SWAP PARTITION?
Nomen Nescio
partition?
John Hasler
> If I install linux onto hd, will it automatically create a swap
> partition?
Most distributions take care of all necessary partitioning automatically.
However, we could help you better if you told us what distribution you are
planning to install.
--
John Hasler
jo...@dhh.gt.org
Dancing Horse Hill
Elmwood, WI USA
David T. Ashley
news:0ac03fa6b86f9ccd...@dizum.com...
> If I install linux onto hd, will it automatically create a swap
> partition?
Usually it will, but I've always done it manually and given myself far more
swap space.
I've installed Fedora and RHEL.
In both cases I choose the option during the install to do the expert
partitioning, manual partitioning, or review partitioning (forget what they
call it), and I adjust things myself.
I typically create 4 swap partitions of 2048MB each, or nowadays sometimes 1
of 8192MB. (This habit comes from the old days when swap partitions could
only be 2^31 - 1 bytes each.)
I don't have any science behind creating 8GB of swap space. I just figure
that if my system can't run in the 4GB of memory + 8GB of swap ... well,
something is seriously wrong. I'm sure that I've created an unnecessarily
large swap space. But with disks of 1TB in production, who cares ... ???
Again, I'm not using science ... that is just the way I've always done it.
SINNER
> "Nomen Nescio" <nob...@dizum.com> wrote in message
> news:0ac03fa6b86f9ccd...@dizum.com...
>> If I install linux onto hd, will it automatically create a swap
>> partition?
> Usually it will, but I've always done it manually and given myself far more
> swap space.
More? Why?
> I've installed Fedora and RHEL.
> In both cases I choose the option during the install to do the expert
> partitioning, manual partitioning, or review partitioning (forget what they
> call it), and I adjust things myself.
> I typically create 4 swap partitions of 2048MB each, or nowadays sometimes 1
> of 8192MB. (This habit comes from the old days when swap partitions could
> only be 2^31 - 1 bytes each.)
And they actually get used? I have 2 gigs of RAM and keep my Swap anout
the same size and most of the time, its empty or near so,
> I don't have any science behind creating 8GB of swap space. I just figure
> that if my system can't run in the 4GB of memory + 8GB of swap ... well,
> something is seriously wrong. I'm sure that I've created an unnecessarily
> large swap space. But with disks of 1TB in production, who cares ... ???
I guess.
> Again, I'm not using science ... that is just the way I've always done it.
--
David | Fight Back! <http://improve-usenet.org/>
In California they don't throw their garbage away -- they make it into
television shows.
-- Woody Allen, "Annie Hall"
Rikishi 42
>
>
> "Nomen Nescio" <nob...@dizum.com> wrote in message
> news:0ac03fa6b86f9ccd...@dizum.com...
>> If I install linux onto hd, will it automatically create a swap
>> partition?
>
> Usually it will, but I've always done it manually and given myself far more
> swap space.
I just parsed that as 'swamp space'.
Funny how that obvious label never occured to me before. :-)
> I typically create 4 swap partitions of 2048MB each, or nowadays sometimes 1
> of 8192MB. (This habit comes from the old days when swap partitions could
> only be 2^31 - 1 bytes each.)
What kind of work do you do with this machine ???? The largest I've ever
created is 2GB on my current desktop, exactly because disk space is no
problem. But 8 ??
I wouldn't create 4 partitions, if I needed 8 GB. Unless thhey're on
different disks? I try to create as few as I can, all primary.
> I don't have any science behind creating 8GB of swap space. I just figure
> that if my system can't run in the 4GB of memory + 8GB of swap ... well,
> something is seriously wrong. I'm sure that I've created an unnecessarily
> large swap space. But with disks of 1TB in production, who cares ... ???
With 4 GB of RAM, have you *ever* seen any swap activity ?
This machine 'only' has 1 GB, and never swapped at all.
The soft managment tool 'smart' did cause a swap on a 512 MB system, once.
But even that was a first, as far as I know.
Of course, your need maybe very, very different than mine.
