Specification of Service

As a Cobaltracks.com Customer, you already benefit from our superior technology and expert staff. Our monthly hosting fees include the following:

• A high-speed dedicated Cobalt Raq Server.
• Any hardware failures are our responsibility. Cobalt Racks will replace any failed hardware but is not liable for downtime or loss of data that results from hardware failure.
• Total control of your server through root or administrator access Rack space in our data center Uninterruptible power management system and redundant power
• Server monitoring: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year-we monitor your server
• Connection to Internet backbones
• 30 days of Free cobaltRacks support.
• Our contract does not include CBR system administration or consultation. However, you may obtain these services using these options: Using a System Administration Support contract Per hourly charge of $75.00 usd. To retain support services, or support after the first 30 days email Support@cobaltracks.com or phone 540-667-6431.

FAQ

1-What is Cobalt control panel used for?

"Cobalts are very easy to use. They come with a very easy to use GUI control panel. You only need a web browser to run it.

The control panel has three levels:

• 1. RaQ administrator - it is the person renting the dedicated servers from us. You can set up the whole server as you want and you can also set up individual sites that you would sell. You can set up:
  
  (*) Bandwidth limit
  (*) Max allowable disk space
  (*) Enable shell accounts
  (*) Enable CGI scripts
  (*) Enable SSL
  (*) Enable FrontPge Extensions
  (*) Enable APOP
  (*) Plus some more things.
  
  
• 2. Site administrator - this would be the the owner of a virtual site. He/she will have a control panel for the site only (remove/add user, create a mailing list, manage disk space, back up files, etc.)
  
• 3. Site user panel - change user name, password, set up email options, monitor use of disk space, etc.
  
  We recommend to go to www.demo.cobalt.com or a demo of the control panel."
  

2-How do I set up my first web site?

Here are the steps for seting up your first website.

• 1. Put your first IP in a browser and click start
• 2. Put www in your hostname and yourdomain.com in your domain name.
• 3. Put your first IP in the primary DNS server field and your second ip in your secondary DNS server field
• 4. put what you'd like as an admin password in the password blanks.
• 5. Click OK/continue. (Answer ok to the error message)
• 6. Follow the DNS server setup instructions here http://www.cobalt.com/support/wp.dns.html
• 7. Contact your domain register and give them the following info to move your domain to your new server
  Primary DNS server hostname ns.yourdomain.com
  Primary DNS server IP your first IP
  Secondary DNS server hostname ns1.yourdomain.com
  Secondary DNS server IP your second IP
  
  That should do it"

3-How do I get extra IP numbers and how much will it cost?

Each Cobalt Server starts out with 4 different IP Numbers. Additional IP Numbers will cost one dollar extra per month(on all plans). To request additional IP Numbers please follow this link https://visuallink-payments.com/vlcs/srvcs.asp.

4-What to do when you are in a foreign country and your pictures at Cobalt admin site do not work?

 You have to enable the English version of Internet Explorer.
"First, ensure that you have the latest version of Internet Explorer. Then go into the menus: Tools->Internet Options->Languages).
Click on "Add" button and select "English (United States) [us-en]" from the list. Then make sure English is set to be first else it won't work."

5-How do I upgrade from a RaQ3 to a RaQ4?

 "Cobalt Networks has a migration utility you can review the manuals and download the aplication from http://www.cobalt.com/support/download/migration.html
This allows you to move from RAQ3 to RAQ4 however it does have 1 flaw. It doesn't move the user passwords so you have to reset the passwords for each user.

There are two ways we can setup your new server:

We can give it new IP space and leave your old server running for a day or two. This gives you the ability to move your sites over 1 at a time. However it would also require that you "unregister" your old DNS servers and re-register them in the new IP space.

The other option is to swap out your server for the newer one with the same IP space, this saves you the trouble of working with the registers but it makes the site-moveing process a little more dificult. In this case, you cannot have the old server at all. The new server will have the old IP's and you cannot have two different servers to have the same IP's."

