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Use the Swap Configuration option to create and configure a swap file, which enables your virtual machines to use more memory than is physically available on the server. For background, see Memory Resource Management.

You can manage a single swap file with the management interface. ESX Server can manage up to 8 swap files, but you must use vmkfstools to do so. For information on vmkfstools, see Using vmkfstools.

To change your swap file settings, click Edit.

You can change the following settings:

• The volume on which to locate the swap file.

  Caution: Do not place your swap file on a SAN disk. If the SAN cable is removed, ESX Server becomes unstable.

• The name of the swap file, which defaults to SwapFile.vswp. To change the name of the swap file, select Other from the File Name list, then type the name of the swap file. The file must have a .vswp extension.
• The capacity of the swap file in MB. A recommended value is provided.
• The activation policy. The swap file can be active when the system boots, or it can be activated manually. To deactivate the swap partition, set the activation policy to Activated manually, then restart the server. The swap file is not deactivated until you reboot.

Note: Since you are making changes to the amount of swap space after the initial configuration, you must restart the server before the changes take effect. If the swap file is set to be activated manually, after you reboot, the swap file is not activated. To activate it manually, you must use vmkfstools -w.