Hello, I have been trying to search/understand what the pros and cons are of froyo a2sd vs the one people used before it. Anybody care to explain it to me? I have found something else called a2sd+, what is that about? If there is a thread explaining this, I apologize and would like the link to it.
Froyo way:
Data is moved in encrypted form to FAT32 partition on SD card.
Pros:
Nothing needed to set it up.
Cons:
Applications don't work when SD card is mounted. Widgets can't be moved. Monitoring apps can't be moved.
Applications don't get mounted early enough, icons disappear in non-stock launchers.
Needs to be supported by app creator (can be forced to SD through hacks).
Apps2SD(+ or not):
Creating another EXT2/3/4 partition on SD card, mounting it, making all or selected apps go there. 2 ways - either by symlink or by hacking the framework (doesn't exist on Froyo yet, existed in Cyanogen 5.X).
Pros:
Everything works as if the apps are on the phone.
Cons:
SD card needs to be repartitioned. Windows won't read this card when out of the phone, only Linux (until partitioned back to standard).
No framework support in Froyo yet (CM6.1 is expected to deliver it), so only the symlink method works (moving ALL apps).
ive got an N1 running CM-RC3 and the 5.08 radio
only things configured are facebook, gmail and hotmail
ive got an 8GB class 6 card...
as always, backup the card to my computer so i dont lose anything...
i want to learn more about the ext partitions and swap partitions
correct me at any time if im off base
from what ive read i can create the swap and ext from recovery and that when i creat the ext2 i should convert it to ext3 for even quicker acess?
and that when i enable the ability for moving apps from the phone to the sdcard, the phone will magically know to put them in the ext space?
can the ext be made bigger if needed?
i know before i wiped my phone and installed CM-RC3, i was using modaco r21, and i thought i had all apps moved to the SD-card but only had 24mb free on the phone...
and the swap could be used like more cache for the phone...
how much should i add? is it even needed?
and what ever i dont use for the ext and swap to make fat-32 for my access and files...
now im reading more and it looks like the ext partitions are actually pre-FROYO, and im thinking i dont need to worry about them?
what about the swap?
Well, CM6 does not support App2Ext out-of-box. You need to use a script like Darktremor App2SD to get this working, though you might have to modify the CM6 kernel to get this working fine. AFAIK, CM6.1 will support App2Ext alongside the Froyo App2FAT.
FYI, there is no magic in App2Ext... it simply links /data/app (where apps are installed) to a folder in the ext partition on your SD card.
Do you have a lot of widget/live wallpaper apps? If not, the FroYo App2FAT should do fine for you now. CM6 Setting has a feature to allow you to move any app to 2 FroYo Apps2FAT partition.
As far as swap is concerned, I doubt it would be useful for the N1, considering the relatively decent RAM (it's good enough for everything for now). Swap was very useful for the older phones like the G1 which has very little RAM. I doubt you'd notice any difference if you added a swap partition.
Hi, I have my phone usually a little bit too stuffed with apps, and even now with cyanogen, I'm starting to receive space warnings again. I know the easy answer is to make some room by erasing unneeded apps, but I'm not so eager to get rid of many of them. (Then I wonder why the heck the dolphin browser hoards 20MB of the internal memory even though the app has been clearly stated to store the cache on the SD).
Anyway, I was toying with the idea of the apps2ext, which I believe allows to move all the apps (or the system partition) to an ext3 partition on the SD, hence freeing a lot of space on the phone. I decided to read onto some documentation, just to find Cyanogenmod doesn't support it. And my question would be, why? Is there any problem with this kind of messing?
Thank you!
Depends what you mean by apps2ext, because that term gets used for generic processes, as well as specific implementation methods.
There are a number of methods than can be used with Cyanogen, such as Darktremors script, out even apps such as S2E, or Link2sd...
danger-rat said:
Depends what you mean by apps2ext, because that term gets used for generic processes, as well as specific implementation methods.
There are a number of methods than can be used with Cyanogen, such as Darktremors script, out even apps such as S2E, or Link2sd...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh...Thanks, now I'm confused...Where could I find some information regarding the differences between each one?
Thanks a lot!
danger-rat said:
Depends what you mean by apps2ext, because that term gets used for generic processes, as well as specific implementation methods.
There are a number of methods than can be used with Cyanogen, such as Darktremors script, out even apps such as S2E, or Link2sd...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apps2Ext is typically DarkTremor or a variation of it, but must admit I've never heard of the others.
I think the point here is to use an Ext partition rather than the daft FAT .android_secure Apps2SD in Froyo onwards.
