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Gateway Linux Microserver
JeffRC wrote to us with a new machine from Gateway that looks remarkably like the Cobalt Qube. The device apparently runs Linux, with Apache and SMB. Update: 12/08 02:15 by H :Well, I am an idiot. If you remember, I had posted a story that GW and Cobalt would be teeming up - I guess this is the fruit of their alliance.
Probably a combination of marketing and distribution. We all know it isn't their customer service that'll convince anyone to buy one.
The sad thing is, Gateway's marketing will likely succeed in pushing these things -- one would hope that people buying servers aren't the same idiots impressed by a spotted cow box, but alas we know how futile that hope is.
"If one is really a superior person, the fact is likely to leak out without too much assistance" -- John Andrew Holmes
Cobalt Qubes have been designed to be small webservers or corporate intranet servers, not megaboxes that can serve up 100% dynamic webpages while cracking RC5 keys. A small web/intranet server doesn't need a whole lot more than 64 megs of ram and an amazingly huge hard drive. Their selling point is that you can drop it into your network and it works, not to mention it has an HTML administration interface that is a good idea. I do think these boxes are really overpriced, if they were sold for abour 900-1000$ I would find them a good deal more attractive.
I'm a loner Dottie, a Rebel.
I was expecting the server to be about the size of a monitor, but in the spec sheet it says it is _7_ inches on a side! For that amount of desk real estate you get a lot for your money!
ftp://ftp.cobaltnet.com/pub/contrib/misc/borgqube. gif
Deleted
1999-12-8 19:15.0.0
..
[B] --Andover.Net IPO priced at $18, opens at 47 1/2
Offtopic? Yes, but
send + more == money?
You can also knock off $7 if you don't want ethernet cables.
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"You can't shake the Devil's hand and say you're only kidding."
In the end, I decided that, of the two evils, hanging precariously on the edge of oblivion by my fingernails was more inviting than having anything to do with them.
P.S. Does anyone want to hire a Linux geek?
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
Looks to be $200 cheaper than a similar model direct from Cobalt, but with a larger hard drive (10GB instead of 6.4GB). Gateway however, may have used cheaper drives. Caveat Emptor. I suspect that Gateway's deal with Cobalt was to be able to use the same form factor as the Cube as well as the software setup. This to avoid a suit ala the Apple iMac v. eMachines eOne fiasco. Viva la choice however.
--Somewhere there is a village missing an idiot.
The agreement between Gateway and Cobalt was mentioned in this story, posted October 13th.
The next Cmdr Taco duplicate will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and see it early!
You can spend a few hours building your appliance, and then spend the next couple of days configuring everything from ipfwadm to samba and apache, and continue to configure it via telnet and vi.
Or you can be someone who knows something about networking but nothing about Unix and buy one of these and have a working NAT box, firewall, workgroup webserver, Windows/Mac fileserver, IMAP mailserver and majordomo box up and running in ten minutes. No joke.
Cobalt's boxen aren't cutting-edge from a software standpoint (they don't use LDAP, no PHP preinstalled on the webserver, etc.) and if you want a general-purpose Linux server, the MIPS CPU can be a minor hassle.
But they have done an incredible, genius job of gluing everything together with seamless web-based configuration, good documentation, and a fuss-free experience. If you want an infinitely flexible system, or want to use it for things it wasn't meant for (databases, XWindow app hosting, etc.), it's a bad choice. But if you're going to use it for what it's made for, it's an absolutely wonderful gizmo.
In sum, unlike a general-purpose server, it's a real appliance, which means it's as easy to set up as a videogame console. I started a new job with a smallish company and discovered they had an unprotected network and no email, and I didn't have time to spend a couple of days building and configuring all the services on a generic PC or server, so I ordered a Qube. I was blown away. They deserve all the accolades they get.
And given the time it saves and the sysadmin burden it gets rid of, it's a bargain.
use a gateway lately? been around when the hardware pukes?
and you can get a much better deal building it yourself.
Ah, but the Malda does not notice that it is in fact the Cobalt Qube we have all grown to love.
