Headless Server won't boot without screen??

[Joeasaurus]

Hi, I'm not sure if it should go in this thread so feel free to move me

I'm having trouble with my Xubuntu install.
I currently have my Xubuntu as my home server/web server. it has Apache2 and Samba installed and working.
I finally got OpenSSH setup so that i could have my server headless in a cupboard and it works fine once the computer is booted. I have the computer logging in automatically so that i dont have to be there, i just turn it on.
the problem is when i unplug the screen and boot.
after 10 minutes of trying to connect and scratching my head, i plugged the screen back in and was met by a message box telling me that it was running in low graphics mode blah blah.
I'm wondering how to get it to boot as if the screen was there but without a screen plugged in.
I know i'll get murdered for saying it, but Windows would do this with no problems what-so-ever.

Can anyone help me?

[BDNiner]

Because you installed a GUI then you cannot run headless. The boot process checks for a monitor when you have one of the DEs installed. Your best bet if you want to run headless is to install the server edition.

[whoop]

Don't take my word for it, never tried (maybe I never will) but wouldn't running this make it work also?
Just remove everything xubuntu related.

sudo apt-get remove a2ps abiword abiword-common abiword-help abiword-plugin-grammar abiword-plugin-mathview abiword-plugins app-install-data-commercial aumix catfish cupsys-driver-gutenprint exo-utils fortune-mod fortunes-min gigolo gnumeric gnumeric-common gnumeric-doc gnumeric-gtk gpicview gtk2-engines-xfce imagemagick imagemagick-doc latex-xft-fonts libaiksaurus-1.2-0c2a libaiksaurus-1.2-data libaiksaurusgtk-1.2-0c2a libdiscid0 libexo-0.3-0 libfftw3-3 libgda3-3 libgda3-bin libgda3-common libgdl-1-0 libgdl-1-common libgdome2-0 libgdome2-cpp-smart0c2a libgoffice-0-6 libgoffice-0-6-common libgoffice-gtk-0-6 libgsf-gnome-1-114 libgtkmathview0c2a liblink-grammar4 libloudmouth1-0 libmad0 libmpcdec3 libnotify-bin libofa0 libots0 librecode0 libt1-5 libtagc0 libthunar-vfs-1-2 libtunepimp5 libwv-1.2-3 libxfce4menu-0.1-0 libxfce4util4 libxfcegui4-4 libxfconf-0-2 link-grammar-dictionaries-en listen mousepad mozilla-thunderbird orage oss-compat psutils python-gnome2-extras python-musicbrainz2 python-mutagen python-ogg python-pymad python-pyogg python-pysqlite2 python-pyvorbis python-tunepimp scim-modules-table scim-tables-additional tango-icon-theme tango-icon-theme-common tcl8.4 thunar thunar-archive-plugin thunar-data thunar-media-tags-plugin thunar-thumbnailers thunar-volman thunderbird vim-runtime wdiff xchat xchat-common xfce4-appfinder xfce4-battery-plugin xfce4-clipman-plugin xfce4-cpugraph-plugin xfce4-dict xfce4-dict-plugin xfce4-fsguard-plugin xfce4-governor-plugin xfce4-mailwatch-plugin xfce4-mixer xfce4-mount-plugin xfce4-netload-plugin xfce4-notes-plugin xfce4-panel xfce4-places-plugin xfce4-quicklauncher-plugin xfce4-screenshooter xfce4-session xfce4-settings xfce4-smartbookmark-plugin xfce4-systemload-plugin xfce4-terminal xfce4-utils xfce4-verve-plugin xfce4-weather-plugin xfce4-xkb-plugin xfconf xfdesktop4 xfdesktop4-data xfprint4 xfswitch-plugin xfwm4 xfwm4-themes xubuntu-artwork xubuntu-artwork-usplash xubuntu-default-settings xubuntu-desktop xubuntu-docs

Maybe remove xorg also.
Or you could just tell Xubuntu not to start in graphics mode, saves you a complete reinstall.

[cariboo]

The Ubuntu server version is designed to run without a gui, that is why you are having problems. Have a look at this howto. To use this howto you will need to prevent X from starting. To do this, you should have openssh-server installed. it is available in the repositories. Ssh in to your server, then at the prompt type:

sudo /etc/init.d/xdm stop

then remove xdm from startup:

sudo update-rc.d -F xdm remove

Then follow the howto to install vncserver.

