[clug] Runlevel 5 vs 3 and startx

[Peter Barker]

On Fri, 25 Nov 2005, Michael James wrote:

> > My servers run at runlevel 2,
> My understanding of "server" and "runlevel 2"
>  make that a bit of an oxymoron.

*shrug*. I just didn't argue when I discovered that that's the way debian
worked. Coming from RedHat and others before that, I found it a touch
surprising.

As I pointed out, it's really a matter of "run X or not"...

> > I prefer "no X". Some of the servers are in China.
> > Not much point having a graphical console when I'm in Canberra...
> Difference is whether you _ever_ log in locally.
> If you never do, then it's worth nothing, so any cost is too much.

I log in locally every now and then - that doesn't require X...

> > Running X also pokes the video hardware in ways that servers don't
> > require.
> Until the day you do, then it's too late to set up the graphics.
> Pride ensures I don't often "rush to the console to fix it".
> Humility insists there be a console to rush to.

Yes, but not necessarily an X console. Text console and serial console
have been sufficient for the last too many years.... And ATM I'd still
consider myself as "doing something wrong" installing X on those things :)

> In the new light of this thread,
>  here's my rough characterisation of runlevels:
>
> 1) Single user	only for deep sysadmin
> 2) Bare network	just to make sure it's up before adding services
> 3) all services 	stop here if unconfigured or flaky graphics
> 4) not used	(perhaps services kicked out of 3?)
> 5) up with X	Thunderbirds* are go!  THE default runlevel.

Runlevel 1 is slightly different in ways I don't quite understand to
Single user mode under different unices. In particular, I /think/ it might
have been Solaris which brings network up in that - but I'm REALLY sketchy
on that. Runlevels are what you make of them :)

> michaelj

Yours,
-- 
Peter Barker                          |   N    _--_|\ /---- Barham, Vic
Programmer,Sysadmin,Geek              | W + E /     /\
pbarker at barker.dropbear.id.au         |   S   \_,--?_*<-- Canberra
You need a bigger hammer.             |             v    [35S, 149E]
"Peter is apathetic, and I'm vaguely apathetic" -- Rachel, thinking of organising a movie trip