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class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Tradeoffs of the computer appliance approach</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Tradeoffs_of_the_computer_appliance_approach-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Types_of_appliances" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Types_of_appliances"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Types of appliances</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Types_of_appliances-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Consumer_appliances" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Consumer_appliances"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Consumer appliances</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Consumer_appliances-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Appliances_in_industrial_automation" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Appliances_in_industrial_automation"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Appliances in industrial automation</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Appliances_in_industrial_automation-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Internal_structure" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Internal_structure"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>Internal structure</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Internal_structure-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9</span> <span>External links</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-External_links-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div 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class="mw-page-title-main">Computer appliance</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. 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href="https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BF%D1%8E%D1%82%D1%8A%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%BE_%D1%83%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B9%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE" title="Компютърно устройство – Bulgarian" lang="bg" hreflang="bg" data-title="Компютърно устройство" data-language-autonym="Български" data-language-local-name="Bulgarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Български</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appliance" title="Appliance – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Appliance" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%85_%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%BE%DB%8C%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%B1%DB%8C" title="لوازم کامپیوتری – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="لوازم کامپیوتری" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_mat%C3%A9rielle" title="Application matérielle – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Application matérielle" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%BB%B4%ED%93%A8%ED%84%B0_%EC%96%B4%ED%94%8C%EB%9D%BC%EC%9D%B4%EC%96%B8%EC%8A%A4" title="컴퓨터 어플라이언스 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="컴퓨터 어플라이언스" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appliance" title="Appliance – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Appliance" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%94%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BB%E3%82%A2%E3%83%97%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4%E3%82%A2%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B9" title="コンピュータ・アプライアンス – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="コンピュータ・アプライアンス" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appliance_de_computador" title="Appliance de computador – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Appliance de computador" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li 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class="vector-body" aria-labelledby="firstHeading" data-mw-ve-target-container> <div class="vector-body-before-content"> <div class="mw-indicators"> </div> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Dedicated computer system</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">This article is about a hardware device with integrated software (firmware). For a software with just enough operating system (JeOS) to run on hardware or in a virtual machine, see <a href="/wiki/Software_appliance" title="Software appliance">software appliance</a>.</div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">"Network appliance" redirects here. For the IT company, see <a href="/wiki/Network_Appliance,_Inc." class="mw-redirect" title="Network Appliance, Inc.">Network Appliance, Inc.</a></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid #36c;background-color:#fbfbfb;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+link+.ambox{margin-top:-1px}html body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .ambox.mbox-small-left{margin:4px 1em 4px 0;overflow:hidden;width:238px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ambox-speedy{border-left:10px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ambox-delete{border-left:10px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ambox-content{border-left:10px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ambox-style{border-left:10px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ambox-move{border-left:10px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ambox-protection{border-left:10px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.5em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}}</style><table class="box-More_citations_needed plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Refimprove" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This article <b>needs additional citations for <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verification</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Computer_appliance" title="Special:EditPage/Computer appliance">improve this article</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a>. