|  Setting up the MediaSmart Server is simple if time consuming. In the box, you'll find just a few pieces: The server itself, which is disarmingly small and about the size of a six-pack of coke, a power cable for the server, an Ethernet cable, some documentation, and three setup DVDs and CDs. The server itself is a thing of beauty and worth discussing briefly: Aside from being almost comically small, it features an elegant swing out door on the front, providing easy access to its four internal drive bays. Depending on the MediaSmart configuration you purchased, two or three of these bays will be open for expansion, and you can actually hot-swap new SATA drives into the device. Yes, you can do so while it's running. Tres elegance.
To get going, you just connect the server to your home network via the Ethernet cable--as with other WHS devices, the HP must be connected to the network via wired, not wireless, networking--plug in the power cable and connect it to the wall jack, and turn on the device. After about a minute, the server will be up and running normally, and you can proceed with the setup procedure. Note that there are a number of blue and red status lights on the device; in normal operation these will all be colored blue, but you might see a red light on first boot or when there's a problem. These are visual additions to the software-based notifications WHS offers.
HP's custom installation program walks you through the process of setting up and configuring the server from a client PC. It will install the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 if not already present and then an HP Update. Then, Microsoft's standard Windows Home Server Connector Setup Wizard begins. This wizard installs some new services on the PC, looks for and finds your home server, and then proceeds so you can configure the server for the first time.
taken from winsupersite.com
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