From: jcburt@gatsibm.larc.nasa.gov () Subject: Re: linux swap file Date: 5 May 1993 13:43:50 GMT
In article <wwwoab.736603646@rw8.urc.tue.nl> wwwoab@rw8.urc.tue.nl (Alex Bron) writes:
>ming@minster.york.ac.uk writes:
>
>>I am new to linux. As I understand, I have to make a harddisk
>>partition for swapping before I can use swap. I just wonder if
>>there is anyway of creating swap area as an ordinary file. In this
>>way, I can create swap area as large as my harddisk allows, or
>>as litlle as my program can run.
>
>>Creating a partition has the disadvantage of a fixed size swapping
>>area. And resizing a partition could damage the file system, as I
>>understand.
>
>Well, the thing you suggest can not be done. First, the swap space has
>a size limit of 16 Mb per partition. Second, you HAVE to use a separate
>partition for swapping. On traditional UNIX workstations this was indicated
>by the fact that a swap space was on a character device, while the file
>systems were on block devices (or the other way around, I don't remember
>it exactly). So you will have to use one or more partitions for swapping.
Ummm...Did they recently change linux to NOT use a swap FILE ? I was
always under the impression that you could use either a swap partition
or a swap file, and that both had to have a fixed size...
John
jcburt@gatsibm.larc.nasa.gov