System information
31Chapter 2 Getting Ready for Mac OS X Server
A built-in DVD drive is convenient for installing Mac OS X Server, but you can also
attach an external FireWire DVD drive or a Mac that has a DVD drive and is operating in
target disk mode.
A display is optional. You can use an administrator computer to install and administer
Mac OS X Server on a computer that has no display. For information, see “Preparing an
Administrator Computer” on page 51.
Your server doesn’t need to be located where someone has constant access to it. When
you need to perform administrative tasks, you can use any Mac that you’ve set up as an
administrator computer.
Preparing Your Network and Internet Connection
Before installing and setting up Snow Leopard Server for the rst time, you need to
get DNS and DHCP services ready for your server. If you’re setting up an independent
server for a small organization, you’ll also want to protect it against malicious attacks
from the Internet.
Setting Up DNS for Your Server
To allow users to access your server by using its name, the domain name system (DNS)
servers for your local network need to be congured to resolve your server’s DNS name
to its IP address. Some services provided by your server also require that DNS servers
be congured to resolve your server’s IP address to its primary DNS name.