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Slang for running a server with no monitor or other peripherals attached. Some computers may '''need''' to have a keyboard attached in order to boot up, but that can often be disabled in the [[BIOS]]. Once you've got a headless server set up, you'll either control it remotely via [[ssh]] or [[webmin]] or locally by using a serial console cable attached to another computer. This is sometimes necessary if you've hosed the connectivity to the headless server (e.g., you killed [[ssh]] or you misconfigured your IP information with [[ifconfig]].

For this you will need:
 - a null modem serial cable (or USB to serial, etc)
 - a serial port on your headless server
 - a serial port on the computer you're connecting ''from''
 - a terminal program on your working computer. 

In Microsoft Windows, you can use Tera Term Pro SSH (putty doesn't do serial consoles), or the built-in MS Windows program HyperTerm for your terminal program. Unixes (and unix-alikes), can use [[cu]] or [[tip]].

Quick and dirty instructions: 
 1. Connect the cable from your computer to the server -- serial ports. 
    Make SURE it's a null modem cable.
 2. Start up your terminal program and tell it to use the serial COM port on 
    your PC and change the connection settings to 9600 bps, 8-n-1, Hardware flow control.
 3. Press enter once the program says it's connected.
 4. You should now be at your login prompt -- locally, as if you had a full monitor and 
    keyboard attached to your headless server -- so you can login and fix your network problems.

If you're using Window's HyperTerm program, your settings should look like this: 

[[Image:Hyperterm.jpg]]

For more info on how to do this from one FreeBSD box to another, check out the FreeBSD Manual page http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/faq/serial.html


[[Category:Configuring FreeBSD]]