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Can you have more than one swap partition in Linux?
Short answer: You can use the same swap partition as the data in swap is not preserved from one boot to the next. It is totally normal to have multiple linux installations on a disk with a single swap. There is one exception/caveat I know of, however: if you use hibernate (aka, ‘suspend to disk’), hibernate uses your swap space for storage.
How is the hard drive partitioned in Linux?
During installation of most (if not all) distro’s of linux, the hard drive is partitioned to include a swap partition by default. PRIORITY Each swap area has a priority, either high or low.
Can you expand swapfiles while they are in use?
You cannot expand swapfiles (at least, as far as I know) or swap partitions while they are in use. If you are on the verge of filling up your available swap area, you may have to create additional swapfiles. Also, if a system needs 4GB of swap space and has two 2GB storage units, it must use at least two swap areas.
Is it normal to have multiple Linux installations on disk?
It is totally normal to have multiple linux installations on a disk with a single swap. There is one exception/caveat I know of, however: if you use hibernate (aka, ‘suspend to disk’), hibernate uses your swap space for storage.
Is it possible to run two Linux distributions at the same time?
With today’s disk sizes, there is usually no point in saving a couple of GB with such tricks. But it’s possible. However, I question the utility in installing two Linux distributions in dual boot. Dual boot sucks — you can’t run the two operating systems at the same time.
Yes, you can share swap area with two or more operating systems. To share swap area, create the swap area when you install the first operating system and then when you install the second one, do not create a new swap area, instead just use the first OS’s swap area as the mount point for swap area of the second OS.