i am putting a hard drive in the server now BUT, is there an inexpensive way to do it?

do i buy the hard from raqware? $250 for a 80GB HDD with the raq4 software installed and tray?

BUT i do have windows 2003 windows(with exchange server 2003)

i prefer to get the hard drive and the tray for it (it had no tray too....)
and install the windows 2003 server on it but how? i don't have a cd-rom drive
do i need and external cd-rom drive and a monitor to install it?

here is a list of things i need or don't need:
1. the hard drive tray
2. the hard drive (what hard drive type do i need and do you recommend a
30-40GB and a cheap price and what site or store?)
3. an adapter for the monitor for the back of the server? (or can i use the LCD screen and where could i find this?)
4. an external USB cd-rom drive?

italics means do it need it?

i prefer windows server 2003 because i want some exe applications on the server..(when not using wine or crossover)

Thank you in advance!
nandina
.

This is an ancient post, but for others I'll take a stab at it.

You can put almost any 5400rpm 5.25" quarter-height IDE drive into a Raq4. The main consideration is the power draw, which must be no more than your existing disk (especially if you have two disks, with only one, this isn't much of an issue). A SATA drive won't work (without a SATA-to-IDE adapter, which is incompletely tested in this environment).

If you're replacing a disk, you shouldn't need a tray, cable, or anything else inside. If your system was missing a tray, then you can buy one from RaqWare.com for $22 or so without the drive.

You do need the Raq Restore Disk (which can be downloaded from several places or purchased online if you can't find it), and a "donor" PC with a CD-ROM and a network port. You also need either a network switch/hub and two cable or a single "crossover" cable.

The only reason you need to use the serial port on the back is to look at the error messages. It is NOT a monitor port -- the system has no VGA. To use it with your favorite PC, then you'll need the appropriate RS-232 serial cable.

I won't iterate the whole deal here, but basically you load the CD-ROM in your "donor" PC, connect to the Raq with the crossover cable, boot the Raq and do a little magic dance with the console buttons, and your system will load. Simple as that. Read the instructions that come with the restore CD.

You can download the restore Raq550 CD here: ftp://ftp.cobalt.sun.com/pub/iso/ -- the Raq4 one is probably there. Some people (like Zeffie) will sell you one for $20 that has a bunch of fixes loaded on it, and also will sell you support. The people at OSOffice.co.uk will sell you (for GBP 50 -- about $80) an install process for a much more modern system that nonetheless runs the Cobalt admin GUI.

Free, $20, $80, $250. Choose your poison.

I agree, don't buy a preloaded hard drive, the install is really easy! Download the OS cd, fire it up on a pc (boot from CD) and let it do it's thing. You will need to access the raq bios by holding down one of the panel keys to initiate the install but it is really easy.

You might want to check the maximum size of hdd you can put in your raq, some of them have limits but 40gb will not be a problem.

I said 5.25" drive above, but clearly I meant 3.5". I've obviously lived too long -- the first hard drives I used were (literally) the size of washing machines.

I said 5.25" drive above, but clearly I meant 3.5". I've obviously lived too long -- the first hard drives I used were (literally) the size of washing machines.

I remember those! A brick worth of metal got you about 2GB :agree:

This is an ancient post, but for others I'll take a stab at it.

You can put almost any 5400rpm 3.5"[edited] IDE drive into a Raq4. The main consideration is the power draw, which must be no more than your existing disk (especially if you have two disks, with only one, this isn't much of an issue). A SATA drive won't work (without a SATA-to-IDE adapter, which is incompletely tested in this environment).


I have (2) 7200 RPM Drives in both my RaQ 4's with no problems, I have Seagate 7200.7 40Gig HDs in one and (2) 7200.7 80Gig units in the other, so the power supply will handle 7200 RPM Drives with no problems, just use newer IDE Drives as they draw VERY low wattage. My understanding is that the RaQ 3 & 4 units only have a 60 Watt Power supply in them. Also if you are going to use 7200 RPM Drives make sure the fans are running.

c0op3r

I have (2) 7200 RPM Drives in both my RaQ 4's with no problems, I have Seagate 7200.7 40Gig HDs in one and (2) 7200.7 80Gig units in the other, so the power supply will handle 7200 RPM Drives with no problems, just use newer IDE Drives as they draw VERY low wattage. My understanding is that the RaQ 3 & 4 units only have a 60 Watt Power supply in them. Also if you are going to use 7200 RPM Drives make sure the fans are running.c0op3r
All true. The issues are power consumption and heat. If your fans are working and the overall power draw is not too high, you can run 7200rpm disks, but if you are not comfortable looking up and evaluating disk tech specs, be careful. And yes, the original Raq fans are crappy, so if they haven't failed yet, they will. Keep an eye on them.

i am putting a hard drive in the server now BUT, is there an inexpensive way to do it?

do i buy the hard from raqware? $250 for a 80GB HDD with the raq4 software installed and tray?

BUT i do have windows 2003 windows(with exchange server 2003)

i prefer to get the hard drive and the tray for it (it had no tray too....)
and install the windows 2003 server on it but how? i don't have a cd-rom drive
do i need and external cd-rom drive and a monitor to install it?

here is a list of things i need or don't need:
1. the hard drive tray
2. the hard drive (what hard drive type do i need and do you recommend a
30-40GB and a cheap price and what site or store?)
3. an adapter for the monitor for the back of the server? (or can i use the LCD screen and where could i find this?)
4. an external USB cd-rom drive?

italics means do it need it?

i prefer windows server 2003 because i want some exe applications on the server..(when not using wine or crossover)

Thank you in advance!
nandina
.

You can use ATA133 hard disks with the RAQ4. Did anyone already replied to this post?

About the problem. And I also want to know.

Hope here get the answers.

What are your questions I will do my best to answer them?

Welcome to the forum. Just wait and you'll get a load of questions.
_______________
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Hi. I cant post any links here but do a Google search for "Cobalt RaQ Restore CD". First site in Google search results, download the ISO, burn it. Then, all you have to do is pop a new hard drive in there and run the CD on another computer. The computer and the RaQ must be on the same network and the computer has to have a compatible network card (listed on the restore screen). This will do a network install. You can also use strongbolt. No need to buy a new hard drive with the RaQ software on it. The hard drive doesn't need to be anything special, just any ATA66/100 will work.