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22Computer+appliance%22">"Computer appliance"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22Computer+appliance%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22Computer+appliance%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22Computer+appliance%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Computer+appliance%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Computer+appliance%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">January 2017</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Cobalt_Qube_3_Front.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Cobalt_Qube_3_Front.jpg/220px-Cobalt_Qube_3_Front.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Cobalt_Qube_3_Front.jpg/330px-Cobalt_Qube_3_Front.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Cobalt_Qube_3_Front.jpg/440px-Cobalt_Qube_3_Front.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1600" data-file-height="1200" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Cobalt_Qube" title="Cobalt Qube">Cobalt Qube</a> 3 - a computer <a href="/wiki/Server_(computing)" title="Server (computing)">server</a> appliance (2002, discontinued)</figcaption></figure> <p>A <b>computer appliance</b> is a <a href="/wiki/Computer_system" class="mw-redirect" title="Computer system">computer system</a> with a combination of <a href="/wiki/Computer_hardware" title="Computer hardware">hardware</a>, <a href="/wiki/Software" title="Software">software</a>, or <a href="/wiki/Firmware" title="Firmware">firmware</a> that is specifically designed to provide a particular computing resource. Such devices became known as <i>appliances</i> because of the similarity in role or management to a <a href="/wiki/Home_appliance" title="Home appliance">home appliance</a>, which are generally <i>closed and sealed</i>, and are not serviceable by the user or owner. The hardware and software are delivered as an integrated product and may even be pre-configured before delivery to a customer, to provide a turn-key solution for a particular application. Unlike general purpose computers, appliances are generally not designed to allow the customers to change the software and the underlying <a href="/wiki/Operating_system" title="Operating system">operating system</a>, or to flexibly reconfigure the hardware. </p><p>Another form of appliance is the <a href="/wiki/Virtual_appliance" title="Virtual appliance">virtual appliance</a>, which has similar functionality to a dedicated hardware appliance, but is distributed as a software <a href="/wiki/Virtual_machine" title="Virtual machine">virtual machine</a> image for a <a href="/wiki/Hypervisor" title="Hypervisor">hypervisor</a>-equipped device. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Overview">Overview</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer_appliance&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Overview"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Traditionally, <a href="/wiki/Software_applications" class="mw-redirect" title="Software applications">software applications</a> run on top of a general-purpose <a href="/wiki/Operating_system" title="Operating system">operating system</a>, which uses the hardware resources of the computer (primarily memory, disk storage, processing power, and networking bandwidth) to meet the computing needs of the user. The main issue with the traditional model is related to complexity. It is complex to integrate the operating system and applications with a hardware platform, and complex to support it afterwards. </p><p>By tightly constraining the variations of the hardware and software, the appliance becomes easily deployable, and can be used without nearly as wide (or deep) IT knowledge. Additionally, when problems and errors appear, the supporting staff very rarely needs to explore them deeply to understand the matter thoroughly. The staff needs merely training on the appliance management software to be able to resolve most of problems. </p><p>In all forms of the computer appliance model, customers benefit from easy operations. The appliance has exactly one combination of hardware and operating system and application software, which has been pre-installed at the factory. This prevents customers from needing to perform complex integration work, and dramatically simplifies troubleshooting. In fact, this "turnkey operation" characteristic is the driving benefit that customers seek when purchasing appliances. </p><p>To be considered an appliance, the (hardware) device needs to be integrated with software, and both are supplied as a package.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (September 2011)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> This distinguishes appliances from "home grown" solutions, or solutions requiring complex implementations by integrators or <a href="/wiki/Value-added_reseller" title="Value-added reseller">value-added resellers</a> (VARs). </p><p>The appliance approach helps to <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/decouple" class="extiw" title="wikt:decouple">decouple</a> the various systems and applications, for example in the data center. Once a resource is decoupled, in theory it can be also centralized to become shared among many systems, centrally managed and optimized, all without requiring changes to any other system. