Fedora Linux

(Not normally used)
3	Multiuser, character-mode	Normal system operation without graphical login; useful for servers
4	(Not defined)	(Not normally used)
5	Graphical	Normal system operation with graphical login.
6	Reboot	Restarts the system
7, 8, 9, a, b, c	(Not defined)	Available for custom purposes

The ability to choose the runlevel lets you save system resources (for example, by not running the graphical user interface when it isn't needed) or start the system in a minimal configuration so that you can fix problems.

4.5.1. How Do I Do That?

You can change the runlevel on the fly, or configure your system to start in a different runlevel.

4.5.1.1. Choosing the runlevel at boot time

The Fedora boot menu can be used to specify the runlevel:

1. Press a key (such as the spacebar) when the Fedora Core boot display appears. This will reveal the boot menu.

2. Select the Fedora Core boot option you wish to use using the arrow keys.

3. Press the letter a (Append). An edit display will appear that allows you to append information to the boot command line.

4. Add a space and then the runlevel to the end of the list of boot options (for example, press space then 3 to select runlevel 3).

5. Press Enter to boot into the runlevel that you've specified.

If you have configured a GRUB password, you will be prompted to enter it before changing the boot options. 

4.5.1.2. Changing the runlevel after booting

Take the following steps to change the runlevel after booting:

1. Obtain a root prompt using the su command:

2. $ su
3. Password: rootPassword
4. #

5. Use the init command to change to the runlevel of your choice:

6. # init 3

4.5.1.3. Changing the default runlevel

System administrators often configure servers to start in runlevel 3, freeing up memory to increase the server's performance.

The default runlevel is controlled by a line in the file /etc/inittab ; to change the default runlevel, edit that file using the vi editor:

1. Obtain a root prompt using su .

2. Start vi with the /etc/inittab file:

3. # vi /etc/inittab
4.

5. Find this line in the file:

6. id:5:initdefault:

7. Change the second field to the default runlevel of your choice; in this case, I've used 3 :

8. id: 3 :initdefault:

9. Save the file and exit vi . The change will take effect next time you boot the system.

4.5.1.4. Creating entries for different runlevels on the boot menu

The boot menu is configured using the file /boot/grub/grub.conf . You can edit this file so that options for various runlevels appear on the boot menu:

1. Obtain a root prompt.