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This is an issue that has bugged me for a long time - why would the default server installation of RHEL?CentOS include desktop/laptop packages like bluetooth?

When using kickstart, I will usually start with the Base packages set, and then customize from there.

However, it seems counter-intuitive to me to put user-centric packages on a server - why is this done?

warren
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Unless there are Red Hat developers/product managers here, I don't think you'll get an answer justifying this. It's especially perplexing in the "Server" product.

Either way, it's trivial to remove the packages in %post, or Kickstart with %packages --nobase and start with a minimal installation and build up your package list from there.

Erase packages in %post that match yum search bluetooth:

yum erase bluez* gnome-bluetooth* pulseaudio-module-bluetooth
Aaron Copley
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I find the server release to really be more of a "NO GUI" release.

You'll find other stuff in there too. (irda for example)

It seems reasonable that you might want to install a NO GUI install on an old laptop, so bluetooth might still be nice to have.

You can try installing just 'Core' and not 'Base'. %packages --nobase (but that may not be possible anymore)

You can also try building a custom kickstart that only includes the packages you really need.

Joel K
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    Server most definitely includes the GUI and is even installed by default. The main difference between the Desktop and Server is the supported hardware. Server also provides cluster administration/GFS packages, while Desktop provides more typical desktop software like Evolution, Finch, Thunderbird, OpenOffice.org, etc... RHEL Server is probably overkill for a an old laptop at ~$350/year. – Aaron Copley Mar 16 '12 at 16:38
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I believe that the 'Server' install is a graphical desktop + server software. In other words it is largely a super set of desktop. It makes perfect sense for bluetooth support to be in a desktop since bluetooth accessories are getting more and more popular. In any case, I would expect that the performance penalty for having it is minimal while the convenience gain for things like home media servers is very big.

If you are in a situation where you want the fastest/most tuned Red Hat install, you should not be installing server anyways. You should be starting with a minimal install and adding in only the things that you need/use.

Konstantin Tarashchanskiy
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    It's not a super set since Desktop includes packages which are not in Server. http://serverfault.com/questions/370482/why-is-bluetooth-support-one-of-the-default-packages-in-base-when-doing-an-rhe/370486#comment377228_370487 – Aaron Copley Mar 16 '12 at 22:48