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Tradeoffs_of_the_computer_appliance_approach">Tradeoffs of the computer appliance approach</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer_appliance&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Tradeoffs of the computer appliance approach"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The major<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (September 2011)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> disadvantage of deploying a computer appliance is that since they are designed to supply a specific resource, they most often include a customized operating system running over specialized hardware, neither of which are likely to be compatible with the other systems previously deployed. Customers lose flexibility. </p><p>One may believe that a proprietary embedded operating system, or operating system within an application, can make the appliance much more secure from common cyber attacks. However, the opposite is true. <a href="/wiki/Security_through_obscurity" title="Security through obscurity">Security by obscurity</a> is a poor security decision, and appliances are often plagued by security issues as evidenced by the proliferation of <a href="/wiki/Internet_of_things" title="Internet of things">IoT devices</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Types_of_appliances">Types of appliances</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer_appliance&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Types of appliances"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:US_Army_using_NIKSUN_Appliance_2016.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/US_Army_using_NIKSUN_Appliance_2016.jpg/220px-US_Army_using_NIKSUN_Appliance_2016.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="158" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/US_Army_using_NIKSUN_Appliance_2016.jpg/330px-US_Army_using_NIKSUN_Appliance_2016.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/US_Army_using_NIKSUN_Appliance_2016.jpg/440px-US_Army_using_NIKSUN_Appliance_2016.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4675" data-file-height="3359" /></a><figcaption>A Niksun network security appliance, being used by the U.S. Army (2016)</figcaption></figure> <p>The variety of computer appliances reflects the wide range of computing resources they provide to applications. Some examples: </p> <dl><dt>Storage appliances</dt> <dd>provide massive amounts of storage and additional higher level functionality (ex: <a href="/wiki/Disk_mirroring" title="Disk mirroring">Disk mirroring</a> and <a href="/wiki/Data_striping" title="Data striping">Data striping</a>) for multiple attached systems using the transparent local <a href="/w/index.php?title=Storage_area_networks_computer&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Storage area networks computer (page does not exist)">storage area networks computer</a> paradigm.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability"><span title="Reference does not directly explain storage appliances or their functionality. (January 2023)">irrelevant citation</span></a></i>]</sup></dd> <dt>Network appliances</dt> <dd>are general purpose <a href="/wiki/Router_(computing)" title="Router (computing)">routers</a><sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> which provide <a href="/wiki/Firewall_(computing)" title="Firewall (computing)">firewall</a> protection, <a href="/wiki/Transport_Layer_Security" title="Transport Layer Security">Transport Layer Security</a> (TLS), <a href="/wiki/Message_oriented_middleware" class="mw-redirect" title="Message oriented middleware">messaging</a>, access to specialized networking protocols (like the <a href="/wiki/EbXML" title="EbXML">ebXML</a> Message Service) and bandwidth <a href="/wiki/Multiplexing" title="Multiplexing">multiplexing</a> for the multiple systems they front-end.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dd> <dt><a href="/wiki/Backup_and_disaster_recovery_appliance" class="mw-redirect" title="Backup and disaster recovery appliance">Backup and disaster recovery appliances</a></dt> <dd>computer appliances that are integrated backup software and backup targets, sometimes with hypervisors to support local DR of protected servers. They are often a gateway to a full DRaaS solution.</dd> <dt><a href="/wiki/Firewall_(computing)" title="Firewall (computing)">Firewall-</a> and <a href="/wiki/Security_appliance" title="Security appliance">Security appliances</a></dt> <dd>computer appliances that are designed to protect computer networks from unwanted traffic.</dd> <dt>IIoT and MES Gateway appliances</dt> <dd>Computer appliances that are designed to translate data bidirectionally between control systems and enterprise systems. Proprietary, embedded, firmware applications running on the appliance use point-to-point connections to translate data between field devices in their native <a href="/wiki/Automation_protocol" class="mw-redirect" title="Automation protocol">automation protocols</a> and <a href="/wiki/Manufacturing_execution_system" title="Manufacturing execution system">MES</a> systems through their <a href="/wiki/API" title="API">APIs</a>, <a href="/wiki/ODBC" class="mw-redirect" title="ODBC">ODBC</a>, or <a href="/wiki/REST" title="REST">RESTful</a> interfaces.</dd> <dt><a href="/wiki/Anti-spam_appliances" title="Anti-spam appliances">Anti-spam appliances</a></dt> <dd>for <a href="/wiki/E-mail_spam" class="mw-redirect" title="E-mail spam">e-mail spam</a></dd> <dt><a href="/wiki/Software_appliance" title="Software appliance">Software appliances</a></dt> <dd>a software application that might be combined with <a href="/wiki/Just_enough_operating_system" title="Just enough operating system">just enough operating system</a> (JeOS) for it to run on industry standard hardware or in a virtual machine. In essence, the software distribution or the firmware that is running a computer appliance.