MicrosoftIn case you haven’t heard the news yet, Microsoft has announced that Windows Home Server has just been released to manufacturing (RTM). Work on it has been wrapped up and handed over to its OEM partners.

So far, HP, Gateway, Fujitsu-Siemens, Lacie, Medion, and Iomega have all announced products based on WHS, so you can expect to see products under these brands out in the market around late September and early October.

The evaluation version (with 120-day evaluation period) and the system builder version will also be headed into the distribution channels and be made available in the next few months. French, German, and Spanish versions will be finalized shortly, and OEM products will be hitting retail shelves come this fall.

Windows Home Server is designed to act as a central hub at home for storage of one’s treasured music, videos, photos, and other files. It comes with automatic backup and restore, as well as remote file-access capabilities.

Details on the planned systems were scanty at least, but it is known that Iomega is planning a device that will contain up to four hot-swappable drives.

You can read more at the Windows Home Server blog, as well as from these news sources:

Microsoft wraps up work on Windows Home Server (InfoWorld)

Windows Home Server On Its Way To Manufacturing (PC World)

Windows Home Server Completed, Microsoft Says (Windows IT Pro)

I recently relented and purchased a 400 GB hard disk to consolidate my data from across half a dozen old hard drives and various DVD media. It is definitely much neater this way, but now I find myself worrying on the likelihood of hard disk failure, since it now contains all my eggs so to speak.

What about you? What are your strategies for your personal storage?