[SOLVED] Virtual Memory

Zssfssz · 09-29-2011, 10:37 AM

Well how would I setup virtual mem in Kubuntu? PS I don't have Internet. Posting from iPod.

macemoneta · 09-29-2011, 11:05 AM

Virtual memory is always in use in Linux. If you mean swap space, most distributions enable that by default on installation. You can check in a terminal with the 'free' command:

Code:

$ free
             total       used       free     shared    buffers     cached
Mem:       8179520    5034952    3144568          0     348256    2102964
-/+ buffers/cache:    2583732    5595788
Swap:      4193276          0    4193276

The above shows a 4GB swap configuration.

jefro · 09-29-2011, 04:17 PM

Just in case, I'll ask. What do you mean virtual memory? Normally it is this.

http://www.redhat.com/magazine/001nov04/features/vm/

Dunno how much of this is still current but I think it is useful.

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc...=rep1&type=pdf

I get the feeling you might mean what macemoneta says about swap file since it is close to the windows name.

You might be asking about ramdisks too?

Zssfssz · 09-29-2011, 06:01 PM

No/Yes Like in win xp : computer proErtys , advanced , performance, advanced, virtual memory; that's the sort of control I want is there anything like that?

snooly · 09-29-2011, 06:38 PM

You make a swap partition, then you turn that partition into swap space, and turn on the swap space. You can use the "free" or "top" commands, read the values for "swap" that they show.

For example, on my computer, top shows this line:

Swap: 7340024k total, 326764k used, 7013260k free, 152088k cached

free shows this:

Swap: 7340024 326748 7013276

johnsfine · 09-29-2011, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zssfssz

Like in win xp : computer proErtys , advanced , performance, advanced, virtual memory

That lets you set the size of the page file on each partition, or let Windows control it.

XP page file serves the same purpose as Linux swap space. You can set up swap space as swap partitions or as swap files on whatever filesystem partition you like (more flexibility than Windows) but there is no direct option to have a dynamically sized swap file similar to Windows page files.

frankbell · 09-29-2011, 08:47 PM

To build on what johnsfine said, Linux by default does not handle swap the way Windows does.

Linux swaps to a partition of a fixed size dedicated to that purpose, so the swap file size, location, and other controls in Windows are meaningless to Linux.

(Occasionally on very small hard drives with non-standard installs, you might see a swap file instead of a swap partition, but it is a little used and little useful choice.)

jefro · 09-29-2011, 09:26 PM

By default many distro's make a swap partition. Many people never need any of it or use it.

Try top command too for current list of resources.

Zssfssz · 09-29-2011, 11:26 PM

Thanks just wanted to know I only have 256 megs of ram and rely heavily on virtual memory.