[ANNOUNCE] OSDL Whitepaper: "Reducing System Reboot Time With Kexec"

[ANNOUNCE] OSDL Whitepaper: "Reducing System Reboot Time With Kexec"

[Andy Pfiffer]

URL: http://www.osdl.org/docs/reducing_system_reboot_time_with_kexec.pdf

Title:
Reducing System Reboot Time With kexec

Abstract:
kexec is a developing feature for Linux 2.5.x that allows an x86 Linux
kernel to load and run another kernel instead of the platform BIOS and
bootloader. By skipping the platform BIOS during a reboot, kexec can
reduce downtime in enterprise class systems, and reduce turn-around time
for Linux kernel developers. This paper presents measurements of boot
time reduction through the use of kexec.

Re: [dcl_discussion] [ANNOUNCE] OSDL Whitepaper: "Reducing System Reboot Time With Kexec"

[Timothy D. Witham]

  So questions and comments are being accepted?

     The actual values from the measurements in an appendix 
     would be helpful.  Including the boot time breakdown
     for the 8 way.

     On your chart, the time saved column is distracting to
     me as it is extra data.  On the relative percentage column
     if it could be kexec/full boot that would make it so that
     I wouldn't have to go back to the text to understand the
     column.  Also on the kernel boot time, I think that you 
     are talking about the kernel init time.  So why not call
     it that?

  On future and ongoing work.
     The crash dump seems to be orthogonal to fast booting.  I 
     would like to see future and ongoing work that applies to
     fast booting. 
 

Tim

On Thu, 2003-04-24 at 10:09, Andy Pfiffer wrote:
> URL: http://www.osdl.org/docs/reducing_system_reboot_time_with_kexec.pdf
> 
> Title:
> Reducing System Reboot Time With kexec
> 
> Abstract:
> kexec is a developing feature for Linux 2.5.x that allows an x86 Linux
> kernel to load and run another kernel instead of the platform BIOS and
> bootloader. By skipping the platform BIOS during a reboot, kexec can
> reduce downtime in enterprise class systems, and reduce turn-around time
> for Linux kernel developers. This paper presents measurements of boot
> time reduction through the use of kexec.
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> dcl_discussion mailing list
> dcl_discussion@lists.osdl.org
> http://lists.osdl.org/mailman/listinfo/dcl_discussion
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Re: [dcl_discussion] [ANNOUNCE] OSDL Whitepaper: "Reducing System Reboot Time With Kexec"

[Andy Pfiffer]

On Thu, 2003-04-24 at 11:24, Timothy D. Witham wrote:
>   So questions and comments are being accepted?

Sure.

>      The actual values from the measurements in an appendix 
>      would be helpful.  Including the boot time breakdown
>      for the 8 way.
...
     On your chart, the time saved column is distracting to
>      me as it is extra data.
...
     On the relative percentage column
>      if it could be kexec/full boot that would make it so that
>      I wouldn't have to go back to the text to understand the
>      column.

Fair enough.  The 8-way measurements aren't currently available because
that specific system has been assigned to another OSDL Lab Associate.

>      Also on the kernel boot time, I think that you 
>      are talking about the kernel init time.  So why not call
>      it that?

I was hoping to avoid dancing around the semantics and interpretation of
"booted" vs. "initialized".  I guess that didn't work as well as I had
hoped. ;^)

> 
>   On future and ongoing work.
>      The crash dump seems to be orthogonal to fast booting.  I 
>      would like to see future and ongoing work that applies to
>      fast booting. 
> 
> Tim

Thanks for taking the time to generate feedback.

Andy