This hasn't been a good week for Microsoft's Windows Home Server team. Not only have they been caught in the middle of a kerfuffle surrounding the removal of the Drive Extender technology from the next version of the storage OS, but now HP has announced that it will be retiring its line of MediaSmart servers.
The company will continue to sell its existing product lines through to the end of this year, and has promised to honour any existing service and support agreements for as long as they're valid. However, there are apparently no plans to deliver a platform to support the next version of Home Server, codenamed Vail.
On its official blog, the WHS team was quick to stress that the move had nothing to do with the decision to remove Drive Extender. Nonetheless, the timing seems a little suspicious.
HP was one of the few high-profile supporters of WHS and its MediaSmart series won plaudits from members of the press and consumers alike. There are now only a smaller number of partners committed to Vail, with Acer and Tranquil PC being the only two of note.
In the meantime, HP has begun selling Drobo direct-attached storage systems as an alternative. However, Engadget is reporting that many of the MediaSmart engineers have been moved into teams working on webOS. This could suggest that the company's next generation home server/NAS will be powered by the recently acquired OS - a move that would fit with HP's attempts to integrate the platform into everything from printers to mobile phones and tablets.
