In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the process of increasing the Linux-swap partition size in Ubuntu. This can be a crucial task if you’re running out of swap space, which can lead to system performance degradation.
Before we begin, it’s important to note that resizing partitions can be risky, so it’s highly recommended to backup your important data before proceeding.
To increase the Linux-swap partition size in Ubuntu, you can use the GParted partition editor in a Live environment. This involves unmounting the Linux-swap partition, resizing the extended partition (if necessary), and then resizing the Linux-swap partition to include the unallocated space. Remember to backup your data before proceeding.
What is a Linux-Swap Partition?
In Linux, the swap partition acts as a ‘virtual memory’ space that the system can use when the physical RAM is full. It’s essentially a hard disk space that the system uses to store data that is not currently in use, freeing up real memory for processes that need it.
Preparing the System
Firstly, you will need to boot into a Live environment, such as a LiveCD or LiveUSB. This is necessary because the partitions should not be mounted during the resizing process.
Using GParted to Resize the Partition
GParted is a free partition editor for graphically managing disk partitions. It’s a powerful tool that can resize, move, and manage disk partitions on your Linux system.
- Opening GParted: Once you’ve booted into the Live environment, open GParted.
- Locating the Linux-swap partition: The Linux-swap partition you want to resize will typically be labeled as ‘linux-swap’. In our example, we’ll assume it’s
/dev/sda9. - Unmounting the Linux-swap partition: Right-click on the Linux-swap partition and choose ‘Swapoff’ or ‘Unmount’. This ensures the partition is not in use during the resizing process.
- Resizing the extended partition (if necessary): If the unallocated space is not adjacent to the Linux-swap partition, you’ll need to expand the extended partition first. In our example, the extended partition is
/dev/sda2. Right-click on the extended partition and select ‘Resize/Move’. Drag the partition to the right to include the unallocated space, then click on ‘Apply’ to resize the extended partition. - Resizing the Linux-swap partition: Now you can right-click on the Linux-swap partition and select ‘Resize/Move’. Drag the partition to the right to include the unallocated space, then click on ‘Apply’ to resize the Linux-swap partition.
Once the resizing process is complete, you can exit GParted and reboot your system. Your Linux-swap partition should now have increased in size.
Conclusion
Increasing the size of your Linux-swap partition in Ubuntu can greatly improve system performance, especially if you’re frequently running out of memory. However, it’s a task that should be approached with care to avoid data loss. Always ensure you have a recent backup of your important data before proceeding.
For more detailed instructions, you can refer to the following links:
- How to increase swap space?
- Ubuntu 12.04 increase swap
- Using a USB flash drive as RAM in Linux Mint/Ubuntu
We hope this guide has been helpful in explaining how to increase the Linux-swap partition size in Ubuntu. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask in the comments section below.
No, it is necessary to boot into a Live environment to resize the Linux-swap partition as the partitions should not be mounted during the resizing process.
Yes, it is highly recommended to backup your important data before proceeding with resizing the Linux-swap partition as resizing partitions can be risky and may result in data loss.
GParted is a free partition editor that allows you to manage disk partitions on your Linux system. You can use it to resize, move, and manage partitions. To use GParted, you need to boot into a Live environment and then open GParted from there.
In GParted, the Linux-swap partition is typically labeled as ‘linux-swap’. You can locate it by looking for the partition with this label.
Yes, it is necessary to unmount the Linux-swap partition before resizing it. Right-click on the partition and choose ‘Swapoff’ or ‘Unmount’ to ensure it is not in use during the resizing process.
If the unallocated space is not adjacent to the Linux-swap partition, you will need to expand the extended partition first. Right-click on the extended partition, select ‘Resize/Move’, drag the partition to include the unallocated space, and then click ‘Apply’ to resize the extended partition.
To resize the Linux-swap partition, right-click on it in GParted, select ‘Resize/Move’, drag the partition to include the unallocated space, and then click ‘Apply’ to resize the Linux-swap partition.
Once the resizing process is complete, you can exit GParted and reboot your system. Your Linux-swap partition should now have increased in size.
Yes, increasing the size of the Linux-swap partition can improve system performance, especially if you frequently run out of memory. It provides additional virtual memory space for the system to use when the physical RAM is full.
