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Cobalt Networks - Qube3 Internet Appliance Review. Web Server, FTP, Mail Server, File Sharing, Internet Connection Sharing/Firewall all in one!

Cobalt has done it again with the Qube3. Just when you thought you had seen the coolest Internet Appliance to date, Cobalt impresses the masses even more with the Qube3. The Qube3 is an all-in-one Internet Appliance designed for a small office/small enterprise environment. This device can act as a NAT based firewall, it includes E-mail, Web and FTP Servers, LDAP, DNS, DHCP Servers, and File sharing capability! Some models (Not this one reviewed) have RAID and SCSI Support, and even act as a web caching server! The model we tested included everything except RAID, SCSI and Internet Caching. All this for around $999 for the low end Qube3.

We first unpacked the Qube3 and we were amazed at the size of the unit. The Qube3 is housed in a small metal case, surrounded by a cobalt blue plastic covering. The power switch and all connectors are on the back, including a small LCD screen for basic configuration without a web browser. (See a Detailed Screenshot of the connections in the back)

Keep in mind that there is no video card in this system, and the Qube3 is NOT designed to be the only computer on your network, it's more of an "Add-on" server for file sharing, NAT/Firewall, and other serving capabilities. All configuration is meant to be done via another PC on the network, or you can at least perform the basic setup using the built-in LCD screen.

The Qube3 stands approx. 8" tall and 7" wide, making it a very small footprint on your desk or server rack. Don't let the size fool you, this baby packs a punch with the included 64MB RAM and 300Mhz AMD-K62 processor, SCSI subsystem and more! The Qube3 is powered by a small, external power supply. The unit is quiet, and really shows no sign of being powered on, except for a small green glow at the base of the unit. Inside, the Qube3 is a tightly packed unit, offering 1 free PCI slot, space for one more Disk drive, and one extra DIMM slot for memory.

The Qube3 is designed to handle the file sharing, Internet sharing, and serving for a small office or workgroup. It can handle all the web server (Intranet and Internet connections), FTP, and E-mail for that office or workgroup as well. The Linux based operating system is built from a RedHat base, using Kernel version 2.2.16. The included NAT based firewall allows port mapping, and helps secure your internal network from intruders.

The browser based setup allows you to fly through the configuration, and you can have your small office or workgroup up and running in a matter of 20 minutes. This really depends on the number of users you are adding, but getting 5-10 users and 1-2 groups set up with e-mail access is quick. We really liked the WebMail (Web Based E-mail, which allows a Web based POP3 similar to the famous Hotmail interface). This unit also has a "POP3 Suck" option, which can suck down a users POP3 e-mail, and offer it up using the Webmail interface. This allows any user to get all their e-mail in one place, using either traditional POP3/IMAP or the WebMail POP3 option. Slick, very slick.

Other goodies included with the Qube3 include integrated support for CGI, PhP, Perl, Interbase 6, MySQL and PostgreSQL databases, and also support MS Frontpage 2000 server extensions. For those users with DSL and PPPoE, the Qube3 includes PPPoE support for sharing your Internet connection with other PC's on the LAN. The Qube also has LDAP support, and a nifty feature called "BlueLinQ Application Delivery service", which notifies the end users of available system updates, as well as new applications available for the Qube3.

The Cobalt Qube3 has a great Web Administration Interface. Simple even for beginners to manage. (Click to Enlarge)

Overall, Cobalt has a winner of a product in the Qube3. We were very impressed by the quick setup, and the tightly integrated services. We had prior experience with the Cobalt RAQ4 server, which is designed for ISP's to host Web and Email services for hundreds of domains. The RAQ4 is also a linux based platform, and comes all in a 1U form factor. We only found one flaw with the Qube3, but we found a solution that fixed that quickly. When Cobalt markets the Qube3, they typically sell to users with a static IP address, simply because there was no solution for hosting a webserver, e-mail, ftp, etc. on a Dynamic IP. But, that has all changed....

