Best configuration for booting SD?


Crono

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Jan 19, 2004
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Is there a recommendation for the best SD formation? How much space is advisable to allocate to the VFAT and swap partitions. Mi SD card is a SanDisk 16 GB class 10 and I want to put the new HF 7 in it.
 
Good morning Crono:


I know that as of the Linux 2.6 kernel, there's no benefit to having a swap partition compared to a swap file, I'd highly recommend just using a swap file.


As for a partition for the core OS vs your datafiles (PNDs and the like), it just depends what you're going to use it for. If you plan on installing lots of things via the Angstrom repositories, you'll want a bigger root partition; if you're just going to use it for regular use (ie, just to save your NAND from use), I'd think one gigabyte would be more than enough for the root partition.
 
Hi, Thanks for the answer! I'm using the "SD Installer" and it ask for amount for swap partition. If I give 0 it will "make" a swap file?
 
Hmm, based on what I've read over here (http://boards.openpandora.org/index.php?/topic/2297-pandora-sd-installer/), I really have no idea, ha. You could try posting over there and seeing how their swap partitioning works, it looks like Dave1234 (who made the installer) still follows that thread, so he may get back to you.


Of course you can still make a swap partition, too; certainly wouldn't be the end of the world.


I've never used the SD installer or actually partitioned my cards before. When booting from a card, I just extract the OS provided by EvilD onto a card and boot into it.
 
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If you choose 0 for swap partition it simply wont bother making a swap partition and you'll just have ROOT ext2 and BOOT vfat of the size you specified for the VFAT and the rest remaining for the OS on the ROOT. You'll then need to use the SWAP FILES pnd by Slaeshjag http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=detail&app=swaptools-0.1-slaeshjag to create a swap file (if you wish) on one of the partitions, which will boost firefox and other browsers stability.
 
Think ahead


If you use the swap enough that the NAND gets "killed"


do you want a dead section in the middle of the card?


Personally I make swap partitions at the "end"* of the card,


usually 4, with names and different prioritys in fstab so that


the one closest to the end of the card is used first,


and next will be the next one in and so on


Names so that it will not matter which slot that it is plugged into


When it goes bad, then rename it badXX,


and then the card is still good, just a bit smaller


When testing (to see if bad), do the mkswap -c 3 times to test all? of the cells


(because of controller re-mapping)


*end: You don't know where the controller maps the specific


cells, it is hidden from your view


***NOTE*** because of only 8 slots in /dev/ you can only go to p7


The zero slot is for the whole card ie /dev/mmcblk0p8 will not be accessable


Would this be good way to test SD cards for durability? With the right test program?
 
Ok, I decided to test every option (I hope it didn't make to much suffering to my poor SD card). The incidentally conclusion is that the Pandora liked it's swap partition the more, a swap file gave nice feelings, and without swap my pandi become a little lazy.
 
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