--
Hanlon's Razor:
Never attribute to malice that which is
adequately explained by stupidity.
Stefan Patric
> In <guednT4EOK8gzjLV...@giganews.com>, on Fri, 22 Aug 2008
> 20:03:03 -0400, David T. Ashley, d...@e3ft.com wrote:
>
>> I typically create 4 swap partitions of 2048MB each, or nowadays
>> sometimes 1 of 8192MB. (This habit comes from the old days when swap
>> partitions could only be 2^31 - 1 bytes each.)
>
> If I had 4 GB RAM, I wouldn't even bother with swap.
For your average user, perhaps, but even so I'd still have a small swap
(256MB +-) as a just-in-case safety. I have a 64-bit system with 4GB
RAM, and I have a 512MB swap, that rarely gets any use, but without it,
I'd be uneasy like going flying without a parachute.
> Then again, I've got 384MB RAM + 498MB swap on this
> "desktop" machine, and 512MB RAM + 735MB swap on the FreeBSD
> print/web/news/mail server across the room.
>
> [snip]
>
> The old rule of having 2x RAM = swap was for the days
> when values for RAM were in the single and even double digit MB range.
> The typical desktop user with over a GB of RAM doesn't generally even
> "need" any swap at all.
Here's the "rule" for swap size I've used for years, and it seems to work
fairly well for a standard user desktop (not a high use server or a
workstation doing major number crunching):
swap = 2 * RAM for RAM <= 256MB;
swap = RAM for RAM 512MB to 1GB;
swap = 512MB for RAM 1.5GB to 3GB;
and based on my current experience with my 4GB system,
swap optional for RAM > 3GB.
Stef
wisdomkiller & pain
> On Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:55:25 -0400, Steve Ackman wrote:
....
>> If I had 4 GB RAM, I wouldn't even bother with swap.
>
Maybe a highend laptop with working suspend-to-disk .... but then, 4GB
usually gets compressed to maximum of 2GB ... or otherwise
hibernation/resume would take longer than a shutdown/reboot.
Not to forget, editing big pictures may need swap ...
> For your average user, perhaps, but even so I'd still have a small swap
> (256MB +-) as a just-in-case safety. I have a 64-bit system with 4GB
> RAM, and I have a 512MB swap, that rarely gets any use, but without it,
> I'd be uneasy like going flying without a parachute.
>
Oh. Now consider jumping off a jetplane at 30000ft after taking the big
backpack out of storage in a tumbling-down airplane, trying to get out
without sucking a bunch of other parachute-less passengers out as well, and
not getting sucked in the jet engine. It surely sucks big time. Even if you
can convince the staff, your backpack doesn't contain a bomb (or too much
of any liquid), and you have to open and unfold the parachute before you
even can enter the plane ...
>> The old rule of having 2x RAM = swap was for the days
>> when values for RAM were in the single and even double digit MB range.
>> The typical desktop user with over a GB of RAM doesn't generally even
>> "need" any swap at all.
Well, most of the time. Still, linux tends to get rid of unused memory that
hasn't been freed for some time, by swapping the data out during idle time.
Chances are the application/data never gets used again and won't
block "live" ram this way. Nevertheless, more than 2 G of swap should not
be necessary - not even for hibernation.
> Here's the "rule" for swap size I've used for years, and it seems to work
> fairly well for a standard user desktop (not a high use server or a
> workstation doing major number crunching):
>
> swap = 2 * RAM for RAM <= 256MB;
> swap = RAM for RAM 512MB to 1GB;
> swap = 512MB for RAM 1.5GB to 3GB;
>
> and based on my current experience with my 4GB system,
>
> swap optional for RAM > 3GB.
>
Well, yes, but since harddrive space isn't that expensive either these days,
I stick with swap=ram up to 2GB and keep that value.
Vahis
> Stefan Patric wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:55:25 -0400, Steve Ackman wrote:
> ....
>>> If I had 4 GB RAM, I wouldn't even bother with swap.
> Maybe a highend laptop with working suspend-to-disk .... but then, 4GB
> usually gets compressed to maximum of 2GB ... or otherwise
> hibernation/resume would take longer than a shutdown/reboot.
