WHS Mobile Available Again Wednesday, September 23 2009 - Announcements

I have re-enabled availability of WHS Mobile in the Apple AppStore. It may take a couple hours after the time of this posting for the changes to fully take effect in the iTunes store. The Add-In has been fixed and updated to v1.5.1. This is only to automate the workarounds I’ve posted in the 1.5 release post, nothing else has changed.

However, please make sure you have the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 update installed on your Windows Home Server. The update is mandatory and should be installed before you install the add-in. If you install the update after installing the add-in, just reinstall the add-in and reboot the home server. If you still have problems connecting via WHS Mobile, please try and reinstall Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 by downloading the update and trying to install.

If you’ve installed the v1.5 add-in and have it working, you are not required to update. This add-in update is only for new users and those that have problems with the previous release.

I do have an update for WHS Mobile ready to submit to the AppStore. The only reason I haven’t submitted yet is because Apple’s App Update feature is not currently working. The update consists of performance and usability modifications. I’ve added feature requests those of you have posted in the comments. Including:

  • Moved the delete button to the bottom of the options, right before cancel (thanks Brandon).
  • Added an alphabet strip to the right of folders with 45 items or more (thanks JJones).

I’ve also added:

  • Some performance improvements to stop memory leaks
  • Fixed the timeout when you upload large images. It will now abort/timeout five minutes after starting the upload process which I believe is plenty of time.
  • Fixed trying to stream something when music is already streaming.
  • Added the ability to queue up mp3s and albums to the stream playlist. The queued files will be added to the end of the list.
  • There were some other fixes and changes that weren’t important enough to log but they are there.

The update will be submitted to Apple as soon as they fix their system. It will then go through the approval process yet again. This may take two weeks to approve like last time or it could take more. Either way, this is a nice update to have but isn’t a major release. The new build will be labeled v1.1 in the AppStore.

If anyone has problems with the add-in, please email me. The support address is available on the support page (a link is at the top of this page). The WHS Mobile documentation/instructions is still under construction and will not be available yet. I’m writing the instructions from scratch and for each platform hence the delay. All donators and those who have requested to be notified will get an email when the store has been updated.

More information is available here.

Comments

Stephen L on 9.23.2009 at 3:19 AM

Thanks Brent. It is available now in the Australian itunes store.Cheers.


Patrick on 9.23.2009 at 10:50 AM

Hi Brent.

What have you done? I've installed the new Add-In, it wouldn't work. But now I can't reach WHS over my Console, and the server returns an error when contacted via http. The only thing that works is remote access!!

Even uninstalling the Add-In doesn't help! Looks like your app has crashed my server!!!

Can you tell me how to fix this?

Pat


Fred Z on 9.23.2009 at 11:50 AM

Patrick--Reinstall .NET 3.5.


Fred Z on 9.23.2009 at 12:13 PM

Actually...I saw the same issue. Reinstalled .NET via remote desktop, reinstalled the add-in, then reinstalled .NET via remote desktop again. Seems to have done the trick.


Patrick on 9.23.2009 at 1:01 PM

Fred, thanks, the server's back up again. WHS mobile is still not working, though :-( I'm getting tired of this :-/

Pat


Jan on 9.23.2009 at 1:42 PM

Hey Brent,

following your project since a few weeks. Is it possible to install WHS Mobile 1.5.1 on a german WHS? If not I'ld like to support you if you want. I'ld really like to use this Add-In.

Thx in advance.

Jan


Brent Friedman on 9.23.2009 at 4:20 PM

Sorry all,

Something did not get replaced when I built the installer. I belive during the upload process. Please redownload and install the add-in. That will fix the problems it has caused.


Bobby on 9.23.2009 at 4:52 PM

I installed the plugin and my remote access website stopped working. When I tried to identify and troubleshoot, i ended up with error message "The current identity (NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE) does not have write access to 'C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\Temporary ASP.NET Files'. "

So, I granted the access as necessary and all is well now.


Brent Friedman on 9.23.2009 at 4:57 PM

Bobby,

Yes, that is correct. When did you download the add-in?


Brent Friedman on 9.23.2009 at 5:17 PM

Jan,

I am not sure if it works on a German WHS because I cannot test it on one. Try installing the add-in to see if it loads properly. If that does work, the clients *may* work fine with it.

Patrick,

What part doesn't work? You have to be more descriptive. I'm getting tired of this just as much as you are..


Rob on 9.23.2009 at 6:53 PM

Thanks for this great software! I am now happily surfing my WHS from my iPhone. I hope this little app will make you some $$$. ;)

As a feature request, i would love to have a slideshow, or even a back forward button to browse photos.

Thanks again.


Matthew on 9.23.2009 at 8:57 PM

Just got the iPhone app working, love it! However, the browsing is VERY sluggish! Is this something that will be addressed in v1.1?


