Measuring Ubuntu's Boot Performance

With Ubuntu 6.06.1 LTS, the time it took to boot and reach the GDM was 32 seconds. The disk throughput maximum was 19MB/s. While more processes had started by default in Ubuntu 6.10, its boot time had decreased by one second. Edgy Eft had booted in 31 seconds with a disk throughput maximum of 31MB/s. Below are the Bootchart graphs for Ubuntu 6.06.1 LTS and 6.10.

In Ubuntu 7.04 the boot time had once again decreased by a second while its disk throughput had dropped to 27MB/s. This performance boost had even come while Ubuntu 7.04 had more services starting by default at boot-time. However, the biggest boot performance increase for Ubuntu had come in 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon with the boot time dramatically decreasing down to 22 seconds. This can be attributed to less processes starting up, better process management, and further optimizations within Ubuntu and the Linux kernel. The disk throughput was also at a max with a speed of 33MB/s. While we cannot say for sure how the final version of Ubuntu 8.04 will perform, using the 2008-02-07 daily build our boot time was 25 seconds with a 23MB/s disk throughput.

For your viewing pleasure, on the next page are charts comparing the boot times and the maximum disk throughput.