For this installation method, you need a second computer that is connected by a null modem cable to the computer on which to install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Depending on the hardware, even the firmware or BIOS of the computer may already be accessible to the serial console. If this is possible, you can carry out the entire installation using this method. To activate the serial console installation, additionally specify the parameter console=ttyS0 at the boot promptdirectly after the boot process has completed and before the installation system starts.

On most computers, there are two serial interfaces, ttyS0 and ttyS1. For the installation, you need a terminal program like minicom or screen. To initiate the serial connection, launch the screen program in a local console by entering the following command:

screen /dev/ttyS0 9600

This means that screen listens to the first serial port with a baud rate of 9600. From this point on, the installation proceeds similarly to the text-based installation over this terminal.