Most Linux distributions use swap file to extend the amount of available RAM by writing some of it to your hard drive. Hard drives are slow, most modern computers come with more than 1GB ram as standard and Ubuntu is using 60% of the RAM by default. You can check it with next terminal command:

cat /proc/sys/vm/swappiness

So we can configure Ubuntu to use more faster RAM memory and less hard drive. The Linux kernel provides a tweakable setting that controls how often the swap file(hard disk) is used, called swappiness. To change the system swappiness value, press alt+f2 and enter “gksudo nautilus” without qouotes. Then open /etc/sysctl.conf and change or add this line to the file:

NOTE: IF YOU HAVE MORE RAM, 2GB FOR EXAMPLE, YOU CAN USE LOWER VALUES

vm.swappiness=40

Reboot for the change to take effect.

You can also change the value while your system is still running:

sudo sysctl vm.swappiness=40

to clear your alredy made swap file and use new settings without rebooting use this commands:

sudo swapoff -a
sudo swapon -a

Enjoy in your faster Ubuntu experience.

Tags | Linux, Speed Up, Tips and Tricks, Ubuntu