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Old 02-05-2004, 11:00 AM   #1
sirpelidor
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Registered: Oct 2003
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Talking who said linux boot time is long?


from alot of those win vs linux page. one point or another, you gonna hear someone claimed xp is boot faster, linux is slower, kde slower...etc.


i'd like to share with you people (if you believe xp's boot time is faster), this morning, i trimmed down my kernel, i went over everything that i don't need and i removed all of 'em, re-compiled, and BAM! ....


you won't believe how long it takes for my linux box to boot. if you claimed xp boot faster and you never re-compile your kernel. i suggest you go over the newbie compile kernel page on LQ. (there are alot people wrote some very detail, easy to follow compile article here) You will be please what your linux

just like to take this chance to thanks those LQ members who wrote some very easy-follow, and detail howto.

-peace
 
Old 02-05-2004, 11:06 AM   #2
jtshaw
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The question I have is this... who cares how long it takes to boot when you only have to reboot once or twice a year if you decide to upgrade your kernel

Oh ya, and for the record, the uptime for my slackware server was 406 days before I rebooted to upgrade to the 2.4.24 kernel.
 
Old 02-05-2004, 11:16 AM   #3
tcaptain
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Its not just that.

I remember checking it out with a friend not too long ago and he was counting HIS XP boot time from the on switch to when he could see the desktop....

I have WinXP now on my laptop (a small partition, I can't avoid it if I want service from HP...b***ards) and there's a heck of a lot more to boot before you can start using it.

Even if I take into account logging on in KDM and THEN loading KDE, I match that time easy.

If I boot, log on and select blackbox...my boot time beats it rather nicely
 
Old 02-05-2004, 01:49 PM   #4
DAChristen29
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i use a laptop, and i reboot every day, or aeverytime i use it. to change batteries, rebooting in from windows, etc... there are more reasons to reboot.

i had mandrake 9.0 booting at 15 seconds. i trimmed down the services to everything i never used (SHH, rawhod, etc..), so i had sound services, GDM, network, all the stuff you would use on a normal basis, and i got it down to a 15 second boot from LILO screen to KDM login screen. then i did the same with mandrake 9.1, same configuration, but booting still took too long (1 minute to 1 minute and 25 seconds), whereas XP boots in about 35.

i have recompiled kernels before, and have made a slight increase in boot time. then i moved to slackware, and a new laptop, so now i have to re-configure it, and build a new one.
 
Old 02-05-2004, 07:53 PM   #5
Thymox
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I have maintained since XP came out, that there is a whole world of difference between boot times and is in a useable state times. At my local college they've got XP machines that take maybe 40 seconds to boot. And then you have to wait around 5 to 10 minutes in order to run IE. Even with lots of services enabled, and therefore a slow boot time, I can still manage to get the machine booted, login, startx, use kppp to connect, and then get galeon up and running quicker!

And has anyone heard of the project that places Linux onto a BIOS chip so you get something like a 3 second boot time? I read about it ages ago but can't remember where. It basically said that you get one of those funky BIOS-savers (intermediary device so you can save face when you discover you've flashed the BIOS with the wrong file ), build a mini Linux (sort of like a boot-floppy size) and flash it to your spare BIOS chip, then swap them over and enjoy. Looked cool even if I have no intention of ever doing that
 
Old 02-05-2004, 08:08 PM   #6
tcaptain
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I heard about the linux bios...wasn't there a fairly recent article on slashdot?

I also saw a headline about it on one of the linux mags (not sure which one...I was in a rush a few days ago picking up stuff and I browsed to see if I wanted to buy one...I didn't).

However, I thought it was reserved for special bios chips...not just any old bios...

If that's not the case...hmmmmmmmmmmmmm..tinker time
 
Old 02-05-2004, 08:29 PM   #7
BajaNick
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Thats cool, but is recompiling the kernel the only way to really get it booting faster?
 
Old 02-05-2004, 08:57 PM   #8
Thymox
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Nope. With many distros there will be a lot of services started at boot-time that you don't necessarily need. For instance, you may have the NFS services enabled, but if you don't use NFS do you need the services running? If you find out what you have running and prune it back you can cut down your boot time nicely.
 
Old 02-05-2004, 09:39 PM   #9
BajaNick
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Yea i know about doing that but Is there a quick way to find out what services are needed so i can stop everything i dont need? Ive already stopped NFS and the mail stuff.
 
Old 02-05-2004, 10:16 PM   #10
Capt_Caveman
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There's also been some projects that modify the Linux boot process in order to have multiple applications start up in parallel, instead of serially. I'll see if I can find a link for it, but it cut down on the boot time drastically and pretty much just required a modified init. I have to agree with Thymox though, windows may take less time to show the desktop screen, but then you have to sit and stare at it untill all the apps load, which can be quite time consuming.
 
Old 02-05-2004, 11:02 PM   #11
Skyline
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From IBM's Developerworks.

http://www-106.ibm.com/developerwork...xw04BootFaster

This article shows you how to improve the boot speed of your Linux system without compromising usability. Essentially, the technique involves understanding system services and their dependencies, and having them start up in parallel, rather than sequentially, when possible.
 
Old 02-05-2004, 11:15 PM   #12
BajaNick
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Quote:
Originally posted by Skyline
From IBM's Developerworks.

http://www-106.ibm.com/developerwork...xw04BootFaster

This article shows you how to improve the boot speed of your Linux system without compromising usability. Essentially, the technique involves understanding system services and their dependencies, and having them start up in parallel, rather than sequentially, when possible.
Thats a cool link, Thanks for posting that
 
  


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