about linux, linuxbios and bootup times

linuxg33k linuxg33k at shaw.ca
Thu Sep 9 21:21:00 CEST 2004


Hi everyone.

I'm a new member, I joined the list to learn more about the Linuxbios 
project.  A question for anyone that can point me in the right direction 
to information:

Q: I read everything on linuxbios.org as well as googled until i got a 
nosebleed, but i can't find any real world examples of linuxbios + 
linuxdistro setups.  I am looking right now to purchase a linux bios 
compatable mobo based on the list from linuxbios.org to play around 
with, but what i was wondering is, just how can linuxbios speed up the 
boot process of a linux based system?  Pardon my newbieness, but I have 
never had a bios be anything more than a fraction of the total bootup 
time on any linux system, so does linuxbios have the capability to 
litterally boot a linux system to cli login prompt of any distro within 
seconds or not?  I realize it's a general question, assume I'm running 
debian base install ( no x, no desktop environment, boot staright to 
command line), most of the bootup process is taken up by the bootup 
scripts checking the hardware and starting up various services (I 
probably have too many and unoptimized i'm sure but thats another issue 
alltogether).   From everything that I have read, I am understanding 
that basically its a faster bios that jumps to the distros bootloader 
when done?  Or does this redefine the bootup process where the linuxbios 
is the bootloader and upon coming to life jumps straight to the distro 
kernel?  If it jumps to the distro bootloader surely the time savings 
are a few seconds at best?  If linuxbios takes over some of the 
bootloader functions, how does this affect a typicall install if at all?

Sorry for the overgeneralized questions, I just need a few answers here, 
even if vague to help me create a knowledge sandbox into which i can 
then drill down to proper understanding.

By the way, i read an article recently of an interview with the 
president of Tyan.  According to the interview Tyan will be shipping all 
motherboards with Linuxbios.  I have no idea if they are using the real 
deal from cvs, or forking it, or what, but goddamn that really cool 
stuff.   I'm hoping some of the answers to my question will mean that 
linux on the desktop has a bright future vis a vis Tyan at least.  If 
anyone wants a copy of it, email me and I will attach the html document 
- I knew they would take it down as indeed they have.

Thanks aforehand!!!!

- Rob





More information about the coreboot mailing list