Learn More About Swap Space

Swap space, the hard drive portion used as temporary memory by Linux systems, is often one of the first stumbling blocks for anyone trying out their first installation. Luckily, Linux.com has posted a helpful guide to how swap space works, how to tweak it, and how much to set aside. The writer’s basic advice is that modern desktop systems should have double their physical memory available (although commenters don’t recommend going beyond 2 GB), servers should use about half their memory, and older desktops should use as much as they can spare. Linux users, how much have you set aside for swap space, and why? Share your setup methods in the comments.