The HP MediaSmart server (EX487) is a pretty complex device but, once you get through the installation and learning process, you’re rewarded with many benefits — one of those “didn’t think I needed it, but now can’t live without it” type of products.
The unit itself is quite compact. I was surprised when I unpacked it – was expecting something a lot larger. Not that I’m complaining — it fits in very well in the LR with the other electronics. Very attractive design if you’re partial to electronics, and certainly unobtrusive/benign if you’re the type that likes to keep the “hardware look” muted.
Installation is not what I’d call simple, but it’s something anyone who is comfortable setting up a home network can tackle. The server needs to be hardwired into your router, so you’ll have to locate it close to where you keep your router. It comes with a cable for hookup but you may want to have a longer one handy if you don’t want the server immediately adjacent to the router. After hooking it to the router and powering up, you need to install software on each PC on your network.
The PC installs went fairly smoothly — just follow the prompts. I’m using Dell PCs (various models) plus a Toshiba laptop. All are running XP Professional (SP2 or SP3). The router is a Linksys. The only glitch I ran into was with (I think) Avast, which is what I use on some of the PCs for virus/spam protection. One PC hung up during the install. After powering down and starting up again with Avast turned off, everything ran smoothly.
The user interface is very nicely done. I was concerned about the interface being too complex, but had no difficulties navigating through tabs and icons to set up folders for backup and sharing. The summary page gives you all the operational stats, again in a “don’t need to be an engineer” format. Lots of info, but presented in a way that is useful. I do have some IT background, but certainly don’t consider myself to be an expert when it comes to technology. While the setup and operation of the MediaSmart is not something a casual user would want to tackle by him/herself, you also don’t need to be an IT professional. Just take it step-by-step and be willing to put in some time reading manuals and coming to grips with some key concepts regarding networks. It took me a bit over four hours to get everything up and running on a five PC network. I expect to put in many more hours tweaking and playing with features (but that’s also due to the fact that I find the tweaking/experimenting fun – you don’t have to put in too much time if you just want to have a functioning system).
My initial and main use for the server is for backup. I have external USB drives for some of the PCs. They make for decent backup devices, but I wanted something central and automatic — if you have to remember to run a backup, chances are it will not be done as regularly as it should. The MediaSmart excels at that — just tell it what folders to monitor, and forget about it. You can backup just files/folders, or do a full image.
This model comes with 1.5TB of storage that, at the moment, will take care of my storage needs very well. But, hard drive space always seems to get chewed up at a prodigious rate, and I’m happy that the server is expandable. I’ve not installed an additional drive yet, but looked through the procedure to do so and it seems very easy – just plug and play. You can also backup the server itself either online (not explored that, but I expect there’s a cost involved) or by an attached drive (which is the route I plan to take).
Power usage is a concern of mine, and I’m pleased to see that HP has power management tools built in. According to the specs, the server uses only 1 watt when in sleep mode. I haven’t seen, however, what the power consumption is when powered up. Hooking it up to a Kill-a-watt meter is on the to-do list to see what run-time use is, plus verify the 1 watt sleep mode.
The media collection feature is wonderful — basically, it will collect specific file types, such as MP3, photos, etc. — automatically from connected PCs and store them on the server. So far it has worked very well, and has already proven to be great way to avoid the “which PC has that playlist?” search. Everything is in a central location, and is maintained there automatically.
There are several other features of the server that I’m only starting to dabble with, such as photo sharing and streaming. Don’t have enough hands-on experience with those to report on yet, but haven’t run into any roadblocks either. I’ll update the review as needed.
Bottom line – if you’re an avid user with basic IT knowledge who is looking for more convenience and utility out of your home network, this is a great purchase. Provided you put some time into learning how to use it, you’ll reap several key benefits (plus have a cool new toy!).