How to create a swap file

Linux can be configured to use swap space, aka secondary disk storage, when physical memory is running low. Swap spaces can be allocated as disk partitions ('swap partitions') or as files ('swap files'). While swap partitions are generally preferred over swap files, if your system is a virtual private server (VPS) without a pre-configured swap partition, creating a swap file may be your only option. The following procedure describes how to create a swap file.

List swap spaces

Before you create a swap file, you should first check whether the system has any swap space pre-allocated. The easiest way is to run the free command.

$ free -h
             total used free shared  buffers cached
Mem:          497M 490M 6.2M     0B      14M   101M
-/+ buffers/cache: 375M 121M
Swap:           0B   0B   0B

The line labeled Swap above tells you that there is no swap space configured.

Alternatively, run the swapon command with the -s parameter:

$ sudo swapon -s
Filename  Type  Size  Used  Priority

I prefer free because root privilege is not required to run the command.

Create swap file

Follow the steps below to create and activate a swap file.

1. Create a new file pre-allocated with the desired file size.

   
   $ sudo fallocate -l 500M /var/swap.img
   

   The above command pre-allocates 500 megabytes for the file /var/swap.img.

2. Secure the new file.

   
   $ sudo chmod 600 /var/swap.img
   

3. Make a swap file.

   The following mkswap command sets up /var/swap.img as a swap file.

   
   $ sudo mkswap /var/swap.img
   Setting up swapspace version 1, size = 511996 KiB
   no label, UUID=a0a90414-adab-4c50-8b27-0d27f0c34448
   

4. Activate the swap file.

   
   $ sudo swapon /var/swap.img
   

   After executing the above swapon command, verify that the swap file is indeed enabled.

   
   $ free -h
                total used free shared buffers cached
   Mem:          497M 464M  32M     0B     14M   104M
   -/+ buffers/cache: 346M 151M
   Swap:         499M  34M 465M
   
   $ sudo swapon -s
   Filename      Type  Size  Used  Priority
   /var/swap.img file 511996 35184 -1
   

   According to the above output, the swap file has been enabled. However, unless you complete the next step, the swap file will be disabled when you reboot the machine.

5. Update file system table.

   Add the swap file to the file system table using the following command:

   
   $ sudo sh -c 'echo "/var/swap.img none swap sw 0 0" >> /etc/fstab'
   

How to change system timezone

When you initially install Linux, you specify the machine's timezone. After the install, you can manually change the timezone. The following procedure applies to Debian and Ubuntu systems.

Before you change the timezone, let's find out what timezone your system is currently in.

$ date
Tue Dec  2 13:53:11 PST 2014

The above date command tells you that the system is on PST, aka Pacific Standard Time.

You can change the timezone interactively or through batch processing.

Interactive setup

The following command guides you through 2 screens to configure the timezone.

$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata

The advantage of specifying the timezone interactively is that you don't have to know the exact name of the timezone. The program will guide you to select your target timezone. But, if you want to automate the process through a shell script, please follow the batch method as explained below.

Batch setup

1. Identify the name of the target timezone.

   Timezone data files are stored in the /usr/share/zoneinfo directory tree. Each continent has a corresponding subdirectory, e.g., /usr/share/zoneinfo/America. Each continent subdirectory contains timezone files named by cities in the continent, e.g., /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Vancouver.

   
   $ ls /usr/share/zoneinfo/America
   

   Note the city where your system is located (or the nearest city in the same timezone). The timezone identifier is the concatenated continent and city names, e.g., America/Vancouver.

2. Specify the timezone in /etc/timezone.

   
   $ sudo -s  sh -c 'echo America/Vancouver > /etc/timezone'
   

3. Run configure program.

   
   $ sudo dpkg-reconfigure -f noninteractive tzdata