Ongoing MS Windows Home Server on HTPC via VM (1 Viewer)

[schleichi]

AW: MS Windows Home Server on HTPC via VM

Hey MyPVR,

I know this topic is quite old. Not reading new posts either means it is stilling running smoothly or you gave up
Want to do the same thing, as my Micro ITX Board for my WHS doesn't come with ACPI drivers... Which causes sort of huge lags...

Can you still recommend your configuration?

Bob

 

[MyPVR]

Hi!

It's still up and running.

In the moment the XP host creates some trouble with standby, but VMWare and WHS are still working quite fine. I'am going to update the host from XP to Win7 the next weeks, because there were some improments for the standby mode possible.

Regards,
MyPVR

 

[schleichi]

AW: MS Windows Home Server on HTPC via VM

Is your Windows XP machine up 24/7?
I am thinking how to manage to get the physical machine to boot weekdays at 2 PM and go to sleep at 1 AM... I did this with my WHS and a special plugin...

Can't wait to get started with this, so I can install the tv card in the server and maybe run more than the WHS virtual machine on the host )) would love to try some stuff with OSX, but never had a chance

 

[MyPVR]

The machine is not running 24/7: It's configured to enter the standyby mode under some conditions:

The VM guest WHS is configured NOT to shut down / hibernate / standby after a period of time (setup 24/7).
The VM server is configured to "follow" the power modes of the VM host HTPC.
HTPC is configured NOT to shut down / hibernate /standby (setup 24/7, no login after resume) because of user inactivity.

On the HTPC the TV server and the client from MediaPortal is running (multi seat setup). Additionally the plugin "Power Scheduler" is active and configured to:

• Enter standby only if MediaPortal in home screen
• Automatic stanby after 15 min without user activities
• No standby while recording
• Resume HTPC 5 min before a recording starts
• Standby 5 min after recodring stops

Beside "Power Scheduler" the plugin "[WIP] HomeServer Plugin" is running and configured to prevent the HTPC to go to stanby by heartbeat tracking of:

• Desktop
• Second HTPC in the bedroom

The trick is not done by the virtual WHS, it's more like "as long as MediaPortal records a movie or is not in the home screen or my desktop/2nd HTPC is running, the VM host HTPC is not shutting down (so the WHS and TV server are up and running).

Helpfull? Hopefully

Otherwise I need to explain it in German...

Regards,
MyPVR

 

[schleichi]

AW: MS Windows Home Server on HTPC via VM

Allright. I made it, thanks to your reply


Now I've got a Win7Ult. host with the WHS VM.
At the moment I'm trying to share a USB Printer for a Mac. Problem is: when I switch on the printer, the host (Win7) attaches it and NOT the WHS, which should share it for the Mac... Damn it

Any ideas how to make the printer to connect directly to the VM (WHS)?

Thanks

 

[MyPVR]

You have to login into VMware Infrastructure Web Access and select in the inventory list on the left your virtual WHS. Make sure that a USB controller is added to the guest hardware, configured as "Auto Connect enabled" and installed in the virtual WHS. At the top of the Web Access a menu should be displayed (stop, pause, play....) with an USB icon. Click it and select the wanted USB device (should contain your printer). Install the printer driver in the virtual WHS if it's needed.

Regards,
MyPVR

 

[MyPVR]

In a similar way an external USB HDD can be connected to the WHS in order to used it as backup device directly out of the WHS console.

 

[schleichi]

AW: MS Windows Home Server on HTPC via VM

Thanks for your reply, that helped a lot
But I still had the problem, if you switch on VM Host/Guest first, and THEN the printer, it doesn't automaticly connect it to the VM Guest...

So I changed the printer share to the VM Host, works like a charm

But the bad news is that I have really bad network transfer rates... If I transfer a couple of ~200 MB files, the rate starts from 50mb\sec and drops every second down to 5mb\sec until it stops...?! WTF??!! Should run like hell, got a 1GB connection damn it

I need to check the network card driver from the VM host first to tell where the problem might come from...
Got a Intel DG41MJ board...

 

[MyPVR]

For me the auto-reconnect of USB devices is working. I've no idea why it's not working for you (can't remember if there is a special VM setting for auto-reconnect).

Network performance: I faced similar speed drops, but I was able to solve them.

3 points:

1. Please check if the performance loss depends on both directions (uploading and downloading data) or only on one of them.
2. Please check if during uploading/downloading data packet/network collisions occure (hopefully your hardware is capable to detect and report such problems).
3. Are you using a dual speed ethernet hub or a ethernet switch. Please don't reply that your are using WLAN... in this case I guess you are lost in hell...

Regards,
MyPVR

 

[schleichi]

AW: MS Windows Home Server on HTPC via VM

Sorry for the late reply, havn't had time to try stuff at all... Anyways, I can already tell you that I am a "Fachinformatiker", so don't worry about a WLAN infrastructure: I got a 360° cabel duct in my flat

It is all put together with a Draytek Vigor Gbit Router.
At this very moment I think the Micro ITX board with the network card just sucks ass

I'll let you know the further steps...

BTW: already had a crash with my VMserver 2.0: service didn't want to start at all
Took me some time to figure out what the problem was.