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What is the Launchpad for a Mac?

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Home Server 2011

The Launchpad is a small application that is installed on a computer the first time the computer connects to the server. The Launchpad provides authenticated users with access to key features of the server, including computer backups, shared files and media, and Remote Web Access. The Launchpad also provides real-time information and notifications about the health of the computer.

Note

  • You cannot run the Launchpad on any additional computers that run a Windows Server operating system.

  • Server administrators cannot use the Launchpad or Remote Web Access on a computer that is running Mac OS X10 or later to open the server Dashboard and manage the server

    • When you click Remember me on this computer, the user name and password that you type are saved on the computer. In the future, when you want to sign into the Launchpad, the user name and password textboxes are automatically filled in with the user name and password that were saved.

    Warning

    If you share your computer with others, you should not use Remember me on this computer.

    Backup

    Click Backup to set Time Machine up to backup up your computer and to change Time Machine settings. For more information about Time Machine, see the documentation from the manufacturer of your computer.

    Remote Web Access

    Click Remote Web Access to open the web browser to the Remote Web Access site. The Remote Web Access enables you to access the shared files and folders on the server from any remote location with an Internet-enabled computer. You can upload files, play music and videos on the web-based Media Play, and view pictures and play slide shows. For more information, see Use Remote Web Access.

    Shared Folders

    Click Shared Folders to open Finder to the location of the shared folders on the server. For information about sharing files and folders, see the topic Understanding and using Server Folders for centralized storage.

    Computer Health Alerts

    Alerts that appear on the Launchpad provide a quick status about the immediate health of the computer. To view information about a health alert, click an alert indicator to open the alert viewer. Health alerts appear in the viewer based on level of severity. The most severe alerts appear first in the list. Less severe alerts appear later in the list. For more information about computer health alerts, see Understanding alerts.