Egnyte, a provider of on-demand
file server solutions, announced today that it will now support "netbooks," the new breed of mini laptops that are taking the portable PC market by storm. Popular for their small size, portability and low cost, netbooks are currently restricted in their ability to function as a complete mobile office due to their basic feature set, limited performance and small hard drive. Egnyte's new file server for netbooks will provide unlimited online storage, as well as the ability to easily and securely access and share files, anytime and anywhere. For small businesses and mobile professionals, the solution provides a cost effective and efficient means to utilize a netbook as an office on the go.
The global economic slowdown is requiring businesses to cut back on expenditures, with many
small businesses moving away from physical offices to complete mobile work environments. Netbooks are becoming attractive alternatives to traditional notebooks due to their attractive pricing model and convenience. With Egnyte, netbooks become notebooks by delivering business-class storage functionality. By mapping the
File Server as a drive.
"Right now, netbooks are currently seen as underpowered notebooks used primarily for surfing the web and emailing, but they have much greater potential," said Rob Enderle, Principal Analyst for the Enderle Group. "As solution providers like Egnyte deliver added functionality such as on-demand and unlimited online storage, the netbook has the ability to evolve into a vital business tool for mobile workers across numerous industries."
The market for netbooks is growing fast, rising from a million units in 2007 to industry forecasts of over 50 million by 2010. The products are attractive for emerging markets where they help provide Internet access to the largest number of users, and to highly developed markets where they are seen as mobile tools or a second PC.
Egnyte is a software-as-a-service cloud storage application, providing the only single, integrated, on-demand solution to the three most common technology challenges facing every
small business services: data storage, information sharing, and computer back-up. The Egnyte solution eliminates the need for file-server hardware, storing users' files on secure, always-available servers connected to the Internet.
"With mobile business on the rise, netbooks are only going to get more attractive due to their low price point and portability," said Vineet K. Jain, CEO of Egnyte. "However, to combat storage challenges, turning to an online or virtual storage provider like Egnyte makes sense. And, for only $15 per month per user, it is an attractive value proposition, particularly for small businesses or mobile users who want the benefits of a big company solution."
The Egnyte netbook server solution provides a number of specific features for file storage and document collaboration. These include:
- Configurable Shared Folders. Create folders to store and share files within and outside your company. Control permissions on folders (e.g. read only, read/write).
- Access as a Drive. Access Egnyte as folders on your computer. Drag and drop files easily.
- -- No Download or Upload Limits. Download or upload as much data as required. No daily or monthly restrictions. There are no file size limits either.
- Tight Privacy Controls. Share with multiple customers or suppliers. One party cannot see another's folders or files.
- Highly Secure. Manage accounts and permissions. All access to Egnyte is fully encrypted. Servers hosted at a SAS-70 compliant, highly secure facility.
Source: marketwatch.com/news/story/Egnyte-Introduces-Online-File-Server/story.aspx?guid={4D9B83E8-8951-41B8-B057-4D0C948A551E}
How to Build a
Print Server From an Old Computer?? Below are the tips, follow and save your money as well as time:
- Make sure your computer is up to snuff. It doesn't take a lot to build a print server. All you need is a machine with a 386 processor or faster, 8 megs of RAM, a parallel port and a floppy drive.
- Install an ethernet network adapter card. If the machine doesn't already have an ethernet port, you'll need to install one. It doesn't have to be up-to-date either, an old 10 Mbps PCI card ought to do the trick.
- Install winzip and winimage. You'll need these programs to unpack the printer server software. Visit the Winzip and Winimage websites and read how to download and install it (
- Download the print server software. We'll be using a free print server from Pigtail.net. See the link below in Resources to download.
- Download a network card driver. You'll need a file called modules.lrp. There are many different versions of it, however, so follow the link for a modules.lrp list in the Resources section.
- Open winimage. If you installed it to the default directory, you'll need to click "Run" and then type C:\winimage\winimage.exe.
- Create a disk image. Drag and drop the printsrv image into the winimage window. This is the file you downloaded in Step 3. Next, drag and drop the modules.lrp file in.
- Save the image onto a disk. Insert a blank disk into your A drive and click Disk | Write.
- Connect your printer and power up. Connect the print server to the network. Connect a printer to the print server with a parallel printer cable, insert the disk you just wrote and boot it up. It will beep 3 times to indicate that it is ready.
- Set up client printers. In XP, click Start | Control Panel | Printers and Faxes | Add a printer | Local Printer. Uncheck "Auto Detect PnP." Click "Create new port" and then "Standard TCP/IP port." Type in the IP address as 192.168.1.252, the port name as PrintSrv and under Custom | Settings | Raw | Port, type in 9100.
Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_2034850_build-server-computer.html
If your Windows XP system is part of a network, then you’re probably already familiar with the concept of using it as a network client or server. In simple terms, a server is any system to which other network systems connect for the purpose of sharing resources like files or printers, while a client is the system asking for access to those resources. So, referring to XP as a “server” in some situations is absolutely correct, even though the operating system is optimized for use as a desktop.
On large business networks, server functions are typically handled by operating systems like Windows NT, Windows 2000 Server, or Windows Server 2003. Unfortunately, each of these operating systems is prohibitively expensive, especially for home and small office users. Because of this, many companies choose to leverage their systems running Windows XP for file and print serving functions – the load from such activities will typically be low, so having the system act as both a desktop and server simultaneously is usually not a big deal. While using XP as a file server for 8-10 users can be taxing on an XP system without lots of RAM or a fast CPU, acting as a print server on the same network is well within XP’s capabilities.
We are going to take a closer look at how to configure Windows XP as a print server, and how to make it support not only Windows 2000 and XP printing clients, but also systems running older versions of Windows such as Windows 95/98/ME. The good news is that configuring XP as a robust print server is easier than you think, but there are a few potential issues that you’ll need to look out for.
Source: 2000trainers.com/printers-and-printing/configuring-windows-xp-as-a-network-print-server/
