Internet World, May 2002, p. 124 ff. (translated from German)
All in the Box
Especially small and medium-sized businesses are supposed to profit from this all in one internet solution by Nutzwerk. IW had a closer look at the device.
Lars Schwichtenberg
A fast, simple and secure connection of company networks is offered by "Internet in-a-box" from the German producer Nutzwerk. The preconfigured complete system enables companies to connect their entire Local Area Network (LAN) with up to 256 workstations to the internet – within 5 minutes and without profound network knowledge. The developers promise that Internet in-a-box comes with everything that is necessary for a complete connection. From the functional eMail management over the greatest possible internet security via firewall and internet filter up to and including router functionality everything is supposed to be contained in this plug 'n' play solution. During the real-life test by INTERNET WORLD the Nutzwerk box that costs 1,740 euros had to show what it can do.Installation. Internet in-a-box comes as a preconfigured hardware solution. The choice is between a desktop and a 19 inch rack version, both at the same price. All that is needed for operation is a free socket, a TCP/IP LAN connection to the network and an ISDN line. Although there are connectors at the back of the device for monitor, keyboard and mouse, they are usually not needed since the system can be operated from any PC within the network.
It is connected to the LAN via the supplied network cable. There are several possibilities for connection to the web: via ISDN using the built-in card, via DSL using the built-in second network card or via modem. For our test we have chosen the 19 inch version with ISDN access. At first we had a few problems with integrating the box into the test LAN. Our network (consisting of a Windows 2000 and a Windows XP computer, 3Com network cards with a 3Com hub) could not be identified during the routine system check. Only after running a recovery program (re-installation of the system) the connection worked. Since the recovery program can only be run on system level, we had to connect a keyboard and a monitor to the device after all. After this problem had been solved and the computers were set up for the new web server (TCP/IP, proxy and browser settings), the communication worked without problems.
Configuration. The actual setup of the system is done entirely via the web browser. Thanks to the wonderfully clear manual the setup of the individual client machines should be no problem even for the nonspecialist networkers. System access is provided via user identification in the web browser.
However, before the administrator can create all networked users he needs a registration key – similar to the Windows XP registration. Without that the user management is not available, and only one user can log in at a time. Only the basic settings like time, access rights for support and online access setup (access type, provider, ISDN protocol, channel bundling) can be done without the key. As soon as the online connection is up, Internet in-a-box dials into Nutzwerk and automatically gets the registration key. Only then several computers can access the system simultaneously. Now it is also possible to use the now released user management to define the users that are connected to the network and to assign access rights and eMail addresses to them. Up to 256 users can be integrated like this. Again, the routine for this does not require any profound admin or network knowledge.
The assignment of passwords, eMail addresses and access rights is done using clearly structured, easy to understand entry fields. All in all it took us about 35 minutes until several users could access the system at the same time. Compared to the effort for the installation and setup of other LAN internet solutions, Internet in-a-box is set up in no time.
Functionality. The system offers everything that is needed for a secure and functional internet access via local area network, especially for small and medium-sized businesses without a network specialist. Internet in-a-box can be used as proxy server in order to save time and traffic volume if certain web offers are called up repeatedly.
The possibility to selectively filter out unwanted contents or to block the access to certain web sites seemed to work correctly during the test. Filtering and blocking can be defined either centrally for all connected workstations or individually for certain users. In addition administrators can block file formats like AVI, MPEG, EXE, COM, lPEG, GIF, or ZIP from viewing or loading. Unwanted offers can be filtered out either by entering the exact web site address or by defining a keyword that is not allowed to be contained in a web URL. We also liked the possibility to limit the web access centrally or individually to certain times. This way the access can be blocked or released during the working hours of individual employees or departments.
An integrated eMail server passes on internal and external electronic mail to its recipients. The system supports eMail addresses and mailboxes that were used before (for example from free e-mailers) and they can be continued to use with Internet in-a-box. The integration of existing eMail applications (e.g. MS Outlook, Netscape Messenger) is also possible. eMail filters send unwanted mails straight to the trash.
No doubt, the decisive advantage for a company is the easy administration and handling of the system that can be done by users with "normal" PC knowledge. Specific network knowledge was not needed at any point during the test of Internet in-a-box.
Conclusion: Brilliant concept
Apart from the initial contact problems with the test LAN and the required installation time Internet in-a-box kept all promises made by the manufacturer Nutzwerk. The complete integration of the system with the network as well as the administration can be done with "normal" computer knowledge. If any problems should occur, you get competent help in the manual and the help function of the program. Also the functionality leaves little to be desired. A well designed eMail server including POP3, IMAP functionality and address management, an easy to administrate internet server with good security features (firewall, filter) together with proxy and router functionality provide a solid basis for easy and central eMail or internet management for small and medium-sized businesses without their own network specialist.
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