Streamlining Linux

[nfarzan]

Any sites out there for streamlining linux (getting rid of all the useless junk to make it boot/run faster)? Im trying to build a mp3 box...so i dont need all the extra stuff

Thanks,
Nfarzan

 

[rewap]

LFS - Linux From Scratch

 

[stirling]

I like LFS, too.
A couple of other options, though.
-You don't have to get rid of your startup daemons to save resources. Just disable them in the rc/init scripts.
-If you want the extra space for mp3s, though, you could go with a minimal install.
I recommend slackware with expert install if you're familiar with the packages and know what you do/don't need.
An OpenBSD download wouldn't be a bad choice if you're familiar with unix. It's pretty minimal and works out of the box.
LFS is good if you have the time to spare.
-Recompile your kernel, if that's not too daunting. Does wonders for the speed.

 

[Nothinman]

I always just install a base install of Debian and then install things via apt/deselect as I need them, gets you a very slim install.

 

[FOBSIDE]

<< I always just install a base install of Debian and then install things via apt/deselect as I need them, gets you a very slim install. >>


i agree. a base install is the way to go if you want a slim install. then you can add your packages as you need them.

 

[nfarzan]

Thanks guys...but I am an extreme newbie here...packages?!?! help me out here..
can somebody direct me to a site that would explain all this in plain english? i tried searching but everything was too technical

-thanks
NFarzan

 

[marat]

<< Any sites out there for streamlining linux (getting rid of all the useless junk to make it boot/run faster)? Im trying to build a mp3 box...so i dont need all the extra stuff

Thanks,
Nfarzan >>



How small do you wanna go? You can put simple linux distro on 3.5 disk or Boot CD.

 

[marat]

<< Any sites out there for streamlining linux (getting rid of all the useless junk to make it boot/run faster)? Im trying to build a mp3 box...so i dont need all the extra stuff

Thanks,
Nfarzan >>



A bunch of linux distros

To name just a few (from the above list):

BasicLinux

Coyote Linux

Compact linuX

BlueCat® Linux®

Most of them < 10Mb.

 

[nfarzan]

Size is not an issue so much as boot time and operating speed. How do I make it boot faster? Also, how can I make it hibernate similar to Win XP and 2k?

 

[Sunner]

My Debian box boots to CLI in just under 10 seconds, not too shabby, and it's not a speed demon in any way(Dual P2-350 with 384 MB RAM).

Anyways, look at Debian like Nothinman said.
A base install of Debian is pretty good, all you need to do is install whatever you need that isnt there already, which is a breeze in Debian.

 

[stirling]

If you don't know what packages are, I would suggest that reading up on linux is a higher priority than optimizing it.
I'd like to help out, but I don't where you're at knowledge-wise.
Did you install Redhat or something and it boots too slow?
I'm sure someone can walk you through disabling some startup services or stopping a boot-time hang.
If we know what distro you're using and what's going on.
I just assumed a little more knowledge since you were looking to optimize it.

btw, packages are little bundles of joy that you can install (rpms, debs, tarballs)

 

[nfarzan]

Sorry i was vague...
I currently have installed Redhat 7.2 on a PII 233mhz with 56mb ram. I tried both KDE and GNOME and they both took eons to boot and run pretty slowly. Id like to know how to disable all the startup stuff..i only need the display and sound drivers to load up...nothing else really. If Debian can run mp3 programs that need a gui, i could use that. Thanks for all your help!

-Nfarzan

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

well, the 56MB of ram is most definitely whats slowing it down. you could try using something like blackbox instead of kde/gnome, i believe those each take some 50MB or more of ram (am i remembering that right???)

i'm not sure what bb takes but i'm sure its under a meg and at most a couple megs (doubtful, but i'm not really sure)

your cpu, while not that new, probably isnt that big a factor, at least not near as much as ram.

 

[nfarzan]

Can someone please clarify blackbox for me..is it standalone? or do i install over redhat in lieu of kde or gnome?

 

[nfarzan]

^^..^^

 

[n0cmonkey]

<< Can someone please clarify blackbox for me..is it standalone? or do i install over redhat in lieu of kde or gnome? >>



blackbox is a light weight window manager. Much like kwm(?) or sawfish in KDE and gnome, respectively. It sits on X and tells your Windows what to do. Its beautiful, fast, easy, and functional.

 

[NorthenLove]

<< Can someone please clarify blackbox for me..is it standalone? or do i install over redhat in lieu of kde or gnome? >>




This should clear things up a little, but if you want a light linux install then go with a basic install that only has X-window managers. Then agian you could slim things down so that you only do things via command line and thus save yourself a lot of disk space, but that is if you are willing to learn the command-line.

http://www.xwinman.org/

 

[MGMorden]

swm is also a VERY lightweight window manager. It's made mainly for imbedded devices and stuff and uses very little memory. I've only tried it once though. I also do a few things in my setup like alias xterm to rxvt (rxvt uses a little less memory than xterm does and works just as good if not better).

 

[EmperorRob]

Your problem is Red Hat 7.2

I'm dowloading and going back to 7.1, myself. I think they have an unstable rpm of xinetd in 7.2. Either that or it hates my old Dell. Anyway, Red Hat 7.1 has the slick new KDE 2.x that I like.

My buddy swears by Mandrake 8.0 and I hear lots of good stuff about Suse. So if you are a newbie I'd stay with one of those.

 

[Motavian]

<< Sorry i was vague...
I currently have installed Redhat 7.2 on a PII 233mhz with 56mb ram. I tried both KDE and GNOME and they both took eons to boot and run pretty slowly. Id like to know how to disable all the startup stuff..i only need the display and sound drivers to load up...nothing else really. If Debian can run mp3 programs that need a gui, i could use that. Thanks for all your help!

-Nfarzan >>



Some other good lightweight window managers are AfterStep and WindowMaker. They use less memory than either Gnome or KDE, but they are not as lightweight as Blackbox and the like. I have a 200 MHz Pentium with 64MB RAM, and I use AfterStep most of the time.

 

[stirling]

I've run KDE2 on a similar computer and it's a resource hog. Slower than W2K.
For a window manager, blackbox is nice. Have a look at xfce, too.
Either of those should be snappy and stylish.

If you haven't already discovered it, xmms is a winamp clone. You can even use the multitude of winamp skins.

I assume you haven't touched the init scripts, so you're probably running all manner of services you don't need.
(sendmail, apache, rpc) ('ps aux' to check)
I'm not too familiar w/Redhat, so someone else is better able to help you with that.

 

[n0cmonkey]

IF you want a lightweight mp3 player instead of the bloat that is XMMS, go with mpg321 or mpg123.