> Not to forget, editing big pictures may need swap ...
>
>> For your average user, perhaps, but even so I'd still have a small swap
>> (256MB +-) as a just-in-case safety. I have a 64-bit system with 4GB
>> RAM, and I have a 512MB swap, that rarely gets any use, but without it,
>> I'd be uneasy like going flying without a parachute.
>>
> Oh. Now consider jumping off a jetplane at 30000ft after taking the big
> backpack out of storage in a tumbling-down airplane, trying to get out
> without sucking a bunch of other parachute-less passengers out as well, and
> not getting sucked in the jet engine. It surely sucks big time. Even if you
> can convince the staff, your backpack doesn't contain a bomb (or too much
> of any liquid), and you have to open and unfold the parachute before you
> even can enter the plane ...
Parachutes are always worn and sometimes used in both military and
gliding planes.
--
Vahis
http://waxborg.servepics.com
Congressman Wilson has an expression:
"You can teach them to type, but you can't teach them to grow tits."
wisdomkiller & pain
....
>
> Parachutes are always worn and sometimes used in both military and
> gliding planes.
>
Yeah, the former ones only as part of a eject-seat setup. And don't jump off
a helicopter when it's tumbling upside down ;-/
Stefan Patric
> Stefan Patric wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:55:25 -0400, Steve Ackman wrote:
> ....
>>> If I had 4 GB RAM, I wouldn't even bother with swap.
>>
> Maybe a highend laptop with working suspend-to-disk .... but then, 4GB
> usually gets compressed to maximum of 2GB ... or otherwise
> hibernation/resume would take longer than a shutdown/reboot. Not to
> forget, editing big pictures may need swap ...
>
>> For your average user, perhaps, but even so I'd still have a small swap
>> (256MB +-) as a just-in-case safety. I have a 64-bit system with 4GB
>> RAM, and I have a 512MB swap, that rarely gets any use, but without it,
>> I'd be uneasy like going flying without a parachute.
>>
> Oh. Now consider jumping off a jetplane at 30000ft after taking the big
> backpack out of storage in a tumbling-down airplane, trying to get out
> without sucking a bunch of other parachute-less passengers out as well,
> and not getting sucked in the jet engine. It surely sucks big time. Even
> if you can convince the staff, your backpack doesn't contain a bomb (or
> too much of any liquid), and you have to open and unfold the parachute
> before you even can enter the plane ...
No need to be sarcastic. Evidently, you've never heard of private
aircraft, particularly if doing aerobatics or racing. Even sailplane
pilots wear them. Better safe than dead...
As far as "popping" your 'chute for airport security: yes, for a few
years after 911, but I have a friend who is a skydiving instructor and
former world-class skydiving competitor; he ALWAYS carries his 'chutes
(main and emergency) onto commercial flights when traveling to different
jobs and events. Now, they just x-ray everything, and he's done. Of
course, he does get rather anxious looks from passengers when he walks
down the aircraft aisle with his gear. ;-)
Stef
Porter Smith
> If I install linux onto hd, will it automatically create a swap
> partition?
>
psychical memory (eg I have 3.3GB of RAM, which means my swap partition
would be 9.6GB of swap),
Porter Smith
> If I install linux onto hd, will it automatically create a swap
> partition?
>
Porter Smith
> If I install linux onto hd, will it automatically create a swap
> partition?
>
Christopher Hunter
Perhaps your maths isn't too good. 3.3 X 1.5 is 4.95 - perhaps 5 Gb would
be sufficient!
C.
Mark Madsen
Linux has, or used to have, a limit on how big an individual swap
partition could be. ISTR it was a lot smaller than 5GB.
Christopher Hunter
Usually, if you have more than 2 Gb of RAM, you don't need much swap at all.
C.
Ivan Marsh
Indeed. I always make my swap partition the size of the physical ram
so it's big enough to handle a memory dump... even under heavy load I
don't notice much swapping to the hard drive going on.
--
I told you this was going to happen.