BG on 9.23.2009 at 9:28 PM

I downloaded the app, updated to 3.5 Framework, and when I go to login I get "either the WHS mobile domain is incorrect, or the domain cannot be contacted". When I try to connect via my browser online, it works just fine. Any idea what could be going on?


Pascal on 9.23.2009 at 11:23 PM

Problemfix for DOT.NET Problem is run aspnet_regiis.exe -i

sorry4mybadenglish

Pascal


Pascal on 9.23.2009 at 11:46 PM

Make sure Port 8169 is open on the firewall ...

Pascal

In Deutsch.. Portweiterleitung von 8169 auf der Firewall zum WHS Server... ;-)


Brent Friedman on 9.24.2009 at 1:22 AM

Matthew,

Are you connecting over 3G?

BG,

Please allow port 8169 through the Windows Firewall and then port forward it in your router.

Pascal,

Thanks for the tip! I'll try and see if that removes the need for reinstalling or repairing .NET 3.5. If it does, I can automate that during install.


Phil on 9.24.2009 at 4:17 AM

Hi Brent,

Great app. Got working first time following your comments.

Look forward to be able to queue music and upload photos.

Thanks

Phil


Robb on 9.24.2009 at 5:18 AM

Brent,

Thanks for the app. I waited until today to install the add in due to the issues that occurred a day or two ago, and it worked first time for me. Great job!

As someone mentioned above, I too experience very slow scrolling when using the app over 3G. This could just be a function of my WHS upload speed through my ISP, or a limitation with 3G, but there might be ways to optimize the app as well when you become more familiar with the iPhone SDK.

I also have a few suggestions...

1. Ability to rotate phone to landscape mode to view photos. Also, swipe to move to next photo in the folder.

2. Since the username and password to WHS is permanently stored in the iPhone settings, it would be nice to have the ability to set a pin number to launch the app. A lot of finance and bank apps have this. So, when the WHS Mobile app is launched, the user would enter a pin number that the user sets to access the app. This would prevent people other than the phone's owner from accessing the WHS and deleting or moving files.

Thanks again.


Jamal on 9.24.2009 at 9:37 AM

Ok i don't know if i am missing something. I followed the thread did all the upgrades/updates. Just to make sure i have a domain through msn. do i actually use that domain or do i use my ipaddress from the modem.


Patrick on 9.24.2009 at 1:02 PM

Ok... it's not working for me. I'll post what I've done, maybe somebody catches a wrong turn I've made somewhere...

Installed WHS Mobile on iPhone, URL, User, Password entered

WHS: Install Add-In, latest version, reinstall Microsoft.NET afterwards, configure WHS add-in (grant rights to user)

Router: Open Firewall for Port 8169, Port Forwarded to WHS

WHS: Open Firewall for TCP Port 8169, reboot

I still get the error "Uh-oh. Domain incorrect or domain cannot be contacted"

I tried the URL without a port, and even: my.homeserver.go.dyndns.org:8169

Still no success.

Can anyone help?

Thanks, Pat


Robb on 9.24.2009 at 1:51 PM

Patrick

Make sure that your URL does not include http://

It should just be xxxxxx.homeserver.com (replace xxxxx)

That will cause the error that you are receiving.


Stephen L on 9.24.2009 at 4:52 PM

Patrick. I was in your position last night. I am on a wireless network and home and when I put in my WHS local IP address instead of the xxxxx.homeserver.com domain name, it worked. This morning at work I put in the domain name and it now works through 3g. I am not techie enough to know why this is the case but I am sure many of you will have an answer for this. Cheers


Stephen L on 9.24.2009 at 4:52 PM

Patrick. I was in your position last night. I am on a wireless network and home and when I put in my WHS local IP address instead of the xxxxx.homeserver.com domain name, it worked. This morning at work I put in the domain name and it now works through 3g. I am not techie enough to know why this is the case but I am sure many of you will have an answer for this. Cheers


Josh Morgan on 9.24.2009 at 7:32 PM

Is there a site or a whitepaper or a kb article out that has instructions on setting up WHS mobile on the iphone and on the WHS?


theefman on 9.24.2009 at 7:33 PM

Hello Brent, I have 2 questions for you. I had the old version (1.0.5.5) of WHSMobile installed on my home server and uninstalled it to install the latest version and the service is still listed in my services list set to automatic startup and this causes an error when I reboot my server. How can I remove the service completely?

Also are you planning to port the new iphone features to WM or is it not capable? Maybe you could indicate in your change logs what features are not possible on WM so its clear what the exact featureset of each version is. Thanks.


Brent Friedman on 9.25.2009 at 12:01 AM

Josh Morgan,

I'm still working on the documentation.

theefman,

Open up Command Prompt on the WHS. Then type in: C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\Installutil.exe /u "C:\Program Files\Windows Home Server\WHS Mobile.Server.exe"

And press enter. That should go through and remove the service. Strange that it did not get removed on uninstall. I will see about posting a rundown of the features of each client.

