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WAN Optimization Appliance - EXPAND NETWORKS 6910 Accelerator

Expand Networks

$25.00
SKU:
CHKGUM3191
Condition:
Used
Minimum Purchase:
1 unit
Maximum Purchase:
1 unit
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ALL Expand Networks products are no longer supported. It's really a case of "you are on your own" with these appliances, treat this appliance as an 'experimental box'

 

Possible candidate for 'repurposing' running Linux perhaps



Very solid case, Israeli designed technology (very highly regarded in the IT industry) and a well laid out design inside although most of the components used (MB, Hard Drive, Power Supply etc) are not of Israeli origin at all. Expand Networks closed down their operations in 2011.

Intellectual assets were acquired by Riverbed Technology in USA but it appears Riverbed CEASED ALL Expand Networks products and support - probably an exercise in reducing competition to their own existing product line, it happens a lot - buy out your competitors instead of making your own equipment better.

It will be difficult (a.k.a impossible) getting software support but the hardware is nothing too special and could be adapted to other uses.

If wishing to try and revive the appliance in it's original form, I do have some equipment manuals (pdf format) for the appliance, e.g the very basic Quickstart manual and a large manual for the OS 6 Software configuration.

I did find one site online with some old Expand Network software (ftp) but anything found probably isn't very useful anyway because the original Expand OS software is code locked - so even with the software, with no code you will be 'locked out' from using the software anyway - that's assuming anyone would want to use the equipment in it's original design intention.

In basic terms, this appliance was designed to sit between your router and network and greatly enhance data throughput - by up to 100x, much like a super-sized cache.

Originally these 6910's were on the market for approximately A$9000 in 2006! most of that cost would have been the software.

 

EXPAND NETWORKS - Accelerator 6900 Series

Model: 6910

3.5RU height (88mm)

440mm deep x standard rack width

Supplied with the original rack mount 'ears' and mounting hardware (packaged separately)

Original design capabilites:

Professional appliance which is designed to provide for:

Spectacular HTTP & FTP acceleration through hard drive caching

WAFS ready

WAN optimization, Application Acceleration, Security, and Visibility & Management

Enhanced reporting and logging

Ideal for large distributed enterprises. In addition to industry leading application acceleration technologies, this WAFS-Ready Accelerator will push your remotely accessed web applications, and other HTTP and FTP using applications, up to LAN quality performance and user experience

Repurposing uses:

Limited by the user's imagination (and hardware of course).

While not the fastest kid on the street these days, this appliance could be adapted to use as a LINUX based appliance

 

What's inside the beast?

Hitachi Deskstar HDS725050KLA360 SATA 500Gb

EMAS Low Profile PSU MR2-6250 250W ATX (Taiwan) fitted with the Type 2 ATX connector (smaller)

KONTRON Micro ATX Industrial Motherboard 889LCD/ATXU (see one of the photographs for specifications on this board) - note that I do not know the processor speed of the fitted Pentium 4

2x Intel Pro 10/100 Network interface cards (PCI)

4 Memory slots, 1 populated HYNIX PC3200 1GB DDR 400MHZ CL3

 

TESTING:

Powers up fine, Green front LED indicates

HOWEVER

An alarm sounds, it is coming from inside the PSU box. There is a square Red button (unlabelled) on the rear of the PSU and when pushed, this silences the alarm. Based on the tested output voltages and no signs of any obvious stress from the PSU, I believe this alarm (single tone running continously) indicates an AC power input interruption, a supervisory alarm if you like.

PSU Voltage checks:

Peripheral devices:

4.93V & 11.4V

ATX connector:

+3.41V

-11.5V

+11.51V

+4.91V

-4.83V

While these are a bit 'off the mark' for the expected output voltages, they are still within tolerances



The unit has 3x CAT 5 10/100 ports at the rear and a DB9 serial console port.

I have tried accessing the unit via the default IP address as stated in the manual and of course, it has been changed which means I could not access the system via the console management port easily.

I do not wish to spend a lot of time scanning ports or even undertaking a 'hard reset' (if possible) so the equipment is supplied 'as-is' - it probably doesn't matter if I can 'talk' to the box or not, it really is for repurposing so whatever software is running is irrelevant anyway.

Condition exactly as described Non-returnable used product