Fresh Arch Install Loads 148 Modules - Blacklist Doesnt Help

mac57 · 2006-01-19 04:10:53

I installed Arch linux 0.7.1 last week, and am extremely pleased with it. I am now using it full time, having retired the SuSE 9.3 I was using before - Arch is SO much faster on the same hardware.

I am trying to clean up one niggly little detail though. Arch loads an astonishing 148 modules during the boot process, lots of them uneeded. For example, it loads 12 SATA modules, but I have no SATA on my machine. I tried adding the SATA module names to BLACKLIST in rc.conf, but it either made no difference, or the modules were simply loaded by some other part of the boot process not controlled by BLACKLIST.

I have searched the forums, and scanned the Wiki and can't find any help on this. Is BLACKLIST known to be broken in Arch 0.7.1? Alternately, is there something else I need to be doing in addition to BLACKLIST to make this work?

This *is* a "niggly" detail - Arch still boots from Grub prompt to full XFCE desktop in a speedy 31 seconds - my SuSE used to take 70s just to boot up to KDM, on the same machine (and then another 25s or so to boot to KDE). So, I am VERY pleased with Arch's speed - I would just like to REALLY tune it now.

Any and all help much appreciated.

Cerebral · 2006-01-19 04:28:09

You need to configure your initrd.

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Initrd for more info.

mac57 · 2006-01-19 16:02:23

To be sure I understand before I try this, you are suggesting that it is not the hwdetect stuff that is loading all these unecessary modules, but rather the initrd? Further, the reason BLACKLIST settings had no effect was that most of these modules were loaded prior to this stage in the boot, via the initrd?

If this is the case, it is reasonable to suggest then that the "Loading Modules" part of the boot process will not be sped up any by remaking the initrd - rather, an earlier part of the boot process will be sped up.

Have I got this right? If so, I think I should start by continuing to tweak BLACKLIST - I should be able to remove other modules that I don't need that wouldn't be included by initrd. In my work so far, I have focused on things that could be boot related - SATA, file systems that I don't use (like jfs) and so on. I am guessing you are saying that I have seen no effect because these were loaded outside of the control of BLACKLIST, via the initrd.

Cerebral · 2006-01-19 17:08:22

mac57 wrote:

To be sure I understand before I try this, you are suggesting that it is not the hwdetect stuff that is loading all these unecessary modules, but rather the initrd? Further, the reason BLACKLIST settings had no effect was that most of these modules were loaded prior to this stage in the boot, via the initrd?

Yup, you gottit! The blacklist only prevents hwdetect from loading modules - it's not used to unload modules that may already be modprobed beforehand.

mac57 wrote:

If this is the case, it is reasonable to suggest then that the "Loading Modules" part of the boot process will not be sped up any by remaking the initrd - rather, an earlier part of the boot process will be sped up.

Sounds reasonable... I can't say either way with any certainty though.

mac57 wrote:

Have I got this right? If so, I think I should start by continuing to tweak BLACKLIST - I should be able to remove other modules that I don't need that wouldn't be included by initrd. In my work so far, I have focused on things that could be boot related - SATA, file systems that I don't use (like jfs) and so on. I am guessing you are saying that I have seen no effect because these were loaded outside of the control of BLACKLIST, via the initrd.

I'd actually start by fixing up your initrd - that way, when you're checking for unnecessary modules, you'll KNOW that none of them are loaded by the initrd and can be fixed with the blacklist.

Alternatively, if you run

hwdetect --show-modules

it will list every module hwdetect loads at bootup - then you can blacklist based on that output: it'll be alot quicker.

phrakture · 2006-01-19 20:18:02

The default initrd contains ever module needed to load every harddrive on the planet, and then some. It's alot, and by default, it loads them all until an end user customizes them.

Arch Linux

#1 2006-01-19 04:10:53

Fresh Arch Install Loads 148 Modules - Blacklist Doesnt Help

#2 2006-01-19 04:28:09

Re: Fresh Arch Install Loads 148 Modules - Blacklist Doesnt Help

#3 2006-01-19 16:02:23

Re: Fresh Arch Install Loads 148 Modules - Blacklist Doesnt Help

#4 2006-01-19 17:08:22

Re: Fresh Arch Install Loads 148 Modules - Blacklist Doesnt Help

#5 2006-01-19 20:18:02

Re: Fresh Arch Install Loads 148 Modules - Blacklist Doesnt Help

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