A compact Internet/iIntranet server that supports mail, web, file, and printer sharing for *NIX, Microsoft, and Apple networks. Security features include firewall and optional VPN.

[May 11, 2000]

Courtesy of Internet @ppliance Industry Report [Click here to visit the full Internet @ppliance Report] The Rebel.com NetWinder Office Server is a powerful, 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", à la 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?
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 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 (upper right). 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.

QuickStart then displays self-configuration results and requests confirmation before proceeding (above, lower right).

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.

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.