Specifications

Chapter 3 Installing Server Software and Finishing Basic Setup 43
Servers that have had Mac OS X Server v10.5 installed automatically detect the
presence of the saved setup information and use it to complete initial server setup
without user interaction.
You can define generic setup data that can be used to set up any computer.
For example, you can define generic setup data for a computer that’s on order, or for 50
Xserve computers you want to be identically configured.
You can also save setup data that’s specifically tailored for a computer.
Important: When you perform an upgrade, saved setup data is used and overwrites
existing server settings. If you do not want saved server setup data to be used after an
upgrade, rename the saved setup configuration file.
Creating a Configuration File
An easy way to prepare configuration files to automate the setup of a group of
computers is to start with a file you save using Server Assistant.
You can save the file as the last step when you use Server Assistant to set up the first
computer, or you can run Server Assistant later to create the file. You can then use that
configuration file as a template for creating configuration files for other computers.
You can edit the file directly, or write scripts to create customized configuration files for
computers that use similar hardware.
Note: If you intend to create a generic configuration file because you want to use the
file to set up additional computers, don’t specify network names (computer names or
local hostnames), and make sure each network interface (port) is set to be configured
using DHCP or using BootP.
To save a configuration file during server setup:
1 In the final pane of Server Assistant, after you review the settings, click Save As.
2 In the dialog that appears, choose Configuration File next to “Save As” and click OK:
 If encryption is not required, don’t select “Save in Encrypted Format.”
 To encrypt the file, select “Save in Encrypted Format” and enter and verify a
passphrase. You must supply the passphrase before an encrypted setup file can be
used by a target computer.
3 Navigate to the location where you want to save the configuration file, name the file
using one of the following options, and click Save.
Target computers search for names in the order listed:
 MAC-address-of-server.plist (include leading zeros but omit colons)—for example,
0030654dbcef.plist
 IP-address-of-server.plist—for example, 10.0.0.4.plist