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Follow UsIf your company has branch offices spread across locations and is looking for a server to run its basic network services, then this product might fit the bill.
Design
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This server’s biggest USP is the ease of set-up. Connect the requisite cables, pop the accompanying CD into any machine on your network that has a Web browser, and let the set-up wizard do the rest. The server can be completely configured using a Web browser. It has a DHCP server, which automatically assigns IP addresses to all machines on your network. If you have a DHCP server already, the set-up wizard automatically discovers the Internet Server and configures its LAN IP in accordance with your LAN subnet. You can also configure the server using its default IP of 192.168.10.1, for which you’ll need to put the Internet Server and a client machine on an isolated network.
The server also acts as your Internet gateway. So, you can hook it up on a regular dial-up, ISDN, or a leased line
through the WAN configuration section of the server’s configuration. If you are on a dial-up connection, configure it to obtain an IP from your ISP’s DHCP server. You will also need to specify your user name, password and dial-up number for the connection. If you are on a permanent WAN link, then you can specify your static Internet IP. You can also specify your DNS servers here. The server can also be setup for remote access via modem or ISDN link over its serial ports.
| 3Com Internet Server |
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Price: Rs 115,000 Features: File server, Web, e-mail, FTP server, Internet connection, all in one box Pros: Easy to install, lots of management and functional features Cons: None Contact: 3Com India. 11th Floor, International Trade Tower, Nehru Place, New Delhi Tel: 011-6293177/78. 1117-18 E-mail: upender_singh@ 3com.com |
The device also acts as your mail server. You can have mirrored mailboxes or multi-drop mailboxes. The first option is used if you have an e-mail server sitting in the US, and you want to mirror all the e-mail ids to this server. Second option lets you map a single mail id to multiple local ones. It also features a SMTP server. Next comes the Web server, which you can configure to host your own Web pages or mirror them to an external host. So any changes that you make to your site are duplicated onto the external website. Of course, it will need your login and password to your host. For hosting an intranet site, the administrator can just copy the Web pages to the Webmaster directory. This can then be accessed at http://server_name. The FTP server is also simple to set
up.
Adding users to the server is straightforward and access options are also specified simultaneously. The 3Com Internet Server features extensive backup options, both manual and automatic. You can shut down or restart the server remotely.
Status monitoring can be done through the elaborate reports which log almost everything from e-mail usage per user to even failed logins. Other tools show system information, alerts, and let you to upgrade your system software from 3Com’s FTP server.
Performance
The server is a Linux box having an Intel Celeron 500 MHz processor, 32 MB RAM and a 10 GB hard disk inside. This configuration may sound puny but works quite well. Priced at Rs 115,000, it’s a good investment if you’re looking for a quick networking solution for your office.
Ashish Sharma