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Thin Servers: Set For Primetime

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DQI Bureau
New Update

The ever-growing amount of digi-tal

information is driving the need for more cost-effective ways to store and access large

volumes of data in the workplace. Due to its low cost and high capacity advantage, the CD

ROM disk has become the media of choice for businesses to store and distribute critical

information. The increase in popularity of sharing CD ROM-based information has driven the

demand for CD ROM networking.






This emerging market has given rise to a number of companies offering different and unique
solutions to the enterprise. While some companies concentrate on software solutions only

and others offer turnkey solutions consisting of proprietary software packaged with

off-the-self CD ROM towers and jukeboxes. This has resulted in several networked CD ROM

solutions for traditional networks, where connected devices are viewed from a PC-centric

or server-centric perspective rather than from a network-centric one. However, a new class

of hardware products has arrived on the server landscape that delivers unprecedented ease

of use and cost of ownership. Thin servers have started to appear all over the server

landscape from the low-end small business market to the enterprise as replacements for

traditional network enhancements, such as the new network-attached storage devices.






Market opportunity


Till a few years ago, printers were resources that had to be housed centrally and managed
by IS professionals. Users wanted to have print resources closer to their workstations and

IS professionals wanted to distribute the printing traffic more evenly across their

networks. Today, workgroup printers are a standard. These same user and IS needs exist

today for other server resources. The emergence of the thin server market is the first

step in this distribution transition for the server market.






Thin servers or server appliances can function in any networked environment fulfilling the
role of any single-function or limited function server. However, it should be noted that

thin servers are unlikely to displace traditional servers. Thin servers are more likely to

be added to the overall server marketplace and can function in the following manner:






* PRINT SERVER: A thin server that allows users to share printers.





* FAX SERVER: A thin server dedicated to allowing users to share a pool of fax
modems.






* INTERNET THIN SERVER: A thin server that provides access to the internet for the
entire office, plus firewall, proxy, email, web hosting for an internet site and an

intranet and file server.






* WORKGROUP NETWORK-ATTACHED STORAGE SERVER: A shared resource with a RAID
subsystem for sharing large files between select workers, a very local server.






* SURVEILLANCE SERVER: A device-specific server, in this case dedicated to a camera
and microphone above the conference room table, that contains a web server and delivers

conference room meetings to the workgroup over their intranet.






* CD ROM SERVER: A thin server attached to a CD ROM tower allowing the entire
office to share a series of CD ROMs which can be managed by the group director.






* NC BOOT SERVER: A thin server that handles boot, maintenance and user
configuration settings for the thin clients in the cubicles, freeing the compute server

next to it to perform the shared computer functions for these clients.



While thin servers are expected to be mostly additive, the majority of their deployments
can be mapped to the existing server market. The overall server market can be segmented by

the class of products from enterprise servers such as supercomputers and mainframes, to

emerging opportunities for small offices and the home. When plotted by volume of unit

shipments, the market resembles a pyramid with the smallest volumes occurring in the

enterprise market. The small office and home categories though are currently not

established markets, however, simply in terms of the size of the potential market dwarf

all other server categories.






Thin servers, including the
Whistle Interjet and I-Planet Surf and Mail Gateway, have begun to open up the small

office opportunity. The home market will take several years to develop. Optimized for

performance and dedicated to a single or select group of tasks, thin servers can fulfill

the traditional role of a large portion of existing servers in the workgroup scatology, at

prices well below traditional servers. This should open up the server market to users who

previously could not justify the purchase or installation of a traditional server. Through

price and ease of use, thin servers will open up the emerging small office category and,

over the time, enter the home market-sold or installed as appliances, not servers.

Although it is unlikely than thin servers will fulfill this opportunity fully, the

potential is there. Although the thin server space overlays the mainstream server market,

Dataquest expects sales of these products to be mostly additive to overall server sales.






One misconception about thin servers that must be addressed is that all will be created
equal. This simply is not true. Already, Dataquest is starting to see significant

differences in the types of thin servers being introduced into the market and the

differences between these products reflect their divergent target markets. With this in

mind, it is helpful to drill into the market to look at the various opportunities

available.





Essentially, four target opportunities exist for thin servers that may be segmented by

performance and volume. Dataquest believes that the largest volume opportunity will be
home caching server. This opportunity is at least two years away from entering in the
market. The remaining opportunities are network-attached storage (NAS) that includes CD

ROM servers, internet and intranet web servers and small office servers. There is an

overlap between these two opportunities since the products that are primarily web servers

can be used to perform NAS functions.






