A recent post in the vSphere forums asked what seems to be a simple question: How can I measure how long it takes to boot a virtual machine?
I believe that the poster was attempting to find out if there is a performance stat that can be used for this purpose. However, it brings up a bigger question: What is boot time? Is it:
- The time it takes to complete the full BIOS run?
- The time it takes to get to a login prompt?
- The time it takes to first see the desktop after a successful login?
- The time it takes for the user to be able to effectively interact with the desktop after a successful login?
For me, it depends. If it’s a server, it’s the time it takes to get to a login prompt. For a desktop, it’s the time it takes to get to a point where a user can effectively interact with a desktop after login.
What is it for you?