Aaeon announced a four-port network appliance that supports Intel Pentium M and Celeron M processors plus a 2.5-inch internal hard disk drive. The FWS-2300 has four gigabit Ethernet ports with two-port LAN bypass, an RS232 console port, VGA output, two each of USB 2.0 and serial ports, plus both CompactFlash and Mini PCI expansion, the company says.

According to Aaeon, its new FWS-2300 is designed for entry-level intrusion detection and prevention applications, also being suitable as a firewall or antivirus gateway. Using Intel's 910GMLE northbridge and 82801FBM (IGH6M) southbridge, it accepts Pentium M and Celeron M CPUs clocked at up to 1.8GHz, the company adds.

Aaeon's FWS-2300
(Click either image to enlarge)

The front panel of the FWS-2300 (above left) contains only status LEDs for power, LAN bypass, hard disk activity, and I/O, according to the company. The rear panel (above right), meanwhile, includes four gigabit Ethernet ports, two of which may be configured so the unit is bypassed transparently in the event of failure.

Also on the rear panel, says Aaeon, are two USB 2.0 ports, a DB9 connector for an RS232 serial console, a VGA output, and a connector accepting power from an external, 98-Watt AC adapter. Internally, there are pin headers for a PS/2 keyboard and mouse, plus a second serial port, the company adds.

It's said two internal SODIMM sockets accept up to 2GB of 400MHz DDR2 memory, while mass storage is provided by a 2.5-inch drive bay — both SATA and IDE hard disk drives are supported — and by a Type II CompactFlash slot. The FWS-2300 also has a Mini PCI expansion slot, according to Aaeon.

Aaeon says the FWS-2300 features a real-time clock and watchdog timer, has a 58,000-hour MTBF (mean time before failure), and uses 87 Watts with a 1.6GHz Pentium M processor. The system is actively cooled by a 4cm fan, adds the company.

Features and specifications listed by Aaeon for the FWS-2300 include:

• Processor — Intel Pentium M or Celeron M up to 1.8GHz
• Chipset — 910GMLE northbridge and 82801FBM (ICH6M) southbridge
• Memory — up to 2GB of 400MHz DDR2 RAM via two SODIMM slots
• Storage — 2.5-inch bay for IDE or SATA I hard disk drive; Type II CompactFlash slot
• Expansion — Mini PCI slot
• Networking — 4 x gigabit Ethernet (2 x LAN bypass)
• Other I/O:
  • 1 x VGA
  • 2 x USB 2.0
  • 2 x RS232 (1 external; 1 via pin header)
  • PS/2 keyboard/mouse (via pin header)
• Power consumption — 87 Watts at 1.8GHz; 96 Watt AC adapter
• Operating range — 32 to 104 deg. F (0 to 40 deg. C)
• Shock resistance — 10G (11ms duration) while in operation
• Dimensions — 11.8 x 7.9 x 1.7 inches
• Weight — n/s
• Operating system support — not detailed

Further information

Aaron did not cite pricing, operating system support, or availability for the FWS-2300. The device should run just about any x86 operating system, however, and it appears to be available now.

More information may be found on the FWS-2300 product page, here.

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