This weekend I finally got around to a task I was avoiding for quite some time.
I have been running a Windows Home Server 2011 machine in my home office since it came out and prior to that I had Windows Home Server V1.
Unfortunately, WHS 2011 is the end of the road for this consumer focused server setup that allows you to store and serve up files on your local network plus backup all your computers automatically.
When WHS hit the market having this type of backup capability and a place to store and share files on your local network made a lot of sense because we did not have the cloud synching capabilities like we do with OneDrive.
It has now been a couple of years that we have been synching our personal documents directories on each computer with OneDrive. Not only is that a mirror of what we have locally but it also allows easy access to those files on all of our devices (Windows 8.1 Desktops, Surfaces and Windows Phones).
We have also been using hosted exchange email accounts for that same period of time which means our email is also synched to whatever device we are using. No more moving around local Outlook PST files to keep mail up to date thankfully.
With these great options for keeping files/email in sync and effectively backed up at all times my WHS was used primarily as a place to store backed up software, archived images and serve up my music archive.
I was still backing up the computers nightly using the Windows Home Server Connector software however, with the introduction of the ability to easily reset/refresh Windows 8/8.1, I found I rarely needed to perform bare metal restores of the client systems.
That meant WHS was only being used to serve up files.
Well, while I was working at Best Buy I had the opportunity to get a great discount on the Western Digital 3TB MyCloud device by doing some extra training/class work.
Note: Read my first impressions of the WD MyCloud.
I have now had that device running on my home network for the last year or so and using it intermittently for quick easy access to files to try it out.
Well I realized a few months ago that I could effectively replace my WHS 2011 machine and transition all of our stored data from the WHS machine to the WD MyCloud.
Today I finally took those steps and moved the 400GB of data from my WHS 2011 machine and set it all up on the WD MyCloud device.
One of the options the WD MyCloud comes with is the ability to plug a USB hard drive into the unit and use it to create what WD refers to as a Safepoint – basically a backup of the device. The Safepoints are incremental once the initial backup is complete and can be scheduled to happen automatically on whatever schedule you choose.
So just like I had a backup of the data on WHS 2011 I also have a backup of my data on the WD MyCloud unit.
In addition I have been able to shut down an entire computer that was running 24/7 in my home office and so that means some power savings as well.
And yes, I have done some organizing of our electronic storage and cleaned up some stuff so there has been some electronic de-cluttering as well.
How about you – how are you controlling the electronic clutter in your digital life?
