Installing Multiple Servers
Most Ecient Methods of Installation
The most ecient method of installation would be completely automated. Opening
the Terminal application and using the installer tool to initiate each server software
installation doesn’t accomplish this eciently.
However, scripting the command-line tool (using known values for server IP addresses,
for example) to automate multiple simultaneous installations can be very ecient.
To completely automate server installation, you must script the installer tool and
have a high measure of control over the network infrastructure.
For example, to have known IP addresses and the appropriate hardware serial
numbers included in your script, you cannot rely on the randomly assigned IP
addresses. You can use DHCP assigned static addresses to remove that uncertainty and
ease your scripting considerations.
Additionally, you can create a NetInstall server on the target servers’ local network
that can install an operating system. If you combine this with saved auto setup les,
you can easily automate installation of multiple computers without much human
interaction.
The methods, scripting languages, and possibilities are too many to list in this guide.
More Interactive Methods of Installation
When running Server Assistant from an administration computer to install on multiple
machines, you still have to open a connection to each server one at a time.
You can use VNC viewer software or the installer tool to initiate multiple server
software installations.
After using a VNC viewer to control installation of Mac OS X Server v10.6 on one
remote computer, you can use the VNC viewer to open a connection to another
remote computer and control installation on it. Because this involves interacting with
each server individually, it is a less ecient method of installing on multiple servers.
106 Chapter 5 Installation and Deployment
