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[unix-history] / usr / src / sbin / swapon / swapon.8
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1.\" Copyright (c) 1980 Regents of the University of California.
2.\" All rights reserved. The Berkeley software License Agreement
3.\" specifies the terms and conditions for redistribution.
4.\"
f5669b0a 5.\" @(#)swapon.8 6.1 (Berkeley) %G%
bd32a0dc 6.\"
f5669b0a 7.TH SWAPON 8 ""
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8.UC 4
9.SH NAME
10swapon \- specify additional device for paging and swapping
11.SH SYNOPSIS
12.B "/etc/swapon"
13.B \-a
14.br
15.B "/etc/swapon"
16name ...
17.SH DESCRIPTION
18.I Swapon
19is used to specify additional devices on which paging and swapping
20are to take place.
21The system begins by swapping and paging on only a single device
22so that only one disk is required at bootstrap time.
23Calls to
24.I swapon
25normally occur in the system multi-user initialization file
26.I /etc/rc
27making all swap devices available, so that the paging and swapping
28activity is interleaved across several devices.
29.PP
30Normally, the
31.B \-a
32argument is given, causing all devices marked as ``sw''
33swap devices in
34.B /etc/fstab
35to be made available.
36.PP
37The second form gives individual block devices as given
38in the system swap configuration table. The call makes only this space
39available to the system for swap allocation.
40.SH SEE ALSO
41swapon(2), init(8)
42.SH FILES
43.DT
44/dev/[ru][pk]?b normal paging devices
45.SH BUGS
46There is no way to stop paging and swapping on a device.
47It is therefore not possible to make use of devices which may be
48dismounted during system operation.