“The NetWinder is an Internet server appliance designed for the
small networks in home offices and small businesses. Starting
at $895, the device has simple operating instructions, and is
managed entirely through a Web interface. It competes in the same
arena as the Cobalt Networks Qube2 or RaQ2 and the Penguin
Computing 1U rackmount system, although the NetWinder is smaller
than the others. It does not compete with devices like WebTV
that are used mostly as client appliances and have much lower price
points….”
“I have to say that the NetWinder merges style with practicality
when it comes to the exterior design. Other Internet appliances,
such as those from Sun Microsystems, are artistically interesting
but almost clumsy for the desktop. The NetWinder is basically a
small, flat rectangle, not much larger than a thin textbook, that
has a slight curve in the front and lots of ports in the back. It
can sit horizontally or on a stand on its side, thus saving desktop
space. The entire unit weighs just over 2 pounds and consumes a
miniscule 15 watts of power….”
“The Firewall Services panel provides a list of rules on how to
process incoming, forwarded, and output packets. The base set of
rules is provided and configured according to the network interface
addresses. You can also add other rules for specific hosts or
networks to allow or deny access. This is essentially a nice visual
interface to Rusty Russell’s ipchains firewall software, the de
facto standard firewall application for Linux.”