6-Where can I find Cobalt development information?

RaQ servers ship with a standard suite of unix development and hosting tools installed. These tools include the Apache web server, Sendmail SMTP server, and ProFTPD FTP server. Standard development tools include the Perl scripting language and GNU c and c++ (gcc/g++) compilers, debuggers, and libraries. Additionally, a number of standard unix tools are availble, including vi, pico, and emacs. Cobalt's RaQ microservers were designed as simple and sleek interernet servers, rather than complex development sytems. Cobalts are designed as light weight machines meant for speed. While you can load all the traditional linux packages they will affect performance.

7-What is your Support Policy Regarding Services and Applications Running on Cobalt Servers?

We provide technical support for the following standard Cobalt services and applications when configured and managed through the Cobalt web-based administration interface:

• Web server (port 80 - normal http requests)
• FTP server (regular publishing and anonymous FTP services)
• Mail services (POP accounts, SMTP services)
• DNS services
• We do not provide support for third party applications or any configuration changes made outside the Cobalt web-based administration interface.

8-What other applications can I run on my Cobalt?

There is no official list of Cobalt-supported applications, though there are a number of downloadable files available from Cobalt's FTP site, ftp://ftp.cobaltnet.com. If you have an interest in running a particular application or service that isn't already installed on your server, consult Cobalt's support site at http://www.cobaltnet.com/support. Additonally, a number of support issues have been addressed in the Cobalt Knowledgebase. It is also possible to use any X86 cobalt RPM package which works under Redhat Linux. There may be some library dependancy issues but they should be minor. Please remember that once you go outside the confines of the Cobalt web- based administration interface, neither Cobalt nor Cobalt Racks will be able to troubleshoot any problems which may arise. Procede with extreme caution when installing unsupported applications on your server!

9-Can I use telnet instead of the browser interface to configure my RaQ?

In most cases, it's best if you do not use telnet to configure your server. The Cobalt Microserver was designed to work very consistently when configured and maintained through the web-based administration interface. It is very easy to adversely affect the performance of your Cobalt by making modifications to system configuration files.

Warning to the RaQ administrator: it is the policy Cobalt racks to void the software configuration warranty of any RaQ system which has been (mis) configured from a telnet session. If your server malfunctions as a result of operating system modifications, Cobalt Racks will be forced to charge you to repair your server. For security purposes, it is not possible to log in as root via a telnet session. In order to obtain a root shell, telnet to the server and login as the admin user. From the command prompt, run the su command. You will be prompted for the root password, which is always the same as the admin password. Only the administrator user has permissions to become root. We do NOT offer support after a user has telnet access.

10-Changing the system's hostname

You can change your Cobalt's hostname through the web-based admin interface. Make sure that the hostname you choose is properly nameserved. If you choose a hostname which is not in DNS, the Cobalt Apache rewrite engine will fail, rendering the admin interface inaccessable.

• Click the Control Panel button from the Administrator Site.
• Click Network at the top of the screen.
• Change the Cobalt Server Name and Domain Name fields to reflect your new hostname. Do not change any of the other fields on this page. Doing so may render your server inaccessable.
• Click Save Changes.

11-Configuring email forwarding

To set up email forwarding accounts and aliases:

To address a user by an alias, a sender must always include the hostname in the recipient's email address unless Accept Email for Domain is selected in Site Management under Site Settings. Most users will wish to enable this feature.

In order to create a "catch-all" email account which recieves mail sent to any username at a given domain name, add @domain.com to the Email Aliases field and click Save Changes. This will cause all mail sent to any address @domain.com to forward to this user. Note that the next time you load this user's Email Settings screen, this entry will no longer appear in the Email Aliases field due a bug in the Cobalt Control Panel. You must add @domain.com each time you update this users mail forwarding settings.

