Cobalt Networks RaQ and Qube
In the late 1990s, when the public internet was rapidly expanding and businesses were experimenting with website development, there was a growing need for an easy way to host websites and related services. Cobalt Networks created some of the first internet appliances designed to make that possible. These systems not only hosted websites, but also provided many of the services small offices and businesses needed, including routing, storage, and other server functions. Both appliance lines became very popular with web hosting companies like mine, small to medium-sized businesses, and government agencies around the world.
I have been working with internet devices since internet devices were first becoming part of the market.
Back then, mailing lists were a major part of the technical community, and many of us created separate email accounts just to keep up with the traffic. I still maintain an archive of most of those postings at CobaltUsersList.com. There was a lot of bad information floating around in those days, and I did my best to help people sort through it and get useful answers. Over time, that community turned me into a consultant, and I became widely known as Zeffie the Cobalt Consultant.
After technical school and with the arrival of the IBM PC era, I began providing computer consulting services and continued building that work into the internet age.
I hired a local young programmer who happened to be on the user list and lived only a few miles from me. Chris was just getting started in web programming, and together we created dozens of scripts and packages that extended the built-in RaQ control panel and added services such as spam filtering, virus filtering, firewalls, and intrusion detection. I still provide support for these devices, although there are not many of them left in production today.
We created numerous operating system updates and scripts that enhanced the default control panel and operating system.
When official updates stopped, I was already producing my own line of operating system updates, and I continued doing that until recently. At this point, I would like to build an archive system so curious users can explore the basics of web hosting, mail filtering, intrusion detection, and foundational security using these older platforms. Given enough time, I may create one final restore CD, though without rolling all update packages into the default build. PHP and MySQL may never reach modern versions on that platform, but they were never part of the original design anyway.
Unless updated kernel and firmware work becomes available from the people best positioned to provide it, these systems are mainly useful today for learning, experimentation, and archival interest.
The control panel from a later model was open-sourced and helped lead to the development of several systems that work in a similar way to the RaQ550. The most established and the one I recommend is BlueOnyx. BlueOnyx has been developed by one of the original list members for many years. If you are looking for a proven, business-class, license-free hosting platform that is stable and familiar in design, I strongly recommend taking a look at BlueOnyx at blueonyx.it. Please note that there is no simple migration path from cPanel.
I still support all versions of the control panel. Packages and updates are only available for the RaQ4 operating system. My support is offered on a per-incident basis.
I offer Urgent Service, which means your issue goes to the front of the line and, in many cases, I can begin work while we are still on the phone. For urgent matters, it is best to call directly and clearly state that you need urgent service.
I also offer Rush Service, where work is usually completed the same day or within 24 hours. Rush jobs begin after any urgent work already in progress.
Standard Service is available for non-emergency work at the minimum charge and places you on the work list, which may take a few days depending on workload. Server de-hacking and data recovery are treated as urgent service due to the nature of the work.
Operating system service, troubleshooting, adjustments, email problems, and recovery work are all available. If I cannot directly fix the issue, I can usually provide a practical recovery path.
If I access your server and determine that it has been compromised, I will contact you as soon as possible.
My Prices
- Standard Service: $50 and includes 1 hour
- Rush Service: $100 and includes up to 4 hours
- Urgent Service: $150 and includes up to 4 hours
- Cobalt RaQ4 support starts at $25
- Additional time is billed at $50 per hour
Please contact me directly or visit blueonyxsupport.com for more information.