[comp.sys.sun] swap partitions vs files

dhesi%cirrusl@oliveb.atc.olivetti.com (Rahul Dhesi) (10/13/89)

SunOS 4.x allows you to specify not only a disk partition for swapping,
but also a file created with mkfile(8).

If I were doing it, I would have the kernel map the blocks in the file to
physical blocks on disk just once, and then do all swapping directly to
physical blocks on disk.  This would make swapping to a file as efficient
as swapping to a partition.  (My concern is purely with disks local to a
Sun workstation, not with swapping over a network.)

On the other hand, if swapping to a file involves some run-time mapping,
it will be slower than using a swap partition.

The Sun manuals are silent on the issue of performance.

Question:  Are the two equally efficient, or is swapping to a file less
efficient?

Rahul Dhesi <dhesi%cirrusl@oliveb.ATC.olivetti.com>
UUCP:  oliveb!cirrusl!dhesi