he NetWinder OfficeServer, by the Canadian firm Rebel.com, brings a breath of fresh air to the stuffy world of network servers and firewalls. Weighing just two pounds and taking up less space than a three-ring binder, it combines innovative hardware with great software in a package that won't intimidate the typical small-office computer manager.
NetWinder is designed to be a one-stop shop for office networking. It comes with an e-mail server, a file server, and a print server, all managed through an easy-to-use Web-based interface. This combination makes the OfficeServer ideal for small offices that have a few computers but haven't yet put together an office LAN. All you need to buy is a NetWinder OfficeServer for $895, a $25 network interface card for each PC, some cables, and a $100 multiport network hub. The OfficeServer can easily handle up to 100 workstations.
The OfficeServer also can connect you to the Internet. For the typical small office, you can connect the serial port on the back of the computer to a modem, then use the OfficeServer to dial up an Internet service provider. OfficeServer software lets everyone in your office share the single dial-up connection. The computer also includes a built-in firewall, so files and e-mail will be safe.
When you are ready to upgrade to a faster Internet connection, the NetWinder is ready, too. The computer's box has two Ethernet interfaces on its backside. The first is for your company's internal network. The second is for a high-speed DSL or cable modem connection.
When I first took the NetWinder out of its box, I did a double take: I knew it would be small, but its truly diminutive size still caught me off guard. The box measures just 9-by-6-by-2-inches, which is still enough room for a hard drive (4.6GB with the $895 OfficeServer package; 10GB with the $1,995 version), a speaker, the two Ethernet connectors, the serial port, the printer port, and standard sockets for a PC-style keyboard, video, and mouse. Most buyers, I think, won't even connect a keyboard, mouse, or screen. Instead, they will just drop the OfficeServer onto a network and configure it through a Web browser connected to a nearby desktop computer.
Using OfficeServer's Web-based system administration program, you can configure the network adapters and the firewall, add user accounts, set up the e-mail system, and even configure the printer. The computer comes with software to support Windows, Macintosh, or Unix-style file sharing. It has discussion forums, Internet-chat, and even a built-in Web server. This is all standard stuff for most Unix gurus. What's amazing about the OfficeServer is that it comes preconfigured with all these features.
One of the things that makes the NetWinder possible is its StrongARM RISC microprocessor, an extremely fast chip that nevertheless draws very little power. The StrongARM lets Rebel.com build a tiny package that doesn't need to dissipate vast quantities of heat, as do most desktop PCs and laptops built around Intel's Pentium, AMD's K6, or Motorola G3 and G4 microprocessors. The low heat and power requirements also make this computer ideal for Internet service providers who want to stick a few hundred of them into a single 19-inch rack and lease them out to customers.
The second thing that makes the NetWinder work is the Linux operating system. Linux lets Rebel.com ship a boatload of server software to its customers free. It is simply impossible to put together a low-cost network server using Windows because of the astronomical cost of licensing Windows NT Server and the requisite software that Windows needs to get working.
I have two big fears with network appliances such as the NetWinder: backup and security. On backup, Rebel.com has done a pretty good job. By design, You can back up the OfficeServer from a typical Windows desktop computer. You can back up just the computer's configuration, just the user files, or the whole computer system. If the system crashes, just get another machine and restore your backup: There are no user-serviceable parts inside.
But theft is a bigger issue for this small system. It is fairly easy to pick up the NetWinder, rip off all the cables, and carry it away under your coat. Since an attack like that could shut down many organizations, it behooves people using the NetWinder to make sure the computer is kept under lock and key. Unfortunately, Rebel.com made this harder than it should be. Many computers these days come with a little slot to attach an anti-theft lock; the NetWinder doesn't.
I was prepared to dislike the NetWinder. I thought a computer running Red Hat Linux would be too difficult for most small offices to handle. But OfficeServer's Web-based management shields all but the most inquisitive of administrators from the Unix operating system that governs this machine's brain. I also thought a computer without a floppy disk would be an invitation to disaster, but it's clear to me now that most people who use this machine couldn't rescue their computer with floppy disks if their lives depended on it - it's easier for them just to get another computer and restore their backups.
Indeed, the only thing I really don't like about the NetWinder is its fan. Although small, the fan makes more noise than practically every other computer in my office. For this reason, I can't recommend it as a desktop machine. And that's a pity, because I know a lot of Linux fans, who have already given Microsoft the boot, would dearly love to be rid of Intel as well. Who knows? Perhaps Rebel.com has a laptop system in the works that will overcome this noisy problem.
Technology columnist Simson Garfinkel can be reached at http://chat.simson.net/
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