I'm sure this is an extremely simple command, however I can't seem to find it! I would like to be able to shutdown the graphical interface so that it is not running on my system. I'm running Red Hat 9.

NOTE: I'm looking for the command to totally shutdown the graphical interface and enter the command line. I've been using CTRL-ALT F 1-5, but this doesn't seem to close the graphical interface all way; maybe it is and I have no idea what I'm doing, but when I try to rerun the interface it says it is already running.

Thanks in advance,
TankerKevo

Go to the console and type the command:

init 3

This will shutdown the graphical interface completely.

Have you tried Ctrl + Alt + Backspace
That does it in Slack :}

Worked like a charm, although there were some services I had to manually bring up: HTTP, IMAP, MYSQL. Other than that everything worked great!
Thank you!

P.S. Ctrl-Alt-Backspace sends the system into sleep mode...and does a very poor job of waking back up as it didn't re-recognize my USB ports/hubs.

Alrite, this is a similiar question so I thought I would drudge up an old topic...

Here's my scenario:

I turn on my system and it goes straight into the GUI login and desktop. I check my e-mail and what not and then I use "init 3" to shutdown the GUI and goto the command prompt only. Then when I want to get the gui back up I type "startx". But now when I type "init 3" to get back to command prompt only nothing happens! I am assuming that it's because I am still running init 3 from the first time I logged out of the GUI. So, how do I turnoff the x server (I am assuming that's what "startx" actually starts) once I have already used init 3 to get to the command prompt?

You could default to you don't start with a graphic user interface. When you want to use one, use startx. When you are done, just log out.

Yes if you are always doing the init 3 I would go to the file /etc/inittab and then edit the line that says id:5:initdefault and change it to id:3:initdefault then when you want to go into X use startx and then when done just click logoff takes you back to a console.

There is also a a lock-screen/log out applet that you can install on your task bar if you use KDE. Clicking on it will log out of KDE. If you run init level 3 by default, It will exit to a virtual console. If you use run level 5 by default, you will be returned to the session manager (kdm, gdm or xdm) you are using.

The session managers will re-spawn if exited. To do what you want, you really have to start out at run level 3.