Peter,

You said you once had it working, correct? How did you get it working before? As for the domain, you only need this part: my.homeserver.go.dyndns.org

No http:// and no port.

Stephen L,

I think you had the problem with using your domain because your router either doesn't have a loopback adapter or it is disabled.


Will B on 9.25.2009 at 1:15 AM

Hi Brent,

Thanks for all your hardwork in getting this into the app store. After uninstalling and reinstalling .net framework and reinstalling the updated add-in, I finally managed to get the app running this morning on my iPhone. However, I now get the error message "Oops! No data received form the server." Any ideas what I need to do now?

Thanks!


Will B on 9.25.2009 at 2:35 AM

Ignore my earlier post. I've now solved the problem. I hadn't realised that I needed to configure a user for sharing in the WHS Mobile add-in. Once I did this, everything worked. Thanks again for a great app and I wish you lots of luck making millions of $$$$$$ ;-)


Brent Friedman on 9.25.2009 at 9:32 PM

Will B,

No problem and thanks for letting me know that you have it working.

Since Apple's App submission site is back up and working as it should. I've submitted v1.0.1 of the iPhone application. In addition to the changes in the post, I've also fixed the app from crashing when certain features were disabled via the add-in. It may take a couple weeks for Apple to (hopefully) approve the update. So keep on the look out. Existing customers get the update for free.


Clay on 9.26.2009 at 12:05 PM

Thanks for the App. Looks like a good foundation to buil on.

Will we see an ability to open HTML and PDF documents direct from the WHS Mobile App in a later update? I think that this, along with the changes I've already seen you say you were working on, would add some real power to this app.


Brent Friedman on 9.26.2009 at 6:19 PM

Clay,

I can do HTML easily, I justy never thought about that. PDF documents would be much more difficult, assuming the iPhone SDK does not provide a built-in framework for it. I'll do some research and see if I can get it implemented.


Clay on 9.26.2009 at 6:49 PM

Thanks for looking into PDF. My goal is to be able to view work related documents on my I-phone when on the road. Often, these documents are fairly large drawings. My current work around involves emailing them to myself. The mail programs on the Iphone will open PDF's, so maybe that means what your looking for is in there somewhere. I'm not much of a programer though, so maybe I'm way off there.


Brent Friedman on 9.26.2009 at 9:22 PM

Clay,

Actually, I just found out how to load PDFs. Its basically the same method I was going to use for HTML files. :)


Stephen L on 9.27.2009 at 2:39 AM

That's great news about loading pdf's; that will be very useful. Now to challenge you further Brent, how about Microsoft Word files!?


Brent Friedman on 9.27.2009 at 3:38 AM

Stephen L,

I'll do some research later, but I doubt it.


Clay on 9.27.2009 at 11:01 AM

Looking forward to the PDF update! Thanks for all your hard work on this!


Brent Friedman on 10.01.2009 at 3:35 AM

Stephen L,

I was wrong again. I've gotten .doc (Word 97-2003 document format) and .xls (Excel 97-2003 workbook format) files viewable. Unfortunately you cannot edit the files only view. I don't believe the Word/Excel 2007 format is supported on the iPhone. I'm not familar enough with the format to make a reader. I'll take a closer look at the 2007 format, but you can always just save in the old (2003) format.


menno on 10.14.2009 at 1:05 AM

My mobile app on the iphone just stays on "initial Configuration" ........ Nothing happens... this is after the pop up that says that I have to configure because it's the first time I'm using it... anyone a clue...


Brent Friedman on 10.14.2009 at 1:09 AM

Menno,

Try following the instructions: blog.compugeeksoftware.com/.../Using%20WHS%20M


menno on 10.14.2009 at 1:29 AM

Hi Brent,

Thanks for the manual.

till page 6 all is ok, but page 7 is entirely new for me... I'm not getting the screen to enter settings. I tried a reinstall on iphone but no success... any suggestions?


Brent Friedman on 10.14.2009 at 4:00 AM

Menno,

It comes with the iPhone. Press the home button to get to the 'home screen' and then look for where it says Settings. If it isn't on the first page drag the screen to the left or right using your finger to change pages. When you find it, tap it and then tap WHS Mobile.


Menno on 10.14.2009 at 7:27 AM

Aaahh, Settings of the iphone itself... :)

I got it! Thanks!


tim on 10.21.2009 at 2:15 PM

Hey Brent, everything is working fine with one exception...I've got a large music folder on my WHS, approx 250+Gb, when I navigate to the folder on my iPhone it just crashes out to phone interface. is this a size issue or is your app possibly

having probs with layers of subfolders?


Vikram on 1.03.2010 at 1:54 PM

Hey guys, i have tried everything and nothing works. i have the same problem everyone elsle has with their domain and whwat it says. i have tried everything you have said on the page brent. i feel like i have wasted money on 1.99 app. PLEASE HELP ME. I WILL NOT GIVE UP EASILY!