which takes precedence?

[Patrick O'Callaghan]

On Mon, 2008-04-07 at 09:07 -0500, Aaron Konstam wrote:
> On Mon, 2008-04-07 at 09:21 -0430, Patrick O'Callaghan wrote:
> > On Mon, 2008-04-07 at 11:33 +0000, tony.chamberlain at lemko.com wrote:
> > >  
> > > I have a machine running SMP whose grub entry is
> > > 
> > >         kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-55.ELsmp ro
> > > root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet 3
> > > 
> > > (and uname -a: Linux 8mile 2.6.9-55.ELsmp #1 SMP) BUT    Runlevel N 5
> > > 
> > > I used to set runlevel by making id 3 in /etc/inittab:
> > > 
> > >            id:3:initdefault:
> > > 
> > > Management said not to use inittab but rather grub.conf.  Explains
> > > before why even when
> > > id in inittab was 5, the runlevel would be 3.
> > > 
> > > But now, in grub.conf there is the 3 (as above) at the end of the
> > > kernel line (5 in inittab) and
> > > it is coming up in level 5 after reboot.  So which has precedence,
> > > inittab or grub.conf and
> > > why is it coming up 5?
> > 
> > Pardon my ignorance, but where is it documented that you can set the
> > runlevel from the grub.conf line? It doesn't appear to be in the grub
> > manual, the init manual, or kernel-parameters.txt. AFAIK all you can do
> > is specify a different binary instead of the default /sbin/init.
> > 
> > So it would be coming up in level 5 because that's what your inittab
> > says.
> > 
> > poc
> >  
> 
> When the system comes up and you see a display of kernel boot lines.
> If yo have hidemenu uncommented in grub.conf you may have to hit return
> during the initial screen to see this.
> 
> At the bottom of the boot list there are instructions on how to edit a
> boot line. If the line is edited and the number 3 is placed at the end
> of the line the system will boot to run level 3. A 1 will get eh system
> to boot to run level 1 and so on.

So this is a function of rhgb, not of init, i.e. it's some
RedHat-specific magic.

OT: It's distressing to me as an old Unix user that 'man rhgb' doesn't
work. Even worse, 'man -k rhgb' gives:

rhgb                (rpm) - Red Hat Graphical Boot

implying that there is a man page, but I don't have it. Is there some
secret RPM I have to install?

poc