Linux For Newbies/Run Levels

From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection

Jump to: navigation, search

[edit] Run Levels

A Linux system can be configured to boot up to one of several available "run levels":

  • 0 - Halt the system. All services are terminated.
  • 1 - Single-user mode (for special operations). Only root user is allowed to login.
  • 2-5 - Normal operation (system defined).
  • 6 - Reboot.


On a typical system, normal operation levels might be:[vm]

  • 0 - Halt the system. All services are terminated. Machine is powered down.
  • 1 - Single-user mode (for special operations). No Network. Most services are not started. Automatically logged in as root user.
  • 2 - Multiuser (text console mode). No network. Users can login locally
  • 3 - Full multiuser mode with network. users can login locally or over a network also.
  • 4 - unused
  • 5 - Multiuser mode with network with X windows ( Graphical Interface).
  • 6 - This runlevel shutdown all services and reboots the machine

If you need detailed information on runlevels, see the documentation for your particular Linux distribution.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Linux_For_Newbies/Run_Levels"