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Quick takes on high-tech toys
You might grin a little,you might groan a little,when someone asks for help installing the Axentra NetBox. We certainly did both when we tried it on our network.
The Net-Box is an all-in-one server/router/firewall that can become the core of a home network. In addition, the Linux-based device provides Web and e-mail servers. The grins came when we realized we could host our own Web site and e-mail server without having to convert an old computer or buy a Windows-based server. An Axentra partnership with TZO.com gives Net-Box owners a domain name free for a year.
But the groans came from some installation headaches and the realization that our favorite parts of the Net-Box, the Web server and e-mail server, were half-cooked applications that frustrated more than pleased us.
Our first sign of trouble came in a warning on the "getting started" card: If our current network had a router, we needed to disconnect it.Then we looked on the...