NAS opportunities


NAS is the largest immediate opportunity and these products will serve mainly as file
servers. Over 60% of all servers primarily fulfill this basic function. Therefore as a

replacement or additive purchase, thin servers look promising in this category. The

following is the list of file service opportunities NAS servers can fulfill:






* Backup





* LAN storage replication


* Optical library (CD ROM, MO and DVD)


* RAID


* Remote office replication


* Segmented application storage





NAS versus traditional server architectures


The traditional way to add file service to the network is to purchase a server and add
disks to it. For additional storage, another drive is added till the server is full, at

which time another server is purchased or a slave storage device is added. Server storage

is costly both in terms of initial outlay and maintenance. In many cases, as most

equipment is added and utilized, the performance of the server degrades because of the

increased processing overhead associated with disk I/O. Each service in a multifunction

server shares the same CPU and network I/O resources. If one service is heavily used, it

can halt all other services. Network backup is a perfect example of such a service.

Reliability is also a concern in a multifunction server. Mean time between failure (MTBF)

of the server decreases as more processes and hardware components are added. Since NAS

thin servers are dedicated to performing file services, the entire processor and network

bandwidths are dedicated to this function.






Dedicating a traditional server of file services can have the same benefits. But this
strategy is more costly and less efficient. Thin servers are optimized hardware and

software solutions that maximize performance by reducing overhead and streamlining the

primary function. Traditional servers are designed to perform multiple functions and thus

automatically carry the overhead associated with this focus. Not to mention the

configuration, management and maintenance overhead that comes with it.






An unmatchable cost advantage


Even if performance were equal, as Intelligent I/O or I2O promises to deliver, thin
servers still have a significant cost advantage. They are designed to work with

off-the-shelf desktop PC storage systems, rather than storage specific to servers, and

carry minimal installation, administration and maintenance costs. Beyond the basic

hardware costs, customers must also factor in the lost productivity of network downtime

associated with upgrading the storage in a traditional server. Adding additional storage

to an NAS thin server incurs costs that are much lower because installation can take as

little as 15 minutes-the time needed to turn off the unit, attach a new device to its SCSI

chain and turn it on.






Eliminating the server opens up new opportunities


Since NAS thin servers carry low installation and maintenance penalties, they can be
deployed more easily and in ways in which traditional servers cannot be. For example, MIS

managers can deploy thin servers throughout their network to more evenly distribute file

services across the network. Workgroups can purchase and install thin servers themselves

without the assistance of their IS department. A perfect example is a CD ROM jukebox or

library thin server in a legal department. Remote offices can install thin servers for

local storage and to replicate off-site server resources.






Also, because thin servers are internet standard-based, they are NOS-independent. Thus,
users on Unix, Windows, Macintosh or any other platform can access their resources. Since

most NAS thin server vendors provide NOS-specific protocol emulation, hence thin server

volumes appear as just another volume to users regardless of platform. This also

demonstrates the area where NAS thin servers and web thin servers begin to overlap. There

is little reason why storage resources cannot be cataloged and served to clients via an

HTTP or FTP server. As desktop operating systems become more internet savvy, this may

become the preferred way to deliver file services. However, in the short term, web thin

servers will be battling it out with traditional servers over existing HTTP server

territory.






Challenges to the thin server market


Although thin servers fulfill many needs, the new market will face several challenges as
it grows. Some of these are as follows:






* Backup/data security concerns.





* Overcoming IT resistance to distributed resources





* Marketing concerns-what are they? And how do you sell them?





* Microsoft





First and perhaps most obvious of these challenges is backup. None of the thin servers in
the market provide automatic data failsafes. This though is of biggest concern in the

small business segment, will be an issue raised in all areas over time.






While many IT professionals will be willing to embrace the thin server concept as a
solution for distributing network traffic and adding resources without increasing support

costs, many will also resist this move on concerns of cost, resource management and

control. This challenge will need to be overcome by easing these worries. Vendors should

enter into contract with independent labs to perform long-term reliability and maintenance

tests that will demonstrate both the decreased support needs and lower ownership costs of

thin servers. As for management concerns, vendors should conduct focus studies with IT

professionals to determine the level of sensitivity to this concern and the acceptable

solution. This will vary in accordance to the type of server being deployed. In most

cases, IT managers will simply like to identify the server for asset management purposes

and to examine its usage patterns to ensure efficient deployment of resources.





