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Author Topic: making hardware features permanent  (Read 2851 times)

Offline P5music

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making hardware features permanent
« on: November 16, 2010, 05:28:00 AM »
Hello,
I would like to know whether it is possible to say tinycore at boot:
"do not bother scanning hardware devices and usb's and other things because they are the same of last time so read this file: hardware_boot_data.cfg" for example.
Is it possible? What if one is sure his/her hardware configuration will not change and wants to speed up boot process?
Thanks

Offline tinypoodle

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Re: making hardware features permanent
« Reply #1 on: November 16, 2010, 06:38:14 AM »
Building a customized kernel tailored to measure for specific hardware would be a way to go then.

What you describe is closer to what is happening during resume from suspend-to-disk than to booting, IMHO.
« Last Edit: November 16, 2010, 06:53:20 AM by tinypoodle »
"Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster." Niklaus Wirth - A Plea for Lean Software (1995)

Offline P5music

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Re: making hardware features permanent
« Reply #2 on: November 16, 2010, 08:13:13 AM »
It's different because I do not mean restoring applications state and ram data but just not to scan hardware again at boot because it seems to make the boot process pause at various points. Further, I think kernel options are useful to other than this, if I am not wrong.

Offline tinypoodle

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Re: making hardware features permanent
« Reply #3 on: November 16, 2010, 10:43:17 AM »
I was purely implying the hardware related part of resuming from standby.

If you want to use a stock kernel and either disable features not needed or tweak others, then here are all the kernel parameters:
http://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt
"Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster." Niklaus Wirth - A Plea for Lean Software (1995)

Offline P5music

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Re: making hardware features permanent
« Reply #4 on: November 16, 2010, 01:01:43 PM »
I do not understand.
Is it possible to compile a kernel and say to the compiler: "this kernel will find a sata drive hda1, an usb audio interface xyz, a nvidia card, etc?

Offline tinypoodle

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Re: making hardware features permanent
« Reply #5 on: November 16, 2010, 07:53:14 PM »
I do not understand.
Is it possible to compile a kernel and say to the compiler: "this kernel will find a sata drive hda1, an usb audio interface xyz, a nvidia card, etc?

No, depends, probably.
Those would be the most accurate short answers I could think of without consulting documentation to these three not very specific questions.

To find out what exactly is possible consult:
http://kernel.xc.net/index.cgi?version=2.6.33&arch=x86
(Use the "Help" links for items of your interest)

BTW, I have never heard of a sata drive being called hda1, something might be wrong about that.
"Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster." Niklaus Wirth - A Plea for Lean Software (1995)

Offline tweetyhack

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Re: making hardware features permanent
« Reply #6 on: December 04, 2010, 11:44:42 AM »
Yes, you can custom compile your kernel for the specific hardware you have or want. I think the kernel will still scan everything even though it won't work properly without the right module.  I like you idea of telling the kernel not to scan and use parameters. That'll shave off some boot time.

Offline ZFMicro

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Re: making hardware features permanent
« Reply #7 on: December 19, 2010, 11:00:43 AM »
A kernel with a fixed set of hw support features is just what we're looking for. 

Offline gerald_clark

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Re: making hardware features permanent
« Reply #8 on: December 19, 2010, 12:41:01 PM »
Why not just delete the modules you don't need?

Offline tweetyhack

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Re: making hardware features permanent
« Reply #9 on: January 13, 2012, 05:49:17 PM »
A compiled kernel with all modules built in is still faster.  If you are going to take the time to delete modules(which I don't think is as simple as just delete and be done), then why take the same time to compile them in.