I got a HP MediaSmart Server that runs Windows Home Server and it finally shipped.  So you're asking yourself three things right now.

1. Why did Clint buy the WHS Server instead of building it?
2. Why does Clint even need a WHS in the first place?
3. What are you going to add to it?

So to answer the why didn't I build one?  I actually almost did.  However the HP server is a 100% done, known working package and competitively priced.  I got the 500gb version of the server and grabbed an additional 500gb HD off Amazon and another gig of ram too.  The HP also has a nice feature, hot swappable drives.  I love the idea of zero downtime.

SO now the next question is why do I need a home server in the first place?  Well, it actually is a nice thing to own.  WHS is based on Windows 2003 Server which provides a nice bit of security in my mind.  It also monitors your PC's health along with warns you of impending failures on itself too.  With a bunch of my stuff, you better believe I want to keep it around for as long as humanly possible.  I like the idea of my computer getting backed up every how many hours and if something bad does happen, I can just roll it back and BAM, I'm back up.  Since my data isn't on the computer that just died, getting it recovered is easy.  I also have a central drop for all my music, pictures, and videos.  Another nice thing is it acts as a gateway to my apartment.  No longer do I need an open port on my router for remote desktop along with a computer that has a client, I can just use Internet Explorer and the web interface.  The rest of the question is answered in the next answer.

SO what am I going to add to it?  This is what I'm thinking about

1. An SVN Server (want to create a syncing plug-in)
2. Possible Sharepoint
3. Photosync plug-in
4. Maybe my bartending software.

One thing I'd personally like to do is, until the Xbox 360 can natively play xvid and divx files, create an plugin that will automatically transcode stuff.  I'm thinking ffmpeg.