[BDNiner]

Don't take my word for it, never tried (maybe I never will) but wouldn't running this make it work also?

sudo apt-get remove a2ps abiword abiword-common abiword-help abiword-plugin-grammar abiword-plugin-mathview abiword-plugins app-install-data-commercial aumix catfish cupsys-driver-gutenprint exo-utils fortune-mod fortunes-min gigolo gnumeric gnumeric-common gnumeric-doc gnumeric-gtk gpicview gtk2-engines-xfce imagemagick imagemagick-doc latex-xft-fonts libaiksaurus-1.2-0c2a libaiksaurus-1.2-data libaiksaurusgtk-1.2-0c2a libdiscid0 libexo-0.3-0 libfftw3-3 libgda3-3 libgda3-bin libgda3-common libgdl-1-0 libgdl-1-common libgdome2-0 libgdome2-cpp-smart0c2a libgoffice-0-6 libgoffice-0-6-common libgoffice-gtk-0-6 libgsf-gnome-1-114 libgtkmathview0c2a liblink-grammar4 libloudmouth1-0 libmad0 libmpcdec3 libnotify-bin libofa0 libots0 librecode0 libt1-5 libtagc0 libthunar-vfs-1-2 libtunepimp5 libwv-1.2-3 libxfce4menu-0.1-0 libxfce4util4 libxfcegui4-4 libxfconf-0-2 link-grammar-dictionaries-en listen mousepad mozilla-thunderbird orage oss-compat psutils python-gnome2-extras python-musicbrainz2 python-mutagen python-ogg python-pymad python-pyogg python-pysqlite2 python-pyvorbis python-tunepimp scim-modules-table scim-tables-additional tango-icon-theme tango-icon-theme-common tcl8.4 thunar thunar-archive-plugin thunar-data thunar-media-tags-plugin thunar-thumbnailers thunar-volman thunderbird vim-runtime wdiff xchat xchat-common xfce4-appfinder xfce4-battery-plugin xfce4-clipman-plugin xfce4-cpugraph-plugin xfce4-dict xfce4-dict-plugin xfce4-fsguard-plugin xfce4-governor-plugin xfce4-mailwatch-plugin xfce4-mixer xfce4-mount-plugin xfce4-netload-plugin xfce4-notes-plugin xfce4-panel xfce4-places-plugin xfce4-quicklauncher-plugin xfce4-screenshooter xfce4-session xfce4-settings xfce4-smartbookmark-plugin xfce4-systemload-plugin xfce4-terminal xfce4-utils xfce4-verve-plugin xfce4-weather-plugin xfce4-xkb-plugin xfconf xfdesktop4 xfdesktop4-data xfprint4 xfswitch-plugin xfwm4 xfwm4-themes xubuntu-artwork xubuntu-artwork-usplash xubuntu-default-settings xubuntu-desktop xubuntu-docs

This would remove the XFCE desktop altogether. Do you log into the desktop to manager the server or are you command line only?

[R Clemons]

you shouldn't have to do all that, you should be able to remove the xubuntu desktop and it will remove everything else

[kanikilu]

Supposedly someone was able to get this to work (page 2): http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=618965 -- I haven't tried it, though, since my headless servers do not have Xorg, GDM, etc...

Rather than reinstalling, you could just try disabling GDM: http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/prevent...ting-in-linux/

[whoop]

you shouldn't have to do all that, you should be able to remove the xubuntu desktop and it will remove everything else

I do not think the xubuntu-desktop meta-package will remove everything. There are a lot of recommends in that package that are installed when you install xubuntu, and not only decencies.
However I do think it is the best (at least the easiest and safest) option to set the machine to not boot in graphical mode at startup.

[Joeasaurus]

WOW!!
Thanks for all the responses guys!!
I understand that its graphical and thats why i cant have it headless. it does make sense.
The only thing is, and you can all laugh hehehe, I have my server on wireless.
I tried setting it up with Ubuntu ServerEdition and i got it installed as far as the network bit and it couldnt find my network.
It happens like this every time I try to access the network from a CLI

I went with graphical just coz the network connections work that way.

does any of that make sense??

[EDIT] also, the other point of it being graphical is so i can have it autologin. simply coz it won't connect to the wireless until its logged in. Thus meaning i cant ssh and login coz it won't be connected to the network yet..

[Dragonbite]

Isn't there something about running X over SSH? You would need some X server and DE/Window manager I would suppose so may not want to remove Xfce (et. al) but just turn it off?