Hello, I'm hoping someone can answer a few questions I have regarding the format of the SD Card for the Android system. - Apologies if this has already been explained on this forum, I did a search but didn't find anything too useful that answered my questions.
(I have knowledge of the linux file-system and swap drives, just unsure of the benifits of this for android).
Currently using a 16GB SanDisk Class4 SD Card.
I'm aware that you can format the SD Card to use as a swap-drive and for use of ext2 file-system.
While searching for info on this I found the following xda link which simply explains how to do this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/SD_card_partitioning
My questions are:
1. What are the benifits of having the ext2 file-system? (Would apps stored on SD Card run faster etc?)
2. Do I need to keep a FAT32 partition (as opposed to just having a swap and ext2 partitions without any FAT partition).
3. Does the swap drive greatly improve performance. And is this worth doing on a Class4 SD Card?
Thanks in advance!
Hi.
at the first I must say swat will decrease SD card life.
i recommond you to create EXT3 or EXT4 partition.
1)one of the benefit of EXT partition is your phone storage will not full and its help your phone performance.
2)yes.of course you should have fat32 partition for eg:music-movies...and other files.
3)yes.swap is a very good.and it helps your phone ram.eg:when you play plants vs zombie at the first screen game will exit because of ram and swap will use like ram and its good for gaming.
Thanks for the reply, much apprecaited.
Are you sure I need a FAT32 partition though? Videos, music etc etc can all be saved to ext2/3/4 on a linux OS so I just assumed I could just do away with FAT32 all together?
Is the following just not the same as using an App2SD app?
"1)one of the benefit of EXT partition is your phone storage will not full and its help your phone performance."
Sorry for being a bit fussy but I'd like to fully understand what the Ext/2/3/4 partition is actually used for. Is it just used purely for storage?
Thanks again!
In a short summary (and assuming you are using a Kernel and ROM supporting the features) ...
- "Swap" on a swap partition has its own own "filesystem". The data structures are actually created by "mkswap" and the partition is not directly accessible by the user. If your phone runs low on physical memory unused parts of the memory will be swapped out into the virtual memory to make room for other apps.
Note that this is no "magically increase your RAM" solution. Once swapping occurs it actually slows down the system as the swapped out memory regions need to be copied back into physical memory, sooner or later. It may only help to run "RAM hungry" applications.
- "SD-Ext" is a, most likely, ext2 formatted partition to where Apps you move to the SD (either by Android or App2SD) will go. This increases the amount of apps you can possibly install, but doesn't resolve the problem that apps having widgets or apps that are started during Android boot-up need to reside in the internal phone memory.
- The /sdcard partition where all your user data is being stored should be kept FAT32 (for the simple reason of making a backup of your data by slapping the card into card reader easier - Windows can't read Linux filesystems by default). Some ROMs will allow you to format /sdcard ext3 or ext4 ... the advantage is that ext3/4 (if the mount options are correctly set) may perform a lot better than FAT32, though your mileage may vary.
Roger? ...or do is something still unclear?
Many thanks B.Jay - I'll hit the thanks button after I post this reply! You cleared up all my questions, but just going back to the FAT32 partition;
I use linux as my main OS, so accessing the EXT format partition wouldn't be a problem; Do you know if all ROMs would work without a FAT32 partition and replace it with EXT2/3/4 partition? If you're unsure I can always find out by formatting and loading a rom.
Thanks again, you've been most helpful!
Agenty1609 said:
going back to the FAT32 partition;
I use linux as my main OS, so accessing the EXT format partition wouldn't be a problem; Do you know if all ROMs would work without a FAT32 partition and replace it with EXT2/3/4 partition? If you're unsure I can always find out by formatting and loading a rom.
Thanks again, you've been most helpful!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Linux would, of course, be able to mount a ext partition (even on a SD card put into a card reader).
As for the ROM ... it depends.
The Stock Kernel Modules AddOn of GingerDX introduces ext3 and ext4 modules for the SEMC Stock Kernel, so in theory (I didn't test it!) you should be able to access /sdcard when being formatted ext3/4 - though it could be that you might need to adjust the vold script to properly mount the partition. The modules are mainly for supporting the sd-ext partition for "Apps-to-ext3/4-partition-on-mSD".
There's also alfsamsung's Alfs Kernel which is compatible with GingerDX and some other ROMs. That would be something you could try as well.
Simply look through the ROM threads ... I think MiniCM7 (+nAa's Kernel) should be able to support it, though this could involve some tinkering.
