Sun/Cobalt RaQ servers, which distro are these based on?

[Dave Falloon]

I just got a new job with a web services company and they have an entire rack full of these boxes.

From what I have read online these are just PC's with a twisted linux distribution and a web interface to manage the box. My question is what distribution did they base this RaQ OS on? Has anyone had experience with these boxes ( good or bad I just wanna know what I am up against ) ?

Most modern day linices ( linuxs? ) are based on either some kind of redhat or debian system, right?

Thanks,

Dave

[Steven E. Protter]

http://wwws.sun.com/software/linux/

This press release seems to indicate sun boxes that run linux will run on red hat.

SEP

[Stuart Browne · Accepted solution]

New ones might, but old ones do not.

Depending on which RaQ boxes they are, they run an older, highly modified, RH dist. It can no longer be called RH, and has no update path like RH does.

I've not 'played' with anything newer than a RaQ4 though.

The ones I've had the pleasure (or displeasure) dealing with weren't even glibc (archaic! And they were 'up to date'!).

My personal opinion is that from an OS level (i.e. a technical person's standpoint) they are a PITA!

(example: it took me almost 2 hours to get 'sshd' working on a RaQ3.

It only took me 10 minutes on a clone-box running Slackware 3)

From a 'User' and 'Ease of Management', the web interfaces are the best I've seen.

Personally, I dislike them.

[Ragu_1]

Linux is not the OS, neither is it a distro. It is a kernel and the entire OS is called GNU. Debian is good in that certain of its package management tools are slick, the issue of `dependency hell' is completely unknown in this territory. Remote admining a Debian GNU/Linux box is effortless. Front-end admin tools like Webmin etc. are UF but a drag over a forwarded X session. Pure CLI is powerful and fast over the wire.

[Dave Falloon]

Thanks Stuart,

Ya I gather these boxes were not that bleeding edge. The documentation mentions such features as the newest 2.2 kernel is now available bundled into the RaQ OS. These boxes are anywhere from the XTR to the newer 550's. I think I may just try to make a clone of the web interface on top of a useable distro.

Ragu,

thanks for the response but I know, hopefully your reply will help someone else when they read it though, so I gave you some points.

Thanks,

Dave