a couple product reviews of "the competition" that might interest the board. as most of you are well aware, meridian (snap server) was recently bought out by quantum, which is now moving into the NAS market.
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InformationWeek
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.
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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
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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
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