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9.2.2. A Note About Virtual Consoles

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The Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation program offers more than the dialog boxes of the installation process. Several kinds of diagnostic messages are available to you, as well as a way to enter commands from a shell prompt. The installation program displays these messages on five virtual consoles, among which you can switch using a single keystroke combination.
A virtual console is a shell prompt in a non-graphical environment, accessed from the physical machine, not remotely. Multiple virtual consoles can be accessed simultaneously.
These virtual consoles can be helpful if you encounter a problem while installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Messages displayed on the installation or system consoles can help pinpoint a problem. Refer to Table 9.1, “Console, Keystrokes, and Contents” for a listing of the virtual consoles, keystrokes used to switch to them, and their contents.
Generally, there is no reason to leave the default console (virtual console #6) for graphical installations unless you are attempting to diagnose installation problems.
Table 9.1. Console, Keystrokes, and Contents
console keystrokes contents
1 ctrl+alt+f1 graphical display
2 ctrl+alt+f2 shell prompt
3 ctrl+alt+f3 install log (messages from installation program)
4 ctrl+alt+f4 system-related messages
5 ctrl+alt+f5 other messages
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