Run Levels in Ubuntu

[Nick]

Hello

Does anyone know why run level 3 is virtually the same RL5 on Ubuntu?
On many other distros, if I want to run without X windows and KDE /
Gnome, I simply switch run level by typing

sudo init 3

This seems to have little effect in Ubuntu.
(i) is there a good reason for this and
(ii) how do I (cleanly) shutdown X?

Thanks in advance

Nick

[Mark Woodward]

Hi Nick

On Mon, 15 May 2006 12:26:36 +0100, Nick wrote:

> Hello
>
> Does anyone know why run level 3 is virtually the same RL5 on Ubuntu?
> On many other distros, if I want to run without X windows and KDE /
> Gnome, I simply switch run level by typing
>
> sudo init 3
>
> This seems to have little effect in Ubuntu.
> (i) is there a good reason for this and
> (ii) how do I (cleanly) shutdown X?
>
> Thanks in advance
>
> Nick

just googled and found this

Ubuntu like Debian and Gentoo uses one runlevel for all multi user stuff. To shutdown X like "init 3", you would do something like
Code:

#/etc/init.d gdm stop

and to restart X like "init 5" (or 4 on Slack),
Code:

#/etc/init.d/gdm restart


I can't remember if Ubuntu has a terminal session in its gdm sessions, but
its easy to drop down into a terminal without the use of a login manager
by doing Ctrl-Alt-Fn (n = 1 to 6).


HTH,


--
Mark

[Michael B. Trausch]

Nick wrote in <m9GdnXbEau5o-fXZRVnyiw@bt.com> on Mon May 15 2006 07:26:

>
> Hello
>
> Does anyone know why run level 3 is virtually the same RL5 on Ubuntu?
> On many other distros, if I want to run without X windows and KDE /
> Gnome, I simply switch run level by typing
>
> sudo init 3
>
> This seems to have little effect in Ubuntu.
> (i) is there a good reason for this and
> (ii) how do I (cleanly) shutdown X?
>
> Thanks in advance
>
> Nick
>

The key to the Ubuntu runlevel system is the same as many systems that use
symlinks to make their init do things. In Ubuntu, there are a few
different areas of import to consider when working with the runlevels:

/etc/inittab - the configuration file for init
/etc/init.d - ALL the scripts that the init system uses for
system services
/etc/rc[0-6].d - The runlevel configuration.

In Ubuntu, [xkg]dm is started in all of the multi-user runlevels -- that is
to say, runlevels 2 - 5 -- by way of a symlink in the /etc/rc[2-5].d
directories. It isn't present in runlevel 1, which is the single user
mode. My system boots up into runlevel 2 by default.

A tool that is suggested for maintaining the runlevels is sysv-rc-conf.
There is a tutorial for it (with the purpose of "tweaking" your runlevels)
on the Internet[1]. You can install it using apt-get -- "sysv-rc-conf" is
the name of the package. It's a perl program, so it will pull in some perl
dependencies if you don't already have them. At a glance, it looks pretty
good. I'd say that if you were to use it to, say, configure runlevel 3, 4,
or 5 to fit what you're looking to do, you shouldn't have much of a
problem.

All of that having been said, the best way to do things would be to
install/update what you're doing from a terminal under X, and then log out
using your desktop manager's "log out of X" functionality. When you're
back at the [xkg]dm screen, press CTRL+ALT+BKSP[2] to restart X -- this
will make [xkg]dm reload, as well as the X11 server, because the
CTRL+ALT+BKSP combination forces X to die, and you shouldn't suffer any
aftermath when just displaying the login manager. I don't use this key
combination when logged into to KDE, unless for some reason KDE isn't
letting me log out.

HTH,
Mike

[1] [url]http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=89491[/url]
[2] That's Control+Alt+Backspace -- the "Quick -- Kill X" three key
salute. :)

[Mark South]

On Mon, 15 May 2006 12:26:36 +0100, Nick wrote:

> Does anyone know why run level 3 is virtually the same RL5 on Ubuntu?

Because Ubuntu is heavily influenced by Debian.

> (i) is there a good reason for this and

The doesn't need to be a reason. What rule do you think is being broken
here?
--
mark south; echo [email]znexfbhgu2000@lnubb.pb.hx[/email]|tr a-z n-za-m
"I can trace my ancestry back to a protoplasmal primordial atomic
globule. Consequently, my family pride is something inconceivable."
-- Gilbert & Sullivan, The Mikado

[Nick]

fair enough - I was just wondering really...I don't think there are any
rules are there? :o)


Mark South wrote:

> On Mon, 15 May 2006 12:26:36 +0100, Nick wrote:
>
>

>>Does anyone know why run level 3 is virtually the same RL5 on Ubuntu?

