Apple Network Server

File:Apple Network Server.gif

An Apple Network Server

The Apple Network Server (ANS) was a short-lived line of PowerPC-based server computers manufactured by Apple Computer from February 1996 to April 1997, when it was discontinued due to very poor sales. It was codenamed "Shiner" and originally consisted of two models, the Network Server 500/132 ("Shiner LE") and the Network Server 700/150 ("Shiner HE"), which got a companion model, the Network Server 700/200 (also "Shiner HE") with a faster CPU in September 1996. As they were designed to run IBM's AIX operating system ("AIX for Apple Network Servers", versions 4.1.4 and 4.1.5; Apple's own Unix variant A/UX had already been discontinued and does not support the PowerPC) and not Apple's Mac OS, and in fact their ROM specifically made running Mac OS impossible, they are not a part of the Apple Macintosh line of computers. This makes them the last non-Macintosh computers by Apple. However, their hardware is similar to the Power Macintosh 9500, with a PowerPC 604 processor running at 132 MHz (in the 500/132) or at 150 MHz (in the 700/150), or a PowerPC 604e at 200 MHz (in the 700/200).

The biggest hardware difference between Network Servers and Macintoshes is their case: It featured up 7 hot-swappable SCSI hard drive bays, redundant power supply units, and was fully lockable. The case is large and heavy, at a height of 61.5 cm, a width of 41.5 cm, a depth of 45 cm and a weight of more than 40 kg. That means it is about the right width for a 19" rack, but needs at least 14 rack units in height. A third model in a smaller rackmount case without the large disk array and possibly even featuring two CPUs, the Network Server 300 (codenamed "Deep Dish"), never got past the prototype stage.

Apple Network Servers are not to be confused with the Apple Workgroup Servers and the Macintosh Servers, which were Macintosh workstations that shipped with server software and used Mac OS; the sole exception, the Workgroup Server 95 - a Quadra 950 with an added SCSI controller that shipped with A/UX - was still able to run Mac OS. Apple did not have comparable server hardware in their product lineup again until the introduction of the Xserve and the Xserve RAID - even though the Xserve is a Macintosh and uses Mac OS X Server.

Technical specifications

	Network Server 500/132	Network Server 700/150	Network Server 700/200
CPU type	PowerPC 604		PowerPC 604e
CPU clock	132 MHz	150 MHz	200 MHz
L1 Cache	32 KB		64 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB	1 MB
System bus clock	44 MHz	50 MHz
Standard RAM	32 MB		48 MB
Standard hard drive	2 GB	4 GB	2x4 GB
Free hard drive bays	5	7
CD-ROM	4x		8x
Retail price	US$11,000	US$15,000	US$19,000

All Network Servers feature an internal SCSI controller with an external 25-pin connector, a standard 1.44 MB "SuperDrive" floppy, six free PCI slots, eight 168-pin DIMM RAM slots with six of them free (with a maximum amount of 512 MB of RAM specified, even though up to 1 GB is reported to work), one ADB port, two serial ports and one AAUI port.

References

• Apple technical specifications for the ANS 500/132, ANS 700/150 and ANS 700/200
• Template:Waybackref
• shiner.info, an unofficial ANS resource site
• Erik's Apple Network Server Page
• everymac.com's Network Server page
• applefritter.com on the ANS 300