Boot to a login shell instead of gui

deostroll · 08-26-2009, 07:29 AM

We have a centos machine which serves as a web server. We also have a mysql server running on it. Currently we log-in via a gui prompt into a gui session. We are looking at changing this aspect; we want to login via the shell instead of gui. We'd need to keep all the current services on that machine running however. What should we do?

Even once this is done I'd need to know how to start a gui session from the shell itself.

TBC Cosmo · 08-26-2009, 07:39 AM

In the file /etc/inittab, change:

Code:

id:5:initdefault:

to

Code:

id:3:initdefault:

When the server is booted, it will be in runlevel 3. That means multiuser with network but no GUI. When in runlevel 3, you can type init 5, as root, to get to runlevel 5, which is multiuser with network and GUI. To go back, you type init 3.

deostroll · 08-26-2009, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TBC Cosmo

To go back, you type init 3.

You mean in the shell once we login successfully?

Would this have any effect on services already running on the computer? Particularly with reference to mysql server?

kdelover · 08-26-2009, 07:53 AM

yeah type init 5 to go back to GUI or type telinit 5,to reboot type telinit 6.

Regarding second question it depends if the mysql server is allowed to start in runlevel 5. do this chkconfig --list and grep for mysql.If its off in runlevel 5 then enable it throught

chkconfig --level=5 mysqld on

centosboy · 08-26-2009, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deostroll

You mean in the shell once we login successfully?

Would this have any effect on services already running on the computer? Particularly with reference to mysql server?

check what services run in level 5 and compare that to level 3.
normally they are the same.

Code:

chkconfig --list | awk '/5:on|3:on/ {print $1, $5, $7}'

deostroll · 08-26-2009, 08:31 AM

@centosboy: I've tried the following:

Code:

 chkconfig --list | awk '/5:on|3:on/ {print $1, $5, $7}' | grep 'mysql'

and it returned:

Code:

mysqld 3:on 5:on

which means the service should be turned on right?

centosboy · 08-26-2009, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deostroll

@centosboy: I've tried the following:

Code:

 chkconfig --list | awk '/5:on|3:on/ {print $1, $5, $7}' | grep 'mysql'

and it returned:

Code:

mysqld 3:on 5:on

which means the service should be turned on right?

yes, this means the service is on in level 3 and 5, so there is no need to worry if switching between these runlevels. mysql is set to always start

deostroll · 08-26-2009, 10:36 AM

It seems you can only do an init 5 from the root prompt if you want to log-in to the gui session from the shell. Is this process similar to a normal restart?

Now after the default session to set to a shell, we do a normal login and then interchange to the gui session. There, on logging out it by default displays the login to a gui session. How to change this? I mean from a gui session if I did a logout I want to see my shell login prompt...

elprawn · 08-26-2009, 11:05 AM

If you're in a GUI session and want to switch to shell prompt, just press ctrl+alt+F1