The mkswap command is used to create swap space on a storage partition. It is typically used when you wish to move swap space to a different partition than the one that was created during system installation. For example, you might want to save space on a low-capacity boot drive.
It provides options to perform various tasks.
| Option | Used To |
|---|---|
| -c | Verify that the device is free from bad sectors before mounting the swap space. |
| -p | Set the page size to be used by the mkswap command. A page is a chunk of memory that is copied to the storage device during the swap process. |
| -L {label} | Activate the swap space using labels applied to partitions or file systems. |
If you encounter the below error while running the mkswap command:
mkswap: command not found
you may try installing the below package as per your choice of distribution:
| OS Distribution | Command |
|---|---|
| Debian | apt-get install util-linux |
| Ubuntu | apt-get install util-linux |
| Alpine | apk add util-linux |
| Arch Linux | pacman -S util-linux-ng |
| Kali Linux | apt-get install util-linux |
| CentOS | yum install util-linux-ng |
| Fedora | dnf install util-linux-ng |
| Raspbian | apt-get install util-linux |
mkswap Command Examples
1. To make the swap:
# mkswap /dev/sdf
2. To check the device (if it is a block device) for bad blocks:
# mkswap -c /dev/sdf
3. To Force – go ahead even if the command is stupid:
# mkswap -f /def/sdf
4. To Specify the page size to use:
# mkswap -p PAGESIZE
5. To specify a label, to allow swapon by label:
# mkswap -L LABEL
6. To specify the swap space version:
# mkswap -v0 # mkswap -v1
7. To specify the UUID to use:
# mkswap -U UUID