What is the easiest way to strip a desktop edition to a server edition?












21















We have installed Ubuntu desktop edition on our development server. Now that we have it in a data center we would like to strip it down to a server edition.



Is there an easy way of doing so rather than just going in and uninstalling packages by hand?










share|improve this question




















  • 2





    Re-installing is best: the server CD has kernel params set that the desktop is lacking (you can get them ofcourse with the desktop too but it is more work then a re-install ;))

    – Rinzwind
    May 5 '12 at 20:23













  • Also, one should remove x11 cruft too afterwards with sudo apt-get remove x11*

    – Rob K
    Jul 30 '12 at 10:53
















21















We have installed Ubuntu desktop edition on our development server. Now that we have it in a data center we would like to strip it down to a server edition.



Is there an easy way of doing so rather than just going in and uninstalling packages by hand?










share|improve this question




















  • 2





    Re-installing is best: the server CD has kernel params set that the desktop is lacking (you can get them ofcourse with the desktop too but it is more work then a re-install ;))

    – Rinzwind
    May 5 '12 at 20:23













  • Also, one should remove x11 cruft too afterwards with sudo apt-get remove x11*

    – Rob K
    Jul 30 '12 at 10:53














21












21








21


4






We have installed Ubuntu desktop edition on our development server. Now that we have it in a data center we would like to strip it down to a server edition.



Is there an easy way of doing so rather than just going in and uninstalling packages by hand?










share|improve this question
















We have installed Ubuntu desktop edition on our development server. Now that we have it in a data center we would like to strip it down to a server edition.



Is there an easy way of doing so rather than just going in and uninstalling packages by hand?







server






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Aug 5 '14 at 3:42









Bernmeister

1,00921232




1,00921232










asked Jul 28 '10 at 19:37









Gabriel SolomonGabriel Solomon

2,79041922




2,79041922








  • 2





    Re-installing is best: the server CD has kernel params set that the desktop is lacking (you can get them ofcourse with the desktop too but it is more work then a re-install ;))

    – Rinzwind
    May 5 '12 at 20:23













  • Also, one should remove x11 cruft too afterwards with sudo apt-get remove x11*

    – Rob K
    Jul 30 '12 at 10:53














  • 2





    Re-installing is best: the server CD has kernel params set that the desktop is lacking (you can get them ofcourse with the desktop too but it is more work then a re-install ;))

    – Rinzwind
    May 5 '12 at 20:23













  • Also, one should remove x11 cruft too afterwards with sudo apt-get remove x11*

    – Rob K
    Jul 30 '12 at 10:53








2




2





Re-installing is best: the server CD has kernel params set that the desktop is lacking (you can get them ofcourse with the desktop too but it is more work then a re-install ;))

– Rinzwind
May 5 '12 at 20:23







Re-installing is best: the server CD has kernel params set that the desktop is lacking (you can get them ofcourse with the desktop too but it is more work then a re-install ;))

– Rinzwind
May 5 '12 at 20:23















Also, one should remove x11 cruft too afterwards with sudo apt-get remove x11*

– Rob K
Jul 30 '12 at 10:53





Also, one should remove x11 cruft too afterwards with sudo apt-get remove x11*

– Rob K
Jul 30 '12 at 10:53










4 Answers
4






active

oldest

votes


















15














It's possible to do it the other way around, but I've never seen anyone who was able to do this simply by installing a metapackage or something.



Your best bet is either:




  • a clean install

  • manually removing unneeded packages and installing the server components you need






share|improve this answer



















  • 1





    A clean install is the way to go, but if you want to manually remove packages, run dpkg --get-selections "*" >~/applications.txt and delete what you know you don't need.

    – tinker
    Jul 29 '10 at 1:48



















13














You can remove ubuntu-desktop and simultaneously auto-remove all its orphaned dependants:



sudo apt-get autoremove ubuntu-desktop


Add the --purge option if you also want to remove the configuration of the affected packages (and not keep it for possible later reinstallation).



If you have any other Desktop remove them as well. if you reboot after this you should have no GUI to log into. If you purge a program rather than just removing it you also remove any config files that may remain.



As Rinzwind suggests try sudo apt-get remove gnome-*.



Before Ubuntu 16.04 it also provides a special kernel package for server installations, linux-image-server:





  • sudo apt-get install linux-image-server and reboot.


