# Single user mode, reasons not to automatically boot into?



## sgeos (Dec 31, 2013)

Are there any reasons why configuring a box to automatically boot into single user mode is a bad idea?


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## kpa (Dec 31, 2013)

*Re: Single user mode, reasons not to automatically boot into*

Are you referring to nextboot(8)? I use that command every time I upgrade the OS to make sure the next boot is in single user mode regardless of what button I press/fail to press at the loader screen. I don't see any reason not to use it if you want to have better control of the booting. Note that normally the /boot/nextboot.conf configuration file is deleted on boot up to prevent an infinite boot loop if the temporary boot settings in the file are set wrong.


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## wblock@ (Dec 31, 2013)

*Re: Single user mode, reasons not to automatically boot into*

What is the system used for?  Booting into single-user mode is generally meant for admin maintenance.  The filesystems aren't mounted, none of the services are started, which means it takes manual intervention to boot.


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## sgeos (Dec 31, 2013)

*Re: Single user mode, reasons not to automatically boot into*



			
				kpa said:
			
		

> Are you referring to nextboot(8)?


I am actually referring to adding to following to /boot/loader.conf:

```
kernel_options="-s"
```



			
				wblock@ said:
			
		

> What is the system used for?  Booting into single-user mode is generally meant for admin maintenance.  The filesystems aren't mounted, none of the services are started, which means it takes manual intervention to boot.


Does it really matter what the system is used for if the admin always has physical access to the box and the admin is only looking after a small number of machines? The theory is that the box is generally only going to be rebooted for admin maintenance, at which point the admin probably wants to boot into single user mode. When the admin is done with maintenance, switching to multi user mode is relatively simple.


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## wblock@ (Dec 31, 2013)

*Re: Single user mode, reasons not to automatically boot into*

If the job being done by that system is not very important, manual booting is fine.  If it's something important, where downtime is expensive, that changes things.  Generally, it's an advantage to have a system that can be started by an untrained person just pushing the power button.

And admins don't always have access.  There's sleep, and vacations, and that example so beloved by bosses: "What if you get hit by a bus?"  (It's eerily quick to be suggested, like they've spent a lot of time thinking about it.)


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## sgeos (Dec 31, 2013)

*Re: Single user mode, reasons not to automatically boot into*

Thank you. If this is a machine that nobody other than the administrator should ever touch, does that change anything?


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## wblock@ (Dec 31, 2013)

*Re: Single user mode, reasons not to automatically boot into*

The important thing is the function it performs and how necessary that function is.  But why change the default anyway?  What is the problem with booting normally?


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## usdmatt (Dec 31, 2013)

*Re: Single user mode, reasons not to automatically boot into*

If you know for a fact you will be directly in front of your computer every time it is rebooted, then I have no problem with you setting that yourself if you think it's actually going to make things easier for you (I can't see how)

For almost everyone else, including me, having my machines come back up without remote access or services running would be absolutely impossible to work with.


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