Skip to content

Home

Jump to bottom
giganutt edited this page Jul 4, 2026 · 2 revisions

Linux Swap Optimizer - Wiki

Welcome to the Linux Swap Optimizer documentation wiki. This system is designed to reduce CPU and system load during AI development and general application usage on low-end systems, with the goal of eliminating application lagging through intelligent swap management and process prioritization.

Quick Links

Getting Started

Installation

sudo bash install.sh

Basic Usage

# Start the service
sudo systemctl start swap-optimizer

# Enable at boot
sudo systemctl enable swap-optimizer

# Check status
sudo python3 /opt/swap-optimizer/swap_optimizer.py --status

Key Features

  • AI-Aware Swap Management: Optimized specifically for AI/IDE workloads
  • General Application Optimization: Optimizes all running applications with intelligent priority tiers
  • IDE-Aware Optimization: Automatically optimizes system when any IDE is detected
  • OS-Level Optimization: Applies kernel-level optimizations for better system responsiveness
  • Adaptive Monitoring: Real-time adjustment based on system load
  • Process Prioritization: Automatic prioritization across 5 categories (AI, IDE, interactive, normal, background)
  • Low-End Optimization: Tuned for systems with limited resources
  • Safe Operation: Automatic backup and easy rollback

Documentation Structure

For Users

  • README.md - Project overview and quick start
  • FAQ.md - Common questions and answers
  • Configuration Guide - How to configure the system
  • Process Priority Tiers - Understanding process categorization

For Administrators

  • Installation - Deployment and setup
  • Troubleshooting - Issue resolution
  • Performance Tuning - Optimization strategies

For Developers

  • Architecture - System design and components
  • Configuration Guide - Parameter reference
  • Performance Tuning - Advanced techniques
  • Process Priority Tiers - Priority management implementation

System Requirements

  • OS: Linux (kernel 3.10+)
  • RAM: Minimum 2GB, recommended 4GB+
  • CPU: Minimum 2 cores, recommended 4+ cores
  • Storage: 100MB free space
  • Python: 3.6+
  • Privileges: Root access required

Configuration Profiles

Low-End Systems (< 4GB RAM)

  • Conservative swap settings
  • Aggressive memory management
  • Frequent monitoring
  • No aggressive mode
  • General application optimization enabled

Mid-Range Systems (4-8GB RAM)

  • Balanced settings
  • Adaptive monitoring
  • Standard optimization
  • Disabled aggressive mode
  • General application optimization enabled

High-End Systems (> 8GB RAM)

  • Relaxed swap settings
  • Less frequent monitoring
  • Aggressive mode enabled
  • Maximum performance
  • General application optimization enabled

Common Use Cases

AI/ML Development

  • Python process optimization
  • Jupyter notebook performance
  • Model training/inference
  • GPU memory coordination

Web Development

  • Node.js optimization
  • Build tool performance
  • Browser tab management
  • Docker container optimization

General Development

  • IDE responsiveness
  • Compilation performance
  • Database operations
  • Testing framework optimization

Desktop Usage

  • Web browser optimization
  • Media player performance
  • Communication app responsiveness
  • General system responsiveness

Performance Impact

Typical improvements on low-end systems:

  • Swap Activity: 40-60% reduction
  • CPU Usage: 15-25% reduction during workloads
  • Application Responsiveness: Elimination of stuttering
  • Memory Efficiency: Better RAM utilization
  • System Latency: Reduced context switching
  • I/O Performance: Better disk scheduling

Safety Features

  • Automatic backup of original settings
  • Conservative default values
  • Graceful error handling
  • One-command rollback
  • Safe parameter ranges
  • Dry-run mode for testing

Support and Resources

Documentation

Files

  • swap_optimizer.py - Main optimizer script
  • config.json - Default configuration
  • install.sh - Installation script
  • UNINSTALL.sh - Removal script
  • requirements.txt - Python dependencies

Directories

  • /opt/swap-optimizer/ - Installation directory
  • /etc/swap-optimizer/ - Configuration directory
  • wiki/ - Documentation wiki

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

  1. Test thoroughly on low-end systems
  2. Follow existing code style
  3. Update documentation
  4. Include tests for new features

License

MIT License - Free to modify and distribute

Version History

Current Version (2.0.0)

  • General application optimization for all processes
  • Process categorization into 5 priority tiers
  • OS-level kernel optimizations
  • Enhanced adaptive management
  • Interactive and background process detection
  • Improved status reporting

Previous Version (1.0.0)

  • AI-aware swap management
  • Adaptive monitoring
  • Process prioritization
  • Configuration system
  • Systemd service integration

Future Plans

  • Machine learning-based prediction
  • Per-process memory cgroups
  • GPU memory optimization
  • Distributed system support

Quick Reference

Essential Commands

# Install
sudo bash install.sh

# Start
sudo systemctl start swap-optimizer

# Enable
sudo systemctl enable swap-optimizer

# Status
sudo systemctl status swap-optimizer

# Optimize once
sudo python3 /opt/swap-optimizer/swap_optimizer.py --optimize

# Dry run (test without changes)
sudo python3 /opt/swap-optimizer/swap_optimizer.py --optimize --dry-run

# Restore
sudo python3 /opt/swap-optimizer/swap_optimizer.py --restore

# Status details
sudo python3 /opt/swap-optimizer/swap_optimizer.py --status

Key Files

  • /opt/swap-optimizer/swap_optimizer.py - Main script
  • /etc/swap-optimizer/config.json - Configuration
  • /etc/systemd/system/swap-optimizer.service - Service

Important Parameters

  • swappiness - Swap tendency (default: 10)
  • vfs_cache_pressure - Cache pressure (default: 75)
  • cpu_threshold - CPU trigger threshold (default: 80)
  • memory_threshold - Memory trigger threshold (default: 85)
  • optimize_all_apps - Optimize all applications (default: true)
  • check_interval - Monitoring interval (default: 5 seconds)

Getting Help

  1. Check the FAQ
  2. Review Troubleshooting
  3. Consult Configuration Guide
  4. Examine Process Priority Tiers
  5. Check Architecture for technical details

Security Notes

  • Requires root privileges
  • Modifies kernel parameters
  • No network connections
  • No external dependencies beyond psutil
  • Local operation only

Best Practices

  1. Test configuration changes in safe environment
  2. Monitor system behavior after changes
  3. Keep backup of working configurations
  4. Review settings when hardware/workload changes
  5. Use appropriate profile for your system
  6. Use dry-run mode before applying changes

Related Projects

Last Updated: 2026-07-03 Version: 2.0.0 Maintainer: Linux Swap Optimizer Project

Clone this wiki locally