Linux Performance Baseline: sysctl, ulimits, CPU Governor, and NUMA
Executive Summary Performance baseline = safe defaults that work for most workloads, with clear tuning for specific scenarios.
This guide covers:
sysctl: Kernel parameters (network, filesystem, VM) with production-safe values ulimits: Resource limits (open files, processes, memory locks) CPU Governor: Frequency scaling & power management on servers NUMA: Awareness for multi-socket systems (big apps, databases) I/O Scheduler: NVMe/SSD vs. spinning disk tuning 1. sysctl Kernel Parameters Why sysctl Matters Problem: Default kernel parameters are conservative (fit laptops, embedded systems)
Solution: Tune for your workload (databases, web servers, HPC)
Trade-off: More throughput vs. latency / memory vs. stability
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