kernel/initrd loading delays

Felix Miata
2015-10-12T16:29:19Z

On more and more installations since most distros have replaced mkinitrd with
dracut, on selecting a bootloader menu choice the "root
(hd0,...filesystemtype..[Linux-bzImage, setup, ... initrd /boot/initrd"
message stays on screen 40 seconds or more before the time-stamped boot
messages begin scrolling the screen. IIRC, these delays first began appearing
last January or February, and appear on multiple machines. All kernel and
initrd images are on smallish EXT3 or EXT4 (mostly the latter) filesystems
using 1024 blocksize on BIOS logical partitions on rotating rust (IIRC, all
with native 512b sector size, manufactured in 2011 or earlier). All
installations are configured with static IP. All have Plymouth either not
installed, or are booted with noplymouth included on kernel cmdline.

e.g, on my fastest system, host msi85, a 3.0 GHz dual core Haswell, total
time from boot stanza select on BIOS host msi85 to Rawhide 4.3.0-0.rc3.git4.1
(dracut initramfs.img 11,326,223) multi-user.target shell prompt ready is
about 80 seconds following that 40 second delay, with last time stamp showing
36.844484.

Same msi85 system booting LMDE 2 3.16.0-4 (non-dracut? initrd.img 27,362,964;
initramfs-tools 0.120) delays start of boot messages nearly 80 seconds,
reaching DM greeter ready nearly 140 seconds after stanza selection.

Same system booting openSUSE Leap 42.1 4.1.8 (dracut initrd 8,082,360)
exhibits no perceptible delay, reaching multi-user.target shell prompt in
under 47 seconds from boot stanza selection.

Same system booting openSUSE 13.2 3.16.7 (dracut initrd 5,351,996) delays
start of boot messages about 40 seconds, reaching multi-user.target bash
prompt about 90 seconds after stanza selection.

Same system booting Mageia 5 4.1.8 (dracut initrd.img 9,391,664) exhibits no
delay, reaching multi-user.target bash prompt in about 45 seconds.

Same system booting Wheezy 3.2.0 (non-dracut initrd.img 10,537,321) exhibits
no delay, reaching DM greeter in less than about 45 seconds.

Same system booting openSUSE 13.1 3.12.44 (non-dracut initrd 7,679,390)
exhibits no delay, reaching multi-user.target bash prompt in less than 45
seconds.

Same system booting Fedora 23 4.2.2 (dracut initramfs.img 11,255,214) reaches
multi-user.target shell prompt in about 75 seconds after unknown
kernel/initrd delay (puts display into sleep mode until boot messages appear).

Same system booting openSUSE Tumbleweed 4.2.1 (dracut initrd 8,970,760)
exhibits no delay, reaching multi-user.target bash prompt in less than 45
seconds.

Same system booting (second, on sda28, vs. other on sda23) openSUSE
Tumbleweed 4.2.1 (dracut initrd 8,965,124) exhibits ~40 second delay,
reaching multi-user.target bash prompt in about 100 seconds.

Same system booting Kubuntu 14.10 3.16.0 (non-dracut initrd 20,550,608)
exhibits no initial (linux/initrd) delay, reaching KDM greeter in about 90
seconds.

Same system booting Fedora 22 4.1.8 (dracut initrd 10,788,392) exhibits no
delay, reaching multi-user.target bash prompt in less than 50 seconds.

Any ideas what could cause these delays, or how to eliminate them?
--
"The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant
words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation)

Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!

Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/