Linux – Best Way to Disable Swap

initkernellinuxswap

I am running a custom compiled 3.18.9 kernel and I am wondering about the best way to disable swap on the system. I also use init if it makes a difference.

Is it enough to comment or remove the swap line in /etc/fstab to prevent swap from working/mounting at boot or should I recompile the kernel without Support for paging of anonymous memory (swap) to be 100% sure it does not get enabled?

I run encrypted partitions and want to prevent accidental leakage to the hard disk. My system specifications are also great enough that I can survive in a swap-less environment.

Best Answer

  1. Identify configured swap devices and files with cat /proc/swaps.
  2. Turn off all swap devices and files with swapoff -a.
  3. Remove any matching reference found in /etc/fstab.
  4. Optional: Destroy any swap devices or files found in step 1 to prevent their reuse. Due to your concerns about leaking sensitive information, you may wish to consider performing some sort of secure wipe.

man swapoff

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