. Can you confirm that the updated software coming with the EX485 and EX487 will be available for the older EX47x models? I really hope my investment does not become obsolete and I could really use the new functionality.
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January 19, 2009 8:48 PM
I am drooling all over this. It is what my setup needs. Guess its time to get one and jump on board!
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January 28, 2009 10:47 PM
I too was an early adopter and hopped on the MSS bandwagon as soon as I saw one. I bought my first iMac this Christmas (and yes, I love it), and really would love to be able to use my Home Server instead of an external drive for my backups. I'm a little concerned that 2 people have asked whether anyone knows if HP is going to provide an update for those of us who led the pack, and supported HP by spreading the word.
February 1, 2009 11:45 AM
Thanks for the article, I have never owned a Windows Home Server before and like others posting here have a mixed house, 3 Mac's and 2 XP machines. I have placed my order for a HP EX485 and 2 X 1.5 TB hard drives. Since all 3 of us have and sync iPhones and iPod's. the ability to store/backup my iTunes library was very important to me.
The questions I have at this point is how to calculating the amount of storage on the server I need to backup all my computers and truly how well will this solution restore my data in the event one or more computers crashes. Lastly I also plan to using Amazon's S3 online solution for offsite backup of my data, but how well will that solution handle backing/restoring up close to 1 TB of data.
February 3, 2009 4:14 PM
One big question I have is how well does this mss function when you are working with large files, ie. images or video directly from the server?
For example, I have both a pc and mac G5. These are connected to my pc server which shares out the HD's, I work directly with these files over the network. Does the mss give file permissions to both pc and mac without having to install additional software? Also, I read before where the 1st version of the mss would corrupt files when working on them over the network. Is this still the case?
February 6, 2009 1:44 PM
Peter, very good and informative article. The Ex487 MediaSmart Server might just fit the bill for me. How does the Ex487 MediaSmart Server compare to the ReadyNAS Duo or the ReadyNAS Pro Pioneer?
Regards,
Gino J. Piazza
Port Chester, NY
gjpiazza@optonline.net
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