News Archive

November 30, 2007

July 25, 2007

The ATA mounting kit should be ready in few days, the SATA kit is a little more complicated and should come in August. The 19" 1U case is under development, production will probably be early September.

June 18, 2007

May 16, 2007

The first batch of net5501 boards is a little further delayed, we now expect them at the end of May. Please don't call or email to ask us if they're here or when they're shipping, we will update the website when we start shipping.

April 18, 2007

The net5501 BIOS porting and board testing has taken a little longer than expected, but now we have booted MS-DOS, OpenBSD and FreeBSD with drivers for all interfaces and everything is looking good.

The net5501-70 production will now start and we're taking orders.... The first 210 production units will be ready for shipment starting around May 16. As there will be limited quantities available until the next and bigger production series in late June, units will be delivered on a first come, first served basis, but with priority to OEM and existing customers if we run low. Also, we will not accept orders for more than 2 units per person or company.

February 26, 2007

The net5501 launch is getting close, there are now pictures up of the prototypes....

December 6, 2006

The new net5501 board is moving forward, there are now some preliminary information on the net5501 product page. We will update the website as the release is getting close so please don't ask us for more information yet.... Full production release is planned for March 2007.

October 25, 2006

We're currently out of net4801-50 boards, but we will get more in 10-14 days.

February 22, 2006

We're currently out of a couple of products, the February production run got delayed a little, but everything are on it's way and should be in stock again soon. Please note that we will be low on the net4826-50 until the March production run.

January 18, 2006

The net4801-60 is coming soon, a variation with 256 Mbyte SDRAM, it should start shipping in late February.

November 10, 2005

We have upgraded our mail server and implemented new anti-spam measures. While we take every possible precaution to make sure that legitimate email is not lost, please don't hesitate to contact us if you run into problems. We recommend to avoid using html formatted emails as it easily can be mistaken for spam.

We also ran out of a couple of boards, but more are being manufactured right now:

net4501-30: Stock again on November 18
net4826-40: Stock again on December 5
net4826-50: Stock again on December 2

October 10, 2005

We managed to run out of the net4801-50 and net4526-20, but more are being manufactured right now so they will be in stock again in less than two weeks.

July 22, 2005

We now have the long promised net4801+lan1641 bundle available, giving 7 independent ethernet ports.

April 25, 2005

We ran out of net4521's and although the April production lot are arriving right now we're not getting that many.... But we will increase the net4521 quantity in the May production lot, so there should be plenty available again in mid May.

February 28, 2005

Please note that we are switching to a new PC-Card connector on the net4511 and net4521, the difference is that the new one has 5mm standoff from the PCB, instead of the 2.2mm standoff for the old type. Since the net4511 and net4521 has been designed for the PC-Card to be inside the case, it should only affect anybody that have had special cases designed.

November 29, 2004

Again, it's has been a little time since the last update, but there hasn't been that much to report as we have had most products in stock most of the time.... But it's now time to lower the prices a little, due to improving manufacturing cost, and we now have a couple of new products to begin now.

The new net4826-40 and net4826-50 are now in full production, the first batch of boards are coming in right now, the next batch will be available in mid January 2005. The cases are a little behind, but should be here in 2-3 weeks.

August 2, 2004

It's has been a little time since the last update, but there hasn't been that much to report as we have had most products in stock most of the time.... But it's now time to lower the prices a little, due to improving manufacturing cost, and we now have a couple of new products to begin shipping soon.

The new lan1621 and lan1641 boards are both being manufactured right now, pricing is on the how to buy page, we expect to start shipping at the end of August. We will also offer an integrated net4801/lan1621 bundle with case.

We are also now starting to resell the Sangoma A101 PCI T1/E1 serial WAN interface board together with the standard net4801 as a very nice integrated router appliance. Pricing is on the how to buy page, we expect to start shipping at the end of August, check out the pictures.

And finally, we have now filled the Software Engineer position that we have had listed for a while. The new employee will start on August 9, and we expect the addition to quickly make a positive impact on the response to sales inquiries, technical support and service.

May 21, 2004

We now have most products in stock and plenty more in the production pipeline, please check the how to buy page for current stock status.

We also just updated the jobs page, we have a couple of openings we still haven't filled yet.

April 2, 2004

We're out of stock of the net4801, the next production batch is scheduled to arrive on April 19.
We're also low on stock of the net4511, the next production batch is scheduled to arrive on April 23.

The net4526's were delayed a little, production has started, they're scheduled to arrive on April 12.

The vpn1401 is scheduled to arrive on April 19, together with the new vpn1411. The newer vpn1401 and vpn1411 with AES support and higher performance will replace the vpn1201 and vpn1211. Please note that we do not plan to stock more of the vpn1201 and vpn1211, they will still be available on special order, but will have minimum quantity requirement and long leadtime.

We have reduced the price on the remaining stock of the vpn1211. 

March 3, 2004

There is now pricing up on the net4526 and we're starting to take orders. Production has been held back waiting for one special power supply chip, but we now expect to have the first production batch at the end of March.