Personally speaking, I only have a ~2GB sd-ext on the SD in my X8 and the rest is a normal FAT32 partition (/sdcard).
yes you need a FAT32 partition.
when you partition your SD card you can move moveable app and games to ext partition.
please dont move app wich they cant move to ext partition.
cause after restart app that you moved to ext will corrupted.
good luck.
Thanks again! I think I'll follow your trend and try the 2GB SD-ext and the rest FAT32.
sd-ext missing!!
hey guys!! I've a small prob, would appreciate some tips. I normally move apps to sd card, if the app is movable by default. if the app is not movable by default, i use this app2sd by droidsail (available in the market) which force moves parts of the app 2 sd card. When I make back ups using xrecovery, i have no problem.
but when I use cwm for back ups, it gives an error saying sd-ext not found and it skips that part of the back up!! so any app I've moved by default or forced moved to sd card doesn't get backed up!! So I presume I have to create a sd-ext partition manually? How do I do it? I do have an sd-ext folder. but its not in sd card. it's in the root. (never had this prob with xrecovery though)
thanks in advance!!
neo_na said:
hey guys!! I've a small prob, would appreciate some tips. I normally move apps to sd card, if the app is movable by default. if the app is not movable by default, i use this app2sd by droidsail (available in the market) which force moves parts of the app 2 sd card. When I make back ups using xrecovery, i have no problem.
but when I use cwm for back ups, it gives an error saying sd-ext not found and it skips that part of the back up!! so any app I've moved by default or forced moved to sd card doesn't get backed up!! So I presume I have to create a sd-ext partition manually? How do I do it? I do have an sd-ext folder. but its not in sd card. it's in the root. (never had this prob with xrecovery though)
thanks in advance!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which version of CWM would that be?
Saipro said:
Which version of CWM would that be?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's cwm 4.0.1.5
Related
Hi,
I was not able to find the reason behind partitioning the sdcard for nexus one.
I have just installed the CM 5.0.6 but I do not know whether I should parition the sd card or not.
Thanks.
You should just partition the SD card if you want apps2sd, or debian.
Why? Because it's formated as a single FAT32 volume by default, basically to store all your stuff (media, pics, data, etc...), but if you want Android to use it (linux, basically) you have to partition it and format your new partition as extX.
Hope it helped.
you don't have to partition. but, it allows you to do things like install apps to your sd card since the n1 doesn't have much available space to begin with.
I just flashed CM6RC3. A few days ago my sd card received errors so I ended up formatting it. While doing this I stumbled upon the SD partition options in rom manager and ra.
So I set them 32mb swap, 512mb ext3, rest fat32 (16gb card).
When I install apps and use App2SD I don't see much of a benefit since the apps are just moved to the fat32 partition. And not all apps support being moved.
Am I correct in these assumptions? Or am I missing something?
Exactly what and how does the ext3 partition do for my android?
You can use alternative Apps2SD and move all your apps to the ext3 partition.
In that case, your widgets can also be moved, and your apps won't be terminated when you mount your phone as USB drive.
should i be using ext3 or 4?
do i need swap at all? i've search and found contradicting posts
Am a newbie to the whole G1 scene, but got some questions regarding partioning.
What is the whole purpose of partioning your SD card?
What are the benefits of doing this?
What is EXT2, EXT3 and whichever you choose what does that give you?
Thanks.
On a normal SD card, there is a FAT32 partition for storing your music, photos etc.
If you are using a custom rom, you can add either or both of these partitions to your sdcard:
-SWAP this lets the phone use part of the sdcard as ram when the phone ram runs out.
-EXT2/3/4 this lets you install apps on the sdcard instead of installing it on the meager memory of the phone.
That has cleared a few things up for me - Cheers.
Hey guys ... I am noob at android so please! !!!bear with it..
just wanted to know...
what is SD partion???
how to go about it??
hoe to check it's working??
what are the benefits? ??
is it ok to do it with 4gb class 4 card???
Thanks for reading ..
noobismyname said:
Hey guys ... I am noob at android so please! !!!bear with it..
just wanted to know...
what is SD partion???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As with every storage media you can actually partition the mSD. By default it ships as a single partition that is FAT32 formatted (otherwise Microsoft couldn't play Mafia and press license fees out of Android phone manufacturers as the FAT file format is copyrighted by Microsoft).
noobismyname said:
how to go about it??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can partition the mSD in either ClockworkMod recovery or you can turn off your phone, take the mSD out of the phone and put it into a card reader and then partition the card on your computer by i.e. EASEUS Partition Manager (Windows) or gparted (Linux).