12-Configuring virtual sites (IP-based and name-based)

From the Server Management screen, you can create a virtual site by following these steps:

Once the site has been created, you an manage it by clicking the modify icon for the site from the Site Management screen. To assign a site administrator to the new virtual site, follow the steps listed in Adding a Site User.

A name-based site shares an IP address with other web servers on your Cobalt. The web server detects what web site is requested by the client web browser, then returns the correct web site.

13-Creating POP accounts and users

After creating a virtual site, you can add or remove users for that site as well as creating a site administrator. From the Server Management screen, follow these steps to create a site user or site administrator:

• Click Site Management from the Administrator Site.
• Click the modify icon for the site to which you want add a user.
• Click Add User.
• Enter the information for the user you wish to create.
• Click Confirm New User.

14-Configuring an SMTP server:

By default, all dedicated servers reject any mail which does not originate from or is not desitned to a local domain. It is possible to configure your Cobalt server so that it can be used as an SMTP server by a list of static IP addresses or domain names. Before continuing with this procedure, please make sure you are familiar with our Acceptable Use Policy in regards to unsolicited commercial email and open SMTP relays. Customers who violate this policy are subject to service interruption and possibly termination.

The following information explains how to configure a Cobalt as an SMTP server:

• From the Administrator Site, click on Control Panel, then Services, and then Email Server Parameters
  
• Indicate the domain names and/or IP addresses, one per line, of the sites which will be using your SMTP server to send outgoing mail next to Relay email from these hosts/domains. For example, entering aol.com will allow anybody with an America Online account to use your SMTP server. Please review our Acceptable use Policy before allowing your customers to use your SMTP server. * We do not allow open SMTP relays or bulk spam. *
  
• Indicate the domain names, one per line, for which your Cobalt will recieve email next to Receive email addressed to these hosts/domains. Any virtual sites will be automatically added to this list when they are created.
  
• Indicated the full email addresses, domains, and/or hostnames, one per line, of any users or systems from which you wish to reject email next to Block email from these users/hosts/domains. This feature allows you to reduce the amount of spam or other unwatned email which is sent to your users.
  

15-Configuring an email client to recieve mail:

In order for users to receive mail, they will need to use an email client which supports POP3 or IMAP4. These features are implemented by most all modern email clients such as Eudora, Microsoft Outlook, and Netscape Communicator.

You can use the following guidelines when setting up your email client:

• Email address: Your email address is username@domain, where username is a user which was created through the RaQ admin interface and domain is your domain name.
  
• POP (or IMAP) server (or incoming mail server): Enter the hostname or IP address of your Cobalt server.
  
• SMTP Server: Enter the hostname or IP address of your Cobalt server or the hostname or IP address of your internet provider's SMTP server. Please read Configuring an SMTP server for more information.

16-Configuring anonymous FTP

Anonymous FTP sites often become a storage area for pirated software, mp3 files, and other undesirable content. Please take this into consideration before creating an anonymous FTP site.

Anonymous FTP allows users without passwords to download and upload files via FTP within the specified disk-space limit. The site administrator is able to set the limits on the amount of files that can be uploaded anonymously and the total number of anonymous users who can access the site simultaneously. The FTP Settings section is displayed as a read-only status page for site administrators who are not the system administrator.

To change the FTP settings for your site:

In order to download files via anonymous FTP, log onto the site with the username guest or anonymous. There is no need to enter a password. When you log on with one of these usernames, you'll enter the directory /home/sites/sitename/ftp. Any files which are uploaded to this directory are made available for download via FTP. Site administrators may access the anonymous FTP directory as /ftp during an FTP session. Once you've uploaded a file, anonymous users can not see it or access it on the FTP site; any registered site users with Telnet/shell privileges can access it. The size limit specified for FTP uploads is the total amount of disk space allocated for FTP uploads. If this number is set to 0, guests cannot upload files to the FTP site.