The Web Interface in the Qube3 makes it easy to add users, set permissions, groups, etc. (Click to Enlarge)

TZO.COM, a leading Dynamic DNS/Domain name provider has developed a Qube3 package, which allows a Qube3 user on a Cable or DSL modem with a Dynamic IP address to host one or more domain names. This allows any user to use the powerful features of the Qube3, even if they only have a Dynamic IP address assignment. For more info on TZO.COM, see their website or go directly to the Linux area of TZO.COM to download the Qube3 package. There are also some recent screenshots of the TZO.COM DDNS package here.

Here are some of the features of the Cobalt Qube3:

- Easy setup on any PC, or use the AutoConfig for super fast access
- (2) 10/100 LAN ports for Inside and External networks
- Unit is quiet, and can sit on a desk due to the super-small footprint.
- NAT supports 253 internal users, Port mapping and Packet Filtering
- Supports all clients, Windows, Mac, Linux
- Excellent Documentation included, recovery/image CD included
- The NAT router allows you to share a single Internet Connection
- Apache Web Server can handle 35,000,000 web objects in a single day

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars - The Qube3 is a true winner in the Internet appliance market, offering a strong contender in the SOHO/SME market.
Pros: Good Price, Platform Independent Admin/Setup, Flawless performance and reliability, super cool look/case.
Cons: None! Although this unit is marketed towards users with Static IP addresses, TZO.COM Dynamic DNS for the Cobalt Qube3 makes this a true Internet Server, even if you do have a Dynamic IP on your Cable or DSL modem.

Qube3 - Basic Edition (300Mhz, 32MB, 10GB)
Current Street Price: $999.00

Qube3 - Pro Edition (300Mhz, 64MB, 20GB, Caching)
Current Street Price: $1,499.00

Qube3 - Pro Edition (450Mhz, 128MB, 2x20GB RAID1, Caching)
Current Street Price: $1,999.00

Cobalt Networks - US HQ
Cobalt Networks, Inc.
555 Ellis Street
Mountain View, CA 94043
Phone: (650) 623-2500
http://www.cobalt.com