There will probably initially be manufactured 240 each of the two stock versions of the board, and they will be delivered on a first come, first served basis, but with priority to existing customers if we run low. Also, we will not accept orders for more than 10 units per person or company.

February 20, 2004

The stock net4511 now has 64 Mbyte SDRAM as standard, and although we are getting net4511 boards, we're only getting enough to cover the back orders. But the next batch of net4511 boards should be here in about 3 weeks.

The rest of the boards are now in stock.

December 13, 2003

Please note that we will have reduced manpower during the two weeks of the upcoming holidays. We will ship orders on December 22, 23, 29 and 30, and will try to answer phones and email when possible, but please do not expect immediate response.

The net4501 is now in stock again, and although we did get more net4521's, we unfortunately had more backorders than we got boards for.... We will have more coming in about 2 weeks, and even more scheduled to come in about 5 weeks.

We also now have stock of the vpn1201 and vpn1211, the vpn1401 are being manufactured right now and should be here in about 2 weeks.

November 19, 2003

We are getting low on all net4501 and net4521 boards again, but a large batch is coming in about 3 weeks.

Due to improved manufacturing cost we are also reducing our prices.... The net4801 prices have been reduced now, the net45xx prices will be reduced about 6% once we get full stock again in about 3 weeks.

We finally received the Hi/Fn 7955 chips for the new vpn1401, so production boards should be here in about 3 weeks. Pricing is up on the website.

October 24, 2003

We now have net4521 in stock again, but please be aware that we don't have that many available as most of them were already sold.

We also just received the first shipment of a nice switch mode power supply with built in 802.3af PoE injector.... It's basically a non branded version of the 3com unit. I'll try to put up some pictures soon.

October 17, 2003

We have had quite a run on the net4521 boards recently.... So although we got the shipment in the start of October, that shipment was already sold out.... But the next large shipment should come in about one week and we're also increasing future production to keep up with demand.

September 12, 2003

We're now out of net4801, net4521 and vpn1211 boards. But more are being manufactured right now, we expect to have stock again of:

net4801-50 boards and boards+case in 10 days.
net4521-30 boards and boards+case in 20 days.
vpn1211 boards in 5 days.

August 21, 2003

We now have a couple of open job positions, we're looking for a technician and some production personnel.

July 25, 2003

We now have net4801 production boards and cases in stock, and the 2.5" HD mounting kit should be ready in a day. We will start to ship out the backlog now, and expect it to to be cleared out in a couple of days.

July 10, 2003

Soekris Engineering is now growing, and in the next couple of months that should result in improvements in order processing, service and support.

On July 1 we became a corporation and now we're moving to a brand new 4000 sf (370 m2) office and warehouse in Santa Cruz, CA. The actual move is taking place during the next couple of days and we should be ready for business as usual again on Monday July 14. Please note the new address and phone numbers, email addresses will remain the same.

The new bigger office space will allow us to add a couple of long needed people to the company, which should result in improved service and support. We also plan to do major upgrades to our website, to improve the ordering process.

We're also starting to receive production net4801 boards, but due the company move and a delay in manufacturing the cases we're not able to start actual shipping until sometime next week.

June 21, 2003

The net4801 production has been started and we're taking orders now.... The first 240 production units will be ready for shipment starting from July 10. As there are limited quantities available until the next and bigger production series in mid August, units will be delivered on a first come, first served basis, but with priority to existing customers if we run low. Also, we will not accept orders for more than 2 units per person or company.

For now, the only standard case available for the net4801 is a 8.5" x 6.0" x 1.3" sheet metal case, just like the current net4501 case but with internal space for both a low profile PCI card and a 2.5" hard drive. Later on additional cases will be available, incl. a 1U 19" rackmount case.

Please note as it is a new board based on a new chip, there can be issues with software installation and compatibility with existing hardware, and updated drivers might be needed.

The prices on the existing net45xx products has been lowered a little again, due to more production costs improvements....

April 28, 2003

Due to production cost improvements we're reducing our prices a little....

March 31, 2003

We ran out a little of some products for a short period but now have everything in stock again.

net4801: The new board is moving forward, we expect to have prototypes in late April, with production to start in early June. Pricing has not been set yet, but expect about 40% higher than comparable net4501 configurations. The board will be footprint compatible with the net4501 and there will be multiple different cases available, incl. a 19" 1U rackmount case.

January 30, 2003

We still have everything in stock, and are working hard to keep it that way....

October 30, 2002

net4501: In stock.
net4511: In stock again.
net4521: Very low stock, but more will be here in about a week.
vpn1201: In stock.
vpn1211: In stock.

October 23, 2002

Information about an issue with the DP83815 ethernet controllers used on the net45xx and short cables has been added on the support page.

vpn1201 and vpn1211 are now in stock again.

October 11, 2002

Pricing on all net45xx products has been lowered a little, mostly because of lowered memory cost.

October 8, 2002

net4501: In stock and more coming....
net4511: Very low stock, more coming in 2-3 weeks.
net4521: In stock and more coming.... Please note that the two antenna cutouts on the standard case are now RP-TNC. We do have a small quantity of the old case with N-type cutouts available on request.
vpn1201 and vpn1211: Both are out of stock, more coming in about 10 days.

