ts-7000
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [ts-7000] Internal Flash vs microSD boot speed

To:
Subject: Re: [ts-7000] Internal Flash vs microSD boot speed
From: Jim Ham <>
Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2011 12:28:02 -0800
I don't see this. The longest and most variable delay I see is if I have 
dynamic addressing turned on and the DHCP server is slow, or the network 
is unplugged. The next slowest is waiting for the initrd to decide that 
there is no USB device plugged in. I have disabled this part of the boot 
just to speed things up. After this is the delay while the xnand drivers 
mount the third partition.

By building in all the modules needed for boot (except for xnand), the 
initrd doesn't have to mount and scan the modules directory tree. In any 
embedded system you know exactly which modules are needed. There doesn't 
seem to be any advantage to dynamic loading under these circumstances. 
I've been using the compressed kernel image so space on the boot device 
is not a issue.

The static splash screen comes up about 1 second after power up. This 
screen is loaded near the top of the linuxrc script in the initrd. What 
this says is that the bootstrap has loaded the kernel and the initrd in 
the first second or so.

The dynamic splash screen (with the progress bar) comes up a few seconds 
later. This screen is loaded by by a command near the top of the rcS 
script. This means that initrd is done and control has passed to init. 
It really only takes 2-3 seconds for this to happen. Again, not much 
difference in using the microSD or the xnand.

Build a new kernel with console support and the console driver built-in. 
You can watch the progress of the boot on the debug port so you can see 
exactly what's taking all the time. For some reason Technologic doesn't 
think we need to do this, so it is disabled by default.

Some boot processes in rcx.d can be backgrounded if they are not 
already. Bringing up the network is one the comes to mind.

Jim

harry olar wrote:
>
>
> I had the same issues. Loading from internal memory is almost
> constant.My TS 7390 system loads in 50 seconds , but from SD card is
> very variable( from 30 sec to 2 min).
> You might have been incredibly lucky to find a very fast SD card
> model.Usually SD card speeds are inconsistent between brands.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* leaton <>
> *To:* 
> *Sent:* Saturday, December 31, 2011 10:14 AM
> *Subject:* [ts-7000] Internal Flash vs microSD boot speed
>
> I have successfully ported functionality and code from the TS7390
> to the TS8390+TS4700. I am very impressed with the performance of
> the new boards.
> In my old setup with the TS7390 the board took approximately 90 seconds
> to boot, configure X windows system, configure the network, and start
> my graphics application. This did not vary appreciably when booting
> from internal flash or SD card.
>
> I see much quicker boot times on the new board set, as I mentioned.
> However, it is incredibly fast when booting from microSD card -
> approximately 20 seconds. What puzzles me is that when booting from
> internal flash, it takes over twice as long, anywhere from 45 seconds
> to 60 seconds. The variability seems to be how long it takes to mount
> the internal flash 'big root.' I can live with this.
>
> But why, discounting the mount time, does it actually take twice as
> long to go through the booting motions? I think it actually just runs
> slower in general when running from internal flash vs microSD.
>
> I spent considerable time making sure the boot procedure is as close to
> exactly the same as possible.
>
> Anyone have any ideas?
>
>
>
>
>
> 
>
> No virus found in this message.
> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com <http://www.avg.com>
> Version: 2012.0.1901 / Virus Database: 2109/4714 - Release Date: 12/31/11
>

-- 
Porcine Associates LLC
244 O'Connor St.
Menlo Park, CA 94025
USA
+1(650)326-2669 fax +1(650)326-1071


------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ts-7000/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ts-7000/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
     
    

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Attachment: jimham.vcf
Description: Vcard

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

Disclaimer: Neither Andrew Taylor nor the University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering take any responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the birding-aus mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU