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With the performance set aside, is it possible to avoid RAM and use SDCard instead of it in Linux.

Linux might be using allocated address space as RAM. Can we ask linux to use SDCard as RAM?

I will use class 10 SDcard which is of the highest quality.

Thanks in advance.

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    Off-topic here, it is more a hardware issue (not specific to Linux, would be the same with FreeBSD or Windows) than an OS one. The probable answer is No, you need some RAM (and details depend upon your hardware)
    – Basile Starynkevitch
    Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 8:59
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    Use as swap partition.
    – Ipor Sircer
    Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 8:59
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    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it is hardware related.
    – Basile Starynkevitch
    Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 9:00
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    Google search " use sdcard as RAM" will give many results for android which are OS related. I am sure linux will have way to.
    – Hanu
    Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 9:54
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    This is a hardware question, if you are asking about zero RAM, but is relevant if you are asking about very little RAM.
    – ctrl-alt-delor
    Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 11:43

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Yes as long as you don't try to eliminate all RAM.

You need some RAM as the CPU needs to access RAM. It is how it works. TLB, and a lot of other stuff have to be in primary memory.

In Gnu/Linux you can set up the SD card as swap, and use very little RAM. However this could lead to a lot of wear of the SD card. SD cards have a limited life, measured in number of writes.

You need to ask, can you get all the essentials into RAM, with enough left over for swapping. Then will it be fast enough.

I doubt 32k is enough to run a Unix like system. ls is 128k on debian, and debian is good at not wasting memory. You will have to get the whole kernel into RAM, and the kernel named Linux us huge (not as huge at NT, but huge) see https://stackoverflow.com/q/27941775/537980.

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  • Thanks. My SystemOnChip has 32K RAM. is that sufficient for 32 bit processor. As a peripheral, can I connect only SDCard and use as swap/RAM now?
    – Hanu
    Commented Oct 24, 2017 at 4:43
  • @Ramki 32bit is not relevant. I have added more to answer.
    – ctrl-alt-delor
    Commented Oct 24, 2017 at 8:12

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