Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!virtech!cpcahil
From: cpcahil@virtech.uucp (Conor P. Cahill)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.sysv386
Subject: Re: out of swap space??
Message-ID: <1991Apr26.142301.6486@virtech.uucp>
Date: 26 Apr 91 14:23:01 GMT
References: <1991Apr23.214037.16410@netcom.COM> <1991Apr24.123035.4193@virtech.uucp> <455@jgaltstl.UUCP>
Organization: Virtual Technologies Inc.
Lines: 28

terry@jgaltstl.UUCP (terry linhardt) writes:

>I've often wondered where the recommendation that 2 - 3x real memory should
>be made available to swap comes from? Wouldn't this depend upon
>whether or not the system is swapping at all? For instance, let's
>say you have 48 meg of memory, and no swapping. Does this mean
>I should tie up 100 - 150 meg of disk space for swap? Also, isn't
>there less need for swap space with paging systems?

100MB of disk sounds like a lot to waste, but in a system with 48MB you
are probably going to have something like 1 or 2 GB, so 100MB looks
much smaller in that context.

You do not want to run out of swap space.  If that means you over-configure
a bit, so be it.

>I would like to see some thoughts on the validity of these
>rule-of-thumb recommendations. Not saying they are wrong, but would
>like to know the justification behind them.

And I'm not saying they are right.  However, with those rules of thumb and
some guessing as to the intended load, I have never had a system that I 
configured run out of swap.  It's a small price to pay for some real sanity.

-- 
Conor P. Cahill            (703)430-9247        Virtual Technologies, Inc.
uunet!virtech!cpcahil                           46030 Manekin Plaza, Suite 160
                                                Sterling, VA 22170