Here is a review of Meridian Data's Snap Server, from Information Week.
Interesting reading, especially in connection with the previous article on the alleged trend to centralization around the server.
June 28, 1999, Issue: 741
Section: Networking
Secure Servers -- Smaller Businesses And Web Sites Will Find Inexpensive Thin Servers Offer
The Network Services They Need Most
Alan Zeichick
The cost and complexity of setting up a basic business server is out of proportion with the limited
number of services it provides. Think about the costs of servers running Microsoft's Windows NT
Server 4, Novell's NetWare 5, or even some flavor of Linux. Start with processors, memory, storage,
and a monitor. Add a network operating system and client-access licenses for each user, and
applications. If it's in a remote office, then hire someone to set up the server and someone else to keep
it running.
A full-blown server is overkill for providing shared disk storage to a workgroup or setting up a Web
site, E-mail, and secure Internet access for a few dozen workers. An alternative is a thin server
appliance, designed specifically to provide a fixed set of services at low cost, and with simplified
set-up procedures and administration.
InformationWeek recently discussed dedicated appliances, such as Network Appliance Inc.'s F700
Filer with 1.4 terabytes of storage (April 5, p. 64; informationweek.com.
Such high-end boxes are fine for enterprise IT departments, but for remote workgroups or smaller
businesses, a less-expensive approach is often more appropriate. I looked at two lower-priced
appliances: Meridian Data Inc.'s Snap Server, and Cobalt Networks Inc.'s Qube 2. For locations with
fewer than 50 employees, these appliances can provide a better, simpler, and less expensive solution
than a full-blown server.
Snap Server
Think of Meridian Data's Snap Server as a baby brother to Network Appliance's terabyte file server,
only this product provides up to 32 Gbytes of network-attached storage for $2,495. That's all it
does-but shared storage is one of the biggest reasons for investing in a network server. Not only that,
but the Snap Server can act as a supplement to traditional servers in larger companies, providing more
storage if existing file servers are topped out or acting as a locally administered point solution for
specific projects or departments.
The Snap Server is small (4 inches by 9 inches by 15 inches), and weighs 8 pounds. Externally,
there's only a power jack, an RJ-45 connector for 10/100 Mbps Ethernet, and a few blinking lights.
Inside, there's proprietary firmware running on a 32-bit microprocessor and two 16-Gbyte hard
drives. You can configure the drives as two 16-Gbyte volumes, a single 32-Gbyte volume, or a single
16-Gbyte volume mirrored for data redundancy. This drive-mirroring feature doesn't take the place of
regularly backing up the server, but it will protect data should one of the hard drives suffer a
mechanical failure. Meridian also offers 8-Gbyte and 16-Gbyte versions of the Snap Server.
Setting up the Snap Server is simple. I plugged it into my Fast Ethernet network, and on a Windows
98 workstation, ran a special setup program from a supplied CD-ROM. That utility let me configure
one-time settings: IP address, network protocols I want to use (I chose only IP, but NetWare's IPX
and Apple's AppleShare are available too), and an administrative password.
If you're running NetWare, you can add the Snap Server to a NetWare 3.x-compatible bindery-mode
network or AppleTalk zones. Surprisingly, the Snap Server doesn't directly support Novell Directory
Services, used by modern NetWare 4.x or 5.x installations, though you can manage it through NDS.
Once Snap Server is configured, network users can immediately open its hard drives from their
Network Neighborhood icon. Macs and Unix PCs can also read and write to the Snap Server without
using any special software. I didn't test this feature.
The Snap Server also has a built-in Web server, so any authorized user can access its files by
browsing to its IP address over an intranet or the Internet. As the administrator, I could manage the
server through its Web server, such as creating specific user accounts, each with its own private
storage space.
After using the server nonstop as my network's primary storage system for more than a month, I
have no doubt that Snap Server is an excellent way to add secure and manageable storage to a LAN.
Qube 2
Cobalt Networks' Qube 2 is a more flexible appliance, offering just about everything a remote
workgroup would want in a server -- for $1,499. The 7.25-by-7.25-by-7.75, 7-pound
bookshelf-friendly cube is equipped to provide file sharing, Web site serving, shared Internet access,
and standards-based E-mail. About the only service it doesn't offer is printer sharing.
Setting up the Qube 2 was simple. It was even easier than the Snap Server, because the back of the
Qube has an LCD panel and a few push-buttons that allow configuration of the device's IP address.
The Qube uses its built-in Apache 1.3 Web server to provide remote access to its administration
console, which is easy to use, even for novices.
When the Qube is configured to work as a file server, the files on its hard disk can be read by
Windows PCs, Macintoshes, or Network File Server-aware Unix PCs. If users copy files to certain
directories on the hard disk, they're used as pages for a Web site, complete with Microsoft FrontPage
extensions, depending how the Qube is connected to the Internet.
With Qube 2's E-mail system, once the administrator sets up a user's account, any POP3- or
IMAP4-compatible mail client, such as Microsoft Outlook, Netscape Communicator, or Qualcomm's
Eudora, can access the mail account. However, mail can't be read over the Web.
The Qube actually offers more powerful Internet-sharing features than the usual hardware that runs an
NT 4 server. It has two RJ-45 Ethernet ports -- one for a cable modem or digital subscriber line link,
the other for connection to the local LAN hub or switch. It also has a serial port for connecting to the
Net via an external modem. In my tests, it was connected via cable modem.
Internet traffic can be filtered by the Qube's firewall, and access to the Net for everyone on the LAN is
provided by a combination of packet-forwarding and network-address translation. This lets everyone
on the LAN share a public IP address, saving money when it comes to buying Internet service
provider services. It can also act as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol server.
The Qube's biggest weakness is its small hard drive, some of which is used by Linux and its
applications. On my 6-Gbyte system, only 5.3 Gbytes are available for shared storage -- including
personal file storage, Web pages, and E-mail text and attachments. The largest Qube 2 available has a
10-Gbyte hard drive.
For a basic business-class Internet server, the Qube 2 has it all; the biggest limitation is its relatively
small disk space.
What if you bought a 32-Gbyte Snap Server for file sharing and a Qube 2 for everything else? The
solution would still be less expensive than a full-blown NT or NetWare server -- and easier to manage
as well.
Alan Zeichick is principal analyst at Camden Associates, which conducts independent technology
research. He can be reached at zeichick@camdenassociates.com.
---
At A Glance: Snap Server
Meridian Data
Scotts Valley, Calif.
800-767-2576
snapserver.com
Price: $2,495 for 32-Gbyte version
Strengths
- Single function makes it easy to install and manage
- Integrates into NetWare and Windows NT security schemes
- Data can be accessed by PCs, Macs, Unix, and Web clients
Weaknesses
- No way to expand disks or add external storage
---
At A Glance: Qube 2
Cobalt Networks
Mountain View, Calif.
888-702-6225
cobaltnet.com
Price: $1,499 for 6-Gbyte version
Strengths
- Includes everything needed for Internet connectivity, from proxy to firewall
- Full-featured Apache Web server with FrontPage extensions
- Standards-based E-mail accessible by any E-mail client
Weaknesses
- Small hard disk will limit E-mail and file storage
- Doesn't integrate into NetWare and Windows NT security domains
- No print-sharing services |
