Server Appliance Kit (SAK) 2.0 Add-On Pack, which delivers a comprehensive set of management capabilities for fixed-function server appliances such as Web servers and Network Attached Storage (NAS) appliances. Designed for IT administrators, the new capabilities are the Multiple Device Manager (MDM), which enables the management of many physical server appliance devices from a central console, and the Role-Based User Interface (RBUI), which supports delegated management of the Web UI. In addition, industry-leading original equipment manufacturers including Compaq Computer Corp., Dell Computer Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co., Maxtor Corp., RLX Technologies Inc. and Transtec AG announced their plans to ship Windows® Powered server appliance products based on SAK 2.0 with the Add-On Pack

Windows Powered server appliance solutions for NAS are experiencing a strong adoption rate among customers. Over the past few quarters, we've seen a strong upward trend in the number of shipments by OEMs offering Windows Powered NAS products," said Mark Melenovsky, research manager for the Internet Infrastructure Hardware Program at IDC. "Important to IT administrators are strong management and ease-of-use capabilities, and we think the innovation coming from Microsoft demonstrates that it is committed to helping lower the total cost of ownership for customers."

Designed for use with Windows 2000, the Server Appliance Kit enables OEMs to utilize the proven interoperability, reliability and scalability of the Windows 2000 operating system, and provides a solution with which OEMs can build server appliances, thus shortening and simplifying the development process and decreasing time to market. The tools in the SAK 2.0 include the set of frameworks and software components that enable OEMs to build fixed-function server appliance devices such as NAS and Web servers. Two new key features are provided: Multiple Device Manager and Role-Based User Interface.

• Multiple Device Manager (MDM) provides a powerful infrastructure that enables administrators to manage multiple devices from a central console, sparing them the necessity of working at machines that are in widespread locations. MDM offers a suite of capabilities, including Appliance Discovery, Device Grouping, Tracking and Auditing, and other updates to the Web UI and security and command line tools, allowing administrators to identify, select and log updates made to a set of appliances.
• Role-Based User Interface (RBUI) meets the hierarchical requirements of the Web-hosting environment, allowing system administrators to delegate administrative tasks and protect access to the Web service for particular customer groups such as wholesalers, resellers or end users. RBUI provides three customized views that enable administrators to provide delegated management levels in the UI: for wholesalers, for easily creating and assigning new groups of users; for resellers, for Web development; and for end users, for authoring content and managing basic profiles.