A Guide to Technology,
Products, and Deployment
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Internet @ppliance Industry Report: A Guide to Technology, Products, and Deployment |
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| Rebel.com NetWinder OfficeServer
Multi-featured Internet and Intranet server supports mail, web, file and printer sharing services for UNIX, Linux, Microsoft and Apple networks. Security features include firewall and optional VPN. Includes a built-in serial interface for ISDN adapter or modem and parallel port for direct printer connection.
Price:
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 The Rebel.com NetWinder Office Server is a powerful, multi-featured Internet access and office server solution for branch offices and small businesses. The desktop unit is remarkably compact and the form factor is decidedly "New Millenium", a la the iMac and iPaq. Inside, the NetWinder system supports an impressive list of services for Internet - web, mail, domain naming, file transfer, dynamic host configuration - and complements these with file and print sharing for local office networks running UNIX, Microsoft, and Apple network operating systems. With the NetWinder, small offices can make use of the kinds of publishing and collaborative tools typically found in large enterprises, at a fraction of the cost. |
What's inside?
Setting up the NetWinder
The Rebel.com NetWinder OfficeServer is configured from a web browser
run on a PC on your internal LAN using a set of web pages provided
on the Quick Start CD-ROM. These well-documented pages take you
step-by-step through a series of web forms that explain the
configuration process while gathering local network and Internet
connection information needed to drive the automated configuration.
The entire process takes between 10 and 15 minutes.
If you are creating a new office LAN or wish to renumber your office LAN,
the NetWinder's Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server can be
used to assign IP addresses automatically for your entire network. If
you are adding the NetWinder to an existing office LAN, when you complete
the necessary forms, QuickStart takes the information provided and automatically
searches your local network and proposes a suitable IP address and subnet mask,
based on the traffic it sees on the LAN. QuickStart then displays self-configuration
results and requests confirmation before proceeding:
The NetWinder system runs Linux on a StrongArm processor. The compact
desktop model we evaluated ships with a 6 GB disk and 32 MB of memory
(10 GB/64 MB and 10GB/128MB versions also available). The rackmount model
starts with a 10 GB disk and 64 MB of memory (also available in 10GB/128MB
and 20GB/128MB configurations). One 10/100 Mbps and one 10 Mbps Ethernet
provide connectivity for internal and external LANs, respectively.
Keyboard, mouse and monitor ports may be used for "developer" access to
NetWinder OfficeServer software.
The NetWinder can be used with a DSL or cable modem, ISDN terminal
adapter, a dialup or ISDN modem, or any "wide area network" router
that provides an Ethernet-to-Internet connection. The User Manual
provides very helpful network "schematics" to assist in making the
correct physical connections between PCs, hubs, the NetWinder, and
the different modems or routers you may use for your Internet Connection.
It's helpful to have all the PCs that comprise your LAN powered up so that QuickStart can get the most accurate picture of the addresses you have already assigned. [In our tests, we did find it necessary to correct the subnet mask we used on our local network.] When you choose to activate settings, the OfficeServer reboots with the new configuration information.
| To further configure and customize NetWinder features, you must reconnect your browser and present Administrator credentials. Enter the Administrator username and password created as part of the QuickStart process. From the Administrator Mode menu, create user and group accounts, enable and configure web, email, DNS, print and file services, modify network and security (firewall) configuration parameters, and choose optional services, such as Virtual Private Networking. |
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User and Group Accounts
Creating user and group accounts is simple and straightforward.
Click on the "User" or "Group" URL to access the web forms that let the
administrator add, edit and remove a user and assign or remove a
user from a group. Users are automatically assigned a mailbox and personal
web space. The user's mail persona is also used for threaded discussion lists.
The Administrator controls user naming and passwords, as well as how much disk
space any individual may use (a disk quota).