</dd> <dt><a href="/wiki/Virtual_appliance" title="Virtual appliance">Virtual machine appliances</a></dt> <dd>consist of a "hypervisor style" embedded operating system running on appliance hardware. The hypervisor layer is matched to the hardware of the appliance, and cannot be varied by the customer, but the customer may load other operating systems and applications onto the appliance in the form of virtual machines.</dd></dl> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Consumer_appliances">Consumer appliances</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer_appliance&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Consumer appliances"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Linksys_BEFW11S4_on_Comcast_cable_modem_20060327.png" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Linksys_BEFW11S4_on_Comcast_cable_modem_20060327.png/220px-Linksys_BEFW11S4_on_Comcast_cable_modem_20060327.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Linksys_BEFW11S4_on_Comcast_cable_modem_20060327.png/330px-Linksys_BEFW11S4_on_Comcast_cable_modem_20060327.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Linksys_BEFW11S4_on_Comcast_cable_modem_20060327.png/440px-Linksys_BEFW11S4_on_Comcast_cable_modem_20060327.png 2x" data-file-width="2048" data-file-height="1536" /></a><figcaption>A <a href="/wiki/Linksys" title="Linksys">Linksys</a> wireless router sitting atop a Comcast cable modem in a home setting (2006)</figcaption></figure> <p>Aside from its deployment within data centers, many computer appliances are directly used by the general public. These include:<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (September 2011)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Digital_video_recorder" title="Digital video recorder">Digital video recorder</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Residential_gateway" title="Residential gateway">Residential gateway</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Network-attached_storage" title="Network-attached storage">Network-attached storage</a> (NAS)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Video_game_console" title="Video game console">Video game console</a></li></ul> <p>Consumer uses stress the need for an appliance to have easy installation, configuration, and operation, with little or no technical knowledge being necessary. </p> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Appliances_in_industrial_automation">Appliances in industrial automation</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer_appliance&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Appliances in industrial automation"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Siemens_Simatic_S5_PG_635_pic22.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Siemens_Simatic_S5_PG_635_pic22.JPG/220px-Siemens_Simatic_S5_PG_635_pic22.JPG" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Siemens_Simatic_S5_PG_635_pic22.JPG/330px-Siemens_Simatic_S5_PG_635_pic22.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Siemens_Simatic_S5_PG_635_pic22.JPG/440px-Siemens_Simatic_S5_PG_635_pic22.JPG 2x" data-file-width="4608" data-file-height="3456" /></a><figcaption>The back of a Siemens <a href="/wiki/Programmable_logic_controller" title="Programmable logic controller">programmable logic controller</a> (2013)</figcaption></figure> <p>The world of <a href="/wiki/Industrial_automation" class="mw-redirect" title="Industrial automation">industrial automation</a> has been rich in appliances. These appliances have been hardened to withstand temperature and vibration extremes. These appliances are also highly configurable, enabling customization to meet a wide variety of applications. The key benefits of an appliance in automation are: </p> <ol><li><b>Reduced <a href="/wiki/Downtime" title="Downtime">downtime</a></b> - a failed appliance is typically replaced with a COTS "<a href="/wiki/Commercial_off-the-shelf" title="Commercial off-the-shelf">commercial off-the-shelf</a>" replacement and its task is quickly and easily reloaded from a backup.</li> <li><b>Highly scalable</b> - appliances are typically targeted solutions for an area of a plant or process. As the requirements change, scalability is achieved through the installation of another appliance. Automation concepts are easily replicated throughout the enterprise by standardizing on appliances to perform the needed tasks, as opposed to the development of custom automation schemes for each task.</li> <li><b>Low TCO (<a href="/wiki/Total_cost_of_ownership" title="Total cost of ownership">total cost of ownership</a>)</b> - appliances are developed, tested and supported by automation product vendors and undergo a much broader level of quality testing than custom designed automation solutions. The use of appliances in automation reduce the level of testing needed in each individual application.</li> <li><b>Reduced design time</b> - appliances perform specific functions and although they are highly configurable, they are typically self documenting. This enables appliance based solutions to be transferred from engineer to engineer with minimal need for training and documentation.</li></ol> <p>Types of automation appliances:<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (September 2011)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <ol><li><b>PLC (programmable logic controller)</b> - <a href="/wiki/Programmable_logic_controller" title="Programmable logic controller">Programmable logic controllers</a> are appliances that are typically used for discrete control and offer a wide range of Input and Output options. They are configured through standardized programming languages such as IEC-1131.