Computer appliance
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As an appliance (german appliance, device ) is an approach to design for a combined system of computer hardware and specifically referred to this hardware optimized software, which essentially serves one or a few applications. Often in hardware general CPUs are added, additional, highly specialized FPGAs, so frequently occurring operations are not implemented by code within a "general purpose " CPU but by the faster hardware of the FPGA.
With less strong coupling of the integrated offering of hardware and software is also spoken by " converged systems " or " converged infrastructure ".
The purpose of an appliance is usually dictated by the hardware, such as Firewall appliances, UTM appliances or PBX appliances. This is similar to an appliance an embedded system, which is why the term is erroneously often used interchangeably. However, an appliance is not subject to the limitations of data storage and processing power of embedded systems, since they can be extended to produce. Only the shape factor and the manufacturing cost limit the capacity of the system, since appliances are commonly used as an assembly in a rack.
Easy installation, easy operation, high efficiency, safety and faultless function, for an appliance in the foreground. In general, the configurations are made so not by users but by the manufacturer in accordance with uniform standards.
However, this in turn creates a higher depending on the manufacturer, in what is being done by some users as an argument against appliances into the field.
Examples of appliances are:
History
In essence, the IT industry returns with appliances back to its roots.
In 1969, the U.S. government filed charges against IBM to force unbundling of hardware and software. Up to that time it was common for hardware manufacturers the software without additional payment ( and usually source code ) passed on to their customers. Herein saw the ISV a distortion of competition