Too long "Searching for Puppy files"

Booting, installing, newbie
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ICPUG
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Joined: Mon 25 Jul 2005, 00:09
Location: UK

#16 Post by ICPUG »

That's a very interesting find Peakeen.

The last time I looked at the init file was at version 4.2 and it definitely did not look for vmlinuz then!

I know Barry updated the init search routine a year or so ago but this seems quite a major change and a little illogical. By the time the init file is running vmlinuz has been found! It is the puppy files that are needed and in 4.2 it was the sfs file that was searched for.

I must have a look at the init file in a recent Puppy!

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Peakeen
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat 28 Jan 2012, 12:28

#17 Post by Peakeen »

I could be wrong - I won't pretend I followed the init script in detail!

The Searching for puppy files section of init starts at line 484 and some comments in the script make suspect it was looking for vmlinuz so I simply removed the symlink from the Ubuntu partition and the "Searching" time dropped from 50 sec to 2 sec. So, whatever it did, the effect was dramatic!

I'll dig further. I'll make it fail again and try to find out exactly where it's spending the extra 48 seconds!

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Peakeen
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Joined: Sat 28 Jan 2012, 12:28

#18 Post by Peakeen »

Below are listings of the /initrd/tmp log files from a 'fast' boot and from a 'slow' boot. The only filesystem difference between the two is the presence of vmlinuz in / of Ubuntu partition sdb3 as a symlink to /boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic. I have also tried a "dummy" vmlinuz in the Ubuntu / (just an empty text file) and it still does a fast boot, so it needs a real vmlinuz to affect the boot process.

Note that, in the fast (18 sec) boot, the time difference between ALLDRVS0 and PUPSAVES-complete is 4 seconds and in the slow (58 sec) it is 44 seconds.

I have compared each pair of logs and can find no differences in their contents.

I have gone through this several times and it is completely reversible and reproducible.

Any thought or suggestions gratefully received!

Fast

Code: Select all

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  859 11:15:44 bootinit.log
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    4 11:15:44 ATADRIVES0
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 8281 11:15:49 uevents.log
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   67 11:15:51 usb-drives-probe
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1021 11:15:51 probepart.log
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  200 11:15:51 PCPARTSALL
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    8 11:15:51 OPTICALDRIVES0
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   64 11:15:51 LESSPARTS0
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   20 11:15:51 ALLDRVS0
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   25 11:15:55 PUPSAVES-complete
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   25 11:15:55 PUPSAVES2
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   25 11:15:55 PUPSAVES
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   24 11:15:55 PUPSAVE2SFSS
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  496 11:15:55 puppy-file-search.log
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    0 11:16:02 LOGONEBASES
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    0 11:16:02 EXTRASFSS
Slow

Code: Select all

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  859 12:39:06 bootinit.log
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    4 12:39:06 ATADRIVES0
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 8281 12:39:11 uevents.log
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   67 12:39:13 usb-drives-probe
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1021 12:39:13 probepart.log
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  200 12:39:13 PCPARTSALL
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    8 12:39:13 OPTICALDRIVES0
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   64 12:39:13 LESSPARTS0
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   20 12:39:13 ALLDRVS0
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   25 12:39:57 PUPSAVES-complete
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   25 12:39:57 PUPSAVES2
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   25 12:39:57 PUPSAVES
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   24 12:39:57 PUPSAVE2SFSS
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  496 12:39:57 puppy-file-search.log
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    0 12:40:04 LOGONEBASES
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    0 12:40:04 EXTRASFSS

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Peakeen
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Joined: Sat 28 Jan 2012, 12:28

#19 Post by Peakeen »

I've been away from Puppy for a couple of months but tried it again with the latest releases.

"Searching for puppy files" on Lupu (5.2.8-005) is still affected in the way I described by the presence or absence of vmlinuz in an Ubuntu partition.

However, neither Wary nor Racy (5.3) are affected.

Am I the only one to see this effect? To me it spoils one of the most attractive features of Puppy - the fast boot.

sfeeley
Posts: 812
Joined: Sun 14 Feb 2010, 16:34

#20 Post by sfeeley »

how are you installing puppy to the flash stick? Still using unetbootin?

maybe try this homegrown alternative . . . (or the universal installer)

http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewto ... 250#517250

(I see that you found some weird searches in init that seem to come later than would matter from the install method, but I had the same issues as you a second time since the thread started with unetbootin, and resolved it again by switching to the universal installer-- maybe its a coincidence, maybe its illogical, but weirder things have happened) Do me a favor, give it a go, and I'll be quiet . . .
sorry for being a pest :D

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Peakeen
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Joined: Sat 28 Jan 2012, 12:28

#21 Post by Peakeen »

Previously I reported the boot time was slashed if I removed the vmlinuz symbolic link from / in the Ubuntu partition. When I wanted to use Ubuntu I simply restored the link.

Now I have found the Ubuntu doesn't need the link to boot since grub.cfg points at the actual vmlinuz kernel in /boot so I have just deleted the link and everything works.

I'd still appreciate someone who understands these things better than I do (not difficult!) explaining what is happening. Why should the existence of Ubuntu's vmlinuz affect the Puppy boot process?

sfeeley: I am still using unetbootin. I tried the universal installer when you suggested it before but it made no difference.

Pelo

List of puppy saves found

#22 Post by Pelo »

My question is : when PPPY list the save files found, i would like to be informed not only where the saves are, but the size too, ....the free size too !
Is that possible ?

And why ? Because some saves are quite empty, i will make them work a little bit, as we cannot reduce them !
Attachments
PUPSFS.jpg
(39.15 KiB) Downloaded 279 times

Mercedes350se
Posts: 790
Joined: Wed 16 Apr 2008, 11:28

#23 Post by Mercedes350se »

Try specifying exactly the path to where your Puppy vmlinuz and initrd.gz files are rather than just:

Code: Select all

...
label puppy
kernel vmlinuz pmedia=usbflash
append initrd=initrd.gz 
HTH.

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