Mac OS X Server 10.4.7 or later: How to install if you have no DVD drive

Resolution

If you have another computer with a DVD drive, and if all installation requirements are met except the DVD drive, you can use one of the following options.

Option 1

Use an external, DVD-compatible FireWire drive for the installation.

Option 2

Use a Mac with a DVD drive in FireWire target disk mode for the installation. If you're using a portable Mac, be sure it is connected to its power adapter.
 

1. Insert the Mac OS X Server Install DVD into the computer with the DVD drive.
2. Shut down both computers.
3. Restart the computer that has a DVD drive in target disk mode. Do not put the Xserve into target disk mode because this will not install the hardware monitoring software the Xserve needs.
4. Connect the computer with the DVD drive to the computer with the CD drive via a FireWire cable.
5. Turn on the computer with the CD drive.
6. When that computer starts up, the second computer's hard drive will appear on the first computer's desktop and the Mac OS X Server Install Disc will also show up on the desktop. Now you can install Mac OS X Server version 10.4.7 and later on the computer with the CD drive.

Option 3

Create a NetInstall image of the Mac OS X Server DVD and serve the image from another server. Refer to the following links for creating NetInstall Images, and version compatibility:

• Mac OS X Server 10.4 and 10.5: Netboot and NetInstall compatability
• System Image Utility 10.4 Help: Creating an OS Install Image
• Server Admin 10.5 Help: Creating NetInstall Images

Option 4

If you have a Mac with a DVD drive as well as an external disk with sufficent free disk space, you can use this option to create a "bootable external drive" which you can install from.  Note that a disk with a GUID partition scheme will not start a PowerPC-based server; see the "Discovering the partition scheme" section of this article to learn what partitioning scheme the external drive has.

1. Insert the Mac OS X Server Install DVD into the computer.
2. Open Disk Utility.
3. Click the installation disc's icon in the left side of the Disk Utility window.
4. Click the Restore tab.
5. Drag the install disc's icon from the desktop to the Source: field.
6. Drag the external hard drive's icon from the desktop to the Destination: field.
7. Click Restore.

After this process is complete, connect the external hard disk to the server. Restart the server. Hold the Option key as the server starts up, then select the external disk as the start up volume. The server should start from the disk to allow for installation (it will act as if it were being started from the actual install disc).