Question about the swap file...???

[Larry]

On 06/22/2010 07:55 AM, Patrick Doyle wrote:
> On Tue, Jun 22, 2010 at 8:46 AM, Larry<larryesu at charter.net>  wrote:
>    
>> *I've been watching my pc's CPU at times in is lower than at other time,
>> I am guessing when it is performing  a task, it inscreases say from 16.5
>> too 48, then drops back to a lower rate...But the Swap file shows  0%,
>> all of the time, would this speed up things if the swap file would take
>> the load away from the CPU at times...???
>>
>> If this is true, can someone suggest to me on how to get the swap to be
>> used when it is needed...???
>>
>> Thanks for any help on this issue...
>>
>> Larry
>> *
>>      
> Hi Larry,
> The swap file is space on your hard disk that is effectively "extra
> memory" outside of the 2G, 4G, or whatever amount of RAM you have on
> your motherboard.  Accessing a hard disk is orders of magnitude slower
> than accessing RAM.  So the kernel tries very hard never to put things
> into the swap file -- because it just slows everything down -- having
> to write to the hard disk, having to read it back later when the data
> are needed again, keeping track of what is stored where, etc...  This
> is a very simplified explanation, but I hope it gives you the idea.
>
> You asked "how to get the swap to be used when it is needed?"  The
> answer is -- the kernel will use it when it is needed.  But if you
> have enough RAM in your system, hopefully it will never be needed.
>
> --wpd
>
>    
*Hi Patrick,

Well thank you very much for the explanation of what the swap file does, 
so I guess that is is working as it should...I was thinking that it wuld 
speed up things, but I see that it will not do so...So as I said, I will 
leave well enough alone...

Have a Great Day!!!!

Larry
*

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