Re: Swap

[Michael <codejodler@gmx.ch>]

Leslie wrote:

> a) If you loaded up a few programs and had many open files, you do not want your system to lockup

I've never got so far and i'm not clear about if the system locks up at all. The kernel manages memory in a robust way. I guess if it gets too crowded then launching the next application will just not work, and maybe some other is faulting when it demands more pages. Except for root harddisk I/O blocking, i've not seen a locking (as in guru) Linux in at least 10 years. But i've always went with swap, too.


> b) Its an easy way to obtain continuous swap space. No such guarantee with a sequential file on / 

And why should that be a problem ?

> If your SSD is too small for your music collection, put the collection elsewhere.
Basically, i agree. However that's not the way some (younger) folks want to live. They want one device, doing anything, and no cables and no external devices laying around and getting lost (or accessed/misused by others). Exactly 'nothing' to bother with at all.
Don't underestimate human nature :D

> You will most likely replace your computer system with a new one before the SSD dies.

It's even quie possible that you will re-use your SSD with the next machine, if it gots second disk slot. Thinkpads, that is.

Still, nobody replied to my question about swap file on SSD: Does it work, or might there possibly a problem because you have to pass the exact starting block numner to the kernel (as boot parameter). Can this block number change, with SSD internal operation (like TRIM) ? 
Like, files may be shiftetd or consolidatet in the background -> swap file got new block number -> next hibernation, kernel writes to now wrong position ?