Top five tips for server appliance success

1. Don't believe the plug-and-play promises - schedule a day to get everything working and everyone connected. Configuring Internet access, e-mail and file sharing on the server takes less time than configuring both on all workstations.

2. Every time you reconfigure, retest. It will save time in the end, and you'll be working sooner. The Internet appliance will start working long before all the Windows client machines are configured correctly. But until server and clients communicate correctly, work remains.

3. Make friends with a technical support person at your ISP or corporate headquarters. While you can figure out just about everything you need to know on your own, nothing saves time like experienced advice. Even with a ready contact, plan for two days of Internet connection hassles, or more if transferring an existing Web site to your new Internet appliance.

4. Don't expect the level of file and print services you get from Novell's NetWare or Microsoft's Windows 2000 using Advanced Directory. User management and file access follows the lowest-level denominator of Server Message Block popularized by Windows Network Neighborhood access rules. File control details and transaction tracking don't exist at this level.

5. Manage your expectations. Pushing an inexpensive appliance to perform like high-end clustered multiprocessor servers and support complex e-commerce transactions will lead to frustration. Internet server appliances offer great value within a well-defined niche. Stay in the appliance niche and you'll stay happy.