Looong boot up time

[sbradley07]

Re: Looong boot up time

oops...typo in the last post. should be:


~$ cat /etc/network/interfaces
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
address 127.0.0.1
netmask 255.0.0.0


iface eth0 inet dhcp

iface wlan0 inet dhcp
wireless-essid dd-wrt
wireless-key1 xxxxxxxxxx

auto wlan0

[Snowhog]

Re: Looong boot up time

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
address 127.0.0.1
netmask 255.0.0.0

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp

auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
wireless-essid dd-wrt
wireless-key1 xxxxxxxxxx

The modified interfaces file above (bold entries are added) matches the format of my file. I'm not 100% certain here, but including the iface eth0 inet dhcp without the preceding auto eth0 could be causing a problem. It doesn't matter that you aren't using the wired connection; the entry should still be there.

Also, moving the auto wlan0 from the bottom of the file to above the iface wlan0 inet dhcp is where it should be. Again, the modified file above matches the format of mine. I have a wireless/wired router (Linksys WRT54G) and am also, only using the wireless connection - the cable is not even connected.

If you decided to 'try and see,' then make a backup copy of your interfaces file, then edit the original and make the changes. Save and close, then perform a normal shutdown and reboot. See if you don't complete the boot process any faster.

[sbradley07]

Re: Looong boot up time

Good news...bad news (well not really bad).

Trusting your wisdom, I not only changed the /etc/network/interfaces as per your suggestion, but I commented out my wi-fi hack (mentioned earlier in this thread.) Upon rebooting, the network came up working perfectly.

The not-so-good news is that it still sits for a minute or so on "Configuring network interfaces" when booting. If you have any further suggestions to speed that up, that would be great, but otherwise, I'm satisfied with how it's working now.

Thanks!

[Snowhog]

Re: Looong boot up time

I don't, but continue to monitor this thread. There are many others on the Forum who have similar setups as yours.

[sbradley07]

Re: Looong boot up time

I found a clue to the long hang time on network configuration:

http://kudos.berlios.de/kf/kisimlar/...html#dhcphangs

"Configuring network interfaces..." (temporary hang)
Hangs until time-out, particularly when your ethernet is configured for DHCP, but DHCP server is not available due to various reasons (DHCP server down or too slow, no ethernet connection, different LAN environment, etc.)

Following the provided link on that page, I set up a manual IP address for eth0. Unfortunately it had no effect.

However, when I set a manual IP address for wlan0, the boot time for network interfaces went from over 1 minute, to less than 5 seconds! Apparently, the long hang time has to do with the automatic DHCP settings.

[Snowhog]

Re: Looong boot up time

I'd be looking at the routers configuration for DHCP. I'd quess that you have the setting there set incorrectly??

[sbradley07]

Re: Looong boot up time

I have two other computers (Win XP) that are part of the same wireless network, and have never had a problem with DHCP. I looked at my router config, and DHCP Server is enabled. Are there any other DHCP-specific parameters I should be enabling?

[Snowhog]

Re: Looong boot up time

Probably not. I'll look at my router configuration when I get home. I've only the one PC, but you can at least compare my settings to yours.

[Snowhog]

Re: Looong boot up time

These are my (non-specific, non-personal) router settings:

Basic Router Information
Wireless Name (SSID) yours here
Security Mode WPA Personal
WPA Encryption Method tkip

Detailed Network Information
Router LAN (Local Area Network) Settings
Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0
DHCP Server Enable
DHCP Starting IP Address 192.168.1.100
DHCP Ending IP Address 192.168.1.149
Router WAN (Wide Are Network) Settings
Internet Connection Type pppoe
Router Wireless Settings
Wireless Network Mode Mixed
Wireless Name (SSID) Broadcast Enable
Security Mode WPA
WPA Encryption Method tkip
Encryption key yours should be listed here
Router Status
DNS 1 provided by your ISP
DNS 2 provided by your ISP
Internal Customer Support Settings
Network Name yours here
Router Password the password you provided
Security Mode WPA Personal
WPA Encryption Method tkip
Wireless Name (SSID) yours here
DSL (PPPoE) User Name your ISP account user name
DSL (PPPoE) Password your ISP account password

[sbradley07]

Re: Looong boot up time

Pretty much the same as I have, though I use WEP instead of WPA. I seem to recall a thread on this or another forum that discussed the virtues of WPA over WEP, but that was more of a preference than a requirement. At this point, everything's working (with no unexplained boot hangs) so I am good with the manual IP settings.

I'll keep poking around and watching these forums for an explanation to the behavior I'm seeing. Until then, thanks again for the help.

[Snowhog]

Re: Looong boot up time

The bottom line is that you have a working system and wireless Internet. The better thing is that your boot time got significantly reduced.

Happy to have helped in any way that I could.