Unit Puts Lock on Small Offices

Celestix networks latest Linux-based server appliance, the Aries One, features Check Point Software Technologies VPN-1/ Firewall-1, which helps it deliver enterprise-class Internet security to small businesses or branch offices.

At less than 7 inches tall, the compact Aries One, priced at $649, packs plenty of features into a small space, providing a complete, easy-to-use Internet security appliance thats best suited for sites with five to 50 users.

The pre-installed Check Point VPN-1 SmallOffice NG suite in the Aries One box includes stateful inspection FireWall-1, network address translation, anti-virus/URL filtering and VPN support.

The Aries One, which shipped in February, has a 300MHz Geode GX1 processor, 128MB of RAM and a 5GB hard drive. The Aries One runs on a hardened Linux kernel and has two Ethernet ports (10BaseT for LANs and 100BaseT for WANs).

The Aries One also has two PCMCIA slots in the back to support 802.11b wireless LAN cards.

Setting it up is supereasy. I used the large LCD screen in the front to configure the initial IP address. After I hooked up the box, I used a Web browser to configure the Check Point VPN/Firewall software and hardware settings.

In addition, the Aries One enables administrators to back up data via FTP or network share. Although this process does not have much finesse, it will be useful for small businesses that dont have a dedicated backup system.

For more information, go to www.celestix.com.