Darktremors is more commonly known as a2sd.
When talking Cyanogen, apps2ext typically refers to the older system that was in place in CM5, but has since become unsupported. This is possibly where the confusion arises?
From what I can gather, the old apps2ext made some trick use of repartitioning to exploit the unused cache space that occurs on CM, as well as moving apps to the ext partition. Firerat has a working version, but it is no longer integrated in the ROM. I've used it, and you get way more space than with DT, but the maintenance is a nightmare... CM not longer support it because there are so many alternatives available (though none are as effective)...
danger-rat said:
Darktremors is more commonly known as a2sd.
When talking Cyanogen, apps2ext typically refers to the older system that was in place in CM5, but has since become unsupported. This is possibly where the confusion arises?
From what I can gather, the old apps2ext made some trick use of repartitioning to exploit the unused cache space that occurs on CM, as well as moving apps to the ext partition. Firerat has a working version, but it is no longer integrated in the ROM. I've used it, and you get way more space than with DT, but the maintenance is a nightmare... CM not longer support it because there are so many alternatives available (though none are as effective)...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMO A2SD or Apps2SD is too vague, so I (and other folks) refer to it as Apps2Ext to differentiate it from Froyo's method.
And as for how CM5 did it, wasn't that just using DarkTremor? I could certainly be wrong, as I've only recently started using CM on my Nook Color.
I still assume the OP wants an Ext partition on his SD card used for Apps, aka: Dark Tremor.
khaytsus said:
And as for how CM5 did it, wasn't that just using DarkTremor?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. DT was integrated into CyanogenMod ROM 5.0x. Then there was great wailing and gnashing from many when CM6.x releases lacked DT. TeamDouche stated that they planned to put it back in for CM7, but they never did.
OP: Please visit DarkTremor's XDA thread to learn how easy it is to implement on CM6/CM7.
No, CM5 (and 6) was NOT just DT integrated. Read this:
http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/19160-modhow-to-apps2ext-for-cm7-updated-03312011/
10th Post!!!
danger-rat said:
No, CM5 (and 6) was NOT just DT integrated. Read this:
http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/19160-modhow-to-apps2ext-for-cm7-updated-03312011/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link... not applicable to my assertion AT ALL. Read the page twice, nada.
Please visit this one:
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php?title=Apps2SD#Apps2EXT
The CM5 releases implemented a extX partition scheme that later came to be known as DarkTremors Apps2EXT. CM6 did not.
Another link, posted by none other than Firerat (possibly Danger-rat in a former life?). I guess the scripting/symlinking came along in the later, excised incarnations dubbed DarkTremor's Apps2SD, then Apps2EXT:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=6385186&postcount=2581
Your link to the CM wiki states that the apps2ext solution was integrated into the framework, not a script that tricks the phone into thinking the ext is internal memory...
Here you have Firerat (no relation) providing a solution to the apps2ext problem, where "the base is from CM5":
http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/...p2sd-built-in/page__view__findpost__p__166163
Note that Firerat states that it is not perfect, but "better than scripted a2sd solutions" (read Darktremors)
Here is the xda Darktremors thread, with the title containing "Script" and "a2sd":
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=715940
The CM apps2ext and Darktremors are not the same thing...
Whoops
Ok. Thank you.
danger-rat said:
Darktremors is more commonly known as a2sd.
When talking Cyanogen, apps2ext typically refers to the older system that was in place in CM5, but has since become unsupported. This is possibly where the confusion arises?
From what I can gather, the old apps2ext made some trick use of repartitioning to exploit the unused cache space that occurs on CM, as well as moving apps to the ext partition. Firerat has a working version, but it is no longer integrated in the ROM. I've used it, and you get way more space than with DT, but the maintenance is a nightmare... CM not longer support it because there are so many alternatives available (though none are as effective)...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi guys, thank you very much for all the useful information! So, as you say, it's a maintenance nightmare...does it means trouble when updating the rom? What are the risks? I'm gibbs search a little bit regarding this dark tremor...thank you!
Darktremor isn't the nightmare, the repartitioning trick is. I would recommend using Darktremor, and staying away from the fancy stuff, unless you are really confident about what you are doing...
Ahh ok, from what I saw it involves a bunch of options in the boot menu. I was doing the goddamn backup of the SD card, it took ages. Now I'm ready to start. It's a pity there isn't yet a partitioner that makes the partitions without erasing your data (kind of partition magic of sorts).
timonoj said:
Ahh ok, from what I saw it involves a bunch of options in the boot menu. I was doing the goddamn backup of the SD card, it took ages. Now I'm ready to start. It's a pity there isn't yet a partitioner that makes the partitions without erasing your data (kind of partition magic of sorts).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't GParted able to do this?
