The Sysadmin’s Daily Grind: Bootchart
BOOT CAMP
What could be more boring than watching a computer run through an error-free boot routine? Why watch for messages that may never appear? Every second you save adds to your valuable leisure time. Bootchart helps you find those valuable leisure moments.
Bootchart [1] runs in the background while a computer is booting, keeping a watchful eye on the hard disk and the CPU load, noting the launch order for daemons, and letting you know if something is causing a delay. After collecting the results, Bootchart presents the relevant information in a user friendly graphic like the chart shown in Figure 1. Version 0.4 of Bootchart is a 60KB tar archive, which you can quickly unpack by typing tar xvzpf bootchart-0.4.tar.gz Now that was quick, or was it? A glance at the readme file reveals that Bootchart needs a Java Development Kit. Fortunately, the tool isn’t fussy about your choice of Java; it works fine with GCJ [2], the IBM Developer Kit [3], and Sun’s J2SE SDK [4] – I opted for Sun’s coffee roaster. I didn’t want to do without an I/ O load display, so I followed the recommendation in the readme and installed iostat from the sysstat package [5].
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.
-
Kodi 21.0 Open-Source Entertainment Hub Released
After a year of development, the award-winning Kodi cross-platform, media center software is now available with many new additions and improvements.
-
Linux Usage Increases in Two Key Areas
If market share is your thing, you'll be happy to know that Linux is on the rise in two areas that, if they keep climbing, could have serious meaning for Linux's future.
-
Vulnerability Discovered in xz Libraries
An urgent alert for Fedora 40 has been posted and users should pay attention.
-
Canonical Bumps LTS Support to 12 years
If you're worried that your Ubuntu LTS release won't be supported long enough to last, Canonical has a surprise for you in the form of 12 years of security coverage.
-
Fedora 40 Beta Released Soon
With the official release of Fedora 40 coming in April, it's almost time to download the beta and see what's new.
-
New Pentesting Distribution to Compete with Kali Linux
SnoopGod is now available for your testing needs