Win Enterprises announced a desktop network appliance with a single- or dual-core Atom processor and six gigabit Ethernet ports. The PL-80260 includes a CompactFlash slot and 2.5-inch drive bay, three USB ports, and a serial console port, according to the company.

Win Enterprises has offered many Intel-based network appliances, most recently including the PL-60780 (a relatively ambitious Atom box that includes 14 gigabit Ethernet ports and is said to double as an IP PBX). The new PL-80260 is a low-end desktop product that simply includes six ports, backed by a single-core Atom D410 or dual-core D510 CPU.

The Win Enterprises PL-80260
(Click to enlarge)

We've covered many similar products, including, earlier this week, the directly competitive Portwell CAD-0210. This signals that in a commodity market, customers in SOHO (small office home office), SMB (small medium business), and ROBO (remote office branch office) segments can now roll their own LAN appliances very cheaply — simply by adding their operating system of choice.

According to Win Enterprises, the PL-80260 supports multiple Linux variants, as well as Windows Embedded Standard, Windows 7, and Windows XP Pro. It employs the 82801HM I/O controller and supports up to 2GB of RAM via a single SODIMM slot, the company adds.

Like other low-end network appliances, the PL-80260 has an internal 2.5-inch bay for an SATA hard disk drive, and also includes a Type II CompactFlash slot on which an embedded OS could be installed. There's also a Mini PCI slot, which can accept a wireless adapter for local or wide area networking, Win Enterprises adds.

The rear panel of the PL-80260
(Click to enlarge)

Win Enterprises says the PL-80260 has six gigabit Ethernet ports (with Intel 82547L controllers), two of which feature LAN bypass. (Again, that's the same as the Portwell box mentioned earlier, as well as most other low-end LAN appliances.)

The PL-80260 also has three USB 2.0 ports, two external and one internal. While the "Pineview" processors employed include integral GPUs (graphics processing units), this device lacks a VGA port, offering only an RJ45 connector for a serial console.

Features and specifications listed by Win Enterprises for the PL-80260 include:

• Processor — Intel Atom D410 or D510 clocked at 1.66GHx
• Chipset — 82801HM
• Memory — 1 DIMM slots support 2GB of DDR2 RAM N450
• Storage — HDD bay supports 2.5-inch SATA drive; CompactFlash slot
• Expansion:
  • Mini PCI Express slot
  • PCI slot
• Networking — 6 x gigabit Ethernet (2 with LAN bypass)
• Other I/O:
  • 1 x USB 2.0 (internal)
  • 2 x USB 2.0 on rear panel
  • RJ45 port for serial console
• Power — 60W power supply
• Operating temperature — 32 to 104 deg. F (0 to 40 deg. C)
• Dimensions — 9.1 x 6 x 1.7 inches
• Weight — n/s

Further information

Win Enterprises did not detail pricing for the PL-80260, but the device appears to be available now. More information may be found on the device's product page.

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