Minix compilation time benchmarks

modified: 27 May 2004

Compilation times

asw 2004-05-27

The dhrystone test is very limited as a benchmark; a much better
all-around benchmark is a real-world task -- how about measuring how
long it takes Minix to recompile itself?

In the results below, "book" means a minimal system as described in the
book (no network or other extra drivers, and with modified Makefiles
that don't process unneeded files).  "Working" is the Minix system
compiled for the machine under test, with network and extra drivers
compiled in.  "Standard" is Minix with the default configuration
(/usr/include/minix/config.h as distributed). 

"Kernel" is just the kernel, i.e, cd /usr/src/kernel; make. "Image" is
a compilation of kernel+fs+mm+init, a bootable system, i.e., cd
/usr/src/tools; make.

The "working" configuration is not the same for all systems, as some of
the computers on which I run Minix have different hard disk drivers
and/or network cards. 

cabbage  (PII-166, DOSMinix 2.0.4, dhrystone=149110, 2004-05-27)
-------
book kernel 2.0.4 
    2:07.00 real    1:21.06 user      45.93 sys
working kernel 2.0.4 
    3:43.00 real    2:09.13 user    1:33.51 sys
book image 2.0.4 
    5:03.00 real    3:13.81 user    1:47.93 sys
working image 2.0.4 
    6:43.00 real    3:52.31 user    2:49.38 sys

turnip-bm (2.0.4 on Bochs on W2K, AMD K6-2/500, dhrystone=4647, 2004-05-27)
--------
working kernel 2.0.4
    7:59.00 real    6:19.91 user    1:38.41 sys
working image 2.0.4
   14:14.00 real   11:02.63 user    3:09.06 sys