Then I suggest you install the server applications you want, like ssh-server.





But as always it's better to make a clean install. It gives less risk of errors and broken packages.






share|improve this answer





















  • 1





    Well I removed ubuntu-desktop, but it did nothing, since no packages depends on it. I then removed all the packages that ubuntu-desktop depends on, which works better, but it still leaves a bit of a mess with packages like unity-common, gedit-common, etc.

    – Bart van Heukelom
    May 5 '12 at 19:00











  • @BartvanHeukelom well, did you purge it or just remove it? edited the question.

    – Alvar
    May 5 '12 at 20:25








  • 1





    iirc sudo apt-get remove gnome-* would take care of most packages. Unity should be removed alongside this (cuz of dependencies). (needs confirmation though since I tend to not do this)

    – Rinzwind
    May 5 '12 at 20:27











  • I removed it (accidentally), didn't purge, but AFAIK that shouldn't matter regarding dependencies.

    – Bart van Heukelom
    May 7 '12 at 8:49






  • 1





    Since 12.04, there is no difference in kernel between Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Server since linux-image-server is merged into linux-image-generic. (from Ubuntu ServerFaq)

    – Amir Ali Akbari
    Jan 2 '14 at 12:37



















10














You can try tasksel. With it, you can do what you want by selecting Basic Ubuntu Server and unchecking Ubuntu desktop.



sudo apt-get install tasksel


Note: as stated in comments, tasksel should only be used to install tasks, not remove them. In this specific task (remove desktop -> install server) it seems to work fine. So use it with caution.



tasksel screen






share|improve this answer


























  • Can you or someone else confirm this works? You say try, but if it does work this is a great answer.

    – djeikyb
    May 29 '12 at 20:01











  • Excerpt from Ubuntu Tasksel page: WARNING: Use tasksel only to install tasks, never to remove any! According to launchpad.net/bugs/574287 it will remove each package in the list of that task (and possibly render your system unusable).

    – Andrejs Cainikovs
    May 29 '12 at 20:12













  • As per above, I don't recommend you to use tasksel in your case.

    – Andrejs Cainikovs
    May 29 '12 at 20:13






  • 1





    @djeikyb i tried this with ubuntu 9.10 and ubuntu 11.10, and both work (wubi install, remove desktop and installing "server packages"). In 11.10 there's a small glitch: the system boots but dont shows you the login prompt.

    – Salem
    May 30 '12 at 10:27











  • @AndrejsCainikovs i only used tasksel with this specific task (remove desktop -> install server) and in the systems i used it works. I will update the answer

    – Salem
    May 30 '12 at 10:40



















0














If you want to just not run the DM and WM on startup but keep the ability to run them at will you can run:



sudo systemctl set-default runlevel3.target


then reboot.



The system will boot to runlevel 3 (init 3) which does not start the DM and WM and all the other stuff related to the desktop environment, but starts everything else. When the system boots into the tty1 terminal at the console, you can log in then



sudo init 5


to get to the desktop environment login.



On the ubuntu and xfce4 desktops I was testing with the GUI logout button hung my system.

On the ubuntu desktop, the power down and restart buttons worked fine; the xfce4 desktop only has a logout button.



The safe way to exit back to tty only is to open a terminal and run:



sudo init 3





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    4 Answers
    4






    active

    oldest

    votes








    4 Answers
    4






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes









    15














    It's possible to do it the other way around, but I've never seen anyone who was able to do this simply by installing a metapackage or something.



    Your best bet is either:




    • a clean install

    • manually removing unneeded packages and installing the server components you need






    share|improve this answer



















    • 1





      A clean install is the way to go, but if you want to manually remove packages, run dpkg --get-selections "*" >~/applications.txt and delete what you know you don't need.

      – tinker
      Jul 29 '10 at 1:48
















    15














    It's possible to do it the other way around, but I've never seen anyone who was able to do this simply by installing a metapackage or something.



    Your best bet is either:




    • a clean install

    • manually removing unneeded packages and installing the server components you need






    share|improve this answer



















    • 1





      A clean install is the way to go, but if you want to manually remove packages, run dpkg --get-selections "*" >~/applications.txt and delete what you know you don't need.

      – tinker
      Jul 29 '10 at 1:48














    15












    15








    15







    It's possible to do it the other way around, but I've never seen anyone who was able to do this simply by installing a metapackage or something.



