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Designed from the ground up as high-performance servers for demanding
departmental networks, the new Network Server 500 and 700 are the fastest, most
powerful, reliable, and expandable servers ever developed by Apple. These
servers run AIX for Apple Network Servers, a robust version of IBM's
industry-standard AIX operating system. AIX has an established track record
running on IBM servers and is supported by thousands of software applications.
To deliver superior performance, Apple has tuned AIX for these servers and has
tightly integrated the servers running AIX with Mac OS desktop computers.
The Network Servers are ideal for customers who currently use UNIX-based
servers to support Mac OS desktop systems, and those who are in mixed
Macintosh, Windows, and UNIX environments. Customers in professional
publishing, scientific and technical, enterprise, and education arenas are the
most likely prospects.
Both servers feature a state-of-the-art hardware enclosure that offers easy
component access, excellent serviceability, and maximum physical security.
Every major component can be accessed in 60 seconds, including storage devices,
power supplies, memory DIMMs, CPU processor card, PCI cards, and even the
entire logic board itself. Front and back access to all components is
key-controlled, allowing server managers to control the level of physical
security required.
AppleTalk Services
With AppleTalk Services, Apple has created a new infrastructure that allows Apple and its third-party software partners to provide true AppleTalk-based client/server programs for UNIX applications running on the Network Server that can be managed from a remote Macintosh or PowerBook .
Apple will initially provide two utilities based on AppleTalk Services--The Disk Management Utility to simplify disk administration and CommandShell, a multi windowing VT102 terminal emulator included with AIX for Apple Network Servers. "We have kept the core AIX OS in place while adding ease-of-use management tools," said Apple's Keast. "Disk management and other UNIX tasks that might have taken hours or even days to complete can now be done in seconds with a point and click of a mouse."
Built from the ground up as a high-performance, industrial-strength server.
Ultrareliable, with redundant, hot-swappable hard drives, hot-swappable
power supplies (as an option on the Network Server 700 only),
hot-swappable fans, and parity memory.
Very expandable; seven slide-mount drive bays and up to 340 GB of storage.
Extremely fast, well-balanced system with the high-throughput processors
and data buses required to support all of its expandability (two Fast/Wide
SCSI-2 channels, two PCI buses, etc.).
Customer serviceable; all components are easily accessed and replaced.
Physically secure; state-of-the-art hardware enclosure with flexible
storage bays, lockable wheels, and varying enclosure settings for
controlling access to components as needed; rack-mountable.
Runs the AIX operating system from IBM, making it binary compatible with
thousands of AIX applications.
These servers include
trial versions of
IPT's uShare for file sharing services
IPT's CanOPI for file sharing, Open Prepress Interface (OPI),
and print spooling services
Helios Software's EtherShare for file and print networking services
Helios Software's EtherShare OPI for Open Prepress Interface (OPI) services
Helios Software's PCShare for DOS and Windows networking services
Legato Systems' Networker and LDBU for data backup and recovery services
Comes with American Power Conversion's PowerChute Plus, a UPS
(uninterruptable power supply) monitoring and shutdown package
(requires separate hardware/cable purchase from APC)
In addition to the software applications that come with the Network Servers, independent software vendors are currently certifying applications, such as additional AFP and OPI servers, software RIPs, document and archive management, workflow solutions, cost accounting and job tracking, and relational databases.
Netscape is making their Commerce Web Server available for the Network Servers. If you want to see them in action, check out the Grammies on the Internet at http://grammy.apple.com/ -- a site driven by the Network Server.
These developers are excited about AIX for Apple Network Servers because it is very fast, scalable, and built for reliability and high availability. It also provides a highly optimized AppleTalk stack on the server. As a result, applications layered on this stack run significantly faster on a Network Server platform than on existing UNIX servers.