noobismyname said:
hoe to check it's working??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know how you usually check if your hoe is working (oh how I love typos), but you can check if the SD card partitions are working this way:
- Boot the phone
- Once it's booted up and you have no warning about the SD card then the partition mounted at /mnt/sdcard works. To check if /mnt/sd-ext is also working either open the "Terminal", type "su" (without the quotes) followed by "mount" which will return all currently mounted devices.
noobismyname said:
what are the benefits? ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you create a sd-ext partition (USE SEARCH to know what this means!) you can move your apps out of the internal phone memory onto the sdcard (this actually even works without a designated sd-ext partition). However, you can't move each and every app to the SD ... apps coming with widgets, apps that start automatically upon boot, a widget or a live wallpaper can't be moved to the SD as it will stop working.
Swap on the SD (to have virtual memory - much like the "pagefile.sys" of Windows or the swap partition of Linux) only decreases the lifespan of your SD most likely considerably when there's a whole lotta swapping going on - apart from needing a custom kernel as the Stock doesn't support swap.
noobismyname said:
is it ok to do it with 4gb class 4 card???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A Class 4 mSD isn't blazing fast, but it should be about sufficient. In general, the higher the number of the Class, the faster the card, the more fluid the I/O transfers.
B.Jay said:
As with every storage media you can actually partition the mSD. By default it ships as a single partition that is FAT32 formatted (otherwise Microsoft couldn't play Mafia and press license fees out of Android phone manufacturers as the FAT file format is copyrighted by Microsoft).
You can partition the mSD in either ClockworkMod recovery or you can turn off your phone, take the mSD out of the phone and put it into a card reader and then partition the card on your computer by i.e. EASEUS Partition Manager (Windows) or gparted (Linux).
I don't know how you usually check if your hoe is working (oh how I love typos), but you can check if the SD card partitions are working this way:
- Boot the phone
- Once it's booted up and you have no warning about the SD card then the partition mounted at /mnt/sdcard works. To check if /mnt/sd-ext is also working either open the "Terminal", type "su" (without the quotes) followed by "mount" which will return all currently mounted devices.
If you create a sd-ext partition (USE SEARCH to know what this means!) you can move your apps out of the internal phone memory onto the sdcard (this actually even works without a designated sd-ext partition). However, you can't move each and every app to the SD ... apps coming with widgets, apps that start automatically upon boot, a widget or a live wallpaper can't be moved to the SD as it will stop working.
Swap on the SD (to have virtual memory - much like the "pagefile.sys" of Windows or the swap partition of Linux) only decreases the lifespan of your SD most likely considerably when there's a whole lotta swapping going on - apart from needing a custom kernel as the Stock doesn't support swap.
A Class 4 mSD isn't blazing fast, but it should be about sufficient. In general, the higher the number of the Class, the faster the card, the more fluid the I/O transfers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
eh!! thanks a ton ..
How to partion using Cwm???
noobismyname said:
How to partion using Cwm???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look into the "Advanced settings" menu - and note that not each version of CWM contains that functionality. CWM 4.0.1.5 that is in some thread around here does not have the partitioning capabilities, CWM 3.2.0.0 (as shipped with GingerDX) is able to perform it, CWM 5.x.x.x as in nAa's or Alfs' custom kernel is up to your for checking out.
???Dude???
How to partition??
you rather answered some different question.. well I am on stock kernel and my recovery has the advanced option derived is partition option also is it safe? ??? and it asks for swap which 1 to select????
noobismyname said:
???Dude???
How to partition??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on what you want to do ...
- swap and a normal data partition
Create a ~256-512MB swap partition
Partition the rest as a FAT32 partition
- sd-ext and a normal data partition
Create a ~1GB ext3 or ext4 PRIMARY partition and name it "sd-ext" (w/o quotes)
Partition the rest as a FAT32 partition
- swap and sd-ext and normal data partition
Create a ~256-512MB swap partition
Create a ~1GB ext3 or ext4 PRIMARY partition and name it "sd-ext" (w/o quotes)
Partition the rest as a FAT32 partition
And ... this information could also be found by using the Forum search!
AM WELL AWARE ABOUT THE SEARCH.BUTTON! !!!
well if you read the 1st post .. I have mentioned clearly that I am noob at android.
All I want is a brief explanation on partition ..
I read some were swap ain't supported on stock kernel and I an on stock kernel ....
Do I need a computer to partition? ??? please explain the process briefly......
Follow the SD card partitioning article in the XDA Wiki
B.Jay said:
Follow the SD card partitioning article in the XDA Wiki
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
h'm.. Thankyou
is there any way to do this without using a computer????
