Can I start Debian on a text virtual console in a virtual machine? The Next CEO of Stack OverflowHow to disable X server autostart in Debian Jessie?Install/configure Debian without a GUIHow can I not give a virtual graphics card at all to your VM and have the console on serial?How to start a virtual machine filled with qemu-nbd?KVM can't access iso o raw images outside /var/lib/libvirt/imagesGentoo virt-manager on system without GNOME cannot connect to libvirtd due to polkit throwing a missing file errorAndroid-x86_64 installer does not boot in QEMU/KVM - EFI Shell appears insteadHow can I configure scheduled virtual machine backup?QEmu shared folders for Debian EtchVirtual Machine Manager wants to inhibit shortcuts - again and again - on WaylandHow do I launch a VM to a Specific XServer?What is the relation between Virtual Machine Manager and KVM/QEMU?Can I run a .vdi file for Windows 8.1. virtual machine in KVM/QEMU or VMM?
Can you replace a racial trait cantrip when leveling up?
Why am I allowed to create multiple unique pointers from a single object?
If a black hole is created from light, can this black hole then move at speed of light?
Why don't programming languages automatically manage the synchronous/asynchronous problem?
How to count occurrences of text in a file?
What is "(CFMCC)" on an ILS approach chart?
How did the Bene Gesserit know how to make a Kwisatz Haderach?
To not tell, not take, and not want
What was the first Unix version to run on a microcomputer?
How to safely derail a train during transit?
What benefits would be gained by using human laborers instead of drones in deep sea mining?
Why is the US ranked as #45 in Press Freedom ratings, despite its extremely permissive free speech laws?
Contours of a clandestine nature
Sending manuscript to multiple publishers
Is micro rebar a better way to reinforce concrete than rebar?
Can I run my washing machine drain line into a condensate pump so it drains better?
Why do remote companies require working in the US?
sp_blitzCache results Memory grants
Indicator light circuit
What exact does MIB represent in SNMP? How is it different from OID?
Non-deterministic sum of floats
If Nick Fury and Coulson already knew about aliens (Kree and Skrull) why did they wait until Thor's appearance to start making weapons?
Why has the US not been more assertive in confronting Russia in recent years?
Bold, vivid family
Can I start Debian on a text virtual console in a virtual machine?
The Next CEO of Stack OverflowHow to disable X server autostart in Debian Jessie?Install/configure Debian without a GUIHow can I not give a virtual graphics card at all to your VM and have the console on serial?How to start a virtual machine filled with qemu-nbd?KVM can't access iso o raw images outside /var/lib/libvirt/imagesGentoo virt-manager on system without GNOME cannot connect to libvirtd due to polkit throwing a missing file errorAndroid-x86_64 installer does not boot in QEMU/KVM - EFI Shell appears insteadHow can I configure scheduled virtual machine backup?QEmu shared folders for Debian EtchVirtual Machine Manager wants to inhibit shortcuts - again and again - on WaylandHow do I launch a VM to a Specific XServer?What is the relation between Virtual Machine Manager and KVM/QEMU?Can I run a .vdi file for Windows 8.1. virtual machine in KVM/QEMU or VMM?
I have created a Debian virtual machine in virt-manager/KVM/QEMU.
When I run the Debian virtual machine, I don't really need the desktop environment, which is also resource consuming. Can I start Debian only on a text virtual console (e.g. like ctrl-alt-f1) instead of the graphical virtual console (i.e. ctrl-alt-f7) on the virtual machine?
Thanks.
debian kvm virt-manager virtual-consoles
add a comment |
I have created a Debian virtual machine in virt-manager/KVM/QEMU.
When I run the Debian virtual machine, I don't really need the desktop environment, which is also resource consuming. Can I start Debian only on a text virtual console (e.g. like ctrl-alt-f1) instead of the graphical virtual console (i.e. ctrl-alt-f7) on the virtual machine?
Thanks.
debian kvm virt-manager virtual-consoles
2
Possible duplicate of How to disable X server autostart in Debian Jessie?
– telcoM
yesterday
And maybe, you should have installed Debian using a Netinstall ISO, that has the essential minimal for a Non-X setup - debian.org/distrib/netinst - Also, remember to not select a desktop environment during the setup process, or it will download it. Keep up the bare minimal, and the ssh server if you want...
