Windows Home Server-All About the Apple, Part A
Aug 1, 2011 1:16 PM,
by Eric B. Rux
It’s no secret that Apple products have taken off in the past few years. In fact, I’m writing this month’s column on my MacBook Pro laptop running Microsoft Office 2011. This renewed popularity has brought increased interoperability with Microsoft products – and Windows Home Server 2011 is no exception.
Just like with a Windows PC, the first step for Apple support with Windows Home Server is to install the client. Install the client by opening up Safari (or your favorite web browser) and navigating to: http://server/connect
Figure 1
You should be greeted by a link that allows you to download and install the Apple client for Windows Home Server. (figure 1)
If you have trouble connecting to the Home Server from your Apple machine, you can download the client software from another computer and then use a USB drive to copy it to the Apple machine. Another option is to use the IP address of the server, as I have in the screen shot above.
Figure 2
Follow through the wizard and fill out any prompts, such as the name of the computer, etc.(figure 2)
Once the installation is complete, you will be able to log onto the “Launchpad”, a small, green utility. Be sure to log in with a user account that you created with the Dashboard; logging on with the WHS Administrator account will not work (I know, I’ve tried it). (figure 3)
Figure 3
From the Launchpad utility, you can setup the nightly backup on the Apple machine, connect to the Remote Web Access (which can also be accessed by connecting to http://server), and access the Shared Folders on the Home Server.
So far, so good. Next month, we’ll dive into what this new Launchpad can and cannot do, as well as some of the other Home Server functionality what Mac users can now enjoy.
Are you using your Mac with your Home Server? If so, I’d love to hear about your experiences, good or bad!
