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Re: PROPOSAL: standard run levels (draft 1)



Alan Cox wrote:
> 
> > Runlevel 5 has recently become widely used outside the Linux world to
> > indicate machine shutoff.  I guess it should halt if the machine isn't
> > capable of shutting itself off.  This would push xdm down into
> > runlevel 4.
> 
> We should not change this. Too many Linux books tell you about run level 5.
> Having everyone reboot their server as they thumb through Linux for the clueless
> will not win friends

This is a good reason, I agree.

It presents one of two possable ways to go.  Both of which should have a
little debate of the merits of each before a final decision is made.

One possability: Find the most common run levels in all Linux
distributions, and leave those in place.  Then shuffle the rest of them
to fit.  For example, if all distributions use 5 for xdm, then keep 5 as
xdm (but Debian doesn't use it that way).  If five distributions have
the same run level 4, keep it... etc.

Here is what I know is in use now:

Red Hat Uses:
#   0 - halt (Do NOT set initdefault to this)
#   1 - Single user mode
#   2 - Multiuser, without NFS (The same as 3, if you do not have
networking)
#   3 - Full multiuser mode
#   4 - unused
#   5 - X11
#   6 - reboot (Do NOT set initdefault to this)

Debian Uses:
# Runlevel 0 is halt.
# Runlevel 1 is single-user.
# Runlevels 2-5 are multi-user.
# Runlevel 6 is reboot.
Documented, but, in fact
Runlevel 2 - multiuser networked
XDM isn't run level 4, I think it's 3 ?

SUSE:
0 - HALT
S - Single User Mode
1 - MultiUser un-networked
2 - Multiuser networked
3 - XDM 
4 - Unused
5 - Unused
6 - Reboot


The second possability...
Structure it logically.
Shutdown and Reboot right next to eachother
UnNetworked next to each other
Networked together

Like maybe:
0 - halt

1 - reboot

2 - single user - un-networked

3 - multiuser - un-networked

4 - single user - networked (would be new, security risk, running as
root 

networked, unadvized.  Therefore, I would suggest leaving this as the
unused one. But for logic sake, unused should be 4)

5 - multiuser networked

6 - X multiuser networked (previously XDM, but with other options,
should just be a generic X multiuser networked now)


Then, now that I think about it, there is a third possability.  Survey
commercial UNIX's, and see what they have most common, and use that?

Oh, I just noticed... This is lsb-spec, where I planed on just lurking. 
I have to forward something, then I'll shut up and keep my comments on
lsb-discuss

-- 
"Robert W. Current" <rob@freshmeat.net> - email
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"Hey mister, turn it on, turn it up, and turn me loose." - Dwight Yoakam


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