A server that waits two minutes for the network at every boot slows down every patch window. Here’s how to tune systemd-networkd, wait-online, and .link files to speed up boot times and improve network performance.
Imagine rebooting a server after a kernel update, only to watch the console sit on “A start job is running for Wait for Network to be Configured” for nearly two minutes.
Nothing may be broken. systemd-networkd-wait-online is simply waiting for managed interfaces to reach the required state, potentially including a spare NIC with no cable, until its 120-second timeout expires.
systemd-networkd, the network manager built into systemd and commonly used by Ubuntu Server through Netplan, provides several ways to reduce unnecessary boot delays and tune network interfaces.