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Linux Software

Qube2 Release 24

Posted by CmdrTaco from the crazy-linux-hardware dept.
Harris Vaegan-Lloyd writes "Cobalt networks have just released the Qube2, with a whole lot of new features to make everyone's lives easier, so why would you want a netwinder now huh? New features are modem control, scheduled backup to remote servers, DHCP server, better email alias handling & better mailing lists and too much to type here.. Hardware is now 2 ethernet ports, a serial card and a new 250Mhz mips chip (Qunatum Effects Dynamic.). And a new power connector to replace the old one that kept falling out! Yay! ;). " An anonymous reader also sent us a link to a review of this new toy.
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Qube2 Release More

Qube2 Release

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  • Posted by warp-nine:

    Do they sell separate casings?
    I don't need the stuff inside,
    but that Cube case is so cool...
  • I don't find it that bad. You can stick an entire recovery filesystem in flash and run completely from flash while you fix your problem. Or, as I do here, simply NFS-mount your root file system from somewhere else. You can of course also load your kernel remotely via tftp. And, a third option is to use a Syquest or Iomega parallel port drive. I use a Syquest EZ-Flyer 230 here and it works nicely. I find all of these solutions more powerful and flexible than your traditional floppy solution. On a traditional x86 box you don't have built-in support for tftp and dhcp and such right in the firmware. You have to construct a floppy with the right magic to revive a system. With a Netwinder you can plug it into a ethernet, turn it on and you are set even if your HD has been completely blown away.

    -Rasmus
  • What kind of MIPS machine do you have?
  • ...the CMYB or RBGA color for cobalt blue? i just need to know :)
  • This was a thing to help Jon, but it screws up links. I've told Rob about it.
  • shouldnt the icon for this article be the "bolt" for hardware stories instead of tux, the linux penguin? just something tp chew on. :)

    --
  • Well, on my keyboard ` is a good 9 inches away from ?. Even Harry Knowles couldn't splodge the keys that bad!
  • > A comparable Celeron 300A machine runs for about half the price with beefier performance/specs.

    Let's split this into two parts.

    Performance:
    I have to assume you mean CPU specs. Having run very I/O intensive applications on both PC hardware (dual PII 450) and a RaQ, I'd pick the Qube or RaQ for such applications.

    You see, a PC simply does NOT have the I/O throughput necessary for a lot of today's applications. A PC can't keep up in many respects. I set up BigBrother to watch all of the workstations at our site, and it drove a PII 266 to a load average of 27. CPU, disk, memory, and network performance were fine. The internal I/O was overloaded. I can set that same system up with TWO instances on a RaQ and drive the load up to a mere 1.7 - 2.0.

    Apples to apples:
    Are you putting that Celeron into a rack mounted case? The cheapest I can find for a TWO rack unit high box is $550 for just the case. A Cobalt RaQ fits in ONE rack unit. How about into a 7.25" cube? That's darn small. Real estate is at a premium in most offices, that's one reason many folks work in cubes.

    The Cobalt systems do not require a monitor, kb, etc, to be configured, maintained, etc. PCs do. BIG plus both in the modern datacenter and on the workgroup table.

    > That means you're paying a real premium for convenience of setup which no self respecting
    > Linux guru is willing to do.

    1, You're not paying very much at all for what you get.
    2. They're not aimed at linux gurus.
    3. I'm a professional UNIX sysadmin, and I LOVE the convenience of setup. I'm sorry, but I don't have a lot of free time at work, and anything that makes my life easier is cool by me.

    > remember the NeXT, BeBox, Amiga, Atari ST, Go Book ..?

    All too well. I'm a former NeXT admin. However, these systems ran proprietary operating systems. The Cobalt systems run Linux. Do you want a copy of the kernel source for a Cobalt system? Snag it from their FTP site.

    All in all, I understand your points, but I have to disagree.

    Reagen Ward

  • software? (Score:1)

    by MbM ( 7065 )
    with these things simply running linux is there a way to get the software only so that any server running linux could be managed as a qube?
    - MbM
  • Can I get these things to talk to Oracle via PHP or mod_perl? I'd love to have that kind of nice setup. Has someone make opensource Oracle db libs? Or am I going down the wrong road here?
  • the Qube is NOT for self-respecting Linux gurus, it's for offices that want a hassle-free server! <hint>there are a lot more of the latter than of the former</hint>

  • I agree (Score:1)

    by mago ( 10276 )
    I also had a raq and qube to test them.

    It works just fine if you can rely on the
    generic conf. But on some special demands
    it looses.

    But hey! Consider the price!
  • Is this product being sold to "self respecting Linux gurus" or is it being sold to small businesses that can't afford computer nerds?

    I would guess there's a huge market for the latter -- in alot of companies the "system admin" is also the receptionist just cuz they use MS Word the most. They don't care that it runs linux, they want Internet.
  • So does anyone know easy/hard it is to turn one of these things into a firewall?
    I would love to beable to easily configure a Qube or a Netwinder as firewall solution.

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