Restoring the Cobalt RAQ 4i

we got a few Cobalt RAQ 4i servers on ebay (see http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&dfsp=1&from=R10&satitle=raq&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sadis=200&fpos=ZIP%2FPostal&sabfmts=1&saobfmts=insif&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&seller=1&sass=notebookjunkyard&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1)

and decided to push them into service.

First, we got the Cobalt RAQ restore procedure from zeffie.com (http://www.zeffie.com/cobalt_restore_cd.html) and downloaded the ISO from (ftp://ftp.cobalt.sun.com/pub/iso/). Then I went a-hunting and got a load of package (updates) from various spots on the internet which are installed using something like (http://www.cobaltfaqs.com/index.php/Command_line_PKG_install_on_RaQ_3_and_4).

I'm getting ahead of myself.

1. Burn the ISO to a CD.
2. Boot the RestoreCD on a computer with a single CD and a single network card.
3. The network card is very specific. Here's an ebay search "(PILA8470B,3CSOHO100-TX,FA312TX,LNE100TX)" or (http://search.ebay.com/PILA8470B-3CSOHO100-TX-FA312TX-LNE100TX_W0QQcatrefZC6QQfposZ78660QQfromZR9QQfromZR9QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ34QQfstypeZ1QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1Q3fQ5ftrksidQ3dp1638Q2em128QQsabfmtsZ1QQsacatZQ2d1QQsaobfmtsZinsifQQsatitleZQ28PILA8470BQ2c3CSOHO100Q2dTXQ2cFA312TXQ2cLNE100TXQ29QQsbrsrtZdQQsspagenameZSTRKQ3aMEFSRCHQ3aSRCH)

only these cards will work.

4. connect the raq and the restore server using a twisted ethernet cable or a switch.
5. if you are very lucky and follow zeffie's procedure, you'll get a restored server.

6. next, with a serial cable into the raq, i configure the second ethernet port (or the first) so that I can FTP in the update packages into /home/packages and then I run the "command line PKG install" on the raq.

dat's it!