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Can someone please educate me on partitioning the sd? Based on what I've read and my discussions with others, ext swap is for cache, fat32 is for apps, and the remainder is for usb storage???
I have a 8 GB class 6 (supposed to be faster) Samsung sd partioned at ext swap - 0 and fat 32 - 500.
If I'm right about ext swap (please correct me if I'm wrong), I could make my phone faster if I allocated some sd space to it??? One forum I read said that the phone is usually faster but it could have been referring to a different phone and a slower card.
If I did decide to change my partition what affects would it have (wipe sd, reinstall custom rom, etc)?
Thanks for any feedback!
Partitioning the SD card allows you to utilize a2sd/app2sd and/or swap space on your SD card - if the ROM in question supports it.
Note that the ext and swap partitions are separate things, not one and the same thing.
swap is for swap - set it to 0 (you will never need it)
ext{2|3} is for the A2SD/APPS2SD space for storing applications (and dalvik-cache for some ROMs) - 512 MB will be more than you ever need.
the rest is the VFAT partition - the MS-DOS partition you see from your Windoze box when you mount it from the PC.
Note also that partitioning your card destroys all data on it - make a backup if you decide to partition.
Neither A2SD nor having swap space will speed your phone up. (Adding swap - for ROMs which support it - will actually slow your phone down, except certain pathological cases, unless you become an expert on the process trimmer configuration and experiment with swappiness controls. The reason this happens is because the as-configured process trimmer kicks in too late if you merely add swap and do not reconfigure the trimmer).
My recommendation? Keep your life simple and avoid both A2SD and especially use of a swap area on the SD card, until such a time as you "need it". You might find a practical need for A2SD if you are going to be trying out a whole bunch of new ROMs as they come out, or you are an app hoarder and run out of space in /data.
Probably you will never need to use a swap partition on your card.
Again, in neither case will you notice a perceptible gain in "performance" of the phone.
bftb0
PS Josh. Please stop putting usage questions in the Development forum. Please. Put them in the General forum.
Thanks for clearing that up......and i will stop posting in development.
Hello
I'm posting this because I just changed my 1GB SD card for a 16 GB Class 6, everything works fine, but now (one of the goals of the operation) I want to upgrade to 6.0 Cyanogen
So, the question is: should I partition? what is the reasonable amount to allocate to keep the rest for any Debian etc.
Depend...
OK, I have the answer, so I give it in case you wonder.
In fact, there is no need to partition the point of view of 6.0, but some applications can seek an ext2 or swap (this is a constraint due to these applications, not to cyanogen) So if we can predict all at once as long as it does not take too much space (32 MB of swap, and around 800 / 1.2GB ext2 ...).
Still, I think there are people who program with their feet ...
Correct you don't need the EXT partition because Froyo supports apps2fat which means you can do it with a regularly partitioned card. However, if your going to install apps to your SD its better to flash fireats script that lets you use the EXT partition and go that route. Reason being, if you ever unmount your SD card with the system on, all your apps go with it.
Sent from my HTC Magic using XDA App
This is probably a daft question but the TmoUS HD2 has 1gb ROM, so when we create partitions for CWR why dont we use the entire 1gb? It has an additional 500+mb of RAM to allow everything to run smoothly. What am I missing here? Why is 400mb the recommended size? Doesnt that just leave 600mb going to waste?
Thanks for any clarification.
It may not necessarily be daft, but it certainly is in the wrong forum.
You are completely not understanding how things works, you are messing ram with rom, you are messing cwr partitions with sd partitions..you are messing system partition with userdata partition.. summarizing: you are doing so much confusion that you will dont know also your name in some minutes
And, btw, wrong section.
btw I'm in a kind mood today:
When you flash CWR, all your availabe ROM will be used for data storage. The "400mb thing" is just for system partition, where the build will be stored
If you se a build that uses SD to store data, your availabel ROM is wasted also if you still need to use the 400mb thing (or less if the build is smaller)
Your RAM are never touched from those things.
First, not sure why this is the wrong section as it directly related to NAND/CWR, but thank for the psudo moderation.
Rafpinga: I'm not concerned with SD partitions, Don't use them as I have no need, but i gather the gist of your answer is that my 400mb ROM partition is strictly for the system (OS files) and the remainder of the 1gb will be used for data? That makes more sense.
So I basically have 1gb of ROM (700 something formatted), 400 is used for system/OS and the remaining 300 something is available for apps etc..?
Ok, I thought I had my answer but apparently not. How am I confusing NAND and SD partitions? I don't use SD partitions at all? I use NAND partitions only as far as I can tell. What did I miss? I didn't even mention SD partitions in my OP.
I have a 400mb System partition, which is on NAND, the remainder of my NAND is used for data correct? My SD card is irrelevant to this setup correct? I don't even need an SD card inserted for my setup to work...
