Aaeon’s “FWS-2280” network appliance supplies Intel’s Elkhart Lake with up to 32GB DDR4, 4x GbE, SFP, SATA, and mSATA plus 2x mini-PCIe and optional M.2 for simultaneous wireless connections.

Aaeon announced the first network appliance we have seen equipped with Intel’s 10nm fabricated, up to quad-core Elkhart Lake (Atom x6000E, etc.) processors. The FWS-2280 follows earlier Aaeon desktop net appliances including the FWS-2365, FWS-2360, and FWS-7360, all of which run on the up to 16-core Atom C3000 (“Denverton”) platform.

FWS-2280
(click image to enlarge)

The FWS-2280 enables UTM, girewall, SD-WAN, and VPN functionality in applications ranging from “powering Work From Home with VPN and Firewall technology to providing a uCPE white box platform for secure SD-WAN networks,” says Aaeon. In addition: “The support for multiple wireless connections, including 5G, makes it perfect for deployment in areas with unreliable physical internet connections.”

The FWS-2280 defaults to a quad-core, 2.0GHz/2.6GHz Celeron J6412, which was added to the Elkhart Lake lineup earlier this year. Other Elkhart Lake Celeron and Pentium N and J series models are available along with Atom x6000E parts. No OS support was listed but Linux and Windows is a given.

You can load up to 32GB DDR4-3200 via a single slot and store data with a SATA III interface and a dedicated mSATA slot. Wireless expansion is available via a half-size mini-PCIe slot (PCIe) for WiFi/BT and a full-size mini-PCIe (PCIe and USB 2.0) with SIM card slot for cellular expansion.

An optional M.2 B-key 3052 (USB 3.0) with SIM supports a second, up to 5G cellular module. This is said to be co-laid with mini-PCIe, but it is unclear what combinations are possible. Somewhat confusingly Aaeon states that the system enables “either multiple overlapping Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networks, as well as support for cellular WWAN deployments utilizing 4G and 5G communication.” There are 6x antenna holes on board.

FWS-2280 front and back detail views
(click images to enlarge)

The FWS-2280 is equipped with 4x Gigabit Ethernet ports (Intel i211) and an SFP port (Intel i210). Note that the appliance does not appears to support the RE or FE Atom models, which add Intel Time Coordinated Computing (Intel TCC) and Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) support. However, the system is compatible with Intel AES-NI.

The system is further equipped with 2x USB 2.0 and HDMI ports plus 8-bit GPIO with programmable GPIO pushbutton. You also get a watchdog, an RTC, TPM 2.0, and 3x LEDs.

Redundant power support is enabled via dual, lockable 12VDC inputs, accompanied by a 40W adapter plus power and reset buttons. The fanless, 210 x 105 x 44mm system has a 0 to 40°C operating range with 10%~80% non-condensing relative humidity tolerance. The appliance offers 10G shock and 0.5 Grms vibration resistance.

 
Further information

No pricing or availability information was provided for the FWS-2280. More information may be found in Aaeon’s announcement and product page.