Available now direct from Cobalt/Sun Microsystems



	07/05/08


Cobalt Qube3 Linux Network Appliance PRODUCT REVIEW "The Cobalt Qube3 sets the standard for all-in-one NAT , Web, FTP, DNS servers all in one!" "The Apache Web server software included with the Cobalt Qube3 is the world's most widely used Web Server Software" "The Sleek Blue Qube and Neon Green Light at the bottom of the Qube3 give it an almost extraterrestrial look and feel to it! "Anyone can manage this unit, and the only tools they need is a web browser! The Admin Interface is very well designed, and is very easy to navigate.
			Cobalt Networks - Qube3 Internet Appliance Review. Web Server, FTP, Mail Server, File Sharing, Internet Connection Sharing/Firewall all in one! Cobalt has done it again with the Qube3. Just when you thought you had seen the coolest Internet Appliance to date, Cobalt impresses the masses even more with the Qube3. The Qube3 is an all-in-one Internet Appliance designed for a small office/small enterprise environment. This device can act as a NAT based firewall, it includes E-mail, Web and FTP Servers, LDAP, DNS, DHCP Servers, and File sharing capability! Some models (Not this one reviewed) have RAID and SCSI Support, and even act as a web caching server! The model we tested included everything except RAID, SCSI and Internet Caching. All this for around $999 for the low end Qube3. We first unpacked the Qube3 and we were amazed at the size of the unit. The Qube3 is housed in a small metal case, surrounded by a cobalt blue plastic covering. The power switch and all connectors are on the back, including a small LCD screen for basic configuration without a web browser. (See a Detailed Screenshot of the connections in the back) Keep in mind that there is no video card in this system, and the Qube3 is NOT designed to be the only computer on your network, it's more of an "Add-on" server for file sharing, NAT/Firewall, and other serving capabilities. All configuration is meant to be done via another PC on the network, or you can at least perform the basic setup using the built-in LCD screen. The Qube3 stands approx. 8" tall and 7" wide, making it a very small footprint on your desk or server rack. Don't let the size fool you, this baby packs a punch with the included 64MB RAM and 300Mhz AMD-K62 processor, SCSI subsystem and more! The Qube3 is powered by a small, external power supply. The unit is quiet, and really shows no sign of being powered on, except for a small green glow at the base of the unit. Inside, the Qube3 is a tightly packed unit, offering 1 free PCI slot, space for one more Disk drive, and one extra DIMM slot for memory. The Qube3 is designed to handle the file sharing, Internet sharing, and serving for a small office or workgroup. It can handle all the web server (Intranet and Internet connections), FTP, and E-mail for that office or workgroup as well. The Linux based operating system is built from a RedHat base, using Kernel version 2.2.16. The included NAT based firewall allows port mapping, and helps secure your internal network from intruders. The browser based setup allows you to fly through the configuration, and you can have your small office or workgroup up and running in a matter of 20 minutes. This really depends on the number of users you are adding, but getting 5-10 users and 1-2 groups set up with e-mail access is quick. We really liked the WebMail (Web Based E-mail, which allows a Web based POP3 similar to the famous Hotmail interface). This unit also has a "POP3 Suck" option, which can suck down a users POP3 e-mail, and offer it up using the Webmail interface. This allows any user to get all their e-mail in one place, using either traditional POP3/IMAP or the WebMail POP3 option. Slick, very slick. Other goodies included with the Qube3 include integrated support for CGI, PhP, Perl, Interbase 6, MySQL and PostgreSQL databases, and also support MS Frontpage 2000 server extensions. For those users with DSL and PPPoE, the Qube3 includes PPPoE support for sharing your Internet connection with other PC's on the LAN. The Qube also has LDAP support, and a nifty feature called "BlueLinQ Application Delivery service", which notifies the end users of available system updates, as well as new applications available for the Qube3. The Cobalt Qube3 has a great Web Administration Interface. Simple even for beginners to manage. (Click to Enlarge) Overall, Cobalt has a winner of a product in the Qube3. We were very impressed by the quick setup, and the tightly integrated services. We had prior experience with the Cobalt RAQ4 server, which is designed for ISP's to host Web and Email services for hundreds of domains. The RAQ4 is also a linux based platform, and comes all in a 1U form factor. We only found one flaw with the Qube3, but we found a solution that fixed that quickly. When Cobalt markets the Qube3, they typically sell to users with a static IP address, simply because there was no solution for hosting a webserver, e-mail, ftp, etc. on a Dynamic IP. But, that has all changed.... The Web Interface in the Qube3 makes it easy to add users, set permissions, groups, etc. (Click to Enlarge) TZO.COM, a leading Dynamic DNS/Domain name provider has developed a Qube3 package, which allows a Qube3 user on a Cable or DSL modem with a Dynamic IP address to host one or more domain names. This allows any user to use the powerful features of the Qube3, even if they only have a Dynamic IP address assignment. For more info on TZO.COM, see their website or go directly to the Linux area of TZO.COM to download the Qube3 package. There are also some recent screenshots of the TZO.COM DDNS package here. Here are some of the features of the Cobalt Qube3: - Easy setup on any PC, or use the AutoConfig for super fast access - (2) 10/100 LAN ports for Inside and External networks - Unit is quiet, and can sit on a desk due to the super-small footprint. - NAT supports 253 internal users, Port mapping and Packet Filtering - Supports all clients, Windows, Mac, Linux - Excellent Documentation included, recovery/image CD included - The NAT router allows you to share a single Internet Connection - Apache Web Server can handle 35,000,000 web objects in a single day Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars - The Qube3 is a true winner in the Internet appliance market, offering a strong contender in the SOHO/SME market. Pros: Good Price, Platform Independent Admin/Setup, Flawless performance and reliability, super cool look/case. Cons: None! Although this unit is marketed towards users with Static IP addresses, TZO.COM Dynamic DNS for the Cobalt Qube3 makes this a true Internet Server, even if you do have a Dynamic IP on your Cable or DSL modem. Qube3 - Basic Edition (300Mhz, 32MB, 10GB) Current Street Price: $999.00 Qube3 - Pro Edition (300Mhz, 64MB, 20GB, Caching) Current Street Price: $1,499.00 Qube3 - Pro Edition (450Mhz, 128MB, 2x20GB RAID1, Caching) Current Street Price: $1,999.00 Cobalt Networks - US HQ Cobalt Networks, Inc. 555 Ellis Street Mountain View, CA 94043 Phone: (650) 623-2500 http://www.cobalt.com Available now direct from Cobalt/Sun Microsystems

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