Meridian Data's Snap! Server.(Hardware Review)(Evaluation)

Sometimes you need all the services that a network server can offer--file and print sharing, Internet access, client/server applications, network access authentication and Web-site hosting. Other times you only need one of those services--file sharing perhaps. If that's all you use a network server for, or if you've exhausted the storage capacity of an existing server, the Snap! Server appliance might be what you need.

Meridian Data's Snap! Server is one of the new breed of networking appliances that are dedicated machines built to perform just one function, but perform it very well. In this case, the Snap! Server provides up to 32GB of protocol-independent network-attached storage, running off of an eight-pound, 4x9x15-inch box with no screen or keyboard, as shown in Figure 3. The Snap! Server only has two connectors: power and an RJ-45 for 10/100MB Ethernet. The server itself runs off of a proprietary operating system, which can be updated via a management utility.

What's exciting about the Snap! Server? Compatibility. It can be transparently accessible to Windows-based PCs, NetWare clients, Macintoshes or UNIX-based PCs and servers, as long as they speak NetBEUI, TCP/IP, HTTP, NetWare's IPX or UNIX's NFS (Network File System).

Up and Running

We reviewed the 32GB version of the Snap! Server, which contains two 16GB ATA-4 hard drives. The physical setup was easy: plug it in to power and the network, turn it on and, after a two-minute power-on self-test and boot cycle, it's live on the network.

Before the Snap! Server can be used, however, it must be configured. The first phase of configuration is initially accomplished through a Windows-based management application that can be run from CD-ROM. The application contains high-level options that would normally only be done once, such as configuring the IP address, choosing a Windows workgroup, Windows NT domain, setting NetWare frame types or choosing an Apple networking zone, as shown in Figure 4.

The management application is also where you can determine which network protocols will be used, and you can disable other protocols to reduce overhead. We shut off Appletalk, for example, since we have no Macs on our network. We also chose to leave the server's two hard drives as separate 16GB volumes; we could optionally have enabled RAID 0 striping to turn it into one large 32GB volume, or RAID 1 to mirror the first drive onto the second drive.

Because our IP-only network uses the dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP), which automatically assigns IP addresses to network devices, we tried to have the Snap! Server configure itself using DHCP. For some reason, we couldn't get the Snap! Server to recognize our DHCP server. Fortunately we also have a range of static IP addresses available and were able to assign the Snap! Server one of those (192.168.0.10). Once the server rebooted (accomplished via the management application), the server was visible from our network clients as a file server.

Web-Based Administration

Once the server is running and available, day-to-day administration is handled via Web browser. Browsing to http://192.168.0.10 showed us the server in a Web window, as shown in Figure 5. From there, you can access the two drives' content just as if navigating a Web site, or you could enter the admin routine.

This second administration page is where user groups and privileges are defined, making some drives or directories full-access, read-only or unavailable to particular users. The Web-based admin should be very intuitive for anyone used to network administration (or even a power user with experience setting up networks or file sharing).

Snap! Server's admin software is pretty wily, and it warns you about potential configuration problems. For example, let's say you set an entire drive to be full-access for everyone, but then attempt to deny access to a single directory on that drive. The admin program warns you that although anyone attempting to connect to the directory directly will indeed be blocked, security could be circumvented if a user connected to the drive's root instead, as shown in Figure 6.

By the way, if you choose to have the Snap! Server exist inside a NetWare bindery-mode network (it's not NetWare Directory Services savvy) or within a Windows NT 4 domain, you'll administer the Snap! Server's access rights and permissions via that network server instead, which is even easier.

Snap! Server can warn you about real problems it encounters. If the LAN is connected to an SMTP (simple mail transport protocol server), it can email you in the event of crashes or disk errors. It also logs errors with reports available using the Web-based interface.

What to Do with a File Appliance

We found some interesting uses of the Snap! Server. One 16GB drive was used for project directories, with the entire drive set as read/write for all of our users by name. Setting access to everyone or guests is dangerous on any server, so Snap! Server thereby increased the amount of available storage as our old Windows NT 4 file server only has two cramped 4GB drives for shared file space.

The other Snap! drive was used as personal backup space for users, with only individuals (and the administrator) having access to their private directory. One feature we'd like to see would be disk quotas; unfortunately, with this version of the Snap! Server software (2.0.268) you can't limit a personal directory to, say, a maximum of 2GB before it's "full."

As an experiment, we also copied some CD-ROMs over to the Snap! Server. Think about it: you could store two dozen completely full CD-ROMs in a 16GB volume. And if you store them in individual directories and set those directories as separate file shares (which you can do through the Web-based administration), you could access them over the network as if they were dedicated CD-ROM drives. If you try that trick, make sure you're not violating license agreements by copying the CD-ROM, or by making its content available over the network.

Other applications of the Snap! Server would be as a portable storage device. By connecting it via a small hub or cross-over network cable to a laptop, it could be perfect for field work or for carrying very complex 3D models to a client site for a presentation. You could also use as a backup device for servers or workstations.

Speaking of backup, Snap! Server does not include any backup solutions. However, it could be backed up over the network via a workstation or server-based solution; we didn't run any backups during our test.

Performance of the Snap! Server is very acceptable. We did not run any benchmarks, but across our Fast Ethernet network, it was always quick and responsive, even when we had it handling far more multiple simultaneous disk access than it probably would in normal operation. The hard drives installed in our test unit were 7200RPM IBM Deskstar 16GP drives, which used an ATA-4 interface at 33.3MB/sec.--nice drives! So if you're running over a 10Mbit/sec Ethernet network, the network will be the limiting factor in the Snap! Server's performance. To get true local-disk-like performance, you'll need a Fast Ethernet network.

What about value? The list price of the 32GB solution we tested was $2,495. The price of the DeskStar drives, at PC connection, were $299 each; that leaves $1,897 for the rest--and it's odd that Meridian Data's otherwise identical 16GB Snap! Server, populated with two 8GB drives, costs only $1,795!

There may be less expensive ways to create a simple file server, but you'll either have to work harder or lose some of Snap! Server's extra features. For example, you could buy a Pentium II Celeron workstation, install Linux, and stuff it full of hard drives. But you'll lose all the security, integration with NT and NetWare, Web-based access and remote administration, RAID striping and multiprotocol access. And it won't be a self-contained appliance you can tuck under your arm, carry in a backpack or place on a bookshelf.

Bottom line: If you're just looking for gigabytes of storage, Snap! Server isn't the cheapest way to go. But if you're looking for easy to setup, easy to use and flexible storage, it's hard to beat.

Alan Zeichick, former editor-in-chief of CADENCE, is principal technology analyst with Camden Associates.

Snap! Server is a large-capacity file-sharing appliance that offers seamless and secure file access from Windows, Macintosh and UNIX workstations across a 10/100Mbit Ethernet network.

Pros: Very easy to set up and administer, especially compared to setting up a Windows NT, NetWare or Linux server, plus it speaks to all of them in their native protocols; offers Web-based file access and administration.

Cons: The price charged for the 32GB version seems extravagant; no way to set disk quotas.

Price: $2495 for the 32GB dual-drive version (two 16GB drives); $1,795 for the 16GB dual-drive version (two 8GB drives); $995 for the 8GB single-drive version.

                            Feature Report Card                   Scoring from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) Installation and Setup      9 Interface                   9 Features                    8 Expandability/Customization 4 Interoperability            9 Support                     9 Value                       8