RE: [cobalt-users] Safety vs Power

[Rodolfo Paiz <rpaiz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I just ordered a Raq3 -- it'll be my first dedicated server. I've been
> subscribed to this list for only a day but I'm kind of worried...it
> seems like hacking RaQs is an epidemic and getting them to run
> correctly is an all-day, every day job.

Getting any server to run correctly for a long time is a challenge that
requires a great deal of investment from you, primarily in terms of
time. You'll have to deal with a host (no pun intended) of issues from
security to allowing your customers to run PHP or not. You must back up
the server and do a lot of maintenance.

99.9% uptime means that you're only down 8.76 hours *per year*, or about
44 minutes a month. Since this includes downtime for any reason
including factors out of your control (like network outages), it's a
tough goal to shoot for.

As to the hacking epidemic... two hacks were discovered and published
recently: one for ProFTPd (FTP server) and one for BIND (DNS server),
both used on Cobalt products. After any vulnerability is published, two
things happen FAST: people race to fix it, and other people race to use
it. So last week has been quite hectic.

> Do I just get that impression because if things are going well
> people don't post that to the list? Or have I actually bitten off
> something bigger than I'll enjoy chewing?

I don't know how much you like to chew <grin>. This *is* a biggish job,
and it *will* take up a bunch of your time and sometimes all of your
time. However, if you enjoy it and do it well it's quite rewarding.

--
Rodolfo J. Paiz
rpaiz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:rpaiz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>