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Author Topic: does remastering improve load time?  (Read 3677 times)

Offline P5music

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does remastering improve load time?
« on: October 04, 2010, 02:23:40 AM »
Hello,
I ask whether a remastered tinycore system with a certain set of extensions included  loads faster, even few seconds.
Thanks in advance

Offline tinypoodle

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Re: does remastering improve load time?
« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2010, 02:39:06 AM »
Time required to read from medium is analogous to size.
"Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster." Niklaus Wirth - A Plea for Lean Software (1995)

Offline P5music

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Re: does remastering improve load time?
« Reply #2 on: October 04, 2010, 02:47:24 AM »
Are you saying that remastering shrinks size or that time is more or less the same?

Offline maro

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Re: does remastering improve load time?
« Reply #3 on: October 04, 2010, 02:55:26 AM »
I'd say any additions to the initrd will slow things down (which might not be noticeable if they are just a few small files). Likewise any extensions integrated into the ISO image will cost time for their loop-mounted installation (if they are onboot). As the term remastering is used for both things you might want to read another post where I tried to spell out the difference.

So, NO I don't think remastering will give you any faster boot times. TC is anyway the fastes booting Linux 2.6 system I know of. Well, unless you thought of actually reducing the inird. But then I' love to know what you plan to strip off. If you don't need an X server you should use MicroCore, which then does not need to extract the additional files. But in my perception this is not a huge amount of time a saved.

BTW, I remember someone once did an analysis of the TC boot times, unfortunately I can't find it right now, but IIRC there was not much "fat" that could be cut out.

Offline tinypoodle

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Re: does remastering improve load time?
« Reply #4 on: October 04, 2010, 03:03:47 AM »
All file system support for FAT* and ext* is one thing which could be stripped if not required.
But I doubt difference timewise would be worth the effort, difference in RAM usage could be a better motivation.
"Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster." Niklaus Wirth - A Plea for Lean Software (1995)

Offline P5music

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Re: does remastering improve load time?
« Reply #5 on: October 04, 2010, 03:16:18 AM »
At least I think a remastering would solve the waitusb problem during boot from sd-cards or pendrives.

Offline tinypoodle

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Re: does remastering improve load time?
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2010, 03:48:56 AM »
At least I think a remastering would solve the waitusb problem during boot from sd-cards or pendrives.


1. What exactly do you refer to by "waitusb problem" ?
2. In which way could remastering change what exactly?
"Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster." Niklaus Wirth - A Plea for Lean Software (1995)

Offline P5music

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Re: does remastering improve load time?
« Reply #7 on: October 04, 2010, 04:06:26 AM »
waitusb=10 , 8 or 5 is too long for me so I think remastering can allow "automagical" load of extensions.


Offline tinypoodle

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Re: does remastering improve load time?
« Reply #8 on: October 04, 2010, 04:16:41 AM »
Err... too long in relation to what?

This thread has some references to boot times and resource usage with different methods of remastering per se:
http://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php?topic=7002.0

I'd look at comparison of times for reading from different media as a subject on its own, but you hadn't mentioned such at the start of thread...
« Last Edit: October 04, 2010, 04:37:49 AM by tinypoodle »
"Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster." Niklaus Wirth - A Plea for Lean Software (1995)

Offline curaga

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Re: does remastering improve load time?
« Reply #9 on: October 04, 2010, 05:58:11 AM »
In the last few releases you can wait for a specific LABEL, instead of only some amount of seconds.

IIRC the last bootchart I made was on 2.9.
The only barriers that can stop you are the ones you create yourself.

Offline P5music

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Re: does remastering improve load time?
« Reply #10 on: October 04, 2010, 06:07:44 AM »
like waitusb=sda2 ?

Offline curaga

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Re: does remastering improve load time?
« Reply #11 on: October 04, 2010, 06:46:38 AM »
http://forum.tinycorelinux.net/index.php?topic=5909.0

waitusb=30:LABEL=tinycore

wait max 30 seconds, stop earlier if label tinycore shows up. Also works for UUID.
« Last Edit: October 04, 2010, 06:48:35 AM by curaga »
The only barriers that can stop you are the ones you create yourself.

Offline P5music

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Re: does remastering improve load time?
« Reply #12 on: October 04, 2010, 06:53:26 AM »
Sorry, but I do not understand. I think I do not know what is LABEL and what "shows up" mean, in relation to waitusb delay.

Offline tinypoodle

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Re: does remastering improve load time?
« Reply #13 on: October 04, 2010, 07:24:25 AM »
Code: [Select]
blkid /dev/*d*
"Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster." Niklaus Wirth - A Plea for Lean Software (1995)

Offline tinypoodle

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Re: does remastering improve load time?
« Reply #14 on: October 04, 2010, 08:12:03 AM »
That's excellent actually, as with waitusb=30:LABEL= USB1 could be handled reliably while not wasting any time in case of USB2, all with same setting.   ;D

Wondering though if there would be a way to use that in case where more than one USB device is required at boot time...   ???
"Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster." Niklaus Wirth - A Plea for Lean Software (1995)