August 20, 2002

net4501: Stock running low, but next production series will be here in 2-3 weeks. We now also have a case with two extra holes for using the D-Link DWL-520 wireless PCI card. There is not a separate part number yet, so please let us know when ordering if you want that case.
net4511: Boards in stock, cases will be here at the end of this week, just waiting to be screen printed. Please note that the net4511 standard case will have cutouts for two RP-TNC antenna connectors.
net4521: Stock again, backlog will be processed this week.

And a request: Please use the correct phone numbers for inquires, and observe the posted office hours....

July 5, 2002

net4501: In stock again, incl. cases. And more coming, so maybe we will be able to keep stock now....
net4511: Finally, there will be boards here in about two weeks, the cases should also be here around the same time or maybe a little later.
net4521: We're now out of stock, but there will be more coming in about three weeks.

June 6, 2002

We now have net4521 in stock, incl. cases and regular power supplies. Unfortunately, we're now out of stock of the net4501 again, but this time it shouldn't be for very long time, as we have multiple production runs in the pipeline. The next batch will be here in 10 days, and the next again in 4-5 weeks. 

May 24, 2002

We are now getting net4501 boards, and are working on clearing out the backlog.... The vpn1201, vpn1211 and net4501 are now in stock. We also have net4521 boards, but the cases for them will not be in until next week.

May 2, 2002

Just a quick product availability update, things are getting a little delayed due to part delivery problems.... All the boards are being manufactured right now. The vpn12xx's will be in stock in 6-10 days, the net4501's will be in stock in 10-14 days, the net4521 will be in stock in 12-16 days, and the net4511 will be in about 2 weeks after the net4521. 

April 15, 2002

We are out of stock of everything.... We did get more net4501 units at the end of March, but after filling backorders and new orders, we quickly ran out again. More units of both the net4501 and the vpn12xx's will be manufactured at the end of April. There should be enough this time so we can keep them in stock. The goal is still to be able to deliver single units and small volume from stock.

After having trouble getting some parts, followed by some scheduling issues, the first production series of the new net4511 and net4521 for wireless applications has also finally been scheduled at the start of May, with the net4521 arriving first followed by the net4511 about two weeks later. We are now taking orders, prices are posted on the How to buy page. Units will be shipped as soon as we get them in, based the date they were ordered.

March 12, 2002

As most probably know, memory prices have been going up the last couple of months.... Since the net4501 has the memory mounted on the board, it has therefore been necessary to increase the price a little, starting from the next production series. As we are out of stock, that means that all orders placed from now on will be at the new price. Orders already placed and paid will be fulfilled at the old prices.

February 10, 2002

The new soekris mailing lists should now be up and running. There will be two lists:

soekris-announce, moderated list for news and product announcements.
soekris-tech, general technical discussion list for all soekris products.

To subscribe, just click on the above list name to go to that list's information and control page....

February 8, 2002

And here are the pictures of the new case, click on the picture for the full size version.

January 31, 2002

The standard case has also been redesigned. It is now 8.5" x 6.2" x 1", with a very nice custom green paint. It has an improved mechanical design for easier access to the CF module, and with all joints at the bottom. Look out for pictures coming up soon....

December 5, 2001

New products are coming in the next couple of months.... First one will be the net4521, a version of the net4501 with two PC-Card/Cardbus slots instead of the PCI slot, designed for wireless applications. Datasheet and picture are now up on the products page.

December 2, 2001

Also some good news, the hardware encryption boards vpn1201 and vpn1211 are on their way. The first production series is being made right now, deliveries is expected to start December 6. Pricing and order information is now up on the how to buy page.

September 5, 2001

Notice, there is a bug in the BIOS ver 0.99 when trying to set the serial console speed to 38400 baud. Please go the the support page for more information.

August 8, 2001

The net4501 Users Manual is now up in the downloads section. Please note that it is the first quick draft, and will probably have errors.... Constructive feedback is very welcome.

The net4501 has just been though complete EMC and EMI testing. When used with our sheet metal cases, it is compliant with CE mark EN55022 class A and EN55024, plus FCC part 15 class A. 

July 20, 2001 

Now Shipping !!! Production units are now available, incl. the standard case.

Current status:

• The firewall people at emBSD have a net4501 board for testing, check them out.
• Running MS-DOS (I know, but I want to be compatible....), FreeBSD, OpenBSD and Linux, all from Flash Disk.
• I have booted FreeBSD diskless using the PXE network Boot ROM, and it should also work with Linux.
• For testing, I have also used a PCI IDE controller to connect to a 10 Gbyte harddisk.
• The BIOS is fully controlled over the serial port and I keep adding features, latest fancy feature is Flash BIOS update over the serial port....
• TheWall, a firewall version of PicoBSD available for the net4501.

Is it "Open Source" ? The hardware: No. But it is designed to primarily run Open Source software....

Can I use any PCI board for expansion ? No, note that the PCI slot is 3.3V only, and only 2 Watt power are available for that slot. Also, the case will not have cutouts for a standard PCI board, the slot is designed more for making different fixed configurations.

When can I buy one ? We're now shipping, you can place orders here.