I have tried to Google this issue with little success. What happens is I used to have the Xperia Ray (GB 2.3.4) where apps like ZDBox can detect my Samsung 32GB microSD and moved apps to SD without issue. Now with the SP, it cannot see the ext SD at all (but Cleanup Master still can). Another issue is that SD Tools was able to display the Samsung SD ROM data on the Ray but can't now with the SP. Also, SD Booster used to recommend 2048 for 32GB SD on the Ray, but now saying 512 is optimal? I am so confused. Is it a SP or JB 4.1.2 issue? Both are rooted BTW.
Because the Sp has internal memory mounted as SD card you won't be able to move apps to SD card.
To move apps and data a lot of people use link2sd to move apps to ext SD card and apps like folder mount to move game data/obb files to ext SD card.
Only works if rooted.
Sent from my C5303 using xda premium
zolaisugly said:
To move apps and data a lot of people use link2sd to move apps to ext SD card and apps like folder mount to move game data/obb files to ext SD card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is that link2SD din't move the /data/data/x folder to the ext2 Sd partition, then if you have a lot of files there (like music temporal files of Google Music) the benefits are poor.
themacboy said:
The problem is that link2SD din't move the /data/data/x folder to the ext2 Sd partition, then if you have a lot of files there (like music temporal files of Google Music) the benefits are poor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will not move it. It will mount it in this point.
Link2SD can move data to other partition. But. You have to had two partitions on sd card. First one in FAT on wich you hold any files (music, movies...) and second on wich you will move app data. With new version you can have on second partition ext2, ext3, or fat filesystem.
You need to have root of course. You can try make only one partition in sdcard, but in this case you have to make ext2 or ext3 partition on SDCard and I really dont know if it work. I didnt see option in link2SD where you can set your data partition so it will try to find second partition on sdcard.
I use 32GB sd card with 16GB with FAT filesystem and 16 in ext3 to move app data there.
To create 2nd partition you need to use PC and a partition creating tool I use easeus maker.
You need to create partition and make it primary,if you use fat32 it will be supported by stock ROM.
Once done put card back in phone start link2sd and it will find new partition and ask how to handle select format that matches yours.
Then you can link all the apps you want apart from system apps.
Sent from my C5303 using xda premium
I usually use AParted to format all my partitions on SD card from my phone.
As I said before, in my phone link2SD din't manage /data/data/x folder on second partition (ext2, ext3, ...), only manage /data/app/x and probably others.
Then if you try to move to ext2 partition (link) any app with a lot of data files stored, alll this files din't point to ext2, will remain in internal memory.
For exmaple:
Try to download Google Music app, link this app to ext2 partition. Now in app make ready a lot of file in offline mode. It will store all this temp song files in /data/data/com.google.andorid.music folder.
Now check in Link2SD and with any filebrowser, you will see that this files are always in internal memory because link2SD din't manage /data/data/x to link it to second partition on external sd.
Sorry I can't help any more as I dont use that app you said. I do use link2sd and have no issues when linking the app to the ext SD card.
Remember you may see info still on data/app but the contents are sym linked.
But if you are sure you have set 2nd partition correct to primary and using fat32( stock supports this)
I can't help you further sorry
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
I ended up just using Clean Master moving 19 apps to SD. There are many can't be moved but not too bad consider it is far more convenience than Folder Mount. I also removed SD booster which was tested to offer no speed advantage. Next will be battery drain problem. Boy I feel I have spent more time tweaking the android than actually utilizing it.
themacboy said:
I usually use AParted to format all my partitions on SD card from my phone.
As I said before, in my phone link2SD din't manage /data/data/x folder on second partition (ext2, ext3, ...), only manage /data/app/x and probably others.
Then if you try to move to ext2 partition (link) any app with a lot of data files stored, alll this files din't point to ext2, will remain in internal memory.
For exmaple:
Try to download Google Music app, link this app to ext2 partition. Now in app make ready a lot of file in offline mode. It will store all this temp song files in /data/data/com.google.andorid.music folder.
Now check in Link2SD and with any filebrowser, you will see that this files are always in internal memory because link2SD din't manage /data/data/x to link it to second partition on external sd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now I'll check that once again (I had to buy new SD Card) and you have right. Link2SD move only:
APK File - /data/app/*.apk
Dex files - /data/dalvik-cache/[email protected]*.dex
Libraries - /data/data/*/lib/app_libraries
And other things from /data/data/ stays there. Only libraries are moved from this folder ((
But Its a solution. Just use FolderMount from Google Play It works awesome.