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35.3. Switching to a Graphical Login

Important

To switch to a graphical environment, you might need to install extra software from a repository. You can access Red Hat Enterprise Linux repositories with your Red Hat Network subscription through the Internet or use a Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation DVD as a repository. Refer to Section 35.3.1, “Enabling Access to Software Repositories from the Command Line”.

Important

To use a graphical user interface on System z, use vncserver instead.
If you installed using a text login and wish to switch to a graphical login, follow this procedure.
  1. If you are not already root, switch users to the root account: 
    su -
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    Provide the administrator password when prompted.
  2. If you have not already done so, install the X Window System and a graphical desktop environment. For example, to install the GNOME desktop environment, use this command: 
    yum groupinstall "X Window System" Desktop
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    To install the KDE desktop environment, use: 
    yum groupinstall "X Window System" "KDE Desktop"
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    This step may take some time as your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system downloads and installs additional software. You may be asked to provide the installation media depending on your original installation source.
  3. Run the following command to edit the /etc/inittab file: 
    vi /etc/inittab
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  4. Press the I key to enter insert mode.
  5. Find the line that includes the text initdefault. Change the numeral 3 to 5.
  6. Type :wq and press the Enter key to save the file and exit the vi text editor.
Reboot the system using the reboot command. Your system will restart and present a graphical login.
If you encounter any problems with the graphical login, refer to Chapter 10, Troubleshooting Installation on an Intel or AMD System.
The usual way to install new software on a Red Hat Enterprise Linux system is through a software repository. You can access Red Hat Enterprise Linux repositories through the Internet with your Red Hat Network subscription, or use a Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation DVD as a repository. The software that you access through online repositories is more up-to-date than what is available on an installation DVD. Furthermore, configuring a Red Hat Enterprise Linux system to access online repositories is generally easier than configuring the system to use an installation DVD as a repository, as long as you have an existing, wired network connection available.
If you supplied your Red Hat Network subscription number during the installation process, your system is already configured to access Red Hat Enterprise Linux repositories through the Internet. Therefore, all you must do is ensure that the system can access the Internet. If you have an existing, wired network connection available, this process is straightforward:
  1. If you are not already root, switch users to the root account: 
    su -
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  2. Ensure that the system is plugged into your network. Note that your network might be as small as two devices — a computer and an external modem/router.
  3. Run system-config-network. The network configuration tool starts and displays the Select Action screen.
  4. Select Device configuration and press Enter. The network configuration tool displays the Select A Device screen with a list of network interfaces present on your system. The first interface is named eth0 by default.
  5. Select a network interface to configure and press Enter. The network configuration tool takes you to the Network Configuration screen.
  6. You can manually configure a static IP, gateway, and DNS servers on this screen or leave these fields blank to accept the default values. When you have chosen a configuration, select OK, and press Enter. The network configuration tool takes you back to the Select A Device screen.
  7. Select Save and press Enter. The network configuration tool takes you back to the Select Action screen.
  8. Select Save&Quit and press Enter. The network configuration tool saves your settings and exits.
  9. Run ifup interface, where interface is the network interface that you configured with the network configuration tool. For example, run ifup eth0 to start eth0.
Configuration of dial-up or wireless Internet connections is more complicated and beyond the scope of this guide.
To use a Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation DVD as a software repository, either in the form of a physical disc, or in the form of an ISO image file.
  1. If you are using a physical DVD, insert the disc into your computer.
  2. If you are not already root, switch users to the root account: 
    su -
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  3. Create a mount point for the repository: 
    mkdir -p /path/to/repo
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    where /path/to/repo is a location for the repository, for example, /mnt/repo
  4. Mount the DVD on the mount point that you just created. If you are using a physical disc, you need to know the device name of your DVD drive. You can find the names of any CD or DVD drives on your system with the command cat /proc/sys/dev/cdrom/info. The first CD or DVD drive on the system is typically named sr0. When you know the device name, mount the DVD: 
    mount -r -t iso9660 /dev/device_name /path/to/repo
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    For example: mount -r -t iso9660 /dev/sr0 /mnt/repo
    If you are using an ISO image file of a disc, mount the image file like this: 
    mount -r -t iso9660 -o loop /path/to/image/file.iso /path/to/repo
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    For example: mount -r -o loop /home/root/Downloads/RHEL6.9-Server-i386-DVD.iso /mnt/repo
    Note that you can only mount an image file if the storage device that holds the image file is itself mounted. For example, if the image file is stored on a hard drive that is not mounted automatically when the system boots, you must mount the hard drive before you mount an image file stored on that hard drive. Consider a hard drive named /dev/sdb that is not automatically mounted at boot time and which has an image file stored in a directory named Downloads on its first partition: 
    mkdir /mnt/temp
mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/temp
mkdir /mnt/repo
mount -r -t iso9660 -o loop mount -r -o loop /mnt/temp/Downloads/RHEL6.9-Server-i386-DVD.iso /mnt/repo
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    If you are not sure whether a storage device is mounted, run the mount command to obtain a list of current mounts. If you are not sure of the device name or partition number of a storage device, run fdisk -l and try to identify it in the output.
  5. Create a new repo file in the /etc/yum.repos.d/ directory. The name of the file is not important, as long as it ends in .repo. For example, dvd.repo is an obvious choice.
    1. Choose a name for the repo file and open it as a new file with the vi text editor. For example: 
      vi /etc/yum.repos.d/dvd.repo
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    2. Press the I key to enter insert mode.
    3. Supply the details of the repository. For example: 
      [dvd]
baseurl=file:///mnt/repo/Server
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=file:///etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release
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      The name of the repository is specified in square brackets — in this example, [dvd]. The name is not important, but you should choose something that is meaningful and recognizable.
      The line that specifies the baseurl should contain the path to the mount point that you created previously, suffixed with /Server for a Red Hat Enterprise Linux server installation DVD, or with /Client for a Red Hat Enterprise Linux client installation DVD.
    4. Press the Esc key to exit insert mode.
    5. Type :wq and press the Enter key to save the file and exit the vi text editor.
    6. After installing or upgrading software from the DVD, delete the repo file that you created.
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