The Network Server 500 runs on a 132-MHz PowerPC 604 RISC processor on an upgradable, replaceable processor card with 512K of level 2 memory cache. It supports up to six additional internal hard disks of up to 4 GB each, for up to 24 GB of storage, expandable to 332 GB using external devices.
The Network Server 700 runs on a 150-MHz PowerPC 604 RISC processor on an upgradable, replaceable processor card with 1 MB of level 2 memory cache. It supports up to eight additional internal hard disks of up to 4 GB each, as well as two rear-mounted fixed disks that can be redundant but not hot-swappable, for up to 32 GB of storage, expandable to 340 GB using external devices. It also offers optional redundant power supplies, either of which may be removed and replaced without powering down the unit, in less than 20 seconds.
Both models include 32 MB of parity memory, expandable to 512 MB; six slots for PCI cards; two Fast/Wide SCSI-2 channels for internal device support and one SCSI-1 channel for external device support; a quad-speed CD-ROM drive; an optional DAT drive with data compression; a built-in Ethernet AAUI connector that supports TCP/IP and AppleTalk protocols.
In addition to these primary configurations, a host of optional add-on products are available for the Network Servers, including memory kits, add-on drives, RAID cards, and Ethernet cards.
AIX for Apple Network Servers provides a 100 percent PowerPC native, reliable, high-performance, binary-compatible, and scalable server operating system based
on IBM's industry standard AIX v4.1.4. Key features include Graphical User Interface (Common Desktop Environment), Installation Assistant, support for multiple 256 GB file systems, Journaled File System (JFS), Logical Volume Manger (LVM), Systems Management Interface Tool (SMIT), AIX 4.1 and most AIX 3.2 application binary compatibility, high-performance AppleTalk Services, Disk Management Utility, CommandShell, Software RAID 0 and 1, High Performance network, disk and I/O Drivers, and on-line, hypertext-based help (Info Explorer).
AIX for Apple Network Servers is 100 percent PowerPC native code. The Network Servers use PowerPC 604 processors running at up to 150 MHz, and support dual built-in Fast/Wide SCSI-2 channels and two PCI buses (one for the on-board electronics; one for the PCI Slots), so customers will get maximum computing, I/O, and network performance for their applications.
AIX for Apple Network Servers specifically has been designed and tuned to support up to 512 MB of main memory, multiple 256 GB file systems, six high-performance PCI slots for NICs and RAID controllers, and dual Fast/Wide SCSI-2 channels supporting dozens of external SCSI devices. Customers may expand the Network Server with confidence since their software is tailor-made for their Network Server expansion needs.
AIX for Apple Network Servers offers many fault-tolerant features, such as the Journal File System (JFS), disk striping and disk mirroring (RAID 0 and 1), and instantaneous recognition of disk configuration modifications or file system expansion through the Logical Volume Manager (LVM). In addition, Apple has added software specifically to monitor the hot-swappable fans and the redundant, hot-swappable power supplies and memory subsystems to protect customers' investment in their server data.
AIX, IBM's UNIX-based operating system, has consistently provided leadership technology to customers since it first shipped in 1990. AIX provides an innovative journal file system that aids rapid recovery of data in case of a system crash. It has the ability to automatically compress data, so users may store more data in the same space. AIX provides a wide range of tools that simplify and speed up administration of both workgroup and departmental networks. It also has the capability to add I/O, users, and extend file systems dynamically, without a system restart, thereby reducing downtime. In addition, AIX has adopted the industry-standard Common Desktop Environment (CDE), a cross-platform graphical user interface that simplifies use.
AIX for Apple Network Servers is available as an Accessory Kit and orderable only in equal quantities with a Network Server.
AIX for Network Server is a binary-compatible version of standard AIX, licensed from IBM. Apple is committed to maintaining the binary compatibility of the product, and is a member of the IBM MVP (Multi-Vendor Platform) program for AIX. This program ensures application vendors and their customers that the implementation of AIX on a given hardware platform conforms to the AIX standards for binary compatibility.