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HP Unveils Next-Gen Home Server

Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) on Monday introduced the next generation of its Windows-based home server, which includes nearly four times the memory as the previous version and more storage capacity.

Figure 1: HP MediaSmart ex485

The new HP MediaSmart Server comes in two models, the ex485 and ex487. The only difference in the two is in storage capacity. The ex485 comes with one 750-GB, 7200 RPM SATA hard disk drive and the ex487 with two of the same drives for a total of 1.5 TB. The first generation server, released in late 2007, had a base capacity of 500 GB. Additional hard drives can be added to the latest system for up to 9 TB of storage.

The idea behind the MediaSmart Server, which runs the
Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows Home Server platform, is to provide a central repository for backing up and accessing digital music, videos, photos, and other files from multiple computers on a home network. The HP server supports Windows PCs and Apple Macs running Leopard using Apple Time Machine software.

Among the new features in the latest product is a photo-sharing tool that includes integration with several online services, including Snapfish, Facebook, Flickr, and Picasa. There's also
Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) S3 integration for online backups.

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