As a new category of product, Windows Home Server may be a bit confusing to some computer users. Many people will see the word “Server” and assume that bringing a Windows Home Server machine into their home will be complicated and difficult. The main purpose of this book is to show users that setting up and using Windows Home Server can be easy and, more important, that it can be used to simplify their digital lives by protecting their important files and making them available in a variety of different ways.

I am very excited by the idea that technology can actually be used to make people’s lives better. Unfortunately advances in technology sometimes make life better for only a small subset of people, the technology elite who live and breathe computers and networking. One of the most common criticisms for Windows Home Server is that many of the features could be cobbled together using a lowcost Linux-based server, network attached storage device, or other products. The problem with this criticism is that it assumes that everyone is comfortable stitching together a bunch of disparate technologies in order to build a solution for their home network. If it really were easy, then everyone would have already done it! Windows Home Server makes a huge stride to close the technology divide. With the first release of Windows Home Server, Microsoft has focused on leveraging their server technology to build a solution that is usable by everyday computer users. Through the course of this book, I hope to provide easy-to-follow instructions and recommendations that will allow you to bring a Windows Home Server into your home, connect it to your home network, and make the most of your digital life by leveraging the features of Windows Home Server.