Overview
swapoff disables the swap area on a system, preventing it from being used as virtual memory. This is useful for system performance tuning, replacing swap devices, or when you need to stop using a specific swap space.
Key Features
- Disable specific swap file/device
- Disable all swap space
- Optimize system memory management
Key Options
The swapoff command provides several options to control how swap space is disabled.
General Options
Generated command:
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Description:
`swapoff` Executes the command.
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Usage Examples
Demonstrates how to disable swap space using the swapoff command in various ways.
Disable a specific swap file
sudo swapoff /swapfileDisables the swap file at the /swapfile path.
Disable a specific swap device
sudo swapoff /dev/sdb1Disables the swap space on the /dev/sdb1 device.
Disable all swap space
sudo swapoff -aDisables all swap spaces currently active on the system.
Disable all swap space (verbose output)
sudo swapoff -avDisables all swap spaces while showing detailed progress.
Tips & Considerations
Important points to consider when using the swapoff command.
Check Memory Usage Before Disabling Swap
Before disabling swap space, check the system's current memory usage to ensure that disabling swap does not lead to system instability. You can check this using the `free -h` command.
- Check Command: free -h
Persistent Changes
The swapoff command temporarily disables swap space. To keep swap space disabled after a system reboot, you need to modify the `/etc/fstab` file by commenting out or removing the corresponding swap entry.
Re-enabling Swap Space
Disabled swap space can be re-enabled using the `swapon` command. For example, use `sudo swapon /swapfile` or `sudo swapon -a`.