Perhaps, the most vexing concern for the players in the market today is how exactly to

market these products-they are not really servers or appliances, yet they combine elements
of both. How should they be distributed-VARs, ISPs, or retail? Presently, VARs appear to
be the leading candidates as they can take time to explain the benefits of the products to

the customer. Resellers who specialize in server hardware are unlikely to take to thin

servers readily, since the margins and upgrade sales opportunities for these products are

small compared to the traditional server market. Networking VARs may prove to be more

receptive as they are likely to see thin servers as an expansion of their product line

that does not require significant training or increased support costs. Whatever channel is

chosen, the early players in the market will have to educate the market on thin servers

through strong marketing and public relations campaigns. ISPs have thus far proven less

than ideal as distributors for thin servers. They generally lack the expertise for selling

hardware products, managing inventory and promoting thin server solutions. Ultimately,

ISPs may prove to be the most effective channel for internet-access thin servers because

they can deliver the thin server to the client as a subsidized part of the service

agreement, rather than as a separate hardware purchase. For the small business server and

home caching server, this relationship will become a necessity for success.






Dataquest perspective


Server manufacturers, network hardware vendors, telecom companies and a myriad of other
businesses cannot afford to ignore this emerging product category. This is not simply an

incremental new market that will generate new sales where servers did not previously

succeed. The unrivaled advantages of thin servers, in ease of use and cost of ownership,

will propel them into the market winning sales where traditional servers may not have been

successful.



There are few parts of the server market where thin servers will not be found. The
majority of the players are small companies and start-ups. But with large companies like

Hewlett-Packard and Cisco Systems identifying this opportunity the growth in unit

shipments and the attention that this market gets will accelerate.
















































































What

are thin servers
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Thin server is defined as a specialized, network-based hardware platform designed to
perform a single or specialized set of server functions. It is characterized by running a

minimal operating architecture, requiring no networking operating system license, and

being independent of any operating system or proprietary protocol. In addition, the device

is a 'closed box' delivering extreme ease of installation, and minimal maintenance, and is

managed remotely via a web browser.






These products are appliances users simply take out of the box, hook up to the network,
and turn on. The thin server automatically configures itself for its specified duties.

Users can then open the web browser on their client machine and tweak the base

configuration-such as assign privileges, customize the features, and change the TCP/IP

address-of the thin server or access its core applications. No complicated network set-up

and configuration process, or maintenance and management system is required. Customers

with little, if any, networking or IT knowledge can deploy these products in nearly any

network architecture. They are truly appliances in the sense that users buy them, hook up,

and forget about it.






Key components of the thin server are as follows:


* EASE OF INSTALLATION: Anyone should be able to set up a thin server in less than
15 minutes. To install one, the user only needs to connect the device to a network and

provide minimal network configuration settings. No software installation on the server or

client is required.






* VERY LOW MAINTENANCE: Like other appliances, a thin server should be
self-maintaining or requires very little maintenance over its life span.






* LOW TOTAL COST: Thin servers must be less expensive than traditional server
alternatives in a given market. This lower cost may or may not be seen in the initial

purchase price, but should definitely be seen in the overall cost of using the device.






* OPTIMIZED SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE: The OS should be minimal and include only the
mechanisms needed to support the core application or applications. The core applications

and associated utilities should be the only software running on the appliance. This does

not mean that the thin server cannot be tailored to meet the needs of a specific market or

customer through the addition of new services or applications. Each-user upgrades, if any,

should be done over the network without having to take the thin server off line.






* NO NETWORK OPERATING SYSTEM LICENSE: The end-user should be able to connect an
unlimited number of clients to the thin server without incurring per-seat licensing fees.






* NETWORK CONNECTIVITY: LAN connectivity is a requirement, WAN, via modem or other
device, is optional, depending on the function of the appliance.






* STORAGE CONNECTIVITY: Either internal or external via any input/output
architecture; external connections must be industry standard.






* OPEN STANDARDS: Proprietary protocols that is operating system-specific file
systems, such as NES, NCP and SMB, may be supported to provide greater ease of use for

certain types of clients, but these should not serve as the primary protocols.






* REMOTELY MANAGED: This is done through a web browser on any client on the
network. No monitor or keyboard is attached to the thin server.

























Adapted from CD ROM Networked Storage and the Emerging Thin Server Market by MARY
BOURDON and JAMES STATEN, Principal Analyst, Dataquest Inc, a division of Gartner Group,

USA.




Courtesy: Hewlett-Packard

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