Net Integration Launches Linux OS-On-A-Chip Software
Net Integration Technologies next month plans to unveil a version of its Linux-based Net Integrated Operating System (NIOS) on a chip the size of a credit card, which can be plugged into the IDE slot of any motherboard.
The NIOS-based server is unique in that it incorporates a secure, self-healing Linux-based OS and integrated file, print, firewall and e-mail platform on a single chip, according to the Toronto-based company. The server is based on the Linux 2.4 kernel.
LINUX IN THE SMB CHANNEL
>> Company: Net Integration Technologies
>> Headquarters: Toronto
>> Employees: More than 100>> Business Model: 100 percent of the company's business goes through the channel
>> Number Of Channel Partners: Roughly 1,000 partners
>> Products: Net Integrator Lite; Net Integrator Mach I, II and II; and ExchangeIT e-mail server
Net Integration's two patent-pending technologies, NetIntelligence and System ER, enable solution providers to deploy a self-configuring, self-healing Linux server in roughly 25 percent of the time it takes to deploy a Windows server, company executives said. The technologies also guarantee recovery from a server crash,and restoration of all data,within 30 minutes of failure, partners say.
The server also automatically shuts down in case of a denial-of-service attack or if it is bombarded with "garbage" e-mail, company executives said.
By uncoupling the software on a chip from the company's Net Integrator server appliance, partners will be able to deploy a full Linux solution for SMB customers on the hardware of their choice, company executives said. The software is expected to be available next month or in January.
"We'll launch the autonomic chip so it's deployable on standard hardware, and we'll certify it with all tier-one platforms," said Ozzie Papic, president and CEO of Net Integration. "You can take a Sun [Microsystems] server or an IBM server, pop in the chip, and it just deploys [the] OS. It's possible for VARs to go with a brand-name hardware such as Dell or [Hewlett-Packard], and tell their customers they have a new OS that can plug into a Microsoft infrastructure."
Since launching its server appliance three years ago, Net Integration has amassed a following of more than 1,000 resellers and is picking up between 50 and 70 more resellers each month, company executives said.
Net Integration's addition last week of new groupware to the chip, called ExchangeIT, will give SMB customers a back-end replacement for Microsoft Exchange, the executives added.
One partner said uncoupling the chip from the appliance will give him more flexibility in building solutions, but a lot depends on the pricing and restrictions the company imposes.
"About 99 percent of the value [of the server appliance] is the EPROM [chip] so the value of using other hardware will depend on the pricing," said Michael Brown, president and founder of PC Housecall, a Microsoft and Linux solution provider based in Amherst, N.Y.
"If it does lower the cost, it will give us the freedom to use other form factors, including rack-mounted servers," he said.