What in a kickstart file sets the desktop GUI as default (runlevel 5)?

Solution 1:

Hate to answer my own question but I think I found something that might be it. The xconfig option with the --startxonboot parameter seems to fit perfectly.

I will test it in the morning.

Solution 2:

Good question. You're using a kickstart. Can you post the full file? I've typically found that kickstart files run in text mode will result in a system that boots to runlevel 3. If you omit the text mode installation and install the requisite desktop/x11 groups, the system should default to runlevel 5.

Of course, you can add a line in the postinstall section, too...

sed -i 's/id:2:initdefault:/id:5:initdefault:/g' /etc/inittab