Teac vendotto wall NS-80 L-T3

Feature-rich server for the small office.

Price: £825

Manufacturer: Teac

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Verdict

Pros:

Highly integrated; use as file, print or Web server.

Cons:
Internal LAN wiring is strained, limited number of users.

Verdict:
Tiny, but impressively functional.

Alex Arias, PC Magazine 22 Jan 2004

TEAC produces a wide range of micro-servers, which offer a number of office applications and hardware solutions in compact units, while being best-suited for small or remote offices. The model reviewed here, the Vendotto Wall NS-80-L-T3, incorporates file, print and Web server capabilities, a router and a hardware firewall.

The firewall is in the shape of an integrated SonicWall Tele3 SP system board. Internally the Vendotto Wall is literally two separate systems, with the SonicWall providing the stateful packet inspection and Vendotto's system board offering the internal network services. This offloads the processor-intensive work, such as encryption from the server sub-system. However, due to its compact casing, this leads to some extreme twisting of the network cables connecting the boards together, which could potentially cause signal degradation.

SonicWall provides the features, such as VPN capabilities for remote clients, and users familiar with its products will encounter the standard Web-based management software. The same functionality such as anti-virus, spam and URL content filtering is included, although some of the additional features are subscription based and purchased directly from SonicWall.

For a small office without any IT support, installation of the system could prove to be a little complex. Although it's easily accessed through the supplied management tools, the basic glue between the two systems may lead to some confusion when allocating IP addresses. As with other Vendotto systems all the necessary network services are provided through a Linux-based operating system. This is well hidden from the users, with all management and interactions directed through a clear browser-based system.

Bundled with the Vendotto is iOffice. This is a Web-based groupware suite, which provides a low-cost small office suite. It includes 13 integrated applications, such as schedulers, reservations and document management facilities. The suite is provided with a five-user license and is upgradeable to 10-users.

An integrated file, Web and print server are available whilst the Vendotto Wall supports a single hard disk drive with either an 80GB or 120GB capacity. Additional options include 802.11b access point capability or integrated modems for dial-up connectivity.

It's astonishing how TEAC has packed so many services into such a tiny, unobtrusive box. Although it's only designed for a handful of users, and could be a little complex for non-technical users to install, it's a potentially useful solution for small offices. We do, however, have our reservations about the physical construction.

Contact: Teac
www.vendotto.de

Specifications: