Release Notes for Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials
Applies To: Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials
Welcome to the Release Notes for the Windows® Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials server software. This topic contains up-to-date information to help you correctly install and configure Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials. You should review this topic before you install your Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials network.
Warning
Drive Extender is not included in this release of Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials. Because of this, the server cannot read files stored on drives that belonged to a Drive Extender Storage Pool in an earlier version of the product. To use these files, before you begin installation, copy the files to a USB drive or other media that does not belong to a Storage Pool. Install the new version of Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials, and then copy the files to server folders.
These release notes provide:
Additional information
Installing and Configuring Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials
Using an Answer File to Install and Configure Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials
Troubleshooting Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials Installation
Known issues
Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials Connector software
An error message appears when you attempt to install the connector software
Cannot join a client computer to Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials
Installation and initial configuration
Security certificate warnings appear when you run the initial configuration from a client computer by using a Firefox or Opera browser
When you use a Firefox or Opera browser to set up your headless server from a client computer, you will receive certificate warnings.
To prevent these warnings from occurring, perform the following steps:
From the client computer, open Windows Explorer, navigate to \\server\certificate\, and then copy the file setup.cer to your desktop.
When prompted for credentials, enter the following: Username = Administrator, and Password = Admin.
Open your browser and follow the instructions in your browser's documentation to install the certificate into the browser's trusted certificate authorities list.
After the certificate is installed, restart the browser, navigate to https://server, and follow the instructions on the screen.
Setup fails when starting from a USB hard disk drive or a USB flash drive
When you initiate Setup from a USB device, Setup can fail for the following reasons:
USB devices are listed first in the BIOS boot order.
Some system boards have a built-in order for the USB connectors. For example, if you have four USB connector receptacles on the front of your computer and four USB connector receptacles on the back of the computer, four of the connector receptacles may be listed at a lower level. If you insert a USB hard disk drive or USB flash drive that contains the server setup files into a lower level USB connector receptacle, the BIOS skips the USB device.
If you cannot start Setup by using a USB device, do the following:
Verify that the boot order in the BIOS does not list USB devices first.
Start your computer and then press F12 to access the boot order menu. In the boot order menu, select the USB device as the boot source
Note
If the boot menu does not appear after you press F12, check the manufacturer’s information to determine which function key to press to display the boot menu.
- If the computer does not start from the USB device after you select it from the boot menu, verify that the USB device is not inserted into a lower level USB connector receptacle. Check the manufacturer’s information on the system board to determine which USB connector receptacles are lower-level. If you do not have information about the system board, move the USB device to another USB connector receptacle, and then restart the computer until the computer starts from the USB device.
Computers with Windows language packs installed cannot join the server
Connecting a client computer to a server will fail unexpectedly if you have any Windows language packs installed and one of them is in use.
To avoid this issue, change your Windows display language to match the underlying parent language of your Windows installation.
You may be unable to log on to the server because your keyboard was set to an English layout during Setup
After you choose a language and keyboard layout during Setup, your keyboard can remain in the English layout. Any passwords that are created during Setup might be based on the English keyboard layout. Because of this, you may be unable to log on to the server after Setup is finished. This can occur because the keyboard language format is set to English by default during Setup. If you change the language format, the keystrokes that you use to create the passwords may not map correctly to the keyboard layout that you are using.
To resolve this issue, after finishing Setup, perform the steps in the following procedure to reset the server password.
To reset the server password
In the logon screen, click the Language bar, select English, and then log on to the server by using the password that you created during Setup.
Open the Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials Dashboard.
On the Computers and Backup page, click Change the server password.
Type and confirm a new password for the server, and then click Change password.
Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials Connector software
Services that enable remote access must be running on client computers that you connect to the network
Before you can connect a client computer to the network, ensure that the service that enables remote access is running on the client computer. The name of the required service varies depending on which version of the Windows operating system is installed on the computer as follows:
If Windows XP is installed on the computer, the name of the required service is Terminal Services.
If Windows Vista or Windows 7 is installed on the computer, the name of the required service is Remote Desktop Services.
If the required service is not running on the client computer, you will not be able to connect the computer to the network. The service is typically set to run by default. However, if the service is not running, you must start it.
To start the service that enables remote access
From the client computer, click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Manage.
In the console tree, navigate to the Services section.
In the details pane, right-click the required service, and then click Start.
An error message appears when you attempt to install the Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials Connector software
A backup virtual device driver is installed when a client computer joins the network. If you click No in the pop-up window, the device driver is not installed, which causes the Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials Connector software installation to fail.
To continue with the installation, click Yes in the pop-up window to install the device driver.
Cannot join a client computer to Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials
Computers that have non-ASCII characters in the computer name cannot join Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials. You receive an error message that says An unexpected error has occurred.
To resolve this issue, rename your computer with a name that contains ASCII characters only, and then run the Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials Connector software again.
Auto logon does not work after the computer is connected to Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials
If auto logon is set for the user account, the setting is overwritten when you install the Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials Connector software.
To resolve this issue, after you install the Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials Connector software, retain the password for the user account and reset auto logon for the account.
Note
The new Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials domain account requires a password that meets the default password policy requirements.
Backup and restore
During a factory reset or server recovery the server restarts in Windows PE and the firewall is disabled
This is expected behavior.
To help ensure that your server is safe during recovery, make sure that it is not connected to the Internet.
The Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials client computer backup features do not support the use of GPT hard disks
If a client computer is running Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials, and it has a hard disk that is configured to use the GUID Partition Table (GPT) format, you cannot use back up or restore data from the operating system, individual files, or folders on that computer. However, you can restore individual files or folders from other computers to a client computer that uses GPT formatting.
In the event that a client computer is configured to use GPT hard disks, you must employ an alternative method to back up or restore that computer.
Remote web access
Windows Phone 7 cannot display more than 15 shared folders in mobile view
If you create more than 15 shared folders, the Windows Phone 7 mobile device cannot display all of the shared folders in mobile view.
To work around this issue, do one of the following:
From the mobile device, open the Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials Remote Web Access sign-in page, and then click the View Desktop Version option.
Merge the shared folders so that you have no more than 15 folders.
Using a Windows Live ID that contains special characters to configure a third level domain on .remotewebaccess.com fails to authenticate
If you use a Windows Live ID that contains special characters in the password (such as ‘”/\%$&), you may be unable to authenticate to set up your domain name.
To work around this issue, change your Windows Live ID on a site such as https://www.passport.net. Remove the special characters before you set up your domain name. After completing the domain name setup, you can reset the password to its previous setting. As an option, you can install the most recent version of Windows Live Sign-in Assistant (which includes IDCRL 7.0) on your server. For more information, see Windows Live Sign-in Assistant in the Microsoft Download Center.
System health
Email recipients for alert notifications cannot be saved
You can configure your server to send email notifications for critical alerts. In some situations, email recipients are not saved.
To ensure that email recipients are saved, set up the recipients contact information in Alert Viewer.
To set up recipient contact information in Alert Viewer
In the Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials Dashboard, click Computers and Backup, and then click View alerts for the server.
In Alert Viewer, click Set up email notification for alerts.
If this is the first time that you are configuring email alerts, click Enable, complete the SMTP settings, and then click OK.
On the Set up email notification for alerts page, type the email addresses of the people who are to receive alert notification, and then click OK.
To test your settings, in Alert Viewer, click Set up email notification for alerts, and then click Apply and send email. The server sends a test email to the recipients.