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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

• Architecture and Design - System architecture and technical details
• Configuration Guide - Complete configuration reference
• Process Priority Tiers - Process categorization and priority management
• Performance Tuning - Advanced tuning strategies
• Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions
• FAQ - Frequently asked questions
• Changelog - Version history and release notes

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

• README.md - Main project documentation
• Architecture.md - Technical details
• Configuration-Guide.md - Configuration reference
• Process-Priority-Tiers.md - Priority management
• Performance-Tuning.md - Optimization guide
• Troubleshooting.md - Issue resolution
• FAQ.md - Common questions

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

• zram-config - Compressed RAM swap
• earlyoom - OOM daemon
• systemd-swap - Swap management

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