    Your best bet is either:




    • a clean install

    • manually removing unneeded packages and installing the server components you need






    share|improve this answer













    It's possible to do it the other way around, but I've never seen anyone who was able to do this simply by installing a metapackage or something.



    Your best bet is either:




    • a clean install

    • manually removing unneeded packages and installing the server components you need







    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered Jul 28 '10 at 19:41









    Nathan OsmanNathan Osman

    20.9k32144237




    20.9k32144237








    • 1





      A clean install is the way to go, but if you want to manually remove packages, run dpkg --get-selections "*" >~/applications.txt and delete what you know you don't need.

      – tinker
      Jul 29 '10 at 1:48














    • 1





      A clean install is the way to go, but if you want to manually remove packages, run dpkg --get-selections "*" >~/applications.txt and delete what you know you don't need.

      – tinker
      Jul 29 '10 at 1:48








    1




    1





    A clean install is the way to go, but if you want to manually remove packages, run dpkg --get-selections "*" >~/applications.txt and delete what you know you don't need.

    – tinker
    Jul 29 '10 at 1:48





    A clean install is the way to go, but if you want to manually remove packages, run dpkg --get-selections "*" >~/applications.txt and delete what you know you don't need.

    – tinker
    Jul 29 '10 at 1:48













    13














    You can remove ubuntu-desktop and simultaneously auto-remove all its orphaned dependants:



    sudo apt-get autoremove ubuntu-desktop


    Add the --purge option if you also want to remove the configuration of the affected packages (and not keep it for possible later reinstallation).



    If you have any other Desktop remove them as well. if you reboot after this you should have no GUI to log into. If you purge a program rather than just removing it you also remove any config files that may remain.



    As Rinzwind suggests try sudo apt-get remove gnome-*.



    Before Ubuntu 16.04 it also provides a special kernel package for server installations, linux-image-server:





    • sudo apt-get install linux-image-server and reboot.


    Then I suggest you install the server applications you want, like ssh-server.





    But as always it's better to make a clean install. It gives less risk of errors and broken packages.






    share|improve this answer





















    • 1





      Well I removed ubuntu-desktop, but it did nothing, since no packages depends on it. I then removed all the packages that ubuntu-desktop depends on, which works better, but it still leaves a bit of a mess with packages like unity-common, gedit-common, etc.

      – Bart van Heukelom
      May 5 '12 at 19:00











    • @BartvanHeukelom well, did you purge it or just remove it? edited the question.

      – Alvar
      May 5 '12 at 20:25








    • 1





      iirc sudo apt-get remove gnome-* would take care of most packages. Unity should be removed alongside this (cuz of dependencies). (needs confirmation though since I tend to not do this)

      – Rinzwind
      May 5 '12 at 20:27











    • I removed it (accidentally), didn't purge, but AFAIK that shouldn't matter regarding dependencies.

      – Bart van Heukelom
      May 7 '12 at 8:49






    • 1





      Since 12.04, there is no difference in kernel between Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Server since linux-image-server is merged into linux-image-generic. (from Ubuntu ServerFaq)

      – Amir Ali Akbari
      Jan 2 '14 at 12:37
















    13














    You can remove ubuntu-desktop and simultaneously auto-remove all its orphaned dependants:



    sudo apt-get autoremove ubuntu-desktop


    Add the --purge option if you also want to remove the configuration of the affected packages (and not keep it for possible later reinstallation).



    If you have any other Desktop remove them as well. if you reboot after this you should have no GUI to log into. If you purge a program rather than just removing it you also remove any config files that may remain.



    As Rinzwind suggests try sudo apt-get remove gnome-*.



    Before Ubuntu 16.04 it also provides a special kernel package for server installations, linux-image-server:





    • sudo apt-get install linux-image-server and reboot.


    Then I suggest you install the server applications you want, like ssh-server.





    But as always it's better to make a clean install. It gives less risk of errors and broken packages.






    share|improve this answer





















    • 1





      Well I removed ubuntu-desktop, but it did nothing, since no packages depends on it. I then removed all the packages that ubuntu-desktop depends on, which works better, but it still leaves a bit of a mess with packages like unity-common, gedit-common, etc.

      – Bart van Heukelom
      May 5 '12 at 19:00











    • @BartvanHeukelom well, did you purge it or just remove it? edited the question.

      – Alvar
      May 5 '12 at 20:25








    • 1





      iirc sudo apt-get remove gnome-* would take care of most packages. Unity should be removed alongside this (cuz of dependencies). (needs confirmation though since I tend to not do this)

      – Rinzwind
      May 5 '12 at 20:27











    • I removed it (accidentally), didn't purge, but AFAIK that shouldn't matter regarding dependencies.

      – Bart van Heukelom
      May 7 '12 at 8:49






    • 1





      Since 12.04, there is no difference in kernel between Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Server since linux-image-server is merged into linux-image-generic. (from Ubuntu ServerFaq)

      – Amir Ali Akbari
      Jan 2 '14 at 12:37














    13












    13








    13







    You can remove ubuntu-desktop and simultaneously auto-remove all its orphaned dependants:



    sudo apt-get autoremove ubuntu-desktop


    Add the --purge option if you also want to remove the configuration of the affected packages (and not keep it for possible later reinstallation).



    If you have any other Desktop remove them as well. if you reboot after this you should have no GUI to log into. If you purge a program rather than just removing it you also remove any config files that may remain.



    As Rinzwind suggests try sudo apt-get remove gnome-*.



    Before Ubuntu 16.04 it also provides a special kernel package for server installations, linux-image-server:





    • sudo apt-get install linux-image-server and reboot.


    Then I suggest you install the server applications you want, like ssh-server.





    But as always it's better to make a clean install. It gives less risk of errors and broken packages.






    share|improve this answer















    You can remove ubuntu-desktop and simultaneously auto-remove all its orphaned dependants:



    sudo apt-get autoremove ubuntu-desktop


    Add the --purge option if you also want to remove the configuration of the affected packages (and not keep it for possible later reinstallation).



    If you have any other Desktop remove them as well. if you reboot after this you should have no GUI to log into. If you purge a program rather than just removing it you also remove any config files that may remain.



    As Rinzwind suggests try sudo apt-get remove gnome-*.



    Before Ubuntu 16.04 it also provides a special kernel package for server installations, linux-image-server:





    • sudo apt-get install linux-image-server and reboot.


    Then I suggest you install the server applications you want, like ssh-server.





    But as always it's better to make a clean install. It gives less risk of errors and broken packages.







    share|improve this answer














    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited Jul 27 '18 at 9:49









    David Foerster

    27.9k1364110




    27.9k1364110










    answered May 5 '12 at 17:26









    AlvarAlvar

    11.5k2678126




    11.5k2678126








    • 1





      Well I removed ubuntu-desktop, but it did nothing, since no packages depends on it. I then removed all the packages that ubuntu-desktop depends on, which works better, but it still leaves a bit of a mess with packages like unity-common, gedit-common, etc.

      – Bart van Heukelom
      May 5 '12 at 19:00











    • @BartvanHeukelom well, did you purge it or just remove it? edited the question.

      – Alvar
      May 5 '12 at 20:25








    • 1





      iirc sudo apt-get remove gnome-* would take care of most packages. Unity should be removed alongside this (cuz of dependencies). (needs confirmation though since I tend to not do this)

      – Rinzwind
      May 5 '12 at 20:27











    • I removed it (accidentally), didn't purge, but AFAIK that shouldn't matter regarding dependencies.

      – Bart van Heukelom
      May 7 '12 at 8:49






    • 1





      Since 12.04, there is no difference in kernel between Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Server since linux-image-server is merged into linux-image-generic. (from Ubuntu ServerFaq)

      – Amir Ali Akbari
      Jan 2 '14 at 12:37














    • 1





      Well I removed ubuntu-desktop, but it did nothing, since no packages depends on it. I then removed all the packages that ubuntu-desktop depends on, which works better, but it still leaves a bit of a mess with packages like unity-common, gedit-common, etc.

      – Bart van Heukelom
      May 5 '12 at 19:00











    • @BartvanHeukelom well, did you purge it or just remove it? edited the question.

      – Alvar
      May 5 '12 at 20:25








    • 1





      iirc sudo apt-get remove gnome-* would take care of most packages. Unity should be removed alongside this (cuz of dependencies). (needs confirmation though since I tend to not do this)

      – Rinzwind
      May 5 '12 at 20:27











    • I removed it (accidentally), didn't purge, but AFAIK that shouldn't matter regarding dependencies.

