Linux SWAP

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Revision as of 11:33, 24 May 2008 by Switch (Talk | contribs)
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Contents

Introduction

What is SWAP?

Swap space is an auxiliary storage, such as a portion of a hard-disk, which can be used as memory by the operating system when system RAM is insufficient. This is especially useful on systems with very little system RAM, such as most DD-WRT compatible routers, as it helps prevent the system from running out of memory when multiple background processes are installed.

Do I need SWAP?

Swap can be helpful in situations where dd-wrt:

  • runs memory intensive applications (Optware)
  • runs multiple background processes (again, Optware)
  • runs on a router with less than 32 MB of RAM

Swap won't really be needed if:

  • you only use the router for it's basic gateway/AP functions
  • you only run a few additional services or applications with modest memory requirements
  • your system has a lot of RAM (such as 64+ MB)

Requirements

Enabling swap

Checking swap