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vm.min_free Settings

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Set your vm.min_free_kbytes memory value to 1 GB or more. Best practice sets this value greater than 1 GB.

A common method used to change the parameter value is to edit /etc/sysctl.conf then use the sysctl command to write the changes into the kernel. This ensures the swap setting is persistent across reboots.

The following steps apply to RHEL, SUSE, and Ubuntu systems.

Persistent change:

This is the recommended method for changing your vm.min_free_kbytes settings. It takes effect immediately and is persistent across reboots.

  1. Verify the limit of the vm.min_free_kbytes parameter and the effects of changing it on your system.

  2. Edit the /etc/sysctl.conf file. Add the following entry:

     
    vm.min_free_kbytes=1048576

    Ensure that you do not have duplicate entries for vm.min_free_kbytes in the file.

  3. Load the sysctl setting from the default file /etc/sysctl.conf. Run sysctl as follows:

     
    # sysctl -p

Non-persistent change:

This method changes your vm.min_free_kbytes settings temporarily. It is not persistent across reboots.

  1. Verify the limit of the vm.min_free_kbytes parameter and the effects of changing it on your system.

  2. Run the sysctl command with the -w option from the command line:

     
    # sysctl -w vm.min_free_kbytes=1048576