      – Bart van Heukelom
      May 7 '12 at 8:49






    • 1





      Since 12.04, there is no difference in kernel between Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Server since linux-image-server is merged into linux-image-generic. (from Ubuntu ServerFaq)

      – Amir Ali Akbari
      Jan 2 '14 at 12:37








    1




    1





    Well I removed ubuntu-desktop, but it did nothing, since no packages depends on it. I then removed all the packages that ubuntu-desktop depends on, which works better, but it still leaves a bit of a mess with packages like unity-common, gedit-common, etc.

    – Bart van Heukelom
    May 5 '12 at 19:00





    Well I removed ubuntu-desktop, but it did nothing, since no packages depends on it. I then removed all the packages that ubuntu-desktop depends on, which works better, but it still leaves a bit of a mess with packages like unity-common, gedit-common, etc.

    – Bart van Heukelom
    May 5 '12 at 19:00













    @BartvanHeukelom well, did you purge it or just remove it? edited the question.

    – Alvar
    May 5 '12 at 20:25







    @BartvanHeukelom well, did you purge it or just remove it? edited the question.

    – Alvar
    May 5 '12 at 20:25






    1




    1





    iirc sudo apt-get remove gnome-* would take care of most packages. Unity should be removed alongside this (cuz of dependencies). (needs confirmation though since I tend to not do this)

    – Rinzwind
    May 5 '12 at 20:27





    iirc sudo apt-get remove gnome-* would take care of most packages. Unity should be removed alongside this (cuz of dependencies). (needs confirmation though since I tend to not do this)

    – Rinzwind
    May 5 '12 at 20:27













    I removed it (accidentally), didn't purge, but AFAIK that shouldn't matter regarding dependencies.

    – Bart van Heukelom
    May 7 '12 at 8:49





    I removed it (accidentally), didn't purge, but AFAIK that shouldn't matter regarding dependencies.

    – Bart van Heukelom
    May 7 '12 at 8:49




    1




    1





    Since 12.04, there is no difference in kernel between Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Server since linux-image-server is merged into linux-image-generic. (from Ubuntu ServerFaq)

    – Amir Ali Akbari
    Jan 2 '14 at 12:37





    Since 12.04, there is no difference in kernel between Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Server since linux-image-server is merged into linux-image-generic. (from Ubuntu ServerFaq)

    – Amir Ali Akbari
    Jan 2 '14 at 12:37











    10














    You can try tasksel. With it, you can do what you want by selecting Basic Ubuntu Server and unchecking Ubuntu desktop.



    sudo apt-get install tasksel


    Note: as stated in comments, tasksel should only be used to install tasks, not remove them. In this specific task (remove desktop -> install server) it seems to work fine. So use it with caution.



    tasksel screen






    share|improve this answer


























    • Can you or someone else confirm this works? You say try, but if it does work this is a great answer.

      – djeikyb
      May 29 '12 at 20:01











    • Excerpt from Ubuntu Tasksel page: WARNING: Use tasksel only to install tasks, never to remove any! According to launchpad.net/bugs/574287 it will remove each package in the list of that task (and possibly render your system unusable).

      – Andrejs Cainikovs
      May 29 '12 at 20:12













    • As per above, I don't recommend you to use tasksel in your case.

      – Andrejs Cainikovs
      May 29 '12 at 20:13






    • 1





      @djeikyb i tried this with ubuntu 9.10 and ubuntu 11.10, and both work (wubi install, remove desktop and installing "server packages"). In 11.10 there's a small glitch: the system boots but dont shows you the login prompt.

      – Salem
      May 30 '12 at 10:27











    • @AndrejsCainikovs i only used tasksel with this specific task (remove desktop -> install server) and in the systems i used it works. I will update the answer

      – Salem
      May 30 '12 at 10:40
















    10














    You can try tasksel. With it, you can do what you want by selecting Basic Ubuntu Server and unchecking Ubuntu desktop.



    sudo apt-get install tasksel


    Note: as stated in comments, tasksel should only be used to install tasks, not remove them. In this specific task (remove desktop -> install server) it seems to work fine. So use it with caution.



    tasksel screen






    share|improve this answer


























    • Can you or someone else confirm this works? You say try, but if it does work this is a great answer.

      – djeikyb
      May 29 '12 at 20:01











    • Excerpt from Ubuntu Tasksel page: WARNING: Use tasksel only to install tasks, never to remove any! According to launchpad.net/bugs/574287 it will remove each package in the list of that task (and possibly render your system unusable).

