Enterprise Linux IT: The New Linux Speed Trick

"Linux kernel 2.6 introduces improved IO scheduling that can increase speed--'sometimes by 1,000 percent or more, [more] often by 2x'--for standard desktop workloads, and by as much as 15 percent on many database workloads, according to Andrew Morton of Open Source Development Labs. This increased speed is accomplished by minimizing the disk head movement during concurrent reads.

"There are two scheduling policies included in kernel 2.6: the anticipatory scheduler, and the deadline scheduler. Kernel 2.6 lets the user choose which scheduling method to use, Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, told NewsFactor. 'Right now, that choice is made globally at boot time and can't be changed later,' he said, 'but that may still change...'"

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