refer to:
conf/documentation.conf:NO_RECOMMENDATIONS[doc] = "When set to 1, no recommended packages will be installed.  Note: some recommended packages may be required for certain system functionality, such as kernel-modules.  It is up to the user to add packages to IMAGE_INSTALL as needed."

set in local.conf:
NO_RECOMMENDATIONS = "1"

$ bitbake core-image-minimal

failed logs:
=============
| Installing packages (22):
|   base-files-3.0.14-r73@qemux86_64
|   base-passwd-3.5.26-r2@x86_64
|   busybox-1.21.1-r0@x86_64
|   busybox-hwclock-1.21.1-r0@x86_64
|   init-ifupdown-1.0-r3@qemux86_64
|   initscripts-1.0-r141@x86_64
|   libblkid1-2.23.2-r0@x86_64
|   libc6-2.18-r0@x86_64
|   libkmod2-14+git0+3b38c7fcb5-r0@x86_64
|   libuuid1-2.23.2-r0@x86_64
|   modutils-initscripts-1.0-r6@x86_64
|   netbase-1:5.1-r0@x86_64
|   packagegroup-core-boot-1.0-r11@qemux86_64
|   run-postinsts-1.0-r9@x86_64
|   shadow-4.1.4.3-r13@x86_64
|   shadow-securetty-4.1.4.3-r2@qemux86_64
|   sysvinit-2.88dsf-r11@x86_64
|   sysvinit-inittab-2.88dsf-r9@qemux86_64
|   sysvinit-pidof-2.88dsf-r11@x86_64
|   udev-182-r7@x86_64
|   update-alternatives-cworth-1:0.1.8+svnr653-r13.0@x86_64
|   v86d-0.1.10-r1@qemux86_64
| 3.5MB of package files are needed. 7.1MB will be used.
|
|
| Saving cache...
|
|
|
|
| Running intercept scripts:
| WARNING: The license listed MIT was not in the licenses collected for packagegroup-core-boot
| log_check: Using /buildarea/jhuang0/yp/y_x64_0829/tmp/work/qemux86_64-poky-linux/core-image-minimal/1.0-r0/temp/log.do_rootfs.6540 as logfile
| Logfile is clean
| error: package update-rc.d is not installed
| WARNING: /buildarea/jhuang0/yp/y_x64_0829/tmp/work/qemux86_64-poky-linux/core-image-minimal/1.0-r0/temp/run.do_rootfs.6540:1 exit 1 from
|   rpm -e --nodeps --root=/buildarea/jhuang0/yp/y_x64_0829/tmp/work/qemux86_64-poky-linux/core-image-minimal/1.0-r0/rootfs --dbpath=/var/lib/rpm --define='_cross_scriptlet_wrapper /buildarea/jhuang0/yp/y_x64_0829/tmp/work/qemux86_64-poky-linux/core-image-minimal/1.0-r0/scriptlet_wrapper' --define='_tmppath /install/tmp' $@
| ERROR: Function failed: do_rootfs (log file is located at /buildarea/jhuang0/yp/y_x64_0829/tmp/work/qemux86_64-poky-linux/core-image-minimal/1.0-r0/temp/log.do_rootfs.6540)
NOTE: recipe core-image-minimal-1.0-r0: task do_rootfs: Failed
ERROR: Task 7 (/buildarea/jhuang0/git/yocto/poky/meta/recipes-core/images/core-image-minimal.bb, do_rootfs) failed with exit code '1'
NOTE: Tasks Summary: Attempted 1661 tasks of which 1648 didn't need to be rerun and 1 failed.

Summary: 1 task failed:
  /buildarea/jhuang0/git/yocto/poky/meta/recipes-core/images/core-image-minimal.bb, do_rootfs
Summary: There was 1 ERROR message shown, returning a non-zero exit code.