XServe Reaction: Knowledge Base Articles

Apple has posted a number of knowledge base articles detailing problems with the recently shipped XServe.

106923 : Xserve: Reset Password Command Does Not Work With RAID Volumes notes that if the root password is lost and the startup volume is a member of a RAID set, the Reset Password command does not work. Apple offers a workaround that requires logging into single-user mode and typing a series of commands to create a new password. The key commands are:

<nicl -raw /var/db/netinfo/local.nidb>
< -create /users/root passwd "">

Note: We find this article to be of particular interest, as the technique may also apply, with some modification, to any computer running Mac OS X (we intend to test this out soon).

106931: Xserve: How to Remotely "Mount" a CD in "Headless" Configuration explains how to make a CD available to the file system on an Xserve computer without a display connected to it, "headless." The solution involves making an SSH connection to the said XServe and using the command "disktool."

88434: Xserve: Ethernet Cable Difficult to Disconnect notes that it may be difficult to disconnect an Ethernet cable from the XServe, and explains that inserting a small, flat tool like a screwdriver and depressing the tab can ease removal.

88435: Xserve: Power Voltage Warnings in Server Monitor explains that the Server Monitor may report a power voltage warning in the Power section, and says that if the 3.3 V, 2.5 V, and Logic Core (1.7 V) voltages display power warnings, the logic board needs to be replaced.