      – Andrejs Cainikovs
      May 29 '12 at 20:12













    • As per above, I don't recommend you to use tasksel in your case.

      – Andrejs Cainikovs
      May 29 '12 at 20:13






    • 1





      @djeikyb i tried this with ubuntu 9.10 and ubuntu 11.10, and both work (wubi install, remove desktop and installing "server packages"). In 11.10 there's a small glitch: the system boots but dont shows you the login prompt.

      – Salem
      May 30 '12 at 10:27











    • @AndrejsCainikovs i only used tasksel with this specific task (remove desktop -> install server) and in the systems i used it works. I will update the answer

      – Salem
      May 30 '12 at 10:40














    10












    10








    10







    You can try tasksel. With it, you can do what you want by selecting Basic Ubuntu Server and unchecking Ubuntu desktop.



    sudo apt-get install tasksel


    Note: as stated in comments, tasksel should only be used to install tasks, not remove them. In this specific task (remove desktop -> install server) it seems to work fine. So use it with caution.



    tasksel screen






    share|improve this answer















    You can try tasksel. With it, you can do what you want by selecting Basic Ubuntu Server and unchecking Ubuntu desktop.



    sudo apt-get install tasksel


    Note: as stated in comments, tasksel should only be used to install tasks, not remove them. In this specific task (remove desktop -> install server) it seems to work fine. So use it with caution.



    tasksel screen







    share|improve this answer














    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited Feb 14 '17 at 10:23









    Zanna

    50.5k13133241




    50.5k13133241










    answered May 5 '12 at 20:39









    SalemSalem

    17.1k65083




    17.1k65083













    • Can you or someone else confirm this works? You say try, but if it does work this is a great answer.

      – djeikyb
      May 29 '12 at 20:01











    • Excerpt from Ubuntu Tasksel page: WARNING: Use tasksel only to install tasks, never to remove any! According to launchpad.net/bugs/574287 it will remove each package in the list of that task (and possibly render your system unusable).

      – Andrejs Cainikovs
      May 29 '12 at 20:12













    • As per above, I don't recommend you to use tasksel in your case.

      – Andrejs Cainikovs
      May 29 '12 at 20:13






    • 1





      @djeikyb i tried this with ubuntu 9.10 and ubuntu 11.10, and both work (wubi install, remove desktop and installing "server packages"). In 11.10 there's a small glitch: the system boots but dont shows you the login prompt.

      – Salem
      May 30 '12 at 10:27











    • @AndrejsCainikovs i only used tasksel with this specific task (remove desktop -> install server) and in the systems i used it works. I will update the answer

      – Salem
      May 30 '12 at 10:40



















    • Can you or someone else confirm this works? You say try, but if it does work this is a great answer.

      – djeikyb
      May 29 '12 at 20:01











    • Excerpt from Ubuntu Tasksel page: WARNING: Use tasksel only to install tasks, never to remove any! According to launchpad.net/bugs/574287 it will remove each package in the list of that task (and possibly render your system unusable).

      – Andrejs Cainikovs
      May 29 '12 at 20:12













    • As per above, I don't recommend you to use tasksel in your case.

      – Andrejs Cainikovs
      May 29 '12 at 20:13






    • 1





      @djeikyb i tried this with ubuntu 9.10 and ubuntu 11.10, and both work (wubi install, remove desktop and installing "server packages"). In 11.10 there's a small glitch: the system boots but dont shows you the login prompt.

      – Salem
      May 30 '12 at 10:27











    • @AndrejsCainikovs i only used tasksel with this specific task (remove desktop -> install server) and in the systems i used it works. I will update the answer

      – Salem
      May 30 '12 at 10:40

















    Can you or someone else confirm this works? You say try, but if it does work this is a great answer.

    – djeikyb
    May 29 '12 at 20:01





    Can you or someone else confirm this works? You say try, but if it does work this is a great answer.

    – djeikyb
    May 29 '12 at 20:01













    Excerpt from Ubuntu Tasksel page: WARNING: Use tasksel only to install tasks, never to remove any! According to launchpad.net/bugs/574287 it will remove each package in the list of that task (and possibly render your system unusable).

