How to Remove Gui from server?

[jmaguire123]

Many years ago I installed Fedora on a server that is now in a datacenter--the server now remains in runlevel 3.

With each new release I have been upgrading, but I no longer have any use for the gui X11/gnome and see downloading and maintaining all those packages as a waste.

Is there any "safe" way to remove the gui?

What would happen if I did something like "yum remove [some important X11 package here]"?

Thanks,

-John

[twn250]

Please have in mind that I'm not an expert on this topic, but I would try:
su -
yum remove gnome-desktop

Check out the list, so there is not something that you need, before you hit y.

Hope this helped!

[jmaguire123]

Thanks for your advice, "yum remove gnome-desktop" only removes 14 packages.


Removing:
gnome-desktop i386 2.18.3-1.fc7 installed 2.2 M
Removing for dependencies:
NetworkManager-gnome i386 1:0.6.5-7.fc7 installed 420 k
bug-buddy i386 1:2.18.0-2.fc7 installed 1.7 M
control-center i386 1:2.18.0-20.fc7 installed 8.5 M
eel2 i386 2.18.3-1.fc7 installed 1.1 M
fast-user-switch-applet i386 2.17.4-5.fc7 installed 1.7 M
gnome-desktop-devel i386 2.18.3-1.fc7 installed 184 k
gnome-netstatus i386 2.12.1-1.fc7 installed 1.2 M
gnome-panel i386 2.18.3-1.fc7 installed 11 M
gnome-panel-devel i386 2.18.3-1.fc7 installed 172 k
gnome-pilot i386 2.0.15-5.fc7 installed 1.9 M
gnome-pilot-devel i386 2.0.15-5.fc7 installed 164 k
libgail-gnome i386 1.18.0-2.fc7 installed 62 k
orca i386 2.18.0-1.fc7 installed 5.2 M

What about an X11 core package? Can anyone provide any clues there?

Thanks agian,

-John

[jmaguire123]

I thought I'd check back and ask again about the best way to remove a GUI from a production system. If anyone has any ideas, please share them.

Additionally, does anyone know any good methods of identifying orphaned RPMs.

Thanks,

-John

[FriedChips]

yum grouplist

should show a list of package "groups", you should see one called "X Window System" or similar.. If I got the command right the command to remove the WHOLE gui will be:

yum groupremove "X Window System"

for the next question, install yum utils.

yum install yum-utils

then the I think command to clean up orphans will be

package-cleanup --orphans

[jmaguire123]

Thanks much, I wish it would have worked. After seeing that, I'm sure thats the best way of doing it on a newer installation. Box was originally Redhat 6.x, so I don't have all of those groups:

Installed Groups:
Engineering and Scientific
MySQL Database
Editors
System Tools
Text-based Internet
Legacy Network Server
Authoring and Publishing
Network Servers
Legacy Software Development
Web Server
Mail Server
Administration Tools
Available Groups:
Office/Productivity
Development Libraries
Window Managers
Fedora Packager
GNOME Software Development
XFCE Software Development
X Software Development
Virtualization
DNS Name Server
GNOME Desktop Environment
FTP Server
Hardware Support
Games and Entertainment
XFCE
Java Development
Web Development
X Window System
Graphics
Windows File Server
Eclipse
Printing Support
KDE Software Development
KDE (K Desktop Environment)
Educational Software
Server Configuration Tools
Sound and Video
PostgreSQL Database
News Server
Development Tools
Graphical Internet
Done


Any other ideas?

[FriedChips]

Originally Posted by jmaguire123

Thanks much, I wish it would have worked. After seeing that, I'm sure thats the best way of doing it on a newer installation. Box was originally Redhat 6.x, so I don't have all of those groups:

Installed Groups:
Engineering and Scientific
MySQL Database
Editors
System Tools
Text-based Internet
Legacy Network Server
Authoring and Publishing
Network Servers
Legacy Software Development
Web Server
Mail Server
Administration Tools
Available Groups:
Office/Productivity
Development Libraries
Window Managers
Fedora Packager
GNOME Software Development
XFCE Software Development
X Software Development
Virtualization
DNS Name Server
GNOME Desktop Environment
FTP Server
Hardware Support
Games and Entertainment
XFCE
Java Development
Web Development
X Window System
Graphics
Windows File Server
Eclipse
Printing Support
KDE Software Development
KDE (K Desktop Environment)
Educational Software
Server Configuration Tools
Sound and Video
PostgreSQL Database
News Server
Development Tools
Graphical Internet
Done


Any other ideas?

You have the group but it shows it as not being installed... Did you run the command I gave you? Make sure you type it exactly as I did.. Do you have a DE available?