The reason I purchased this expensive server was just for storage and media stream, that is why it’s media server. Set up was painless and quick. And it fits perfectly on my desk. It works with all OS but with a catch.
First off, to set this to work with Mac OSX, you need to first set it up on a windows os computer. Once that is done install the mac portion and just follow the instructions. It automatically configures itself with iTunes but if you want all your macs and pcs to see your music then you should consolidate your music on the server. That way when you purchase songs from iTunes, the song automatically transfer to your server updating your library for all macs and pcs to use.
The back up service for mac is terrible. Although it works and backs up your mac with time machine, its pointless since you cannot restore your mac from the server, there is no option for it. So I still keep my portable external hard drive with me as a precaution.
The hp server app for iPhone works but only on wifi which is fine since most of my media is large and needs a high speed connection.
The domain you create to access your media through the net is great but better be careful what you share since anyone can access it as long as their within your network range.
Xbox and PS3 automatically recognizes and accesses the server and can play most of the files ( I would stick with .mp4 since it saves me a headache).
The conversion feature is a hit or miss. There are some files I have that cannot be converted for some reason even though its supported and the files used are very picky. I found a way to add more support but it did not work so well and I still get failure messages on most of my files.
You can customize back up times and stand by times to your preference and you can set up where you want the server to search for music, videos or whatever you want.
I have yet to add any more hard drives so not sure how easy that is but from the sounds of other reviews, it seems pretty easy.
Now the thing I love about this server is because all of my computers (running different os) can recognize and connect to it. I do this by remote connection, VPN, and ssh, and smb. With desktop remote connection for mac you can remotely connect to the server as well as from windwos. For linux you just have to either ssh or smb.
To do this though you have to properly configure your router and server. I would suggest you give the server a static ip as that makes the port forwarding much easier and stable.
Last few things are , the server does not add more cable mess (comes with a power cord and ethernet cable), it does not over heat, and its very silent.