[Q] To SWAP or not to SWAP...

[Androidity3000]

If anyone could help me out here I will love you LONG time:

I am wondering id I should set up a swap partition and use it with this script (apps/data 2 ext, supports swap). I am starting fresh on my Nexus One installing a Gingerbread MIUI ROM using this script for the first time. I was wondering if I should use a SWAP with my class 4 16gig sd card. I will have a 1gb EXT partition. If anyone could state simple pros/cons I would MUCH appreciate it. I have heard good but mostly bad about swap on gingerbread saying that it is not needed and can cause bad.

Does the N1 really need SWAP with Gingerbread? I'm shaking in my pants posting this but I have not seen any related articles, let alone for the N1. I have done a Google search but that doesn't help, it confused me more if it is worth it.

Thanks again. Deuces.

 

[GuestX0019]

There are some comments from experienced users here on swap, most are against. Here is a link that has a lot of comments--

http://zerocredibility.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/why-android-swap-doesnt-make-sense/

I am no android tech, but never used and don't have issues. I run a lot of apps over a hundred from the Market alone

 

[Androidity3000]

Thanks! Exactly what I needed. No SWAP for me!

 

[GuestX0019]

Glad to help--

 

[cpm]

I'm no expert either. But I do have a 256MB swap partition.

Swap *should* only be used when physical memory is low, and more is still needed by the system. If you're low on memory and need more, then swap might be useful then.

There's a kernel setting called "swappiness". I have this set to a low setting "5", which I believe means that swap should only be used as a last resort i.e. more importance is put on using physical memory over swap.

Yes swap is slower. If a system is swapping out, then it's logical to add more physical memory to the system. However as we cannot upgrade physical memory on our phones, so I suppose swap is the next best thing.

Anyhow that's just my personal thinking. My Nexus is running sweet and I don't notice any considerable slowdowns. However perhaps my swap has never really been required?!

 

[Jack_R1]

Swap is made for desktop OS, where there is such thing as "lack of memory".
Such thing doesn't exist on Android, mobile OS of completely different design.
The reason is - desktop OS can't kill the tasks you've left running. Mobile OS can, and will, once it senses that it needs more memory. And the tasks themselves are built to be killed.
Adding SWAP is fooling Android that it has more actual memory than there really is - and the OS is using it like it was real memory, not killing tasks when it should. And while doing that, SWAP is far slower than just killing and reloading tasks - because it requires writing to and reading from the SWAP partition the whole app, while when killing and loading it, only reading is required - making the process MUCH faster.

I believe that's the essence of the earlier reference.

Shortly, unless there is severe lack of RAM (and on N1 there isn't by any parameters) - SWAP will make things worse, not better.

 

[Theshawty]

By activating compcache (~18% should do), and kernel samepage merging, there is no need for swap. I think texasice confirmed this, although I am not sure.

Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk

 

[evilkorn]

I would never use swap for GB. Tough there is discussion of using it on ICS, the few times I have tried it I did not use it.

 

[TheAndroidStop]

I used swap a long time ago on CM6 or early 7 and there was absolutely no benefit in my opinion. Doesn't swap force more read/write times on SD which can decrease the life as well? That's just my $0.02.

 

[Theshawty]

I used swap a long time ago on CM6 or early 7 and there was absolutely no benefit in my opinion. Doesn't swap force more read/write times on SD which can decrease the life as well? That's just my $0.02.

Swap isn't useful when it's not being used, and FroYo or Gingerbread hardly uses that much RAM. ICS, however, with its full hardware acceleration, is a real memory hog. Now, though, if we enable kernel samepage merging and a zram amount of like 18%, we wouldn't need a swap partition. Like it's been said before, swap is very slow, much slower than actual RAM.

Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk

 

[Protocol 9]

Swap seems as use full as a taskiller in Android....

Sent from my Nexus One using xda premium