    – Andrejs Cainikovs
    May 29 '12 at 20:12







    Excerpt from Ubuntu Tasksel page: WARNING: Use tasksel only to install tasks, never to remove any! According to launchpad.net/bugs/574287 it will remove each package in the list of that task (and possibly render your system unusable).

    – Andrejs Cainikovs
    May 29 '12 at 20:12















    As per above, I don't recommend you to use tasksel in your case.

    – Andrejs Cainikovs
    May 29 '12 at 20:13





    As per above, I don't recommend you to use tasksel in your case.

    – Andrejs Cainikovs
    May 29 '12 at 20:13




    1




    1





    @djeikyb i tried this with ubuntu 9.10 and ubuntu 11.10, and both work (wubi install, remove desktop and installing "server packages"). In 11.10 there's a small glitch: the system boots but dont shows you the login prompt.

    – Salem
    May 30 '12 at 10:27





    @djeikyb i tried this with ubuntu 9.10 and ubuntu 11.10, and both work (wubi install, remove desktop and installing "server packages"). In 11.10 there's a small glitch: the system boots but dont shows you the login prompt.

    – Salem
    May 30 '12 at 10:27













    @AndrejsCainikovs i only used tasksel with this specific task (remove desktop -> install server) and in the systems i used it works. I will update the answer

    – Salem
    May 30 '12 at 10:40





    @AndrejsCainikovs i only used tasksel with this specific task (remove desktop -> install server) and in the systems i used it works. I will update the answer

    – Salem
    May 30 '12 at 10:40











    0














    If you want to just not run the DM and WM on startup but keep the ability to run them at will you can run:



    sudo systemctl set-default runlevel3.target


    then reboot.



    The system will boot to runlevel 3 (init 3) which does not start the DM and WM and all the other stuff related to the desktop environment, but starts everything else. When the system boots into the tty1 terminal at the console, you can log in then



    sudo init 5


    to get to the desktop environment login.



    On the ubuntu and xfce4 desktops I was testing with the GUI logout button hung my system.

    On the ubuntu desktop, the power down and restart buttons worked fine; the xfce4 desktop only has a logout button.



    The safe way to exit back to tty only is to open a terminal and run:



    sudo init 3





    share|improve this answer




























      0














      If you want to just not run the DM and WM on startup but keep the ability to run them at will you can run:



      sudo systemctl set-default runlevel3.target


      then reboot.



      The system will boot to runlevel 3 (init 3) which does not start the DM and WM and all the other stuff related to the desktop environment, but starts everything else. When the system boots into the tty1 terminal at the console, you can log in then



      sudo init 5


      to get to the desktop environment login.



      On the ubuntu and xfce4 desktops I was testing with the GUI logout button hung my system.

      On the ubuntu desktop, the power down and restart buttons worked fine; the xfce4 desktop only has a logout button.



      The safe way to exit back to tty only is to open a terminal and run:



      sudo init 3





      share|improve this answer


























        0












        0








        0







        If you want to just not run the DM and WM on startup but keep the ability to run them at will you can run:



        sudo systemctl set-default runlevel3.target


        then reboot.



        The system will boot to runlevel 3 (init 3) which does not start the DM and WM and all the other stuff related to the desktop environment, but starts everything else. When the system boots into the tty1 terminal at the console, you can log in then



        sudo init 5


        to get to the desktop environment login.



        On the ubuntu and xfce4 desktops I was testing with the GUI logout button hung my system.

        On the ubuntu desktop, the power down and restart buttons worked fine; the xfce4 desktop only has a logout button.



        The safe way to exit back to tty only is to open a terminal and run:



        sudo init 3





        share|improve this answer













        If you want to just not run the DM and WM on startup but keep the ability to run them at will you can run:



        sudo systemctl set-default runlevel3.target


        then reboot.



        The system will boot to runlevel 3 (init 3) which does not start the DM and WM and all the other stuff related to the desktop environment, but starts everything else. When the system boots into the tty1 terminal at the console, you can log in then



        sudo init 5


        to get to the desktop environment login.



        On the ubuntu and xfce4 desktops I was testing with the GUI logout button hung my system.

        On the ubuntu desktop, the power down and restart buttons worked fine; the xfce4 desktop only has a logout button.



        The safe way to exit back to tty only is to open a terminal and run:



        sudo init 3






        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered Jan 5 at 19:11









        TechnopeonTechnopeon

        1




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