3.2. System Boot

Some administrators pay no attention to the system booting process. The main thing they are interested in is how it works. Even though there is no direct relationship between these two aspects, many programs are started during the system boot, which take up memory, thereby lowering the system's productivity.

Moreover, fast booting allows the system to be put back into operation rapidly after a crash. All computers have to be rebooted at one time or another to restore their full functionality lost because of software errors, power interruptions, and so on. The faster you can do this, the fewer complaints you hear from irate users.

All necessary system settings should be configured during the boot so that you would not have to configure anything manually after the boot. Manual configuration may take a long time, and it is just too dull and boring to go through the same routine every time the system boots.

3.2.1. Start-Up

I will start considering optimization of the boot process by returning to the setup utility. Start it in the terminal; you should see a window like the one shown in Fig. 2.16. Open the System services section. You will see a window with a list of all installed services. Services that start automatically are marked with an asterisk. If you need some daemon, but do not use it often, it makes no sense to start it automatically and open a door for hackers. I recommend clearing the automatic start flag for such a service, starting it manually only when you need it running, and terminating it when you no longer need it.

For example, sometimes I debug Web scripts requiring MySQL on my server. Keeping the database running all the time is a waste of memory and an extra door into the system. Therefore, I only run MySQL when I need it and stop the service when I am done with the debugging.

I strongly recommend that you follow the same course of action and clear the automatic start asterisk from all services that need not start with the system boot. The necessary daemon is selected by highlighting it using the <