Creating a Swap Partition or File Using parted in Ubuntu

Swap is a crucial feature in Linux systems, providing additional memory when physical RAM is insufficient. In this guide, we will walk you through creating a swap partition or file using the parted utility in Ubuntu. We will also provide steps for configuring and managing swap space effectively.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Swap Partition

If you have an unallocated partition or space on your disk, you can set up a swap partition. This guide assumes you will be working with the /dev/sda disk device.

1. Open parted

sudo parted /dev/sda

2. Create the Swap Partition

Use the mkpart command to create a primary partition of type linux-swap.

parted mkpart primary linux-swap 0% 100%

This command allocates the full remaining space on the disk for the swap partition. Adjust the percentages as necessary based on your requirements.

3. Format the Swap Partition

Use the mkswap command to format the new partition as a swap file system.

sudo mkswap /dev/sda2

4. Enable the Swap

After formatting, you need to enable the swap to make it active.

sudo swapon --all --verbose

5. Add Swap to /etc/fstab

For the swap to be automatically activated after reboot, add an entry in the /etc/fstab file.

sudo vi /etc/fstab

Edit the file and add the following line to define the swap partition:

/dev/sda2 none swap sw 0 0

Creating a Swap File ( Alternative Method )

If you prefer not to use a partition, you can create a swap file. Here’s a detailed guide on how to do that:

1. Ensure Disk Space

Make sure you have enough free disk space. Swap is typically recommended to be double the amount of RAM.

2. Create the Swap File

sudo fallocate -l 4G /swapfile

Create a swap file with a size of 4GB. Adjust the -l parameter based on your requirements.

3. Secure the Swap File

chmod 600 /swapfile

Ensure the swap file is securely owned and writable by root only.

4. Format and Enable the Swap File

sudo mkswap /swapfilesudo swapon /swapfile

5. Configure Swap to Load at Boot

Modify the /etc/fstab file to enable the swap file to load at boot.

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add the following line to the /etc/fstab to automatically manage the swap file:

/swapfile none swap sw 0 0

6. Adjust Swap Usage

Control how often the system utilizes the swap space by editing the file.

sudo nano 

Add or modify the vm.swappiness parameter to suit your needs. A common value is 10, which means the system will only use swap when RAM usage reaches 90%.

vm.swappiness  10

Reload the sysctl configuration to apply the changes:

sudo sysctl -p

Conclusion

Setting up a swap partition or file in Ubuntu can significantly enhance system performance and stability, especially for systems with limited physical RAM. By following the steps provided in this guide, you can ensure that your system has the necessary resources to handle memory-intensive tasks.