How can I tell Linux to keep a page and not evict it?

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Can I tell Linux not to swap out a particular processes' memory?

I want to allocate a chunk of memory in Linux and be sure that it will get no #GP or #PF faults. Regarding #GP, it's my responsibility as a programmer to ensure that I do not exceed any bounds. However, #PF are the the responsibility of the OS, since it can choose whether or not to evict a page.

I imagine that if I use the same page frequently, the OS will be smart enough not to evict it. However, if I want to allocate a large block of memory, then it'll take me a while to reach some of the pages, and I don't want the OS to evict it in the meanwhile.

Is there any way to tell Linux to keep a page present so that I never get a page fault?

Note: This is similar to to the question How can I tell Windows to keep a page and not evict it? except that this one is about Linux

@Steve: you're right. I'm voting to close. – Nathan Fellman Aug 30 '11 at 13:32 — Nathan Fellman, Aug 30 '11 at 13:32

score 7 · Accepted Answer · edited Aug 30 '11 at 11:35

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I think you are looking for mlock.

edited Aug 30 '11 at 11:35

caf

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answered Aug 30 '11 at 11:08

Steve-o

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remember, the total number of `mlock`-ed pages is limited by `ulimit -l`. – osgx Aug 30 '11 at 11:10

How can I tell Linux to keep a page and not evict it?

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