Ubuntu and firefox tweaks for faster web browsing

by admin on August 29, 2008

Here´s a trick to make web browsing on Ubuntu a faster and more satisfying experience.

Howto: Tweak and maximize your bandwidth in Ubuntu/Linux via sysctl!

Here I will unleash a few hidden settings that should improve your internet speed, and work with all current linux operating systems including Ubuntu:

1. Open a Terminal via Applications->Accessories->Terminal

Type:

sudo vim /etc/sysctl.conf (press i for edit mode)

Then Paste the Following at the end of the file:

## increase TCP max buffer size setable using setsockopt()
net.core.rmem_max = 16777216
net.core.wmem_max = 16777216
## increase Linux autotuning TCP buffer limits
## min, default, and max number of bytes to use
## set max to at least 4MB, or higher if you use very high BDP paths
net.ipv4.tcp_rmem = 4096 87380 16777216
net.ipv4.tcp_wmem = 4096 65536 16777216
## don’t cache ssthresh from previous connection
net.ipv4.tcp_no_metrics_save = 1
net.ipv4.tcp_moderate_rcvbuf = 1
## recommended to increase this for 1000 BT or higher
net.core.netdev_max_backlog = 2500
## for 10 GigE, use this, uncomment below
## net.core.netdev_max_backlog = 30000
## Turn off timestamps if you’re on a gigabit or very busy network
## Having it off is one less thing the IP stack needs to work on
## net.ipv4.tcp_timestamps = 0
## disable tcp selective acknowledgements.
net.ipv4.tcp_sack = 0
##enable window scaling
net.ipv4.tcp_window_scaling = 1

Type :wq to exit and save.

Type in terminal

sudo sysctl -p

to apply the settings.

Then , to tweak Firefox to make better use of your broadband do the following…

1.Type “about:config” into the address bar and hit return. Scroll down and look for the following entries:

network.http.pipelining
network.http.proxy.pipelining
network.http.pipelining.maxrequests

Normally the browser will make one request to a web page at a time. When you enable pipelining it will make several at once, which really speeds up page loading.

2. Alter the entries as follows:

Set “network.http.pipelining” to “true”

Set “network.http.proxy.pipelining” to “true”

Set “network.http.pipelining.maxrequests” to some number like 25. This means it will make 25 requests at once.

3. Lastly right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it “nglayout.initialpaint.delay” and set its value to “0″. This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it receives.

If you’re using a broadband connection you’ll load pages MUCH faster now!

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

dui September 13, 2008 at 10:35 am

good post. lots of those commands can also be used in windows so this is also helpful for the windows crowd.

Barbara Ortagus October 26, 2008 at 6:23 pm

Thanks alot for posting this. I am a part-time geek chick and I am about to try installing Ubuntu on my Acer Aspire One. That Linpus hack that is on there now isn\’t bad, but it doesn\’t hold a candle to Ubuntu.

Take care,

Barb

Lindsay November 2, 2008 at 12:54 pm

Thanks for the tip. I thought browsers made 2 simultaneous requests normally. But pushing it up can help, especially since so many sites now have many graphics, javascript files, CSS files…

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