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My server is a Mac OS X 10.4 Xserve with 3TB of FibreChannel Xraid. The start up disk is 2 internals striped RAID 0, and one internal disk as formatted and partitiooned as SLED. We have a CTP computer to plate prepress operation with about 30 to 40 users connected at a time to this server. We backup with retrospect remotely over the network on OS X 10.4 and an Quantum LTO3 tape drive.

Friday afternoon I had my server going up and down. First thing was an incident where every single mac that was connected with the xserve locked up. So, after a reboot of the server and all the machines, connectivity was lost again in about an hour. I went into the server with my Apple Remote Desktop 3 software and ran disk utility on all volumes to verify they were all OK. The only one giving errors is unfortunately the system drive which is on a raid.

So, I retrieved all working files to a firewire. Then got all operators continuing live work from the file locally. Then, I checked my backups, ran retrospect to get fully current backups to my LTO3 tape backups. After having all operators going on the live jobs and satisfying that my backups were current and complete, I could focus to what the server needed.

First I went to boot it with target disk mode. This G5 Xserve server is headless with no keyboard or monitor, I administer it with Apple Remote Desktop. But, yo run disk utility on the boot partition I needed local control. So, I wanted to use my intel Macbook Pro laptop and get it mounted in target disk mode. I attached a keyboard to the Xserve so I could hold down the "T" key during reboot. I connected my Macbook Pro laptop to the Xserve with a firewire cable. Upon reboot with "T" down, I could not get the Xserve up with target disk.

Doesn't the Xserve support Target disk mode? Please advise. I need to service this startup disk and possibly reformat and re-install the server before Monday AM.
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JoePostscript -- support administrator

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Wind Turbine Buyer's Guide


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Hello JP, Just got your email and dug up my notes on this from last time my xserve was having issues. Sounds nasty. You are on the right track there, the Xserve does support Target Disk mode but not like other machines. So, here's how that works on Xserve. There are buttons on the front of the server that you can use to make it boot into target disk mode. Then can do your thing like you were planning.

Problem installing OS X on Xserve headless server OS X 10.4

Connecting Another Mac With the Xserve G5 System in Target Disk Mode

You can also connect a PowerBook, iBook, Xserve G5, or other Mac directly to your Xserve G5 system. The computer you connect must have a FireWire port and an optical drive, and the Xserve G5 system must be in target disk mode.

Note: The default name of the server’s startup volume is Server HD. If you connect another server to your Xserve G5 system, you may want to change the name of its startup volume temporarily to avoid having two disks with that name when you want to install.

To put your system into target disk mode and connect a Mac to it:

(1) Remove any FireWire devices that are connected to the Xserve G5 system.

(2) Use the front panel mode to put the system into target disk mode.

- 2a With the power off, hold in the system identifier button while you press the on/standby button.
- 2b Continue holding in the system identifier button until the top row of blue lights blinks sequentially.
- 3b Release the system identifier button. The rightmost light in the bottom row turns on. Press the button to light the next light in the bottom row, moving from right to left. Press the button again to change lights.
- 4b Proceed to Light 5 = Begin target disk mode (all drives, including the optical drive, will show up)
- 5b When the light 5 is on, hold in the system identifier button for at least 2 seconds, until all lights in the top row are on.
- 5b Release the button

(3) Connect a PowerBook, iBook, or other Mac to the FireWire port on the Xserve G5 system’s front panel.

(4) Turn on the connected computer and insert Mac OS X Server Install Disc 1 in its optical drive.

The Xserve G5 system’s drive or volumes mount on the connected computer.

(5) Repair the startup disk with Disk Utility from the Laptop, or Begin the installation process from the server install disc and install on the mounted volume of your installation drive (that is, the volume on the Xserve G5 that will be the system’s startup disk).

Note: You can use either Server Assistant or the Terminal application and commandline tools to control the installation.

See the PDF document Command-Line Administration on the server website (www.apple.com/server/documentation/) for more information about using commandline tools with the Terminal application.
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later dudes, xserv

i dig: xserve backup, xserve xraid, xserve cluster node, xserve hard drive, xserve hard drives, xserve os, xserve rack, xserve raid windows, xserve software, xserve web. Graphic Design Forums, Prepress Forums.

Hi Xserve, you haven't posted in awhile. I was just checking to see if you are available in case I have problems tonight with the server. I am an experienced admin of course but this headless server is the only one I have had like this and I do not like having to do this in mid week. Just checking to see if you're available tonight, check in your email in case I need any help. I am totally reformatting and configuring this thing from scratch, have about 2 hours to get it all back as it was.
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JoePostscript -- support administrator

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Wind Turbine Buyer's Guide


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I know osx server and xserves pretty well if you need any help, feel free to ask me.

I made it halfway through my project and am trying to work out a windows sharing and authentication issue so I can go live with the new system. So, the Xserve has three internals, scsi disks. Two are mirrored for redundancy, the third is a single SLED partition. On the two mirrored, the old problematic OS X server that was an abortion of a config. The IT guys insisted on hooking that production server into the Windows authentication server and created lots of dependancy. So, all the problems we ever had were related to that dependancy.

On the single disk partition, I have a very clean fresh install of OS X, local authentication, no dependancy to windows network authentication. Two shares are my working file server disks on xraid fiberchannel. These two partitions need accessed by a few Windows 2003 Server boxes running my Esko-Graphics SCOPE workflow. I have guest sharing and SMB, can easily access and map those disks and mount them.

Problem is, when I reboot the server, it does not automatically mount these mapped shares. Instead, it will force me to go through an dialog box, OK, then mounts. The SCOPE runs as a service, so when these boxes boot, the Xraid disks must come up auto mount, no user intervention.

So, although I have file service for Windows working well in manual fashion, I need these shares to auto mount on the 2003 server at boot, re-boot. But i do NOT want to tie any windows authentication directory server into my prepress systems as that has been a problem before. I need the Xserve and Windows 2003 servers to automount without forcing manual password entry. Any ideas what the OS X Server and the Windows 2003 server need to work like I want? I'm all ears....
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JoePostscript -- support administrator

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Wind Turbine Buyer's Guide


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