How we did it

Each Internet appliance was installed on an existing small network comprising five networked PC clients, running a mixture of Windows 95, 98 and NT workstations, and a Macintosh Performa running OS 9. All the clients were connected to the server appliances through a LinkSys StackPro II 10/100 autosensing 24-port hub. A Netopia 3100R router connected the network to the Internet via a DSL link.

Initial configurations were tested, users defined, e-mail sent and received, and extra features investigated. Clients were added, testing each appliance's DHCP service to configure the client's TCP/IP software. Small production Web sites were transferred to each server to test ease of installation and use. Because these products are aimed at a less-technical audience, special attention was paid to documentation and help screens.