[NCLUG] Ubuntu 8.04 - CLI mode

Bob Proulx bob at proulx.com
Mon Aug 4 20:53:01 MDT 2008


William Greger wrote:
> - When I start Ubuntu, it comes up in GUI mode.
> - How can I get it to start (at boot-up) in CLI mode?

There are several options.  One option if you don't want to use X11 is
simply to remove the display manager.

  sudo apt-get remove gdm

That will also pull off gnome-desktop-environment too which is a meta
package used to ensure that all of the desktop is installed.  But if
you are not using it then it won't matter.

Another alternative is to disable the init script that gdm uses to
start at boot time.  Debian/Ubuntu uses runlevel 2 and so that one is
the one to remove.

  sudo rm /etc/rc2.d/S21gdm

The package manager will maintain this as a local configuration as
long as other boot time symlinks also exist.  (If you remove all of
them then it can't distinguish it from not installed and the post
installation script will install a default configuration again.)

I personally would remove gdm.  Best to simplify when possible.

Bob



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