Asus says its new TS mini (right) is useful as a home "data management center," for home surveillance, for media streaming, and as a way of gaining remote access. The device can back up as many as 10 computers daily, and bring any or all back online if necessary using stored recovery information, the company says.

The TS mini runs Microsoft's Windows Home Server (WHS) operating system (OS), which is reportedly based on Windows Server 2003 SP2, but includes a different feature set. While WHS runs on standard x86 hardware, OEMs are encouraged to omit graphics ports, underlying the fact that servers are designed to be controlled remotely via a console application (below) running on a connected client PC.

The Windows Home Server console
Source: Microsoft
(Click to enlarge)

WHS features include the following, according to Microsoft:

• Centralized backup of up to 10 connected PCs, with technology that avoids multiple copies of the same file
• Health monitoring, tracking the antivirus and firewall status of all PCs on the network
• File and printer sharing
• Media streaming to an Xbox 360 and other devices
• Duplication of selected data across multiple drives
• Remote file access, and remote control of any Windows computer on the network via RDP (remote desktop protocol)

According to Asus, its TS mini supports all the above functionality, and has two 3.5-inch bays for 7200rpm, SATA hard disk drives. Standard configurations of the system come with either 500GB or 2TB of storage, though Asus doesn't say whether both bays are occupied on the latter model. Meanwhile, the TS mini is also bundled with 500GB of cloud-based storage, said to be offered free for one year.

Asus says the TS mini comes with 1GB or 2GB of DDR2 memory, along with Intel's 1.66GHz N280 processor (supporting chipset undisclosed). The device includes six USB 2.0 ports, apparently on the rear, front-mounted indicators for system, network, and hard disk status, plus two eSATA ports for external drives, the company adds.

The TS mini is said to use 24.5 Watts when idling, and 27.9 Watts when active. The device measures 9.6 x 8 x 3.8 inches, and weighs between 7.3 and 8.6 pounds, Asus says.

Features and specifications listed for the TS mini by Asus include the following:

• Processor -- 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280
• Memory -- 1GB or 2GB of DDR2 RAM
• Storage -- 2 SATA bays; offered with 500GB or 2TB of 7200rpm storage in standard configurations
• Display -- Remote console only
• Networking -- Gigabit Ethernet
• Other I/O:
  • 6 x USB 2.0
  • 2 x eSATA
• Power requirements -- 100 to 240VAC; idles at 24.5 Watts and consumes 27.9 Watts when active
• Operating range -- n/s
• Dimensions -- 9.6 x 8 x 3.8 inches
• Weight -- 7.3 to 8.6 pounds

Availability

According to Asus, the TS mini will sell for approximately $350 with 500GB of storage, or $530 with 1TB of storage. An availability date was not detailed, but the device is available for preorder at Amazon.com and Newegg.com, according to the company.

More information on the TS mini may be found on the Asus website, here.

---

Related stories:

• Atom PC offers removable disk drive
• Box PC supports Core Duo
• Nettop gets dual-core CPU, discrete graphics
• Lenovo offers nettops and a home server