</li> <li><b>SLC (single loop controller)</b> - <a href="/wiki/PID_controller" class="mw-redirect" title="PID controller">Single loop controllers</a> are appliances that monitor an input variable and effect change on a control output (manipulated variable) to hold the input variable to a setpoint.</li> <li><b>PAC (programmable automation controller)</b> - Programmable automation controllers are appliances that embody properties of both PLCs and SLCs enabling the integration of both analog and discrete control.</li> <li><b>Universal gateway</b> - A <a href="/wiki/Universal_gateway" title="Universal gateway">universal gateway</a> appliance has the ability to communicate with a variety of devices through their respective <a href="/wiki/Communication_protocol" title="Communication protocol">communication protocols</a>, and will affect data transactions between them. This in increasingly important as manufacturing strives to improve agility, quality, production rates, production costs and reduce downtime through enhanced M2M (<a href="/wiki/Machine_to_machine" title="Machine to machine">machine to machine</a>) communications.</li> <li><b>EATMs (Enterprise Appliance Transaction Modules)</b> - Enterprise appliance transaction modules are appliances that affect data transactions from plant floor automation systems to enterprise business systems. They communicate to plant floor equipment through various vendor automation protocols, and communicate to business systems through database communication protocols such as JMS (<a href="/wiki/Java_Message_Service" class="mw-redirect" title="Java Message Service">Java Message Service</a>) and SQL (<a href="/wiki/SQL" title="SQL">Structured Query Language</a>).</li></ol> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Internal_structure">Internal structure</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer_appliance&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Internal structure"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1251242444"><table class="box-Original_research plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Original_research" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/40px-Ambox_important.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/60px-Ambox_important.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Ambox_important.svg/80px-Ambox_important.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="40" data-file-height="40" /></span></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>possibly contains <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:No_original_research" title="Wikipedia:No original research">original research</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please <a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Computer_appliance&action=edit">improve it</a> by <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verifying</a> the claims made and adding <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources#Inline_citations" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">inline citations</a>. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">September 2011</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>There are several <a href="/wiki/Design_patterns" class="mw-redirect" title="Design patterns">design patterns</a> adopted by computer appliance vendors, a few of which are shown below. Since the whole concept of an appliance rests on keeping such implementation details away from the end user, it is difficult to match these patterns to specific appliances, particularly since they can and do change without affecting external capabilities or performance. </p> <ol><li><b>Special chip</b> - the vendor builds an <a href="/wiki/Application-specific_integrated_circuit" title="Application-specific integrated circuit">ASIC</a>, without any separate "software" or operating system. The appliance has a limited interface, usually terminal console or web-based, to allow some basic configuration by the IT staff. The manufacturer often provides some way of accessing deeper configuration mechanisms. <a href="/wiki/Azul_Systems" title="Azul Systems">Azul Systems</a>' Vega 3 Java Compute Appliance is an example; special hardware modifications to the chip enable Java application scaling.</li> <li><b>Special software kernel</b> - the vendor uses or creates a general-purpose computer, and designs a new operating system that integrates the application into the operating system. <a href="/wiki/Cisco_Systems" class="mw-redirect" title="Cisco Systems">Cisco's</a> <a href="/wiki/Cisco_IOS" title="Cisco IOS">IOS</a> is an example; the Unix-like operating system has firewall functions and network/firewall configuration commands built into it. Sometimes, the device is also sealed, so the consumer has no access to reinstall the operating system or replace it with another operating system. The consumer may also be restricted to a small group of configuration commands, while the more detailed and lower level functions of the operating system are only available to the vendor. The more this "locked down" approach is carried out, the closer this type of device comes to appearing like an ASIC device.</li> <li><b>Specialized application</b> - off-the-shelf computers and operating systems are used, but the user interface and "box" are designed so the user cannot access anything on the computer, except for the application interface that the vendor has created. Since the underlying computing architecture is locked down and essentially invisible, it becomes difficult to discern that the device really functions on top of general purpose hardware and operating systems. Linux, and <a href="/wiki/Berkeley_Software_Distribution" title="Berkeley Software Distribution">BSD</a> to a lesser degree, has become the operating system of choice for this type of appliance. Recently the term <a href="/wiki/Software_appliance" title="Software appliance">software appliance</a> has also been used to describe such a pre-packaged, black-box combination.