When to Shut Down a System

The following table lists system administration tasks and the type of shutdown method that is required to initiate the task.

Table 3-1 Shutting Down a System

Reason for System Shutdown	Appropriate Run Level	For More Information
To turn off system power due to anticipated power outage.	Run level 0, where it is safe to turn off power	Chapter 5, Shutting Down a System (Tasks)
To change kernel parameters in the `/etc/system` file.	Run level 6 (reboot the system)	Chapter 5, Shutting Down a System (Tasks)
To perform file system maintenance, such as backing up or restoring system data.	Run level S (single-user level)	Chapter 5, Shutting Down a System (Tasks)
To repair a system configuration file such as `/etc/system`.	See When to Boot a System	N/A
To add or remove hardware from the system.	Reconfiguration boot (shut down and turn off power when adding or removing devices, if the devices are not hot-pluggable)	Adding a Peripheral Device to a System in System Administration Guide: Devices and File Systems
To repair an important system file that is causing system boot failure.	See When to Boot a System	N/A
To boot the kernel debugger (`kmdb`) to track down a system problem.	Run level 0, if possible	Chapter 5, Shutting Down a System (Tasks)
To recover from a hung system and force a crash dump.	See When to Boot a System	N/A
Reboot the system by using the kernel debugger (`kmdb`), if the debugger can't be loaded at runtime.	Run level 6 (reboot the system)	SPARC: How to Boot the System With the Kernel Debugger (`kmdb`) ,x86: How to Boot a System With the Kernel Debugger in the GRUB Boot Environment (`kmdb`)

For examples of shutting down a server or a stand-alone system, see Chapter 5, Shutting Down a System (Tasks).

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	System Administration Guide: Basic Administration Oracle Solaris 11 Express 11/10