I am remotely configuring a server to run various services, OpenSSH and mail (Fetchmail, specifically, is at issue now) using apt-get install, and twice I've encountered "Media change: Please insert the disk labelled 'Debian GNU/Linux 3.0 r2_Woody_-Official i386 Binary-1 (20031201)' in the drive '/cdrom/' and press enter." Being remote, it has stopped me dead in my tracks, first with OpenSSH and now with fetchmail, and it defeats the entire notion and purpose of remote administration. Is there a workaround here that I'm overlooking? Suggestions please!

Yes. You should edit the file /etc/apt/sources.list

If you have a net connection outbound (obviously you do) # comment out the cdrom lines and add something like:

replacing "testing" with your version of Debian you track (stable,testing,unstable).

Run apt-get update && apt-get upgrade

Now packages will be fetched from the Net instead of from these cd's.