</li> <li><b>Virtual appliance</b> - here the hardware itself has disappeared entirely and become a so-called <a href="/wiki/Virtual_appliance" title="Virtual appliance">virtual appliance</a> (also known as a virtual software appliance) using any one of a number of <a href="/wiki/Virtual_machine" title="Virtual machine">virtual machine</a> technologies. Within this virtual machine is essentially the same stack of software plus the operating system as in the "specialized application" alternative.</li></ol> <p>Sometimes, these techniques are mixed. For example, a <a href="/wiki/Virtual_Private_Network" class="mw-redirect" title="Virtual Private Network">VPN</a> appliance might contain a limited access software firewall running on Linux, with an encryption ASIC to speed up VPN access. </p><p>Some computer appliances use <a href="/wiki/Solid_state_storage" class="mw-redirect" title="Solid state storage">solid state storage</a>, while others use a hard drive to load an operating system. Again, the two methods might be mixed—an ASIC print server might allow an optional hard drive for job queueing, or a Linux-based device may encode Linux in <a href="/wiki/Firmware" title="Firmware">firmware</a>, so that a hard drive is not needed to load the operating system.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer_appliance&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Automotive_navigation_system" title="Automotive navigation system">Automotive navigation system</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Embedded_system" title="Embedded system">Embedded system</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Green_computing" title="Green computing">Green computing</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hardware_acceleration" title="Hardware acceleration">Hardware acceleration</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Information_appliance" title="Information appliance">Information appliance</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Linux_devices" class="mw-redirect" title="Linux devices">Linux devices</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Middlebox" title="Middlebox">Middlebox</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Personal_digital_assistant" title="Personal digital assistant">Personal digital assistant</a> (PDA)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Plug_computer" title="Plug computer">Plug computer</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Smartphone" title="Smartphone">Smartphone</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Software_appliance" title="Software appliance">Software appliance</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer_appliance&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iot-security-privacy?r=DE&IR=T">"The security and privacy issues that come with the Internet of Things"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Business_Insider" title="Business Insider">Business Insider</a></i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Business+Insider&rft.atitle=The+security+and+privacy+issues+that+come+with+the+Internet+of+Things&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fiot-security-privacy%3Fr%3DDE%26IR%3DT&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AComputer+appliance" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.networkworld.com/topics/sans.html">SAN Data Center</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20050502092915/http://www.networkworld.com/topics/sans.html">Archived</a> 2005-05-02 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a></i>- Network World</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/routers/g/bldef_router.htm">Routers</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110909052720/http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/routers/g/bldef_router.htm">Archived</a> 2011-09-09 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a></i>- About.com</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/47861/network-appliance">Definition of:network appliance</a></i>- Pcmag.com</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSmith,_BobHardin,_John_APhillips,_GrahamPierce,_Bill2007" class="citation book cs1">Smith, Bob; Hardin, John A; Phillips, Graham; Pierce, Bill (2007). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=uVu0ax6C3uIC&q=%22network+appliance%22+date:2003-2009&pg=PA81"><i>Linux Appliance Design: A Hands-On Guide to Building Linux Appliances</i></a>. No Starch Press. pp. xvii. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-59327-140-4" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-59327-140-4"><bdi>978-1-59327-140-4</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2008-05-06</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Linux+Appliance+Design%3A+A+Hands-On+Guide+to+Building+Linux+Appliances&rft.pages=xvii&rft.pub=No+Starch+Press&rft.date=2007&rft.isbn=978-1-59327-140-4&rft.au=Smith%2C+Bob&rft.au=Hardin%2C+John+A&rft.au=Phillips%2C+Graham&rft.au=Pierce%2C+Bill&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DuVu0ax6C3uIC%26q%3D%2522network%2Bappliance%2522%2Bdate%3A2003-2009%26pg%3DPA81&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AComputer+appliance" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Computer_appliance&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120313051842/http://www.oldi.com/pdfs/ARCViewOLDI091023R2.pdf">ARC Advisory Group Comments on Enterprise Appliance Transaction Modules</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.monashreport.com/2006/12/27/appliances-barracuda-network-stream-processing/">Computing Appliances - The Monash Report, Dec 2006</a></li></ul>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; 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