– nwildner
yesterday
You could also not give a virtual graphics card at all to your VM and have the console on serial. Like for a physical server, that makes it easier to operate the VM as you can then more easily copy-paste text when you access that console from a terminal emulator on the host.
– Stéphane Chazelas
15 hours ago
@StéphaneChazelas Thanks. How shall I not give a virtual graphics card at all to your VM and have the console on serial?
– Tim
13 hours ago
add a comment |
I have created a Debian virtual machine in virt-manager/KVM/QEMU.
When I run the Debian virtual machine, I don't really need the desktop environment, which is also resource consuming. Can I start Debian only on a text virtual console (e.g. like ctrl-alt-f1) instead of the graphical virtual console (i.e. ctrl-alt-f7) on the virtual machine?
Thanks.
debian kvm virt-manager virtual-consoles
I have created a Debian virtual machine in virt-manager/KVM/QEMU.
When I run the Debian virtual machine, I don't really need the desktop environment, which is also resource consuming. Can I start Debian only on a text virtual console (e.g. like ctrl-alt-f1) instead of the graphical virtual console (i.e. ctrl-alt-f7) on the virtual machine?
Thanks.
debian kvm virt-manager virtual-consoles
debian kvm virt-manager virtual-consoles
edited 2 days ago


Jeff Schaller♦
44.3k1162143
44.3k1162143
asked 2 days ago


TimTim
28.3k78269490
28.3k78269490
2
Possible duplicate of How to disable X server autostart in Debian Jessie?
– telcoM
yesterday
And maybe, you should have installed Debian using a Netinstall ISO, that has the essential minimal for a Non-X setup - debian.org/distrib/netinst - Also, remember to not select a desktop environment during the setup process, or it will download it. Keep up the bare minimal, and the ssh server if you want...
– nwildner
yesterday
You could also not give a virtual graphics card at all to your VM and have the console on serial. Like for a physical server, that makes it easier to operate the VM as you can then more easily copy-paste text when you access that console from a terminal emulator on the host.
– Stéphane Chazelas
15 hours ago
@StéphaneChazelas Thanks. How shall I not give a virtual graphics card at all to your VM and have the console on serial?
– Tim
13 hours ago
add a comment |
2
Possible duplicate of How to disable X server autostart in Debian Jessie?
– telcoM
yesterday
And maybe, you should have installed Debian using a Netinstall ISO, that has the essential minimal for a Non-X setup - debian.org/distrib/netinst - Also, remember to not select a desktop environment during the setup process, or it will download it. Keep up the bare minimal, and the ssh server if you want...
– nwildner
yesterday
You could also not give a virtual graphics card at all to your VM and have the console on serial. Like for a physical server, that makes it easier to operate the VM as you can then more easily copy-paste text when you access that console from a terminal emulator on the host.
– Stéphane Chazelas
15 hours ago
@StéphaneChazelas Thanks. How shall I not give a virtual graphics card at all to your VM and have the console on serial?
– Tim
13 hours ago
2
2
Possible duplicate of How to disable X server autostart in Debian Jessie?
– telcoM
yesterday
Possible duplicate of How to disable X server autostart in Debian Jessie?
– telcoM
yesterday
And maybe, you should have installed Debian using a Netinstall ISO, that has the essential minimal for a Non-X setup - debian.org/distrib/netinst - Also, remember to not select a desktop environment during the setup process, or it will download it. Keep up the bare minimal, and the ssh server if you want...
– nwildner
yesterday
And maybe, you should have installed Debian using a Netinstall ISO, that has the essential minimal for a Non-X setup - debian.org/distrib/netinst - Also, remember to not select a desktop environment during the setup process, or it will download it. Keep up the bare minimal, and the ssh server if you want...
– nwildner
yesterday
You could also not give a virtual graphics card at all to your VM and have the console on serial. Like for a physical server, that makes it easier to operate the VM as you can then more easily copy-paste text when you access that console from a terminal emulator on the host.
– Stéphane Chazelas
15 hours ago
You could also not give a virtual graphics card at all to your VM and have the console on serial. Like for a physical server, that makes it easier to operate the VM as you can then more easily copy-paste text when you access that console from a terminal emulator on the host.
