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November 28, 2009

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server appliance

Last modified: Monday, May 06, 2002

Also called an appliance server, a specialized server that is designed for ease of installation and maintenance. Server appliances have their hardware and software bundled in the product, so all applications are pre-installed. The appliance is plugged into an existing network and can begin working almost immediately, with little configuration. It is designed to run with little or no support.

Server appliances provide Internet sharing, FTP services, e-mail, VPN connections, firewall services, print and file serving and also operates as a Web server. Access to the server appliance is through a Web browser.

A server appliance can be integrated into existing networks in small enterprises or homes. It is not practical for large enterprises to utilize server appliances.