[cobalt-users] Raq550: A quick review - I feel like a crash test dummy

["John D. Gorena" <Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Greetings Group,

I admit that I waited to buy a Raq550 because it was new but apparently
only a few are having problems or I have a bad system.  I migrated the
Raq4 accounts and hardly anything worked (CGI, Password Protection,
other stuff).   I'll try the restore CD if I can figure it out. 
Thinking back, I have not seen anyone really give a good or bad review. 
Therefore, I want to give a review to the group on the Raq550 and Since
I use Raq4's, I'll compare them to help get my point across.

Overall, If you have a Raq4, then you may be disappointed with the
Raq550.  Stay with the Raq4 - it is a paradigm shift to go to the
raq550.  Here are some good and some bad things.  Good news first since
there is not that much of it.

GOOD THINGS:
 - Seems to work OK as a simple Hosting machine.
 - Seems to be faster with the 1.26 Ghz processor.
 - reboots quicker than the raq4.
 - has better notification services to the administrator(s).
 - The Interface is different but not in too bad of a way though it is a
little tougher than the raq4 to get around.  There seems to be a few
more options.
 - You can add other administrators and limit 3 areas of access: IP
Hosting, Root, etc . . .
 - Seems to be build physically good.
 - The Beta Versions of the Cobalt Migration Utility (CMU) seemed to
worked well enough though I had to go and change all the DNS entries. 
My Clients are still using the Raq4's because of all the problems that
we experienced with the Raq550.

BAD THINGS:  
Bad because you would think Linux is Linux.
 - The GUI Interface is tougher to get around.  For example,  most
things are across several screens instead of a single page that you can
scroll down.  I think it is better to have it all on one page and then
click save.  The screens only list 25 domains per screen and they are
not in any particular order that I can tell.  I constantly have to use
the search feature to find a single domain name.  The other options are
the same way as if the designers did not like to scroll down and they
use a small screen less than 640x480 resolutions so they can constantly
click and wait for the browser to refresh - very frustrating.
 - Cobalt does not know how to write a manual.  With all the information
that the 275+ pages in the PDF file, you would think that there would be
something simple like "Steps on how to setup a virtual domain account." 
Or in the section about how to add the memory chip "What kind of memory
do we use?" or "How to properly set up DNS's because the 'Automatic DNS'
in the GUI does not really work."   You have to delete the one A-record
that it creates to do it right.   The manual is filled with such
blunders and omissions.
 - The so-called 'Automatic DNS' feature does not work as was mentioned
somewhere.  As described above, it only creates one A-record that you
have to delete.  It creates a www.domain.com record for the IP but then
you cannot add domain.com without deleting the www.domain.com record
first.  You would think that it would resolve to create appropriate mx
records and c-mames BUT NOOOOOO!
 - Adding an alias to make www.domain.com and domain.com work gives an
error but it seems to work anyway.
 - The Structure of how Domains are built seems to be really straight
forward in the Raq4i .  All the E-mail files on the Raq4i are in
/home/spool/mail and listed by User name and the virtual sites are
numerically numbers.   In the Raq550, they are randomly numbered and it
does not seem to have any particular pattern.  In the Raq550, the mail
file is like /home/.sites/XX/site1/.users/XXX/username/mbox where 'X' is
a random number.  The files are separated by the virtual domain in the
Raq550 like E-mail is called mbox and httpd file info are in separate
files by domain.
 - Restarting the .httpd file returns error messages that
'NameVirtualHost xx.xxx.xxx.xxx has no VirtualHosts', etc . . .  I have
sent this to the group but I have seen a response and I could not find
one in the archives.
 - The common Linux operating files are not used the same.  In the Raq4,
the httpd.conf file has each virtual domain info listed.  In the Raq550
there are no domain names and etc . . .
 - Regular password files that we like to use (.htaccess) for password
protection for virtual site administrators, all users, or specific
login/passwords do not seem to be used in the raq550.  For example,
files like 'shadow' and 'passwd' would list the users on the Raq4i but
on the Raq550 they are virtually empty.  On the Raq550 gives an error
message that says CI is not installed.
 - I migrated about 300 users (about 50 domains) and not one of them
were in the passwd type of files.  I thought about using a program like
the Raq4's 'meta-verify' but the Raq550 does not have this file and I
have yet to read any responses (I don't think I missed any) concerning
the 'meta-verify' and the raq550.
 - Squirrel Mail does not work but I guess there is a fix somewhere.  I
assume the main problem is the related to the virtual sites structure.
 - Basic CI programs do not seem to work - returns errors.
 - I am sure that there are other problems but I probably will find them
as I work these problems above.
 

SUMMARY:
I am sure that others are having problems with the raq550 that are
trying to use it for more than a simple virtual hosting machine. I
really wish that these problems were made more evident and the solutions
for them were posted before I bought a system.  I am sure with much
diligence and really getting into the programming language that a
working solution may someday be reached but I really do not want to have
to go there.  If I could get my money back without penalty, then I would
return this thing ASAP and get Raq4's instead.  Maybe I would buy it
after a year on the market with actual solutions to the problems.  For
those of you who have the smarts and time to fix these problems should
be working for Cobalt.  Apparently they need you.  PLEASE post complete
instructions/solutions to help the rest of us solve these problems.

-- 

John, a cobalt crash test dummy