"#7: Avoid dhcp
If you are working on a home network (or a small business network)
where address lease isn't a problem, go with static IP addresses.
This will keep your machine from having to call out to a dhcp
server to get an IP address. If you take this approach, make sure
you configure your /etc/resolve.conf to reflect your DNS server
addresses as well.
"#8: If you can spare it, get rid of hotplug Hotplug is the
system that allows you to plug in new devices and use them
immediately. If you know your server won't need this system, delete
it. This will cut down on boot time. On many systems, hotplugging
consumes much of the boot time. Removing hotplug will vary
depending upon the distribution you use. NOTE: udev has, for the
most part, replaced hotplug. But if you're running an older
distribution, this does apply."