Apple Xserve (Early 2009) - Manual (Page 30)

Using Commands over the Serial Port to Install from the Optical Drive
Another way to install Mac OS X Server on the Xserve without a keyboard or display is
to use the Xserve serial port and optical drive.
To use the serial port and command line to install:
1 Connect a management console or a computer running terminal emulation software
to the serial port on the back of the Xserve.
2 Insert the Mac OS X Server Install DVD in the Xserve optical drive.
3 Use the front panel controls to start up the Xserve from the optical drive.
For information, see “Choosing a Startup Method from the Front Panel” on page 14.
The Xserve starts up from the disc in the optical drive and a login prompt appears in
the terminal window.
4 Log in as the user “root” with the password consisting of the first 8 characters of the
Xserve serial number.
5 If necessary, use the diskutil tool to erase, format, or partition the drive you plan to
install Mac OS X Server on. For help, type the command without any parameters:
$ diskutil
6 Switch to the directory on the DVD that contains the installation packages:
$ cd /System/Installation/Packages
7 Run the installer tool, specifying the Mac OS X Server metapackage:
$ installer -pkg ./OSInstall.mpkg -target /Volumes/volume -verboseR
where volume is the name of the volume you want to install the software on.
30 Chapter 4 Updating or Installing Software on the Xserve