Now, there must be a point to all of this. Is Gateway gonna sell it cheaper? Oh, please. Oh, please. Oh, please.
/me bounces up and down like a giddy schoolgirl on crystal meth.
aÍÍ©ÍÌÍ£Ì'̽ͩÌÍzÍYÌÍÌY
The Gateway machine is a Cobalt Qube. See the Cobalt press release for details.
Yellow tigers crouched in jungles in her dark eyes.
She's just dressing, goodbye windows, tired starlings.
GATEWAY:
Memory 32MB RAM memory
Hard Drive 10GB Ultra ATA hard drive
$1299
COBALT:
Cobalt Qube 2 with 32MB DRAM and a 6.4GB hard disk
(Cobalt P/N: Q28 364 NAU) Price: $1,499.00 US. - QUANTITY
The Gateway is a better deal...
EverCode
From CNET news.com: Gateway taps Cobalt for Linux servers
Photos of bits of the past hiding in the present: afiler.com
...or is there a better solution?
I am about to get and ISDN line to my house (ISDN for 3 reasons: 1) So I can be ON my office network 2) My employer is paying for it and 3) DSL and cable modems are not an option in my area)
So anyway, I want to set up a fast ethernet inside my house, connected to the ISDN line. Would this gateway Qube server be the thing I'm looking for for this? Or can somebody suggest something better?
Also, does anyone know a good site for help on buying ISDN hardware?
Thank you for any help on this!
--
grappler
Vidi, Vici, Veni
I think Gateway needs to market a more scaled down machine. I, like many, run an older PC for firewall/gateway purposes. And like many older PCs, that PC is starting to fail. The hard drive worries me most, but I'm also seeing memory errors, fans are breaking, the graphics card is spotty. While I could easily fix every single one of these, tracking all the parts down is simply too time consuming to bother. I don't need 4.3gb of space, which is about the smallest HDD I can find, I need one. For reasons like this, I'd much rather just buy an entire new PC - I don't care about having the latest components, but support would be great, and getting to use Cobalt's GUI would be a treat. So, note to Gateway: market something in the $100-$200 "appliance" range. I'm sure you'd have lots of customers.
--
"Some people say that I proved if you get a C average, you can end up being successful in life."
I think there is a world market for maybe five personal web logs.
- They just rehashed the Qube. Nothing new here.
- It's a fscking Gateway. Guaranteed to be trouble.
I haven't seen a Gateway box yet that didn't turn into trouble at expansion time. Want to add a new printer, scanner, video camera?, add more RAM?, more drive space?... God forbid you want to add a NIC! They do stupid stuff inside those Gateways to make them cheap.--
Una piccola canzone, un piccolo ballo, poco seltzer giù i vostri pantaloni.
My office has been taken over by iPod people.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Other folks have already posted the press release about the deal, which looks like a Good Thing to me. My bad. Hey, Rob, ever thought about letting posters moderate their own posts down?
Weblogging Considered Harmful:
- Dual eth0. about time! These will make great NAT/firewalls.
- Less memory. I think. This is not really a huge issue for such a small machine.
- Bigger hard drive. 10 Gig is good for a *small* server. however, ours has only a 4, way too small. Course, our industrial linux box has 56 gig.
- Modem. Not sure how many pci slots this thing has. This should definately be an option, dual eth0's or modem. But that would make the config more complicated.
- Comes with a 5 port eth0 switch. This should also be an option, as most offices should have a real LAN already. it'd also lower the price. Plus, it's not like it can be added to packaging late in the game.
This is an excellent expansion for small businesses. instant NAT! `8r) Can't wait to see what other types of products they release! Course, I have a bunch of friends who work for Cobalt, so I hope they do great things.. hehGonzo Granzeau
"Nothing the god of biomechanics wouldn't let you into heaven for.." -Roy Batty
I wouldn't mind having one to use as a little network server; the killer questions, from my perspective, are thus:
Can I run something like Debian on it? Or am I basically restricted to hacking on (and making cruftier) what Cobalt provides?
Note that Egghead/On-Sale have been auctioning 'em off for around $500 lately, which is rather more interesting than $1500...
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.