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What is a good definition of a Network Appliance?

What is a good definition of a Network Appliance? Is Plug N Play a pre-requisite to be an appliance?

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A network appliance is like a "thin client." It enables Internet and application use, but without an incorporated hard drive, CD ROM and other features that would normally be included in a PC. As these are generally "services in a box," I would not think that plug N play would be necessary. They are deployed to save costs, limit the amount of tasks that an end-user can perform (i.e. they can't save a local file), and allow for centralized storage and management, often remote.

This was first published in January 2004

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