Swap Usage

ComputerErik · 05-06-2005, 02:11 PM

I installed Slackware 10.0 on an old laptop and have been playing around with it to get to know something about Linux. When I use the free command I get the following:

Code:

erik@*******:~$ free
                total       used       free     shared    buffers     cached
Mem:        126276     123764       2512          0       7632      28664
-/+ buffers/cache:      87468      38808
Swap:            0          0          0

which made me think that Linux didn't see the swap partition I made on installation so I checked my partitions to be sure everything was set correctly and got this:

Code:

Disk /dev/hda: 6495 MB, 6495068160 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 789 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1   *           1         729     5855661   83  Linux
/dev/hda2             730         789      481950   82  Linux swap

so I do have a Linux swap partition setup and yet I still never see it as being used. As this is an older machine I think that the lack of a swap usage might be related to some of the performance problems I see. Any idea as to why it isn't getting used, and how I can fix it??

Thanks in advacne.

acid_kewpie · 05-06-2005, 02:18 PM

the most basic reason it's not being used is that there's nothing in /etc/fstab to tell it to use it. to pick it up instantly, run "swapon /dev/hda2" and if that reports swap in free, just check your fstab entry.

gbonvehi · 05-06-2005, 02:22 PM

Try running this command as root:

Code:

swapon -v /dev/hda2

and check again the free command.
If that worked then there must be something wrong in your fstab that's not indicating that that partition is swap.
Your fstab line should look like:

Code:

/dev/hda2        swap             swap        defaults         0   0

ComputerErik · 05-06-2005, 02:33 PM

Thanks for the quick replies, that took care of it.