ramfs
ramfs (short for English RAM filesystem ) is a file system that in Linux - operating systems for storing files in main memory is used. It is similar to a file system that is used in a RAM disk , but simpler than this because it does not have to simulate any physical structures.
Everything that is stored in ramfs is only available temporarily as it is not written to the hard disk . After a restart , the data is no longer available. The advantage of a ramf lies in its speed: it is much faster to read and write from the main memory than from the hard disk. For this reason, the temporary directory / tmp is often implemented with it.
The memory used by ramfs grows depending on the files it contains, but is not moved to a swap area.
See also
Web links
- Rob Landley: ramfs, rootfs and initramfs. kernel.org, October 17, 2005, accessed December 27, 2013 (ramfs documentation in Linux Sources).