Antivirus for Windows Home Server 2011


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Does anybody know a good, free AV product which covers WHS 2011? I have been using Avast, however when i went to update it, it tells me it expired 10 days ago (and didnt tell me!!) I am using MSE on all my other machines but i dont think thats compatable yet is it?

Cheers

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You don't need to use AV products on a server OS. As WHS only stores backups and files which are accessed by other machines there is absolutely no need for running AV software.

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You don't need to use AV products on a server OS. As WHS only stores backups and files which are accessed by other machines there is absolutely no need for running AV software.

What if all your downloads etc are done on there? like mine are...

I use MS Forefront, theres a hack to get that working, and thats essentially MSE...

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The above post is 100% nonsense! You need AV solutions on any connected machine, especially server - as it moves files between machines.

I run WHS at home, I use Eset. :)

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What if all your downloads etc are done on there? like mine are...

I use MS Forefront, theres a hack to get that working, and thats essentially MSE...

Even if the downloads are on your WHS, you're not accessing them from there right? If at all, your client will get infected, not the server.

I personally think it absolutely unnecessary to have a AV on a server constantly running in the background. If you must, then just use an online scanner once or twice a month. That's what some of my friends do on their servers that I have setup as they are extra paranoid. But they have yet to come across any virus, trojan etc. :)

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But they have yet to come across any virus, trojan etc.

Not finding != not having

Even if the downloads are on your WHS, you're not accessing them from there right? If at all, your client will get infected, not the server.

What on earth are you talking about? My server downloads, sorts my files and hosts them. I DO NOT want a virus to exist on this server, hence everything is scanned.

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My setup is a document server (syncs up with the 2/3 laptops in the house) and backs up all the changes made to files (I don't back up the laptops themselves, they are "dumb terminals" as they have roaming profiles in effect so nothing is stored on them - in my line of work, its a godsend for roaming profiles!!!:)

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Not finding != not having

What on earth are you talking about? My server downloads, sorts my files and hosts them. I DO NOT want a virus to exist on this server, hence everything is scanned.

Agreed, Also the server will become infected, turning it into a bot or worse sending backed up data across the internet.

Antivirus software pretty much sits on all computers, to clean incoming and outgoing files/data.

I would recommend MSE, i use it on Win2k8R2, it's lightweight and is pretty automatic which is what you want from a AV System.

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Ah they have got it to work on it now? when i installed it, it wouldn't work with server editions, Ill give it a try now since i do like MSE, got it on everything else!! :)

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You don't need to use AV products on a server OS. As WHS only stores backups and files which are accessed by other machines there is absolutely no need for running AV software.

Are you being serious? I'm seriously glad you're not working for my hosting provider(s).

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You don't need to use AV products on a server OS. As WHS only stores backups and files which are accessed by other machines there is absolutely no need for running AV software.

the%20comic%20book%20guy%20pondering.gif

"Worst... Advice.... Ever...."

As someone else said if your system is connected to the internet and you are downloading files from said "internet", it's safe practice to at least protect yourself.

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Maybe I should clarify a bit. When I said a server doesn't need AV software, I meant a simple home server. A web server (personal or professional) on the other hand might need one. Although I hosted a blog on my server at home for nearly a year before moving to a professional host, and I did not encounter any threats.

@ niklouch: The statement "not finding = not having" is true, but my friends regularly use online scanners, and they have not found anything. Even I used them initially, never once found a threat.

In the end, do or use whatever works for you. I just gave my opinion on the whole matter. :)

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@ The Dark Knight

So if your server is having a virus residing on it, and you constantly keep on formatting your connected machines because they keep on getting infected? This seems to be a perfect scenario to you?

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If it's a Windows based server, it doesn't matter if it's running Windows Home Server, or a professional grade server OS

like Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition, if it's connected to the internet at all, it NEEDS anti-virus protection.

One exception to this is if the server is running on a Linux based OS, as that rarely needs AV protection.

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Maybe I should clarify a bit. When I said a server doesn't need AV software, I meant a simple home server.

Still100% nonsense. If there is a route from this server to the internet or back then it needs protection.

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Maybe I should clarify a bit. When I said a server doesn't need AV software, I meant a simple home server. A web server (personal or professional) on the other hand might need one. Although I hosted a blog on my server at home for nearly a year before moving to a professional host, and I did not encounter any threats.

@ niklouch: The statement "not finding = not having" is true, but my friends regularly use online scanners, and they have not found anything. Even I used them initially, never once found a threat.

In the end, do or use whatever works for you. I just gave my opinion on the whole matter. :)

Even so, WHS should still have an anti-virus. If a virus is residing on it, it has the potential to infect any machines that connect to it, whether that client has an AV or not. Why risk infection to other systems when you can quash it on the server using an anti-virus?

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@ The Dark Knight

So if your server is having a virus residing on it, and you constantly keep on formatting your connected machines because they keep on getting infected? This seems to be a perfect scenario to you?

As I said, I have never encountered ANY viruses on my server. Even my client machines have only had a handful (all 5 machines put together). Nothing that my AV couldn't take care of. Also I don't constantly reformat. All machines running Windows 7 have been doing so since release in 2009, without a single format. My netbook running Windows XP has only had 1 re-format.

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Still100% nonsense. If there is a route from this server to the internet or back then it needs protection.

I did say this finally: "In the end, do or use whatever works for you. I just gave my opinion on the whole matter."

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I have never encountered ANY viruses on my server

And again I will say that I bet if you used a GOOD scanner, you'd be surprised.

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And again I will say that I bet if you used a GOOD scanner, you'd be surprised.

I used ESET and Kaspersky. Both reported 0 threats. :)

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Fair play, I'm not gonna fault that then, but you have to understand that this is the minority, right?

Most people who say "I have no scanner and have no viruses" are usually blind...

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Fair play, I'm not gonna fault that then, but you have to understand that this is the minority, right?

Most people who say "I have no scanner and have no viruses" are usually blind...

I made that original statement based on my experience and a few close friends. I see now that I am clearly in the minority! :)

Yeah, that is true, many people say that! I have always used and encouraged others to use a good AV on computers though. Excluding servers! ;)

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LOL

Just a quick FYI: Our mail server was riddled with virusses when I first came here. As was our image storage NAS. Neither showed any symptoms.

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