All About Linux Swap Part 3: Analysis

"Remember that virtual memory is a mapping of all available memory to a system, no matter the device type. Therefore, if you anticipate that you will never utilize more than 4GB of virtual memory and have 2GB of physical memory, 2GB might be a good amount for you. But better than 2GB of swap would be an additional 2GB of memory, allowing your heaviest usage to wholly fit inside RAM.

"On my desktop at home (which currently runs Gnome + Compiz on Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex), I started with 2GB of RAM and a 2GB swap partition. I've since upgraded the memory to 4GB and - as expected - seen swap usage drop to virtually none. The only situation in which my swap fills up, is when a process runs amok and grabs every last piece of memory available. Although I practically never reach into that extra memory, I was thankful it was there instead of having OOM Killer wreak havoc or forcing my system to a screeching halt."

Complete Story

Related Stories:

• All About Linux Swap Part 2: Management(Feb 02, 2009)
• All About Swap Part 1: Introduction(Jan 30, 2009)
• Building A Linux Computer: Part 4 - Installing The OS(Jan 06, 2009)
• Set Up A Fully Encrypted Raid1 LVM System(Dec 11, 2008)
• How the Linux Kernel Manages Virtual Memory(Nov 22, 2008)