– Stéphane Chazelas
15 hours ago
@StéphaneChazelas Thanks. How shall I not give a virtual graphics card at all to your VM and have the console on serial?
– Tim
13 hours ago
@StéphaneChazelas Thanks. How shall I not give a virtual graphics card at all to your VM and have the console on serial?
– Tim
13 hours ago
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
You need to switch from the graphical.target
to multi-user.target
:
systemctl set-default multi-user.target
reboot
then use the chvt
to switch between tty.
If debian already up , you can use the virsh send-key
command from the host machine to switch to the tty.
e,g: to switch to tty2 use the following command:
virsh send-key guest --codeset linux KEY_LEFTCTRL KEY_LEFTALT KEY_F2
( guest
is the VM Name use virsh list --all
to get the exact name)
Edit
To switch to the GUI from the default multi-user target:
systemctl start graphical.target
You should start the graphical target then you will be able to send Ctrl+Alt+F7 from the host.
1
Thanks. (1) Withmulti-user.target
, can I switch to GUI? Sending ctrl-alt-f7 from host byvirsh send-key guest --codeset linux KEY_LEFTCTRL KEY_LEFTALT KEY_F7
doesn't seem to work. (2) Withgraphical.target
, if I switch to a text virtual console from GUI console by ctrl-alt-f1, can I kill the GUI processes?
– Tim
yesterday
add a comment |
There are several ways of going about this, but in your case, I think the best one is to remove the display manager and anything which depends on it, for example
sudo apt purge lightdm
Next time you set up a VM, if you don’t want a graphical environment, you can skip installing it altogether.
Thanks. Why uninstall lightdm, instead of Xorg?
– Tim
yesterday
Because removing the display manager is sufficient to get Debian to start on a text VC, which is what you asked for in your question.
– Stephen Kitt
17 hours ago
If I uninstall Xorg, which virtual console will it ends up with? Will Debian still start the display manager which then forks other processes, regardless of whether Xorg is installed or not?
– Tim
14 hours ago
Well, have you tried it? The answer depends on the display manager. Just uninstall the display manager.
– Stephen Kitt
14 hours ago
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function()
var channelOptions =
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "106"
;
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
createEditor();
);
else
createEditor();
);
function createEditor()
StackExchange.prepareEditor(
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader:
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
,
onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
);
);
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2funix.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f509105%2fcan-i-start-debian-on-a-text-virtual-console-in-a-virtual-machine%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
You need to switch from the graphical.target
to multi-user.target
:
systemctl set-default multi-user.target
reboot
then use the chvt
to switch between tty.
If debian already up , you can use the virsh send-key
command from the host machine to switch to the tty.
e,g: to switch to tty2 use the following command:
virsh send-key guest --codeset linux KEY_LEFTCTRL KEY_LEFTALT KEY_F2
( guest
is the VM Name use virsh list --all
to get the exact name)
Edit
To switch to the GUI from the default multi-user target:
systemctl start graphical.target
You should start the graphical target then you will be able to send Ctrl+Alt+F7 from the host.
1
Thanks. (1) Withmulti-user.target
, can I switch to GUI? Sending ctrl-alt-f7 from host byvirsh send-key guest --codeset linux KEY_LEFTCTRL KEY_LEFTALT KEY_F7
doesn't seem to work. (2) Withgraphical.target
, if I switch to a text virtual console from GUI console by ctrl-alt-f1, can I kill the GUI processes?
– Tim
yesterday
add a comment |
You need to switch from the graphical.target
to multi-user.target
:
systemctl set-default multi-user.target
reboot
then use the chvt
to switch between tty.
If debian already up , you can use the virsh send-key
command from the host machine to switch to the tty.
e,g: to switch to tty2 use the following command:
virsh send-key guest --codeset linux KEY_LEFTCTRL KEY_LEFTALT KEY_F2
( guest
is the VM Name use virsh list --all
to get the exact name)
Edit
To switch to the GUI from the default multi-user target:
systemctl start graphical.target
You should start the graphical target then you will be able to send Ctrl+Alt+F7 from the host.
