[NTLUG:Discuss] Swap versus paging

[Chris Cox]

Leroy Tennison wrote:
> I was in an interview for a Linux position and was asked if I knew the 
> difference between paging and swap (I didn't and told them so).  The 
> reply stated that paging was better.  With Google about all I could find 
> (first 50 hits) was that there was a difference in scope between 
> swapping and paging.  Swapping placed whole processes on disk whereas 
> paging always worked in 4K amounts.  Questions:
> 
> What's the significance of the question?  Is this something that every 
> Linux-literate person should know?

No... not exactly.  It was a test of your historical computer
knowledge.  It's the stuff you learn perhaps in a college
setting... or just a good computer history class (or operating
systems class).

> 
> If it is significant, what are the main things to know?  can someone 
> point me to a reasonably brief discussion?

Ch 5 (and Ch 6) of the "dinosaur" book... "Operating System Concepts",
James L. Peterson, Abraham Silberschatz.  It's pretty detailed
though.. .a good read....

:)

A classic textbook on operating systems.

I don't know about anything specific online.. first hit
on google goes to:
http://learnlinux.tsf.org.za/courses/build/internals/ch05s03.html

It's VERY brief.  Doesn't cover the fragmentation issues associated
with swapping, only covers a few paging scenarios....

There's probably better web sites out there on the subject.