New to debian, wondering about runlevels.

I have just recently moved from gentoo to debian. In gentoo I would use the tool rc-update to change how my system booted. How do I do this in debian? Also how would I write a start up script? If someone could link me to a good guide that would be great. Thanks in advance for your help.

the runlevel links are at their dir's in /etc/rcX.d
/etc/init.d/* are the real scripts for starting/stopping, so you can put your script there and link it to the wanted runlevel(s).

sl mritch.

Try this command:
cat /etc/init.d/README
You might also look into the update-rc.d and sysvinit commands.

# apt-cache show sysv-rc-conf
[...]
Description: SysV init runlevel configuration tool for the terminal sysv-rc-conf provides a terminal GUI for managing "/etc/rc{runlevel}.d/" symlinks. The interface comes in two different flavors, one that simply allows turning services on or off and another that allows for more fine tuned management of the symlinks. Unlike most runlevel config programs, you can edit startup scripts for any runlevel, not just your current one.

you can also check /etc/inittab, man inittab, that file tells the sysinit at what runlevel init your machine.
look for something like id:5:initdefault: <- the 5 is for runlevel 5 (MultiUser-Graphical).

Beware - Debian has different assignments to runlevels than, say, Mandrake or Redhat. I think that runlevel 3 is the default graphical login on a Debian box - that is the case on my Ubuntu box.

Cheers,
Toby Haynes

On Debian the default graphical login is runlevel 2.

Technically, the default run level in Debian is 2 period. You decide if you want the default to be CLI or GUI. I believe that run levels 2 - 5 are identical & available for us to customize as we see fit. A major PITA for those of us to who came to Deb from a distro w/ the familiar RH structure:

- 0 = halt
- 1 = single user
- 2 = CLI, multi-user, no net
- 3 = CLI, multi-user, networked
- 4 = open
- 5 = GUI, multi-user, networked
- 6 = reboot
color coded "universal" and "Red Hat addition", just in case there are new folk reading this.

I know at least one Debian guru who gives the impression that any complaint about this is whining. He doesn't actually use the word whining, he just doesn't take the complaints too seriously -- sort of "If you don't like it, change it; that's what Free Software is all about."

I haven't used Mepis much yet, but it is both Debian based & has the RH run level structure -- in my book, the best of both worlds.

One of the reasons this run level structure is so useful, is that it allows you to construct a boot menu that allows you to choose CLI or GUI on start up: Just as a kernel parameter of "single" or "1" forces single user mode, a kernel parameter of any of the digits 2-5 forces that run level. This will work in either GRUB or lilo, perhaps more easily in GRUB.

This is documented in man bootparam

I have personally tested it using the GRUB menu line editor.

Hope this last part is useful, & not too off topic.

Tnx to rbochan & zuralin for the useful references, this is an issue that has troubled me, too.

Royle, what exactly do you want to change, & what kind of a start-up script do want to write?