Which partition type is used for Linux swap spaces when partitioning hard disk drives?

The correct choice for identifying the partition type used for Linux swap spaces is 82. In the context of Linux filesystem organization, different partition types are designated by unique identifiers to inform the operating system about the purpose of a partition.

The identifier 82 specifically designates a swap partition in the Linux Partition Table (specifically, when using the traditional DOS partition table format). When a partition is marked with this identifier, the Linux kernel knows to treat it as swap space, which is crucial for performance and memory management. This space is utilized when the physical RAM is exhausted, allowing the system to offload inactive pages from memory to the hard disk, thus freeing up RAM for active processes.

Understanding the roles of other partition types is also important to grasp how partitioning works in Linux. For example, an identifier like 83 designates a standard Linux filesystem partition, which could host any number of files and directories. In contrast, the identifier fd is associated with Linux raid or LVM (Logical Volume Manager) setups.

Each identifier serves its unique functionality, which is why using the correct type is crucial when configuring partitions for specific tasks in Linux. Therefore, recognizing that 82 is the code for swap space is essential in effective system management and resource allocation.