How to Permanently Disable Swap Partition in Linux

The swap partition or swap file in a Linux operating system acts as a temporary storage area on the hard drive, which the system uses when the physical memory (RAM) is full. It is used to swap out less used ‘pages’ of memory, so that the system does not run out of physical memory for running applications.

However, with the evolution of hardware technology and the affordability of RAM, most modern systems come with a substantial amount of memory. Therefore, some users might decide to disable the swap partition, particularly in situations where they have sufficient RAM, or they are running Linux on a solid state drive (SSD), where the lifespan could be affected by the constant read/writes of the swap partition.

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Disclaimer: While disabling swap may seem like a good idea in some circumstances, be aware that it can lead to system instability, particularly if your system runs out of physical memory. Always ensure you have enough RAM to handle all running processes before proceeding.

Here’s how you can permanently disable swap in Linux.

Step 1: Turn off Swap

First, you need to turn off the swap space. This can be done immediately by using the `swapoff` command.

sudo swapoff -a 

The ‘-a’ flag denotes ‘all’, meaning that all swap spaces are disabled.

Step 2: Backup the fstab File

Before making permanent changes to the system, it’s a good idea to back up the relevant configuration file—in this case, /etc/fstab. This file contains information about filesystems and is read by the system during boot-up. Here’s how you can make a backup:

sudo cp /etc/fstab /etc/fstab.bak 

Step 3: Edit the fstab File

Next, you need to edit the /etc/fstab file to remove the swap entry. You can use a text editor of your choice; nano, vim, or gedit are popular options. Here’s how to do this with nano:

sudo nano /etc/fstab 

In this file, find the line that looks something like this:

This line represents the swap partition. To disable swap, you’ll need to comment out this line by adding a # at the beginning:

Once you’ve made this change, save and close the file. If you’re using nano, you can do this by pressing Ctrl+X, then Y to confirm that you want to save the changes, and finally Enter to confirm the filename.

Step 4: Confirm the Changes

To confirm that the swap space has been disabled, you can use the free or swapon commands:

free -h 

or

swapon --show 

If the swap is off, the free command should show ‘0B’ in the ‘Swap’ line, and the swapon command should return no output.

Step 5: Remove the Swap Partition (Optional)

If you no longer need the swap partition at all, you can remove it to reclaim the space. To do this, you’ll need to use a disk management tool like fdisk or gparted. Please note this step requires caution as incorrect usage can lead to data loss.

This is a basic guide for fdisk:

1. List the partitions using fdisk:

   sudo fdisk -l 
   

2. Identify the swap partition. It is typically marked as ‘Linux swap / Solaris’. Remember its device name, like /dev/sdaX.
3. Use fdisk to delete the partition:

   sudo fdisk /dev/sda 
   

   Replace /dev/sda with the disk that contains your swap partition.

4. In the fdisk prompt, type ‘d’ to delete a partition, then type the number of the swap partition. Press Enter.
5. Finally, type ‘w’ to write the changes to the disk and exit.

Remember to replace ‘sdaX’ with the appropriate partition identified in your system.

And that’s it! You’ve successfully disabled swap permanently on your Linux system. Remember, this procedure is not recommended for systems with low RAM. Always ensure you have ample physical memory before proceeding with these steps.

Conclusion

Disabling swap space in Linux is a task that requires caution but can be accomplished by following the correct steps. It’s an operation typically performed when a system has a sufficient amount of RAM, reducing the need for additional swap-based virtual memory. This article provides a clear, step-by-step approach to turn off, disable permanently, and even remove a swap partition if desired.

However, it’s important to note the potential risk involved. The swap partition plays a crucial role in maintaining system stability by providing additional memory resources when physical memory is exhausted. Therefore, turning off swap should only be done when you’re confident that your system has enough RAM to handle all running and potential future processes.