How To Install and Configure Gnome Desktop on CentOS 7

Overview

In this guide we will go through the steps of installation and configuration of “Gnome Desktop” or graphical user interface, with YUM Linux package management utility. Also, “GNOME Desktop” is a YUM groups package.

Applies To

CentOS 7.1.1503 (Core), tested on CentOS 7.x (minimal install)

Pre-requisites

1. Internet connection to fetch and install packages.
2. DHCP or static IP Address enabled or assigned host.
3. system update.
4. sudo or root access to the host.

Update System

First thing that you have to ensure that the system is updated with current patches installed. If the patches are not installed, run the command;

yum -y update

Pre-Install – Check Installation Status

Before you install the package, check if the package is already installed on the server, run the command; if the package is already installed, skip to step “Post-Install – Launch GUI”.

yum grouplist

Pre-Install – Group Information

To get additional information about group's packages that will be installed with different groups, run the command(s);

yum groupinfo "GNOME Desktop" -q

Pre-Install - Check Install

To know whether “GNOME Desktop” is already installed, run the command;

yum list installed | grep -i gnome

Install Group Package – GNOME Desktop

If the package is not installed, next step is to install package “GNOME Desktop”, to install the package run the command;

yum group install -y "GNOME-Desktop"

Post-Install – Launch GUI

To start the GUI mode, once you close the session, GUI session will be terminated (it’s to test); run the command;

startx

Post-Install – Configure Default Environment

To boot server with Graphical Mode loaded by default, systemd has to be reconfigured;

systemctl get-default

In case target is not set to graphical mode, to set graphical environment as default environment upon boot, run the command;

systemctl set-default graphical.target

Post-Install – Reboot Server

After systemd reconfiguration server has to be rebooted the server, after configuration which will enable server to boot in GUI mode of “GNOME Desktop”.

Post-Reboot – Login

After login into the server, to check if gnome is loaded, you can run the command in the terminal;

ps -A | egrep -i "gnome|kde|mate|cinnamon|lxde|xfce|jwm"

or

gnome-shell --version

Slideshare Information

A Step by step guide along with screenshots is uploaded to slideshare.

How To Install and Configure GNome on CentOS 7 from VCP Muthukrishna