Scribd
Upload
59 views2 pages

21.1 System

A run level is an operating state on Unix-like systems that determines what system services are running and available. There are 7 standard run levels numbered 0-6 that configure the system for different purposes like halting, single-user mode, multi-user command line, graphical user interface, and rebooting. The default run levels for Linux are 3 for servers without a GUI and 5 for desktop systems with a GUI. The telinit command or modifying the /etc/inittab file can change the run level to solve problems like a non-booting system or unusable GUI configuration.

Uploaded by

MohammedNasser
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
59 views2 pages

21.1 System

A run level is an operating state on Unix-like systems that determines what system services are running and available. There are 7 standard run levels numbered 0-6 that configure the system for different purposes like halting, single-user mode, multi-user command line, graphical user interface, and rebooting. The default run levels for Linux are 3 for servers without a GUI and 5 for desktop systems with a GUI. The telinit command or modifying the /etc/inittab file can change the run level to solve problems like a non-booting system or unusable GUI configuration.

Uploaded by

MohammedNasser
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

System Run Level

A run level is a preset operating state on a Unix-like operating system.

A system can be booted into (i.e., started up into) any of several runlevels, each of which is
represented by a single digit integer. Each runlevel designates a different system configuration
and allows access to a different combination of processes (i.e., instances of executing programs).

The are differences in the runlevels according to the operating system. Seven runlevels are
supported in the standard Linux kernel (i.e., core of the operating system). They are:

0 - System halt; no activity, the system can be safely powered down.

1 - Single user; rarely used.

2 - Multiple users, no NFS (network filesystem); also used rarely.

3 - Multiple users, command line (i.e., all-text mode) interface; the standard runlevel for most
Linux-based server hardware.

4 - User-definable

5 - Multiple users, GUI (graphical user interface); the standard runlevel for most Linux-based
desktop systems.

6 - Reboot; used when restarting the system.

By default Linux boots either to runlevel 3 or to runlevel 5. The former permits the system to
run all services except for a GUI. The latter allows all services including a GUI.

In addition to the standard runlevels, users can modify the preset runlevels or even create new
ones if desired. Runlevels 2 and 4 are usually used for user defined runlevels.

The program responsible for altering the runlevel is init, and it can be called using the telinit
command. For example, changing from runlevel 3 to runlevel 5, which allows the GUI to be
started, can be accomplished by the root (i.e., administrative) user by issuing the following
command:
telinit 5

Booting into a different runlevel can help solve certain problems. For example, if a change made
in the X Window System configuration on a machine that has been set up to boot into a GUI has
rendered the system unusable, it is possible to temporarily boot into a console (i.e., all-text
mode) runlevel (i.e., runlevels 3 or 1) in order to repair the error and then reboot into the GUI.
The X Window System is a widely used system for managing GUIs on single computers and on
networks of computers.

Likewise, if a machine will not boot due to a damaged configuration file or will not allow
logging in because of a corrupted /etc/passwd file (which stores user names and other data
about users) or because of a forgotten password, the problem can solved by first booting into
single-user mode (i.e. runlevel 1).

The runlevel command can be used to find both the current runlevel and the previous runlevel
by merely typing the following and pressing the Enter key:

/sbin/runlevel

The runlevel executable file (i.e., the ready-to-run form of the program) is typically located in
the /sbin directory, which contains mostly administrative tools and which by default is not in
the user's PATH (i.e., the list of directories in which the system searches for programs). Thus, it
is usually necessary to type the full path of the command as shown above rather than just the
name of the command itself.

The default runlevel for a system is specified in the /etc/inittab file, which will contain an entry
such as id:3:initdefault: if the system starts in runlevel 3, or id:5:initdefault: if it starts in runlevel
5. This file can be easily (and safely) read with a command such as cat, i.e.,

cat /etc/inittab

As an alternative to telinit, the runlevel into which the system boots can be changed by
modifying /etc/inittab manually with a text editor. However, it is generally easier and safer (i.e.,
less chance of accidental damage to the file) to use telinit. It is always wise to make a backup
copy of /etc/inittab or any other configuration file before attempting to modify it manually.

You might also like