>
>
> Because Ubuntu is heavily influenced by Debian.
>
>

>>(i) is there a good reason for this and

>
>
> The doesn't need to be a reason. What rule do you think is being broken
> here?

[Nick]

Michael B. Trausch wrote:

> Nick wrote in <m9GdnXbEau5o-fXZRVnyiw@bt.com> on Mon May 15 2006 07:26:
>

>>Hello
>>
>>Does anyone know why run level 3 is virtually the same RL5 on Ubuntu?
>>On many other distros, if I want to run without X windows and KDE /
>>Gnome, I simply switch run level by typing
>>
>>sudo init 3
>>
>>This seems to have little effect in Ubuntu.
>>(i) is there a good reason for this and
>>(ii) how do I (cleanly) shutdown X?
>>
>>Thanks in advance
>>
>>Nick
>>

>
>
> The key to the Ubuntu runlevel system is the same as many systems that use
> symlinks to make their init do things. In Ubuntu, there are a few
> different areas of import to consider when working with the runlevels:
>
> /etc/inittab - the configuration file for init
> /etc/init.d - ALL the scripts that the init system uses for
> system services
> /etc/rc[0-6].d - The runlevel configuration.
>
> In Ubuntu, [xkg]dm is started in all of the multi-user runlevels -- that is
> to say, runlevels 2 - 5 -- by way of a symlink in the /etc/rc[2-5].d
> directories. It isn't present in runlevel 1, which is the single user
> mode. My system boots up into runlevel 2 by default.
>
> A tool that is suggested for maintaining the runlevels is sysv-rc-conf.
> There is a tutorial for it (with the purpose of "tweaking" your runlevels)
> on the Internet[1]. You can install it using apt-get -- "sysv-rc-conf" is
> the name of the package. It's a perl program, so it will pull in some perl
> dependencies if you don't already have them. At a glance, it looks pretty
> good. I'd say that if you were to use it to, say, configure runlevel 3, 4,
> or 5 to fit what you're looking to do, you shouldn't have much of a
> problem.
>
> All of that having been said, the best way to do things would be to
> install/update what you're doing from a terminal under X, and then log out
> using your desktop manager's "log out of X" functionality. When you're
> back at the [xkg]dm screen, press CTRL+ALT+BKSP[2] to restart X -- this
> will make [xkg]dm reload, as well as the X11 server, because the
> CTRL+ALT+BKSP combination forces X to die, and you shouldn't suffer any
> aftermath when just displaying the login manager. I don't use this key
> combination when logged into to KDE, unless for some reason KDE isn't
> letting me log out.
>
> HTH,
> Mike
>
> [1] [url]http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=89491[/url]
> [2] That's Control+Alt+Backspace -- the "Quick -- Kill X" three key
> salute. :)

Thanks again - a most helpful and comprehensive answer. For making
changes to X, I've done what you suggest in the past and it always
seemed to work perfectly - I've had some bad experience of CTRL-ALT-BKSP
while logged into KDE (I had to delete all my KDE settings in my home
directory and in /tmp to log in again).
For convenience, I'll probably modify RL3 to be "minimalist" (e.g. not
start up gdm etc..) simply so I can use this as a low(er) footprint
server - particulary important when using multiple instances on vmware!

Cheers

Nick

[Nick]

Mark Woodward wrote:

> Hi Nick
>
> On Mon, 15 May 2006 12:26:36 +0100, Nick wrote:
>
>

>>Hello
>>
>>Does anyone know why run level 3 is virtually the same RL5 on Ubuntu?
>>On many other distros, if I want to run without X windows and KDE /
>>Gnome, I simply switch run level by typing
>>
>> sudo init 3
>>
>>This seems to have little effect in Ubuntu.
>>(i) is there a good reason for this and
>>(ii) how do I (cleanly) shutdown X?
>>
>>Thanks in advance
>>
>>Nick

>
>
> just googled and found this
>
> Ubuntu like Debian and Gentoo uses one runlevel for all multi user stuff. To shutdown X like "init 3", you would do something like
> Code:
>
> #/etc/init.d gdm stop
>
> and to restart X like "init 5" (or 4 on Slack),
> Code:
>
> #/etc/init.d/gdm restart
>
>
> I can't remember if Ubuntu has a terminal session in its gdm sessions, but
> its easy to drop down into a terminal without the use of a login manager
> by doing Ctrl-Alt-Fn (n = 1 to 6).
>
>
> HTH,
>
>

Hi

Many thanks - works perfectly.

Regards

Nick