swap file and swap partition

allend · 04-26-2021, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pan64

there are two related links. The first is the well known www.linuxatemyram.com and the second is about "why do we need swap". Unfortunately I can't find it right now. But it explain why is it still useful. Probably someone can post that link...

Perhaps this? I came across it recently and found it very useful.

pan64 · 04-27-2021, 12:19 AM

yes, exactly. thanks

sundialsvcs · 04-27-2021, 06:27 PM

"Swap space" becomes necessary anytime the demand for virtual memory exceeds the availability of physical RAM. Which is, of course, "all the time."

However, these days, there's no longer any credible reason to create a disk partition for this purpose. Simply allow the operating system to use a file, and thus to "grow or shrink it" however it likes. The "bad old days" that necessitated the use of "partitions" are gone, and will never return. (see below)

syg00 · 04-27-2021, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sundialsvcs

However, these days, there's no longer any credible reason to create a disk partition for this purpose. Simply allow the operating system to use a file, and thus to "grow or shrink it" however it likes.

Nope. Swap extents need to be a fixed, contiguous region that then needs to be formatted by mkswap.
Swap partitions certainly still have a use.

michaelk · 04-27-2021, 07:39 PM

I typically have swap partitions but as an example I believe that Ubuntu by default uses files now days. There is no performance loss since swap was revamped back in the 2.6 kernel days and total swap space can be a combination of both partitions and files.

sundialsvcs · 04-27-2021, 07:52 PM

I readily and without objection yield to all "differences of opinion." I'm wrong.

Linux is of course deployed in a wide variety of technical situations, and I have therefore readily struck my previous "closing comment." Which I acknowledge to have been "too specific to a particular user-case, and therefore 'in error.'" 'Nuff said.

In "a typical user-Linux situation," a swap-file works just fine and of course is most convenient. However, in other extant situations, a partition would be most appropriate.