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[kamil]

I always forget how to do the following

• change the default run level (say from init 5 to init 3) and thus prevent window sytem from starting on boot
• allow x windows to start but prevent users from logging in (i.e. log them out instantly)

Any ideas?

[QuantumKnot]

As for the first question about default runlevel, I think you change it in /etc/inittab

[kamil]

cool thanks

running:

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cat /etc/inittab

looks like this on my pc:

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#
# inittab       This file describes how the INIT process should set up
#               the system in a certain run-level.
#
# Author:       Miquel van Smoorenburg, <miquels@drinkel.nl.mugnet.org>
#               Modified for RHS Linux by Marc Ewing and Donnie Barnes
#

# Default runlevel. The runlevels used by RHS are:
#   0 - halt (Do NOT set initdefault to this)
#   1 - Single user mode
#   2 - Multiuser, without NFS (The same as 3, if you do not have networking)
#   3 - Full multiuser mode
#   4 - unused
#   5 - X11
#   6 - reboot (Do NOT set initdefault to this)
#
id:5:initdefault:

# System initialization.
si::sysinit:/etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit

l0:0:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 0
l1:1:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 1
l2:2:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 2
l3:3:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 3
l4:4:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 4
l5:5:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 5
l6:6:wait:/etc/rc.d/rc 6

# Trap CTRL-ALT-DELETE
ca::ctrlaltdel:/sbin/shutdown -t3 -r now

# When our UPS tells us power has failed, assume we have a few minutes
# of power left.  Schedule a shutdown for 2 minutes from now.
# This does, of course, assume you have powerd installed and your
# UPS connected and working correctly.
pf::powerfail:/sbin/shutdown -f -h +2 "Power Failure; System Shutting Down"

# If power was restored before the shutdown kicked in, cancel it.
pr:12345:powerokwait:/sbin/shutdown -c "Power Restored; Shutdown Cancelled"


# Run gettys in standard runlevels
1:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty1
2:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty2
3:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty3
4:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty4
5:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty5
6:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty6

# Run xdm in runlevel 5
x:5:once:/etc/X11/prefdm -nodaemon


changing the following line:

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id:5:initdefault:

into this one:

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id:3:initdefault:

will start in Linux in full multiuser mode (init 3) by default

[Brett]

You would be amazed how often I am asked this very same question... I must get asked this question at least once a week by the same guy....

"How do I get my linux server to boot into non X-mode?" he says. Each time I have responded saying....

"its either /etc/initab or dvd.conf, kamil ....."

[Brett]

In response to your second question... I can't think of a reason why you would require X + kdm or gdm to be running if X-login is not permitted. Unless of course you were running it as a remote X server???? X would unnecessarily chew up resources for no real reason.... It is best to boot it in run level 3 and live without X (see solution for Question1).