Default GUI Boot Configuration
In this fourteenth lab of the Linux Series, the objective was to adjust the default run level on all application servers within the Stratos data center to enable a Graphical User Interface (GUI) boot by default.
Lab Objectives
The task required changing the default boot target from a text-based interface to a graphical one across App Server 1, 2, and 3. A critical constraint was that the servers must not be rebooted after completing the configuration.
Conceptual Overview: Boot Targets
When a computer starts (the "boot process"), it can load into different types of targets:
Multi-user Target (Text Mode): The system starts in a command-line interface where the entire system is controlled via text commands in a terminal.
Graphical Target (GUI Mode): The system loads a desktop environment with icons and buttons, allowing users to interact with the system through a visual interface.
Key Procedural Steps
The following steps were performed on every single server in the environment:
Server Access:
App Server 1: Logged in as user tony on stapp01.
App Server 2: Logged in as user steve on stapp02.
App Server 3: Logged in as user banner on stapp03.
Verify Current Target: Used the command sudo systemctl get-default to confirm the current boot target, which was initially set to multi-user.target on all servers.
Set New Default Target: Executed the following command to change the default to graphical:
sudo systemctl set-default graphical.target.
Verification: Re-ran the get-default command to ensure the system successfully updated to graphical.target.
Results
The configuration was successfully applied across all three application servers without initiating any reboots, meeting all the requirements of the security and functionality audit.
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