How to install gnome desktop on centos rhel 7 using yum command

GNOME is a totally intuitive and user friendly desktop environment for CentOS and RHEL 7.x based system. The latest version of GNOME Desktops are GNOME 2 to GNOME 3 and the GNOME Shell desktop. Most of the users who prefer traditional desktop environments can get it via GNOME’s classic mode. It is also fully configurable with extensions. If you have done basic installation, this article will give insights on – how to install Gnome GUI on a CentOS 7 or RHEL 7 using a command line options.

Installing Gnome GUI

To install Gnome GUI, use the following commands-

$ yum grouplist

The sample output should be like this –

Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, langpacks
Repodata is over 2 weeks old. Install yum-cron? Or run: yum makecache fast
There is no installed groups file.
Maybe run: yum groups mark convert (see man yum)
Determining fastest mirrors
* base: mirror.nbrc.ac.in
* elrepo: elrepo.reloumirrors.net
* extras: mirror.nbrc.ac.in
* updates: mirror.nbrc.ac.in
google-chrome 3/3
Available Environment Groups:
Minimal Install
Compute Node
Infrastructure Server
File and Print Server
Basic Web Server
Virtualization Host
Server with GUI
GNOME Desktop
KDE Plasma Workspaces
Development and Creative Workstation
Available Groups:
Compatibility Libraries
Console Internet Tools
Development Tools
Graphical Administration Tools
Legacy UNIX Compatibility
Scientific Support
Security Tools
Smart Card Support
System Administration Tools
System Management
Done

To install GNOME desktop group, enter the following command (it requires a root permission) –

# sudo yum groups install "GNOME Desktop"

The sample output should be like this –

Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, langpacks
Repodata is over 2 weeks old. Install yum-cron? Or run: yum makecache fast
There is no installed groups file.
Maybe run: yum groups mark convert (see man yum)
base                                  | 3.6 kB 00:00
elrepo                                | 2.9 kB 00:00
extras                                | 3.4 kB 00:00
google-chrome                         | 951 B 00:00
updates                               | 3.4 kB 00:00
(1/3): extras/7/x86_64/primary_db     | 101 kB 00:00
(2/3): updates/7/x86_64/primary_db    | 3.1 MB 00:00
(3/3): elrepo/primary_db              | 348 kB 00:02
google-chrome/primary                 | 1.8 kB 00:00
Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
* base: ftp.iitm.ac.in
* elrepo: mirrors.ircam.fr
* extras: ftp.iitm.ac.in
* updates: ftp.iitm.ac.in
google-chrome 3/3
Warning: Group core does not have any packages to install.
Warning: Group guest-agents does not have any packages to install.
Package gtk2-immodule-xim-2.24.28-8.el7.x86_64 already installed and latest version
.........

To install Gnome on a RHEL 7 or CentOS Linux 7 server for operating network infrastructure services with a GUI, enter the following command –

# sudo yum groups install "Server with GUI"

Set the System to Boot Directly

It allows the user to GNOME GUI while entering the user name and password to login –

# sudo systemctl set-default graphical.target

The sample output should be like this –

Removed symlink /etc/systemd/system/default.target.
Created symlink from /etc/systemd/system/default.target to /usr/lib/systemd/system/graphical.target.

Starting GUI login From Command Line

To start GUI login from Command line interface, use the following command –

# sudo systemctl start graphical.target

The sample of login screen should be like this-

In the above result shows, Operating system allows to user with GNOME GUI.Congratulations! Now, you know “ How to install gnome desktop on CentOS / RHEL 7 using yum command”. We’ll learn more about these types of commands in our next Linux post. Keep reading!