If i'm confusing the two perhaps someone would explain how rather than just *****ing about the thread!.... If it's in the wrong place I'm sorry and I'm sure it'll get rightfully moved but that shouldnt negate trying to get an answer.
OK, you're all over the map, but lets do the quick rundown.
A partition is a chunk of named memory-space. aka c: in windows or the swap file in linux.
SD cards and internal ROM are essentially hard disks that can be written to. The ROM needs to be flashed, while the SD cards internally flash too. What you can do is partition either of them and name the partition. You can also choose the filesystem that a particular partition uses. Internal ROM for android needs to be partitioned into a proper linux filesystem with proper formatting to operate. One of the partitions is userspace, another is "system". SD partitions are extensions to the linux operating system and as such should not be considered "bad". Really, the more memory the better.
Random Access Memory (RAM), i believe some type of DDR in this phone, is a volatile memory that clears upon restart. It's only used during normal operation and never stores your Android.
Read-Only Memory (ROM) is NAND in this case. There is a large misnomer on these forums about NAND. They meant to call it Internal NAND. ROM, the 1gb, is where ALL operating system files are stored. You flash the bootstraps and system partitions once, then all your stuff is stored in a separate portion of the ROM.
NAND is the storage technology used to manufacture most consumer read-only memory(ROM). SD cards and the internal memory both use NAND type memory, the difference between the two is the bus speed between the internal NAND and the CPU.
On the TMOUS HD2, there is 1,000mb of space in the ROM. A 400mb system partition would leave 600mb for things like the swap file and the user data portion. In some cases, ie EU version, a 400mb system partition would eat the ~500mb available ROM, so developers figured out a way to partition the SD card and effectively expand the ~500mb to 1,000mb and beyond. APP2SD+ was the final solution.
The TMOUS when partitioned properly will have a huge amount of headroom for the Android to excel. Nothing really goes to waste as long as you use a TMOUS compatible ROM.
Next time, ask in the right forum and you'll get the answer you wanted without all the hassle.
Thank you. I really appreciate that explaination and again, sorry for being in the wrong forum.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
Ok, now that the whole NAND/RAM/CWR thing is cleared and little badgering, I'll move this thread to the Q & A section. If you see a thread in the wrong section, just report it. Once you've posted the question in the wrong thread, there is nothing the OP can do to move it. So if you can answer then please do. This way when a MOD moves the thread to the correct place it has some useful information. So I'm deleting the SPAM/light Flaming and moving this along.
noellenchris
HD2 Forum MOD
okay, so i just flashed Kyrillos' ROM (7.0, then upgraded to 7.1)
now i want to partition my SD card to create SWAP, and also to create a partition to add extra space to the internal memory (what is it's name, again?)
i don't know too much about what type of partition to do, so can you guide me through the process or give me a link where i can read further?
also, what are the recommended partition sizes?
PS : i have a 4GB, class 4 SD card. and i just downloaded minitool.
Mohit12 said:
okay, so i just flashed Kyrillos' ROM (7.0, then upgraded to 7.1)
now i want to partition my SD card to create SWAP, and also to create a partition to add extra space to the internal memory (what is it's name, again?)
i don't know too much about what type of partition to do, so can you guide me through the process or give me a link where i can read further?
also, what are the recommended partition sizes?
PS : i have a 4GB, class 4 SD card. and i just downloaded minitool.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can flash g3mod kernel and do partition in uer sd card.mine is 8 GB Card, Class 4...I have 1024 as Ext Size and 256 as SWAP. so the choice is uers.
Mohit12 said:
okay, so i just flashed Kyrillos' ROM (7.0, then upgraded to 7.1)
now i want to partition my SD card to create SWAP, and also to create a partition to add extra space to the internal memory (what is it's name, again?)
i don't know too much about what type of partition to do, so can you guide me through the process or give me a link where i can read further?
also, what are the recommended partition sizes?
PS : i have a 4GB, class 4 SD card. and i just downloaded minitool.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the answer to that is already in the forum
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=SD_card_partitioning
Hope this helps
darksyde18 said:
Well, the answer to that is already in the forum
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=SD_card_partitioning
Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been looking for that too , Thanks
okay, i didn't know i'd need a card reader :/
i don't have it. any way to partition it using the CWM?
and what sizes do you recommend? i was thinking maybe 128 MB SWAP and 512 as the internal memory size.
and do i have to flash the g3mod kernel? i'm currently running 2.6.32.9. this came with Kyrillos' 7.0.
wait, i'm getting confused now. when i flash Kryillos' ROM 7.0, does my kernel also get changed? or am i running the stock kernel?
and the CWM i'm talking about is just.. recovery. the one that i access using vol up + vol down + home key + power key.
that also has partition SD card option under advanced > partition SD card.
will this do or do i have to flash g3mod kernel?
