4. Setup

The SnapAppliance folks like to boast that it takes less than five minutes to install a Snap Server, and judging from my experience that's about what you should expect. If your LAN already has a DHCP server (if you have a router there's one in there), the 1100 is configured to grab an IP address during boot-up. (Actually the 1100 will grab on IP address from a DHCP, BOOTP, or RARP server.)

Since its default settings let its default network shares (folders) be visible to all the network file systems it supports, you should be able to fire up your computer's LAN browser, see it, and get right down to file-sharing business. Figure 1 shows how the 1100 appeared in Network Neighborhood from my Win98SE machine.

Figure 1 - Snap Server in Network Neighborhood

If you don't have a DHCP server on your LAN but do have either a Windows or MacOS machine, you can use the Assist utility supplied on the User CD.

Figure 2 - Assist utility

Figure 2 shows the Assist window, which should come up automatically when you insert the User CD. Assist will find any Snap Servers on your LAN, let you display and set their IP address and other info, and launch your web browser with the correct URL for the server's admin pages by clicking on the Web Browser button.

Note in Figure 1 that the 1100 also conveniently advertises its name and IP address for network browsing software. Typing either the name or IP into your web browser will also get you the login prompt for the built-in admin server.

All these alternatives for finding and first accessing the 1100 make the process sound more complicated than it is. Most users will pretty much be able to plug in the power and Ethernet, type http://snap followed by the server number printed on the label on the bottom of the unit and log right in.