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Cobalt's RaQ 4r Web Server Brims With Server Extensions October 2, 2000 By Steve Rigney It's easy for ISPs to find and hire Web developers, but it can be difficult to find and afford an experienced IT staff that can set up a secure, scalable Web server running all the server extensions you need--with services such as FTP and telnet. If you're facing this challenge, you should check out Cobalt Networks' RaQ 4r. This turnkey device is a midsize HTTP, FTP and telnet server that runs a standard version of Linux and offers up to 30 GB per second of RAID Level 1 IDE storage. The unit is not so much a turnkey Web server as it is a development tool for hosting Web-based applications, including e-commerce. It stakes a credible claim to that bragging right based on its sheer number of built-in applications. If all you want is a low-cost HTTP server, the RaQ 4r is probably more than you need. According to Cobalt, a 128-MB RaQ 4r is capable of serving 416 objects per second based on an average SPECweb96 object size of 5 KB. Assuming a typical Web page is composed of 10 objects, the RaQ 4r can serve more than 3.5 million pages per day. Many service-provider customers are using Cobalt server appliances to host or deliver Web-based applications. It also can act as a dedicated server solution for small-to-midsize business customers who want their own servers. Software Galore While the device has many cool features, its array of preinstalled software stands out. In addition to Linux 2.2, the 4r includes Apache Web Server, a virtual hosting service, support for CGI and for PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) scripting, InterBase 6 SQL database, Chili!Soft ASP, SMTP, IMAP4, POP3 and APOP (Authentication POP) e-mail using the built-in SendMail server, FTP, telnet DNS server, 128-bit SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), Microsoft FrontPage 2000 extensions and Legato Systems NetWorker and Knox Software Arkeia backup clients. All this is available in a standard 19-inch rack-mountable unit. Cobalt also offers the RaQ 4i, which provides all the same software but doesn't support RAID 1 or disk mirroring. A 4i system with a single 15-GB hard drive retails for $2,999. The RaQ 4r models range from $3,999 for a 20-GB mirrored configuration, which is what I tested, to $4,799 for a mirrored 30-GB unit. The inside of the RaQ 4r model I tested and its abundance of connectors are almost as impressive as the unit's bundled software. The OS and applications are powered by a 450-MHz Intel-compatible CPU with 256 MB of RAM for the 20-GB unit or 512 MB of RAM for the 30-GB model. You'll also find 512 KB of L2 cache on the system board. The back of the unit sports two 10/100-Mbps Ethernet ports, a wide SCSI connector, a PCI slot, a serial connection and a USB port. Snappy Installation Users expect a turnkey device to be easy to install and maintain, and Cobalt does not disappoint. The installation routine consists of connecting power and Ethernet to the unit, hitting the power button and waiting a few minutes for the front-panel LCD to request an IP address, subnet and gateway address. After completing this process, I simply fired up a browser on a local PC and turned to the setup wizard. The wizard completes basic steps, such as setting the time, domain name and administrator's password on the device. The remaining steps, such as setting up users and enabling FTP, telnet and e-mail services, took all of 15 minutes. Covered Bases The idea behind bundling the RaQ 4r's somewhat competing applications in a single box is a bit perplexing until you consider the plight of the average ISP. An ISP has no idea what its customers are using so it has to support almost any environment. That's why the 4r includes support for both ASP (Active Server Pages) and PHP. Both these standards let you create dynamic Web sites that can connect back to a database. The same is true with the FrontPage extensions and the need to offer PERL and CGI scripting as well as Java. Because this product is aimed at ISPs, hosting multiple domains is a key feature for the RaQ 4r. It accomplishes the task by letting you set up virtual sites on a single box. A virtual site consists of a domain name, URL and the users allowed to access that site. For example, I set up the 4r with a domain of sri.com, but I also created virtual sites for widgets. com, writing.com and edit. com. All the sites run on the same RaQ 4r but have different users and even different administrator names and passwords. Because the 4r is an HTTP hosting server and not a firewall I didn't expect much security. The box runs a standard version of Linux, and your only security options are user names, passwords and 128-bit SSL. Some of the more arcane features I found useful include the ability to limit the number of users on a particular virtual server as well as the amount of bandwidth they could use. I also liked the ability to set up different levels of security. For example, I was able to provide an admin with rights to everything, a site administrator with rights only to a virtual site, and a site user with limited rights to a particular domain or Web page. Steve Rigney is a network consultant specializing in storage management, VoIP and remote access. Send your comments on this article to him at srigney@adisfwb.com.
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