On Wed, 2007-05-16 at 17:58 -0600, Phil Meyer wrote: > > Many automated tools used to assume swap == 2xRAM > > This is not true of any modern UNIX system, including Linux. > Linux does not need any swap at all to run. > Very few applications still force swap to exist before loading > (Oracle > still does I think). I agree with the tenor of you argument except to say that Linux does not need swap is a little to strong a statement. Linux may run without swap but not well if you are running large programs that are not compute intensive. > > So a system with 8GB RAM does NOT, in all likelihood, need 16GB swap. > > In fact, a 32bit UNIX/Linux kernel may be limited to 2GB swap MAX. > If > you need more, you should lay it out in 2GB chunks. > > And further, a Linux system running 32bit kernels will waste anything > above 3GB RAM. It takes a special kernel mod to use more, and even > then > its not quite 'native'. > > Therefore: > > Are you running a 64bit kernel on a system with 8GB or more RAM? > If so, a 16GB swap may indeed be useful in some very marginal > circumstances, such as many instances of Oracle on the same system. > > In most normal circumstances, not. > > Good luck! -- ======================================================================= He who renders warfare fatal to all engaged in it will be the greatest benefactor the world has yet known. -- Sir Richard Burton ======================================================================= Aaron Konstam telephone: (210) 656-0355 e-mail: akonstam@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