Virtual Hosts
From the Administration Mode menu, you can exploit a feature rarely found
in SOHO appliances, Virtual Hosts. Virtual Hosts lets you run multiple
web, email and FTP servers from a single OfficeServer. Individual
organizations within your company can have multiple custom or vanity
naming for their intranet or extranet servers (e.g., the same NetWinder
can be referred to as sales.corecom.com, ftp.corecom.com and mailhub.rebel.com).
The Administrator can exercise considerable control over Virtual Hosts and
can select whether a Virtual Host will share or have its own IP address
(called Name- and IP-based Virtual Hosting, respectively). This same
feature on the rackmount model will be extremely attractive to ISPs
who constantly seek ways to optimize rack space.
Multi-protocol File and Printer Sharing
The NetWinder supports major IP-based network operating system file
sharing and printer services: Windows File Sharing (SMB), Apple File
Sharing (AppleTalk over IP), and UNIX Network File System (NFS).
Drag-and-drop file sharing is a convenient way for users to deposit
files they wish to publish on personal and group web sites. Cross-platform
file exchange, enabled by running several file sharing services on the
NetWinder, is an added bonus, especially when it can be used instead of
NT server in offices where both Macs and Windows PCs are present.
Print server support is unparalleled (no pun intended). Simply
connect a printer you wish to make available to your network to the
NetWinder's parallel port to print from any Windows computer on
which you have installed the correct driver. Choose Print server
from the Services Menu, select a driver for your printer, and you
can add a PostScript-compatible printer queue hosted by the NetWinder.
You can also print from non-Windows workstations via the UNIX lpr
command and the Apple Chooser.
Web Services, Email Services, and Collaborative Tools
| A personal web directory is created each time a user is added. NetWinder's Web Page Creator provides a quick way to create pages from templates: choose a template, enter text through the web form presented, select images to download from your desktop, and you can be published in minutes. Users can also create entire web sites using desktop publishing tools and upload these to the NetWinder using FTP or one of the file sharing services supported. Users can obtain graphical web traffic reports of their virtual hosts. The InfoPlace Document Manager provides sophisticated document indexing and categorization and a powerful search engine one typically expects from enterprise class Intranet servers. |
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In addition to supporting Internet email via SMTP, POP3, and IMAP, the NetWinder provides users with powerful mail forwarding and filtering features. Users can create vacation responses with customized responses. They can also choose to silently discard or selectively forward received mail based on the contents of any mail header or the message body. These features can be used to process spam and to determine if appropriate use policies are being violated.
| The NetWinder supports mail-based, public and private Discussion Forums. A discussion forum allows users and visitors who register to collaborate by creating or posting messages to discussion topics or threads. Threads help users select and stay on topic: by choosing a thread, a user can see all the messages previously posted on that topic. |
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Security Features
Rebel.com has put considerable effort into securing or hardening
the Linux OS and applications on the NetWinder. Telnet can be
disabled entirely. Domain name service (DNS) can be configured to
support internal or external DNS, so small companies can avoid exposing
internal naming to outsiders. To control web access by LAN users, use
the NetWinder as a proxy and restrict access by port. CGI and server-side
"include" privileges can be granted selectively to authorized users.
By default, the firewall is configured to prevent access from the "outside"
or public Internet to computers on your internal LAN, but allows access
necessary to support your web, mail, and ftp services. These defaults are
suitable for many small offices and businesses, but technical expertise is
required to configure the more "advanced" functions like port forwarding
and granular firewall rules. In keeping with this simple administration
strategy, NetWinder provides access to logging only through advanced user
interfaces (telnet and console). Companies seeking virtual private networking
solutions may download Smartgate VPN from Progressive Systems via the
Options menu. Licensed OfficeServer owners get two client licenses with
their system, and may purchase additional licenses from Progressive Systems.
| Final Word
The NetWinder OfficeServer is a complete solution for businesses that want the best of Internet access and applications plus intra-office collaboration, file and print sharing. It is an outstanding value for workgroup-oriented offices that require Internet and Intranet application host and secure Internet access. |
Copyright ©2000 Core Competence, Inc. and David Strom, Inc.
No part of this report may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
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