how to boot without X

[John]

Jim Cheetham wrote:
> Hudson Delbert J Contr 61 CS/SCBN wrote:
> 
>>     because ubuntu is so easy to install the idea of using as a firewall
>> or netsec platform appeals to me and i     would like to kill X at 
>> will on such a box but use it when needed.
> 
> 
> Cool - either ignore the GDM login screen, and press ctrl-alt-F1 to get 
> a text console (and then issue 'sudo /etc/init.d/gdm stop') or just 
> remove the /etc/rc?.d/S*gdm links, and run 'sudo /etc/init.d/gdm start' 
> whenever you want the X login screen to start up.

That is an unnecessarily complicated and inflexible way to control it.

In contrast, on RHL one can choose at (automatic) install time:
xconfig --startxonboot

One can edit /etc/inittab to set the default runlevel: 3 no gui, 5 gui.
One can edit the bootloader config (lilo or grub) to create stanzas to 
choose runlevels.
One can override the runlevel at boot time.
One can use telinit to change runlevel.

One RHL, the display manager is not started bu a script in /etc/init.d, 
but if it were:
chkconfig gdm off
chkconfig gdm on
would control whether a it starts on boot or not. Using chkconfig to 
turn a process on returns it to its standard place in the bootup sequence.

SuSE does pretty much the same thing.