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by mguhlin

MyNotes: Speeding Up Ubuntu

EdTech

One of the reasons I’ve never stuck with UbuntuLinux for long is how slow, clunky it is. Often this is a function of the computer, but running on a new machine with tons of RAM, SSD, it occurred to me there was no reason for UbuntuLinux running so slow. Having used Elementary OS, BunsenLabs Linux (#!) on the same machine, I couldn’t understand why Ubuntu would drag. Of course, it turns out that a few minor tweaks fixed it all. Ignorance strikes again.

A hint of what is to come…

To begin, I loaded Xubuntu/XFCE4. Of course, that runs fast like a dream. But having played around with MX Linux for a bit, I was impressed with the clean interface. I didn’t keep MX Linux because HDMI wasn’t recognized (connected to a second monitor, a must for work) and it couldn’t load my nvidia graphics. While Elementary OS could do it, there were some quirks to that operating system that don’t exist when using Ubuntu/Xubuntu. I resolved to switch. 

To accomplish some of the tweaks to speed up Ubuntu, I relied on a few blog posts:

Here are my notes from some of the things I tried and they appeared to have worked. You’ll want to read the full blog entries linked above for all the backstory.

Adjust Swap Drive Access

  • gedit admin:///etc/sysctl.conf

  • Copy-n-paste the following to the bottom of the file. Afterwards, save and reboot:

  • # Decrease swap usage to a more reasonable level

  • vm.swappiness=20

Shrink iNode Cache

  • gedit admin:///etc/sysctl.conf

  • Copy-n-paste the following to the bottom of the file. Afterwards, save and reboot:

  • # Improve cache management

  • vm.vfs_cache_pressure=50

/TMP Mount

  • sudo cp -v /usr/share/systemd/tmp.mount /etc/systemd/system/
  • sudo systemctl enable tmp.mount
  • Reboot computer

If you need to undo TMP mount, use this line:

  • sudo rm -v /etc/systemd/system/tmp.mount

Thanks so much for Easy Linux Tips Project!

In the end, I purged Ubuntu-desktop and switched to XFCE4. Speed is fantastic.

Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure