Boot speedup with readahead

[Mark]

On Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 9:03 PM, Tom London <selinux at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 3:52 AM, Harald Hoyer <harald at redhat.com> wrote:
>> Hello fellow Fedora developers,
>>
>> recently readahead was modified to adapt to system file changes and to start
>> very early in the boot process via upstart.
>>
>> I would like to encourage you to test readahead-1.4.5-3.fc10 from rawhide
>> (even possible on F9), which I built some minutes ago. It may take a day to
>> reach your local mirror.
>>
>> # yum --enablerepo=rawhide install readahead
>> or
>> # yum --enablerepo=rawhide update readahead
>>
>> With the next reboot readahead-collector runs and collects the information
>> which files are used during the boot process. The next reboot then,
>> readahead read ahead those files and the boot process (from init start to
>> gdm login screen) should be approx. 10% faster.
>>
>> Hope it speeds up your boot process a little bit. Please report any changes
>> in your boot time (can be measured with a stop clock or bootchart).
>>
>> You can modify /etc/sysconfig/readahead to turn readahead on/off.
>
> Running latest rawhide on Thinkpad X60, measured with stopwatch:
>
> Prior to installing readahead:
>     time from start of boot to gdm login: 56 seconds
>     time from entering password to gnome applets appearing in upper
> right panel: 23 seconds
>
> First boot after installing readahead:
>     time from start of boot to gdm login: 61 seconds
>     time from password to gnome: 22 seconds
>
> Second boot after installing readahead
>     time from start of boot to gdm login: 50 seconds
>     time from password to gnome: 23 seconds
>
> Appears 10% faster, as promised.... :-D
>
> tom
> --
> Tom London
>
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>

O wow good to see that readahead is finally getting worth something.
What i wonder is if the following are alose read ahead:
- The default icon theme is also read ahead?
- The GTK parts so that for example gnome-panel is open faster or any
gtk using app
- Are the most used user applications (Specially nautilus and firefox)
fully read ahead so that they start FAST (will greatly improve user
experience)

I hope the performance of readahead can go up a bit more (25%?)

Anyway good numbers so far!
Keep up posted if you want.