In a datacenter where you control the DHCP assignments, it would be fairly easy to determine the IP address of a new server, since the MAC address is usually on

In a datacenter where you control the DHCP assignments, it would be fairly easy to determine the IP address of a new server, since the MAC address is usually on a label somewhere on the chassis. For a remote install, you could either configure the IP before burning the install media (as you suggested), or have the installer scan connected USB devices for a known config file name, and load configuration from it. That way, all you would need to do is have the colo tech load a file you emailed them onto a thumb drive, and then insert that into an available USB port on the server before starting installation.