1
Thanks. (1) Withmulti-user.target
, can I switch to GUI? Sending ctrl-alt-f7 from host byvirsh send-key guest --codeset linux KEY_LEFTCTRL KEY_LEFTALT KEY_F7
doesn't seem to work. (2) Withgraphical.target
, if I switch to a text virtual console from GUI console by ctrl-alt-f1, can I kill the GUI processes?
– Tim
yesterday
add a comment |
You need to switch from the graphical.target
to multi-user.target
:
systemctl set-default multi-user.target
reboot
then use the chvt
to switch between tty.
If debian already up , you can use the virsh send-key
command from the host machine to switch to the tty.
e,g: to switch to tty2 use the following command:
virsh send-key guest --codeset linux KEY_LEFTCTRL KEY_LEFTALT KEY_F2
( guest
is the VM Name use virsh list --all
to get the exact name)
Edit
To switch to the GUI from the default multi-user target:
systemctl start graphical.target
You should start the graphical target then you will be able to send Ctrl+Alt+F7 from the host.
You need to switch from the graphical.target
to multi-user.target
:
systemctl set-default multi-user.target
reboot
then use the chvt
to switch between tty.
If debian already up , you can use the virsh send-key
command from the host machine to switch to the tty.
e,g: to switch to tty2 use the following command:
virsh send-key guest --codeset linux KEY_LEFTCTRL KEY_LEFTALT KEY_F2
( guest
is the VM Name use virsh list --all
to get the exact name)
Edit
To switch to the GUI from the default multi-user target:
systemctl start graphical.target
You should start the graphical target then you will be able to send Ctrl+Alt+F7 from the host.
edited 18 hours ago
answered yesterday
GAD3RGAD3R
27.7k1858114
27.7k1858114
1
Thanks. (1) Withmulti-user.target
, can I switch to GUI? Sending ctrl-alt-f7 from host byvirsh send-key guest --codeset linux KEY_LEFTCTRL KEY_LEFTALT KEY_F7
doesn't seem to work. (2) Withgraphical.target
, if I switch to a text virtual console from GUI console by ctrl-alt-f1, can I kill the GUI processes?
– Tim
yesterday
add a comment |
1
Thanks. (1) Withmulti-user.target
, can I switch to GUI? Sending ctrl-alt-f7 from host byvirsh send-key guest --codeset linux KEY_LEFTCTRL KEY_LEFTALT KEY_F7
doesn't seem to work. (2) Withgraphical.target
, if I switch to a text virtual console from GUI console by ctrl-alt-f1, can I kill the GUI processes?
– Tim
yesterday
1
1
Thanks. (1) With
multi-user.target
, can I switch to GUI? Sending ctrl-alt-f7 from host by virsh send-key guest --codeset linux KEY_LEFTCTRL KEY_LEFTALT KEY_F7
doesn't seem to work. (2) With graphical.target
, if I switch to a text virtual console from GUI console by ctrl-alt-f1, can I kill the GUI processes?– Tim
yesterday
Thanks. (1) With
multi-user.target
, can I switch to GUI? Sending ctrl-alt-f7 from host by virsh send-key guest --codeset linux KEY_LEFTCTRL KEY_LEFTALT KEY_F7
doesn't seem to work. (2) With graphical.target
, if I switch to a text virtual console from GUI console by ctrl-alt-f1, can I kill the GUI processes?– Tim
yesterday
add a comment |
There are several ways of going about this, but in your case, I think the best one is to remove the display manager and anything which depends on it, for example
sudo apt purge lightdm
Next time you set up a VM, if you don’t want a graphical environment, you can skip installing it altogether.
Thanks. Why uninstall lightdm, instead of Xorg?
– Tim
yesterday
Because removing the display manager is sufficient to get Debian to start on a text VC, which is what you asked for in your question.
– Stephen Kitt
17 hours ago
If I uninstall Xorg, which virtual console will it ends up with? Will Debian still start the display manager which then forks other processes, regardless of whether Xorg is installed or not?
– Tim
14 hours ago
Well, have you tried it? The answer depends on the display manager. Just uninstall the display manager.
– Stephen Kitt
14 hours ago
add a comment |
There are several ways of going about this, but in your case, I think the best one is to remove the display manager and anything which depends on it, for example
sudo apt purge lightdm
Next time you set up a VM, if you don’t want a graphical environment, you can skip installing it altogether.
