Configuring Default Boot Targets in Linux and switching between Text Based and Graphical Modes
In this project, the goal is to understand how to configure the default boot target using systemd on a Linux computer. The default boot target determines what mode or runlevel the system should start in when it boots up. Different targets represent different system configurations, such as a text-based multi-user mode or a graphical desktop mode.
Real-life Significance
In a real-life scenario, this process is useful for system administrators who want to configure the start-up behaviour of a Linux system. For example, they might want a server to boot into a text-based mode for better performance and resource utilization, or they might want a desktop computer to boot into a graphical mode for a user-friendly experience.
Project steps with codes
Initially, the default target is set to "multi-user.target," which typically represents a text-based mode.
You can confirm by running
systemctl get-default
To change the default target to "graphical.target" use the command
sudo systemctl set-default graphical.target
Verify the change by running
systemctl get-default
which should return "graphical.target" to confirm that the default boot target has been updated to a graphical mode.
So, the goal of this project is to configure the system to boot into a graphical mode, not a text-based mode.
If you want to change the default boot target back to a text-based mode (e.g., multi-user.target) after you've configured it for a graphical mode, you can follow these steps:
Open a terminal on your Linux system.
To check the current default target, use the command:
codesystemctl get-default.
This command will display the current default target, which is likely "graphical.target" if you've previously set it to boot into a graphical mode.
To change the default target back to a text-based mode (e.g., multi-user.target), use the following command with sudo:
sudo systemctl set-default multi-user.target
This command sets the default target to "multi-user.target," which represents a text-based multi-user mode.
To verify that the change was successful, run
systemctl get-default
again. It should now return "multi-user.target" to confirm that the default boot target has been updated to a text-based mode.
After following these steps, your Linux system will be configured to boot into a text-based mode the next time it starts up.
Dont forget to turn of your virtual machine to avoid unneccessary charges.