17-Enabling Server Side Includes, CGI scripts, and Frontpage Extensions:

By default, Server Side Includes, CGI scripts, and Frontpage Extensions are disabled.

These features can be enabled on a per-site basis:

• Click Site Settings from the Site Management screen.
• Check the boxes next to the features you wish to enable
• Click the Save Changes button.

18-Monitoring web server statistics:

Web site usage statistics are generated automatically once the administrator selects the usage reports checkbox when creating a new site. In order to enable web stats on a site which as already been created:

• Click Site Settings from the Site Management screen.
• Check the usage reports box - you can choose between "None", "Daily", and "Weekly" reports.
  

19-Backing up data:

The administrator has the ability to perform various types of backups. To back up data stored on to your workstation at your home or office, follow these steps:

• Click the Backup button at the top of the Administrator Site / Maintenance screen.
• In Data to Backup, select the type of backup you wish to create:
  
  All server configuration, email and user files: This backs up all the server configuration files for the users and the system setup, all users files, all group files, and all email in-boxes.
  All server configuration: This backs up all the server configuration files for the users and the administrator, as well as all the system setup information.
  Files and email of user: This backs up the files and email in-box for a specific user.
  Files of virtual site: This backs up the files and email for a specific virtual site.
  
• To back up all files or files which have been changed within a certain time frame, select Backup all Files or select a number of days from the menu adjacent to Backup files modified in the last.
• Click Start Backup.
• Select file name on your computer where the backup will be saved and click Save to begin downloading the backup.

Downloading the backup file will take anywhere between several seconds to a number of hours, depending on how much data is backed up. Do not interrupt or cancel the file transfer. If the file transfer fails, delete the partial backup file and restart the backup process. Attempting to restore a partial backup will result in corrupted data.

20-Monitoring disk space usage

A disk usage summary describes the total disk space occupied by system files, sites, and site users as well as the amount of free disk space left and the total size of the disk.

To access Disk Usage, click on the Site Management section for the virtual host you wish to monitor.

21-Restoring data

Restoring data is a simple procedure. You must restore data to the same machine from which that the data was backed up. Users have the ability to restore their own personal directories. To restore a user or a group's home directory, make sure the user or group already exists. When data is restored, the system is returned to the exact state in which it was left prior to backup.

Restores are not possible with Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3. If you experience problems uploading an backup file, use a newer browser.

Do not interrupt the restore process, as it can corrupt data.

Cobalt Networks will periodically release operating system patches which can be applied through the web-based administration interface. Additionally, some third party software applications must be installed this way.

To install a Cobalt package file (.pkg extension):

• Download the appropriate package file to the computer from which you are accessing the Cobalt admin interface.
• Click the Maintenance button from the Administrator Site.
• Click on the Install Software button at the top of the screen.
• Click on the Browse button and select the package file you wish to upload to your Cobalt.
• Click the Install a '.pkg' Package button to begin uploading and installing the package. A status indicator at the bottom of the screen will displauy the status of the upload. Once the package has been installed, it will appear in the list of installed software.
  

23-Password protecting a web directory

There is no web-based administration feature which allows you to password protect a web directory. This will need to be done from a telnet session. This example illustrates how to password protect a user's web page. This procedure can be applied to any web documents on your server:

• Log into the Cobalt via telnet or SSH.
• Change directories to the directory you wish to proteect and create a file called .htaccess which contains the following lines:
  
  order allow,deny
  allow from all
  require valid-user
  Authname DirectoryName
  AuthPAM_Enabled off
  Authtype Basic
  AuthUserFile /home/sites/sitename/users/username/htpasswd
  

The AuthUserFile should point to a file in the which contains a list of users and their encrypted password strings. This file is created with the htpasswd program. In order to create this file, run the following commands in a telnet session from within the directory where you wish to create the file:

/usr/bin/htpasswd -c htpasswd

You will be prompted for a password, and then prompted again to verify. If the htpasswd file already exists, omit the "-c" from the command indicated above.