Microsoft has quietly removed a key backup feature from an upcoming update for Windows Home Server, much to the frustration of channel partners who"ve been touting this particular feature of the product to customers. In January at CES, Microsoft announced Home Server Power Pack 1 and said it would not only fix a number of minor issues in the software, but also give users the ability to perform full Home Server data backups on external storage devices, including the backup database. PP1 is due for release in the second half of the year.
Last week, Todd Headrick, marketing director for Windows Home Server, said the ability to back up the backup database has been dropped from Power Pack 1. "The feature had to be cut due to the interplay with the connector install and the fact that consumers may hork their backup database by doing an incomplete backup or interrupting the restore process. The team will look to add this functionality in a future release after Power Pack 1," Headrick wrote in a post on Microsoft"s Windows Home Server forums.