ReadyBoost Technology for Ubuntu and Linux

[Jonathan Jesse]

On Monday 21 May 2007 13:32:46 Florian Zeitz wrote:
> Oystein Viggen wrote:
> > * [Florian Zeitz]
> >
> >> Linux has been able to do this for ages, but it has been considered a
> >> bad idea, because it wears the memory sticks flash.
> >> In theory all it takes is:
> >> 1. # mkswap /dev/sdX (where sdX is your memory stick)
> >> 2. Edit your fstab to say:
> >> /dev/sdX none swap sw,pri=2 0 0
> >> UUID=stuff none swap sw,pri=1 0 0
> >> instead of
> >> UUID=stuff none swap sw 0 0
> >> 3. # swapon -a
> >
> > Then again, this is nothing at all like ReadyBoost.
>
> I'll have to admit that I now know that I know nothing.
> Back when I wrote the message you quoted all articles I had read about
> ReadyBoost said it was just swapping on flash drives.
> Right now after doing some research I'm a bit confused, because most
> sites contradict each other.
> It seems that ReadyBoost is actually a cache for about everything from
> swap file over system data to often read user data.
> I think it might be worth implementing if done properly (it seems using
> ReadyBoost in it's current form in Vista can actually slow down the
> system sometimes).


I've been suprised about how little even people who work w/ MS products every 
day really understand ReadyBoost.  In one of the recent issues of Microsoft 
Technet magazine, I don't have it in front of me, but Mark from SysInternals 
fame has written a really good article about it.