[nzlug] How to switch from desktop mode to server mode?

[Mark Foster]

On Tue, 1 Aug 2006, Sid Bachtiar wrote:

>> On 8/1/06, Nevyn <nevynh at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Edit /etc/inittab and look for the line that says "default runlevel".
>> 5 Will give you desktop and 3 will give you "server".
>> 
>> Alternatively, edit grub/lilo (not sure which one Ubuntu uses) and add
>> another entry using all the same options (except the name) - on one
>> put init=3 and on the other put init=5.
>> 
>> That way you can always just chose what you want at boot up.
>
> And is there a way, without rebooting or modifying a file, to activate
> the desktop again, and to turn it off again back to server mode?

I'm struggling with your definition of 'turn on server mode'.

Some basic info:

# inittab   This file describes how the INIT process should set up
#           the system in a certain run-level.

# Default runlevel. The runlevels 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:



Note the above.  If you're basically saying you want to switch from 
'X-Windows is running' to 'X-Windows is not running', firstly I need to 
ask why....

Secondly, this should be as simple as shutting down X when in X, and then 
from the shell (ala Run Level 3) you could either type 'startx' or 'init 
5' ... ?

If its a desktop system I would think you'd rarely have a need to unload 
X.
If its a server, it shouldn't even have X installed... ?

(You can run 'server' services on a 'workstation' build (ala one that has 
X as well)...

Mark.