Thanks. Why uninstall lightdm, instead of Xorg?
– Tim
yesterday
Because removing the display manager is sufficient to get Debian to start on a text VC, which is what you asked for in your question.
– Stephen Kitt
17 hours ago
If I uninstall Xorg, which virtual console will it ends up with? Will Debian still start the display manager which then forks other processes, regardless of whether Xorg is installed or not?
– Tim
14 hours ago
Well, have you tried it? The answer depends on the display manager. Just uninstall the display manager.
– Stephen Kitt
14 hours ago
add a comment |
There are several ways of going about this, but in your case, I think the best one is to remove the display manager and anything which depends on it, for example
sudo apt purge lightdm
Next time you set up a VM, if you don’t want a graphical environment, you can skip installing it altogether.
There are several ways of going about this, but in your case, I think the best one is to remove the display manager and anything which depends on it, for example
sudo apt purge lightdm
Next time you set up a VM, if you don’t want a graphical environment, you can skip installing it altogether.
answered yesterday
Stephen KittStephen Kitt
178k24406484
178k24406484
Thanks. Why uninstall lightdm, instead of Xorg?
– Tim
yesterday
Because removing the display manager is sufficient to get Debian to start on a text VC, which is what you asked for in your question.
– Stephen Kitt
17 hours ago
If I uninstall Xorg, which virtual console will it ends up with? Will Debian still start the display manager which then forks other processes, regardless of whether Xorg is installed or not?
– Tim
14 hours ago
Well, have you tried it? The answer depends on the display manager. Just uninstall the display manager.
– Stephen Kitt
14 hours ago
add a comment |
Thanks. Why uninstall lightdm, instead of Xorg?
– Tim
yesterday
Because removing the display manager is sufficient to get Debian to start on a text VC, which is what you asked for in your question.
– Stephen Kitt
17 hours ago
If I uninstall Xorg, which virtual console will it ends up with? Will Debian still start the display manager which then forks other processes, regardless of whether Xorg is installed or not?
– Tim
14 hours ago
Well, have you tried it? The answer depends on the display manager. Just uninstall the display manager.
– Stephen Kitt
14 hours ago
Thanks. Why uninstall lightdm, instead of Xorg?
– Tim
yesterday
Thanks. Why uninstall lightdm, instead of Xorg?
– Tim
yesterday
Because removing the display manager is sufficient to get Debian to start on a text VC, which is what you asked for in your question.
– Stephen Kitt
17 hours ago
Because removing the display manager is sufficient to get Debian to start on a text VC, which is what you asked for in your question.
– Stephen Kitt
17 hours ago
If I uninstall Xorg, which virtual console will it ends up with? Will Debian still start the display manager which then forks other processes, regardless of whether Xorg is installed or not?
– Tim
14 hours ago
If I uninstall Xorg, which virtual console will it ends up with? Will Debian still start the display manager which then forks other processes, regardless of whether Xorg is installed or not?
– Tim
14 hours ago
Well, have you tried it? The answer depends on the display manager. Just uninstall the display manager.
– Stephen Kitt
14 hours ago
Well, have you tried it? The answer depends on the display manager. Just uninstall the display manager.
– Stephen Kitt
14 hours ago
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to Unix & Linux Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2funix.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f509105%2fcan-i-start-debian-on-a-text-virtual-console-in-a-virtual-machine%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
2
Possible duplicate of How to disable X server autostart in Debian Jessie?
– telcoM
yesterday
And maybe, you should have installed Debian using a Netinstall ISO, that has the essential minimal for a Non-X setup - debian.org/distrib/netinst - Also, remember to not select a desktop environment during the setup process, or it will download it. Keep up the bare minimal, and the ssh server if you want...
– nwildner
yesterday
You could also not give a virtual graphics card at all to your VM and have the console on serial. Like for a physical server, that makes it easier to operate the VM as you can then more easily copy-paste text when you access that console from a terminal emulator on the host.
– Stéphane Chazelas
15 hours ago
@StéphaneChazelas Thanks. How shall I not give a virtual graphics card at all to your VM and have the console on serial?
– Tim
13 hours ago