The SonicWall SSL-R is only one of two external products that does not resell a CryptoSwift PCI card. While the SA-725 is based on a proprietary cryptographic solution, the SSL-R still relies on the Rainbow cryptographic chip -- not the card, just the chip.

The SSL-R performed up to expectations -- averaging almost 200 transactions per second. But that's the maximum you can expect. If you need more, you'll need to buy additional units, which will drive the cost of this solution higher than that of the competition.

Configuration, though more involved than that of the Big-IP, Intel 7115 or SA-725, is still simple. A console connection is provided for initial configuration, and from there on you're working via the Configuration Manager, which is available for Windows NT 4.0/2000, Red Hat Linux 5.2 to 6.2 and Sun Microsystems Solaris.

We'd like to see better support of additional cryptographic algorithms, as well as a more robust configuration and management system.

SonicWall SSL Accelerator-Rack Mount, $6,995. Available: Now. SonicWall, (888) 557-6642, (408) 745-9300; fax (408) 745-9300. www.sonicwall.com