An LCD is on the rear, as are all the controls, two 10/100 Ethernet ports, and USB, serial, and SCSI connectors.
Total installation took less than 10 minutes. Like the Net Integrator, the Qube 3 automatically searches the network for an existing DHCP server during installation. If it finds one, it requests an address; if not, it sets itself up as one. This clever feature ensures that the Qube 3 will not create an address conflict when connected to an existing LAN.
Because server appliances are designed for a nontechnical market, many lack the tweaking and monitoring tools to satisfy more advanced users. The Qube 3 pleases both camps. Its browser-based user interface is one of the best we've seen in any product, and system administrators will appreciate its excellent status-monitoring and activity-logging features. It also allows you to apply user- and group-based rules for disk space usage. And the Qube 3's rules-based firewall settings were the most configurable among the products we tested. Administrators can block outbound Web access by domain name or IP address.
A complete suite of IP tools, including DHCP and DNS servers, a caching Web proxy server, and a VPN server, are provided. The VPN can be used to provide off-site access to mobile employees or to connect two Qubes at different offices.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. announced its new Sun Cobalt Qube 3 server appliance that's targeted at home offices and small businesses. According to Sun, the Sun Cobalt Qube 3 server appliance extends secure Internet and intranet services to consumers and power users, and should enable home offices and small businesses to host their own web sites, set up their own e-mail systems, network home or office PCs, and protect their computing environments from Internet threats such as hackers and viruses. The company says that the plug-and-play networking solution includes all of the tools and applications needed to leverage always-on Internet connections and web-enable a home network or small business environment.
The Sun Cobalt Qube 3 server appliance is designed to be a complete Inte rnet and intranet server in a box. The company says that the Sun Cobalt Qub e 3 server appliance can be quickly set up to connect PCs and Macintosh com puters in a local area network, thereby enabling small business systems to share files and documents and take advantage of shared resources such as pr inting and Internet connections. In addition, as broadband use increases th roughout the world, the Sun Cobalt Qube 3 server appliance should enable co nsumers to leverage these always-on connections to easily host their own we b sites or e-mail directly from their home networks.
To ensure protection against Internet security risks such as viruses, ha ckers, and privacy threats, the Sun Cobalt Qube 3 server appliance includes a built-in firewall as well as virtual private networking (VPN) support. T he firewall can be configured to protect private data while giving users fu ll Internet access. With support for both IPsec and Microsoft PPTP VPN serv ices, the Sun Cobalt Qube 3 server appliance should enable work-at-home emp loyees or professionals at remote sites to securely access the corporate ne twork from virtually any Windows PC.
The Sun Cobalt Qube 3 server appliance should also benefit IT administra tors, integrating with the Sun Cobalt Control Station to enable system admi nistrators at corporate headquarters to manage Sun Cobalt Qube 3 server app liances located at remote sites and branch offices from a single location 2E Administrators should be able to view the status of each appliance and push software updates to any Sun Cobalt Qube 3 server appliance from the Su n Cobalt Control Station. In addition, auto-provisioning should enable a se rvice provider or corporate headquarters to deliver and install custom-buil t applications automatically to other Sun Cobalt Qube 3 server appliances v ia the Internet, potentially easing administration and management challenge s at remote sites and branch office locations.
To help ensure that the Sun Cobalt Qube 3 server appliance continues to scale to accommodate the changing needs of small businesses or remote offic es, the appliance offers port forwarding, which maps ports and redirects ne twork traffic and enables the network to grow with additional servers while maintaining manageability. In addition, the Sun Cobalt Qube 3 server appli ance now supports seven languages simultaneously, automatically detecting t he preferred configuration and displaying the appropriate language using an intuitive web-based interface.
"The advanced features and additions to the new Sun Cobalt Qube 3 server appliance provide customers of all levels of expertise a robust solution f or meeting their networking needs," said Vivek Mehra, vice president and ge neral manager of Sun Cobalt server appliances at Sun Microsystems. "The new Sun Cobalt Qube 3 appliance can be used for sharing files, resources, or d ocuments across a network or for hosting a company's e-mail, launching a we b site, or serving as a secure gateway to the World Wide Web. It makes it e asy to bring the full benefits of Internet computing to anyone, anywhere."< /p>
Small to medium-sized organizations, workgroups, branch offices, and edu cational institutions can use the Sun Cobalt Qube 3 appliance to serve Web pages, share files across the network, process email, serve as a firewall a nd improve network performance via caching. Service providers can deploy th e Sun Cobalt Qube 3 appliance at the end of their pipe to establish a prese nce on their customer's network and to service offerings and create layers of value-added services.
Introducing the new Sun Cobalt Qube Appliance family. The server appliance that revolutionized the market by providing companies wit h a simple and affordable way to leverage the Internet is back - and it is better than ever. With three new platforms to choose from, organizations ca n select the Sun Cobalt Qube appliance that best fits the needs of their bu siness.
What is the Sun Cobalt Qube 3 Appliance?
The Sun Qube 3 appliance is a complete Internet and intranet server in a box. If you're a small business, a large department, or even an individual with a network, the Sun Qube 3 appliance provides you with all of the tool s and applications you need to turn your organization into a truly connecte d workplace. Out of the box, the Sun Qube 3 appliance has the ability to sh are files and documents across a network, handle your email, launch your We bsite and serve as your organizations secure gateway to the World Wide Web 2E Getting your company online has never been so easy.
All the standard Internet/intranet services and applications are pre-ins talled, pre-configured, and manageable through the new Sun Cobalt Server De sktop, an intuitive and customizable browser-based interface. The Sun Qube 3 appliance's new software architecture was designed to make the deployment of new additional layered services as easy as a click of a button, meaning that you can integrate new applications to fit your needs. The Sun Cobalt BlueLinQ Application Delivery Service technology will give customers instan t access to new updates and services as they become available. New features in the Sun Qube 3 appliance include:
Multilingual Interface Web based email Network Auto-Configuration Versatile Broadband Connectivity Support Sun Cobalt BlueLinQ Application Delivery Service Increased reliability through RAID Web caching Access control
Sun Cobalt Qube 3 Appliance Details
The Sun Qube 3 is a server appliance that integrates all of the necessary tools and applications to get your organization up and running with a powerful Web presence. From the minute you turn it on, the Sun Qube 3 appliance gives you the ability to launch a website full of rich content, securely share your internet connection across your company or workgroup, create and manage your own email system, and share your documents and files across the network.
Designed to support as many as 150 networked users, the Sun Qube 3 appliance has the ability to give just about anyone the power and versatility of an in-house network server. It can perform all the network management functionality traditionally handled by a more complex and expensive general-purpose server. It can also handle more than 35 million Web objects and 400,000 emails in a single day.
