“Cobalt Networks is back, with a new machine redesigned from the
ground up, the Cobalt RaQ 3i. This is a larger model than the RaQ
2, but is not intended to replace the older system. And it looks
like Cobalt has directly addressed most of the problems with the
RaQ 2 that we highlighted in our earlier review. In fact, I think
I’ll add this new box to my Christmas wish list….”
“This three-year-old company was one of the first to offer a
Linux-based server appliance, the original Qube, and Cobalt’s
philosophy of keeping server management simple without sacrificing
power has shown others the path to building a decent appliance.
These days, the company does have some real competition in the
market for rack-mountable servers that are one or two rack units
high. Competitors include the much more compact NetWinder from
Rebel.com, VA Linux’s FullOn 2×2 server, and Penguin Computing’s
Penguin 1U rackmount server. On the high end, Cobalt faces an even
tougher challenge from IBM and Dell. However, Cobalt’s products
have been very successful in the ISP and Web-hosting markets, and
the RaQ 3i will help maintain the company’s edge.”
“The RaQ 3i uses Intel-compatible chips, rather than the
MIPS R3000 series processor Cobalt put in the RaQ 2. This makes it
compatible with much more software for Linux, especially the large
pool that is, unfortunately, available only in binary executable
form for the x86 platform. The system uses an AMD K6-II chip
running at 300 MHz, and can now handle two 256 MB DIMMs. This
configuration allows for up to 512 MB of RAM, up from 256 MB in
previous models. There are still two one inch tall hard drive slots
that can accommodate two 20 GB drives apiece.”