I have a really simple MP3 kiosk app (written in wxLua and using xmms to play) and it takes ages (longer than XP) to boot on my AMD 3200 Athlon. I use syslinux, USB2, initrd-version and it boot definitely faster on my 2Gig Dell Intel laptop, but still slow (over 1min). Is it faster to use the initrd version - where the KNOPPIX image is loaded with minirt24.gz? or should I stick with the old way (mounting the USB stick and loading KNOPPIX off it)?pretty much no change in speed if you used that..
Start with tweaking the boot params in syslinux.cfg by disabling hardware checks for stuff you don't have, icons could be disabled if your mp3 app is fullscreen etc.. These should speed the boot a littleThanks,
I have put all no"----" params in syslinux.cfg and have completely rewritten .xinitrc to only start xmms and my app.
The bottleneck at this point is the Autcoconfigure script (guess its in linuxrc?) and the KNOPPIX image being loaded into memory. Why does it take so long (just under 1min) to load +-50Megs off the USB stick to memory?You boot toram right?
Enable dma (option "dma" into syslinux.cfg...), it might even double the speed of copying to ram..
Did you include "noscsi"? The autoconfigure can only be sped up by noscsi and nosound.. If you are going to boot only this one machine, you could enable nosound too and modprobe the driver in bootlocal.sh...
edit: autoconfigure is a program, written by Klaus Knopper..
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Why does it take so long (just under 1min) to load +-50Megs off the USB stick to memory?
Maybe this is TMI, but you asked.
Answer: Because USB is relatively slow. This PDF (for illustration purposes) has a chart showing throughput of USB 1.1, USB 2.0, Firewire 400, Firewire 800, and SATA. With USB 2.0, your maximum -- not minimum, not average, your MAXIMUM -- throughput is going to be 60 MB/s. http://www.powerlandcomputers.com/PDF%20Brochures/firewire-usb.pdf
USB throughput is throttled by its client-server design, which uses your PC as the host controller. Here's another PDF for illustration purposes showing the architectural differences USB 2.0 and Firewire. http://www.qimaging.com/support/downloads/documents/FirewireUSB.pdf
With all that in mind, there can be factors that can impede data transfer rates between your USB stick and your computer. Those factors include the stick you're using (not all flash memory is equal), how it's been used in the past (flash memory is not eternal; it has a limited number of write and erase cycles), and your system configuration (amount and type of RAM, etc.). It also helps if your USB bus is properly connected.
USB is still faster and more durable and convenient than floppies or ZIP disks.Next Page...
original here.