Btw, if you don't want to play through recovery menu, go get S2E from Market, it is free and it works great IMO
Sooo here I am again!
I'm not sure at all if this is working. After booting the first time (it took a looong time), I was greeted with a "welcome to Nexus One" home screen. I have lost all my data, apparently. Not very sure regarding that.
I'm also not very sure if this is working at all?
Let's see, I made a 1024MB Ext4 partition, inside the 16GB SD card. Now when I see Manage Applications, it shows me 136MB free...But I don't get it, wasn't I supposed to have more space?
The other possibility I'm thinking, it's just listing the internal memory space, while all the applications are in the SD Ext4 partition.
If that's the case, then if I install stuff, it won't be listed, and I won't be able to know how much space I have left, right?
I don't know, can anybody clarify this? Thank you!
If you're using the DT script, you need to activate it by typing either "a2sd install" (apps only), or "a2sd cachesdreset" (apps and dalvik) into a terminal emulator (need to type "su" first, to get superuser rights).
To see better idea of the space allocations, use Titanium. It has a nice breakdown on the first page...
Yup, I typed the commands from the adb shell, which I reckon is the same. But now everything seems like a big loss in contacts and stuff.
I have a question: If I install a new rom (cyanogen nighties, I'm running), will I lose the DarkTremor script? And if I restore a full backup made with Clockworkmod?
I'll try to fight with Titanium backup, but for each app to restore I have to manually accept the installation...Seems a lil bit pain in the ass
Are you sure your contacts are set to sync? You can lose that setting from nightly to nightly...
When updating between nightlies, I believe you can flash the nightly then the DT script and all should be good (I always wipe).
The DT settings etc will be backed up with CWM backup, so you can restore that and it will include the ext also.
If you buy Titanium Pro, you won't have that problem... xD
timonoj said:
Sooo here I am again!
I'm not sure at all if this is working. After booting the first time (it took a looong time), I was greeted with a "welcome to Nexus One" home screen. I have lost all my data, apparently. Not very sure regarding that.
I'm also not very sure if this is working at all?
Let's see, I made a 1024MB Ext4 partition, inside the 16GB SD card. Now when I see Manage Applications, it shows me 136MB free...But I don't get it, wasn't I supposed to have more space?
The other possibility I'm thinking, it's just listing the internal memory space, while all the applications are in the SD Ext4 partition.
If that's the case, then if I install stuff, it won't be listed, and I won't be able to know how much space I have left, right?
I don't know, can anybody clarify this? Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Manage Applications only shows how much ROM space is left
If your really want to check the space usage, you could try Free Space or Titanium Backup from the market
Hello there, I had a problem about my G1, I rooted it just last few weeks, after that I flashed a CM 6.1.0 but after I install some apps using Link2SD the phone is getting slow even after reboot. By rooting my G1 I really achieve what I want it is saving more internal storage by using Link2SD but another problem came, it is very slow that it is not usable, please help what should I do?. Or is there any other rom that is more stable and faster than CM 6.1.0?
From what I have heard, cm6 runs slow no matter what on the g1, from the fact that the g1 has a very modest chipset. i have been running cm4 on my g1 for some time, and have encountered almost no problems woth any slowdown.
I started using cm5, it is very slick, many times even faster than rc29! There is a detailed discussion that me and demkantor had that you can find here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2435085 that contains instructions on how to flash it. Hope this helps!
Yeah, Same here. I would definitely advise the CM5 for the Dream. I'm running the latest CM5.0.8 as of yesterday on my old Dream and it's just beautiful. Way faster than the Cupcake and Donut Roms. The apps2ext on it works beautifully and saves a lot of stress over the space for apps. The great thing is on the CM5 ROM you don't need any application to facilitate the saving of apps to the SD. It's inside the Rom already and works just perfectly. Just don't forget to partition the SD card first and best is to use ext4 partition, instead ext2. I've been talking to Demkantor as well and followed many advice from the same thread the Dreamwave here suggested. Mostly everything you'll need is there and if anything's unclear, feel free to write any of us.
Something that I personally found is that apps2ext doesn't always work out-of-the-box, what I did to counter that, and what I found works even better, is using something like link2sd, which allows someone to dynamically move their apps, so that launchers and other sensitive apps don't force close on boot because you accidentally removed the sd card/ sd card isn't reading properly.