Newbie needs help setting up rackmount server

[Nikolas Britton]

On 8/11/05, Maude User <maudeuser at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Thank you for your quick answer! In the link you sent, there is a chapter about doing a "headless install" -- and my rackmount server is certainly "headless".
> 
> My laptop is so new it doesn't appear to have a serial port, but I think I can get a USB-to-serial adapter for connecting the null modem cable.
> 

I'd not do the serial connection thing for two reasons:
1. more then likely you'll have to buy a null modem cable and
USB-to-serial adapter.
2. It will be very slow, think 56K modem...

Based on what I've read about your system it doesn't have console
redirection so at some point in time you will need to put a monitor
and keyboard on this system to setup the RAID (you bought two drives)
and the BIOS before you can install FreeBSD, yes? I find it hard to
believe you don't have access to an old monitor and kb for an hour to
install FreeBSD. If you can get the monitor and kb do a network
install from the boot floppies, you do have a floppy drive installed
yes? if you don't find one or an old CD-ROM drive and crack the case,
no? You could try bootp or a USB thumb/flash drive thingy (dd
if=floppy.img of=/dev/da0 bs=foo). Their are better ways to waste ones
time then to try a laplink serial install.