Once you flash Kryillos' ROM you are no longer running the stock kernel
CWM is ClockWorkMod Recovery and it comes with the ROM and so it's different (Google it)
And about making a SWAP, well , you might wanna read this -
"1. An Android swap partition must live on your SD card. SD cards are very, very slow memory. They are 100 to 1000x slower than a SIM. They are 10 to 100x slower than a hard drive. They are marginally faster than a network connection. When an application is “swapped out” it is copied into this very slow memory, and copied back to physical memory when it needs to run. On the other hand, when an app needs to be restarted after being terminated by Android, it is loaded not from the SD card but from the device’s (relatively) fast physical memory.
2. When an Android app is terminated because of low memory, it decides what information must be persisted to represent it’s state. This can be very, very small. For example, it might be an integer index into a database. When an app is moved into virtual memory, the OS has no idea what’s important. It just moves the application in whole. It can’t be smart about it.
3. Having swap actually prevents the native Android memory management scheme from activating. The system sees memory and doesn’t distinguish between physical and virtual. It will therefore prefer swap over the native Android memory management scheme, and won’t activate the native scheme until swap is full.
4. Having swap requires some overhead of system resources."
darksyde18 said:
Once you flash Kryillos' ROM you are no longer running the stock kernel
CWM is ClockWorkMod Recovery and it comes with the ROM and so it's different (Google it)
And about making a SWAP, well , you might wanna read this -
"1. An Android swap partition must live on your SD card. SD cards are very, very slow memory. They are 100 to 1000x slower than a SIM. They are 10 to 100x slower than a hard drive. They are marginally faster than a network connection. When an application is “swapped out” it is copied into this very slow memory, and copied back to physical memory when it needs to run. On the other hand, when an app needs to be restarted after being terminated by Android, it is loaded not from the SD card but from the device’s (relatively) fast physical memory.
2. When an Android app is terminated because of low memory, it decides what information must be persisted to represent it’s state. This can be very, very small. For example, it might be an integer index into a database. When an app is moved into virtual memory, the OS has no idea what’s important. It just moves the application in whole. It can’t be smart about it.
3. Having swap actually prevents the native Android memory management scheme from activating. The system sees memory and doesn’t distinguish between physical and virtual. It will therefore prefer swap over the native Android memory management scheme, and won’t activate the native scheme until swap is full.
4. Having swap requires some overhead of system resources."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice and informative.
i heard that you can edit a partition on the sd card to Increased the ram since the boot, space and storage is all on the card... i hear you should be able to edit some them but i have no idea if it can be done and if it can what Tool
i was using MiniTool Partition Wizard Professional Edition v7.5
AACThaKid said:
i heard that you can edit a partition on the sd card to Increased the ram since the boot, space and storage is all on the card... i hear you should be able to edit some them but i have no idea if it can be done and if it can what Tool
i was using MiniTool Partition Wizard Professional Edition v7.5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are confusing ram and rom. Ram is the memory that the system stores the active stuff. It is volatile and loses everything when the power is off. The Nook Color comes with 512MB ram and that cannot be changed. ROM is non-volatile and keeps whatever is written there even with power off.
ROM is what is on the SD partitions for SD installs. And you can change the size of the partitions on the SD, but it is difficult to do with windows applications like Min-Tool once you have added data to those partitions.
If you use my newest image file (rev4) I have set it up to give you larger system and data partitions for larger SD cards so you don't have to do anything yourself.
leapinlar said:
You are confusing ram and rom. Ram is the memory that the system stores the active stuff. It is volatile and loses everything when the power is off. The Nook Color comes with 512MB ram and that cannot be changed. ROM is non-volatile and keeps whatever is written there even with power off.
ROM is what is on the SD partitions for SD installs. And you can change the size of the partitions on the SD, but it is difficult to do with windows applications like Min-Tool once you have added data to those partitions.
If you use my newest image file (rev4) I have set it up to give you larger system and data partitions for larger SD cards so you don't have to do anything yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i know what the ROM and RAM is
to help you out about what i mean........ after the img is burned to the card there are 3-4 partitions on it..... well a friend of mine who has the same set up was saying "Theory-Wise" since all the CM7 &/or CM9 setup and so-on is on the Card/Runs from the card... the RAM that you use to run games when using CM7 is also on the card so that means the card also has RAM on it(since the setup is on the card) you can Increase the RAM by messing with the size of the partitions......... can this be done???
as for the latest img you was talking about... can u give me a link to it?
Not everything is on the card. The ram is still on the device and not changeable. It uses the same ram as the internal rom does. There is no ram on the card.
The link to my new image is in my tips thread linked in my signature. See item B2 in the second post.