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IF YOUR BUSINESS is preparing to set up a Web server, you have plenty of hardware choices to sift through. You can also pay a premium for your equipment, even when it's not necessary. For an inexpensive and easily scalable Web server, Cobalt Networks' new Cobalt RaQ 3i beta server provides companies with a wide range of hardware and software support at a reasonable price.
The RaQ 3i is Cobalt Networks' third generation of this server. It delivers an easy-to-implement and easy- to -administer Web and application-server platform. Similar devices, such as the Rebel .com NetWinder (see box, right) don't offer an Intel-compatible CPU for widespread application compatibility. Devices such as Compaq's Prosignia Neo-Server and HewlettPackard's HP NetServer E 60 (see "Server Appliances," www .infoworld.com/printlinks) don't offer the scalability and performance for demanding Internet and electronic-commerce applications.
I looked at a beta unit of the RaQ 3i. It performed well, without any major glitches or system crashes. The final release of the RaQ 3i should be available now.
The RaQ 3i is an excellent alternative to high-priced server systems. Its hardware costs are reduced by standardizing the hardware configuration and integrating components onto the motherboard. The RaQ 3i's Web-based administration utilities will also save your IT staff time in dealing with both configuration and ongoing administration.
Unlike its older models, the RaQ 3i uses an AMD K6-2 processor running at 300 MHz. (The RaQ and RaQ 2 models were built around a MIPS CPU, running at 150 MHz or 250 MHz.) The...