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Microtest's AppSolute Server addresses these two predicaments by combining its CD-ROM disk server, DiscZerver (see "DiscPort VT: Last Word in CD Servers?" at www.networkcomputing.com/1009/1009sp4.html), with a dual Pentium II Citrix WinFrame server. The end result is a server solution with simplified Web-based file and application access. Microtest is positioning AppSolute Server as the first all-in-one, thin-client access CD/DVD-ROM and CD-recordable server.

I tested a beta unit in our Real-World Labs® at the University of Wisconsin, where AppSolute Server successfully delivered a no-nonsense, consolidated file and application server. At a reasonable cost of slightly less than $19,000, AppSolute Server finds a comfortable place in the server market.

Serving Applications
Although Microtest says it considers AppSolute Server to be plug-and-play, installing applications and publishing them to users was tedious. To install an application, I had to open the LaunchPro console and set the server for install mode. I installed the program, but then had to reset the server in execute mode. Once I felt confident that the application was working properly, I published the application by accessing "Application Publishing" and creating an ICA file. Finally, I added the necessary icon to the public group folder by adding a new entry in the "Configuration Editor." After installing a few applications, the process became a little bit more streamlined, but no less monotonous.

To access the published applications, I mapped a drive to AppSolute Server's shared drive and fired up the index.html. This spawned a Netscape window, which gave me the option to open the applications in current windows, a separate window or with a Java applet. When the first window popped up, I received a prompt to install the ICA plug-in, which took only a few seconds. I tested interoperability with both Netscape Navigator 4.05 and Internet Explorer 4.0 and experienced no problems. Likewise, I installed Microsoft Office 97 and Adobe PhotoShop and ran both using a browser without incident.

Getting Inside
Accessing the guts of the server was a cinch; the left side popped off with a simple turn of a key. (You can also lock down the side access panel for additional security.) Inside is a mainboard that features four DIMM slots that let the application server address up to 1 GB of RAM; my test unit was configured with 256 MB. The mainboard also contains dual Pentium II processors, along with expansion slots--three PCI, one ISA and one shared PCI/ISA. For network connectivity, AppSolute Server features an embedded Intel EtherExpress Pro 10/100 adapter.

The incorporated DiscZerver features an embedded AMD P5-75 processor, 10/100 Ethernet card and 32 MB of RAM. It also has both a SCSI bus and two IDE buses to support up to seven SCSI and four IDE devices. DiscZerver is compact; it's designed to fit into any standard 5.25-inch drive bay.

To ensure maximum uptime, each of the server's drive bays is hot-swappable when accompanied by available hot-swappable drives. Microtest addresses fault tolerance with a set of redundant power supplies and cooling fans. Both the application server and DiscZerver have their own single Ethernet connections; while the application server can be upgraded with an additional NIC, DiscZerver isn't expandable and opens the door for a single point of failure.

A Management Ace
The heart of AppSolute Server is its management capabilities. The application server is managed locally through the traditional WinFrame interface, while DiscZerver is managed strictly by a Web interface. Microtest simplifies matters by combining both management capabilities into a single package called LaunchPro.

If you don't have a tremendous amount of experience working with either WinFrame or Windows NT 3.51, you'll appreciate how effortless configuration and management can be, thanks to LaunchPro. Using it, I was able to configure server and network properties, monitor stations and resources, and retrieve statistics. LaunchPro includes a helpful icon that allowed me to launch my browser and locate DiscZerver for administration.

Even though the phrase "plug-and-play" and WinFrame don't belong in the same sentence, LaunchPro certainly boils down a few key tasks. It trims the fat from WinFrame configuration and maintenance, displaying only those icons that are relevant to AppSolute Server's operation. However, because of some WinFrame complexities, publishing applications for remote users required some additional work on my end.

Time constraints prevented me from testing scalability, but application performance via the Web was snappy with just a single user. Microtest specifies that up to approximately 30 users can use the server before its performance is hindered.

Easy Access With DiscZerver
Using and administering DiscZerver through the Web interface was straightforward. The administration let me configure network settings, such as IP configuration and network file system management. This is also where CD images and shares are produced. The CD images that I created on the hard drive were indistinguishable from those of the actual CDs. In the lab, file access performance was better than I had expected from the small AMD I/O engine.

Accessing files via a Web browser was a no-brainer. When I accessed DiscZerver's home page, a list of available CDs came up. By clicking on one, I was able to browse the CD and download a file. I ran into a small problem when I put in a CD that contained an index.html file in the root directory. When I attempted to browse the CD, DiscZerver would only open the index.html file, and it did not have a server setting to disable the auto-open function. And because I was using a Web browser, I could select only one file at a time. However, DiscZerver ships with both an FTP server and a host of supported network file systems such as SMB and NFS, if mapping network drives is a requirement.

Send your comments on this article to Dave Fetters at dfetters@nwc.com.