Swap Space

[idm_linux]

Hi all,
We have problem with swap space. RAM-2GB and Swap apce is 1GB.
Their is no free spce available to increase the free space. Because of that server hang several time.
Please any one have solution for this critical situation or any other sript for avoid the hang server.

Thank you.

[papetova]

Install more ram? Or install a second drive and use some of it for swap? I'd just go with more ram if it was me and avoid swap.

[bunty82]

well
i think
swap space should be double of ur Ram
so its better to install a new hard drive or create more space

[valemon]

Well, swap size should be double of ram. But with 2 gigs of ram your swap can be as less as 256mb. Buying a second hard disk should be a good idea though.

[techieMoe]

Well, swap size should be double of ram. But with 2 gigs of ram your swap can be as less as 256mb. Buying a second hard disk should be a good idea though.

SWAP should not be double the size of your RAM unless you have a very, very small amount of RAM (less than 256MB total I'd say). Since your system only uses SWAP space when it runs out of physical memory, increasing your swap really only wastes harddrive space on a modern machine with a healthy amount of RAM.

[drl]

Hi.

I don't know if the hang is due to the lack of swap space, but I'm willing to take your word for it.

How your box is used may affect how much swap to allocate. Below is what RedHat recommends for RHEL 4. It's not double the RAM for all amounts of RAM, but it starts out there, and it's not small. (I had earlier this year installed RHEL on a number of SunFires, and I followed RedHat's recommendations. We have not had any problems related to swap as far as I can tell.)

Disk space is really inexpensive, especially when compared to the time and trouble it takes to untangle your system. If it isn't needed, then you might never use a few GB, but that's not a high price to pay for peace of mind.

The LVM in most systems allows you to do some dynamic re-sizing -- perhaps something to keep in mind for your next install.

On one of my desktop systems, I have 1 GB of memory, but I almost always have some swap space being used -- currently it's at 160+ MB. I do have 6 virtual desktops running on that box.

Best wishes ... cheers, drl

The size of your swap should be equal to twice your computer's
physical RAM for up to 2 GB of physical RAM. For physical RAM
above 2 GB, the size of your swap should be equal to the amount
of physical RAM above 2 GB. The size of your swap should never
be less than 32 MB.

Using this basic formula, a system with 2 GB of physical RAM
would have 4 GB of swap, while one with 3 GB of physical RAM
would have 5 GB of swap.

https://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/...wap_Space.html

[oz]

On one of my desktop systems, I have 1 GB of memory, but I almost always have some swap space being used -- currently it's at 160+ MB. I do have 6 virtual desktops running on that box.

The subject of SWAP partitions and the correct size for individual users is really interesting, because it's just the opposite of your situation for me. I have 1 GB of RAM and a 512 MB SWAP partition that never gets touched by the system. However, I rarely use more than two desktops at any one time, and I don't run lots of memory intensive apps at any one time.

I'm thinking that actual need might all boil down to the individual user, and their intended usage of any particular machine.

That said, I do still create the SWAP partition just in case it should be needed for anything I do out of the ordinary.

[daark.child]

You don't necessarily need a new hard drive or free partition in order to add more swap space. As long as you have free space in your current partitions, you can create a swap file. More info is available here.

[idm_linux]

Thank you!!!