Re: Easy Debian Fremantle Beta Testing
 

Using the instructions, the ext2 file was correctly mounted in /.debian (this is progress :D). However, when executing the tar command (either the one in the old post from qole, or the on in the thread I linked above), it is strangely fast... And in fact, it did not copy anything to the new partition. When I am in /.debian and do a "ls", nothing is listed. If I use Filebox to browse in /.debian, I see the directories and files. They are there. But I can't copy them to the new partition using Filebox 'cause there is not enough memory, it said.

Why doesn't it work with the tar command?


P.S.
When I mount the ext2 image into /.debian using "qmount", the terminal states that the filesystem is ext2. But my dedicated partition will be ext3. Could it be that that prevents the copy from the /.debian directory (mounting point of the ext2 file) to the /mnt/n900sd (mounting point of the ext3 dedicated partition)?

Re: Easy Debian Fremantle Beta Testing
 

This really sounds like something's not mounted right. After you think both the image and the partition are mounted, please enter
and make absolutely sure that both are really mounted where you think they are.

Re: Easy Debian Fremantle Beta Testing
 

Here is what I get:

Re: Easy Debian Fremantle Beta Testing
 

If i remember correctly, there was something wrong with the tar command for me also. Sorry that i can't be more specific - just don't remember - but as long as my memory goes, using regular tar command with flags to preserve permissions (and, to preserve everything, that can be preserved ;) ) worked fine for me. Can't check it now - use tar -help to determine correct flags. And be patient, one thing i remember 100% correctly is that tar got PLENTY of possible flags/commands.

//Edit

I'm 100% sure that when I migrated to ext4, I created tarball with my ED dedicated partition content preserving permissions etc, then, after reformatting, just unpacked it again. Ho ever, this may not apply to extracting .ext2 image, so I may be totally wrong about "just" preserving permissions etc. in Your specific case. Again, it's probably best to wait for qole, but if You dare, You can try my suggestion ;) I shouldn't make You need to reflash in any case ;)

Re: Easy Debian Fremantle Beta Testing
 

What config files did you change for migrating ED to ext4?

It hasn't worked so far for me; when I start OO, ez-chroot tells me 'mmcblk1p2 failed to mount on /.debian'
I have successfully mounted it manually (mount -t ext4 /dev/mmcblk1p2 /.debian), but I still get the message.
I believe I have set up the partition with the ED filesystem correctly (it was quite a hassle, and I did get an error, but I don't think that is the issue here).
I looked at qmount, it does not seem to support ext4, maybe that is the problem. But that is a bit beyond me to change.

Edit: after upgrading to the latest EasyDebian in extras-devel, and rebooting, it seems to work. I have done my benchmark again, and indeed, it does help;
Fresh boot, stock speed: 1:10min
2nd try 50 secs
3rd 40 secs
4th, O/C@1000MHz: Just under 30 seconds (!)

Re: Easy Debian Fremantle Beta Testing
 

Thank you all for your help, I finally got it working. :) I had to reformat my SD Card and start over from the beginning. The tar command took much more than 15 minutes, but it finally worked.

One problem remains but it is not related to the dedicated partition: I'm french (yes, being a frog-eater might be a problem :D), and the image is set for a Qwerty keyboard in LXDE (no problem when using terminal applications launched with debbie in X-term), which I don't have. How could I change it? In the keyboard layout switcher, there is no Azerty option, the only option is "Nokia".

Thanks again. :]

Could you explain how you converted your partition to ext4 (did you have to erase the data, or the conversion kept it?) and how you finally managed to mount it? If it really improves the performance, we should put it in the wiki (at least for people using the kernel-power).

Re: Easy Debian Fremantle Beta Testing
 

I'm glad that You both get it working. As for ext4, performance improvement is present, but as i said before, less noticeable than when migrating from Easy Debian image to ED native partition. Migrating to ext4 - as i also mentioned - is "cumulative" gain, ie. You'll get better results, if You use it also for Your maemo /home, not only for ED dedicated partition - because as chroot, ED still use some maemo parts AFAIK (correct me if I'm wrong). So, best result are achieved using ext4 for both /home and ED.

As for migration, first of all You need KP - 46, 46-wl1, 47, or newest unstable 48 - due to ext4 modules present there. Also, kp-48 contain some fix by Tigerite about ext4 partition (can't remember now what this path is about exactly, sorry). Then, theoretically it's possible to just mount ext3 partition as ext4 partition, but some special features of ext4 aren't used. Personally, I DON'T tried mounting ext3 as ext4 on maemo, neither I'm sure that maemo use "native" ext4 gain, so i can't confirm/deny advantages of "real" ext4 partition vs ext3 mounted as ext4.

What i recommend anyway, is to create "real" ext4 partition. You can't just "convert" it - You must store files somewhere, recreate partition, then put files back again. Last, You need to edit /home/user/.chroot accordingly (that is ED "config file" I was talking about few posts before - in fact that's chroot config file (as name suggest), may be used not only for ED, but that's out of scope of discussion here).

As for best (and fastest) way to do it - use backupmenu, connect N900 to linux notebook/desktop in mass storage mode of backupmenu (NOT mass storage mode in maemo), create tarball with ED partition content (be sure to set appropriate flags to correctly store permissions, symlinks etc - use tar --help on desktop linux distribution for full flag and commands list), recreate partition, then unpack tarball where it should be.

If You don't have linuxbox, You can use liveCD/LiveDVD, for example Aptosid. That's exactly what i did. You can even do it inside virtual machine (VirtualBox tested OK), but due to virtual USB flaws, it's MUCH slower than using liveDVD on real machine. In fact, it's probably slower than tarball'ing on N900 itself.

// Edit

I'm mad at myself, for not wiki'ing instructions as soon as i succeed @ doing it myself. It's much easier, than recall every step now... I suspect, that it's not only my faulty habit of lazy wiki editing ;)

Re: Easy Debian Fremantle Beta Testing
 

Thanks. I'll try that later. I have an almost-fully-working-N900 with almost-everything-already-configured-and-tweaked, time to make a clean backup image for BackupMenu now. :D

By the way, I solved my Azerty keyboard problem by... Reading the wiki. My fault, sorry. -_-

Still, I have a question that is not answered in the wiki, I think. I would like to use Easy Debian to play some .swf games because I find the Debian browsers to be more appropriate than MicroB because they won't show a Fullscreen icon in the bottom right nor a Cursor mode icon in the bottom left, so this is true fullscreen and it is way better in my opinion. In addition, I find the browsers that I tested (Iceweasel, Epiphany and Midori so far) to better manage the cursor mode: I think it's smoother in them than in MicroB.

But there is one issue: when you play a .swf file set for a resolution higher than 840x480 (i.e., the screen resolution of the N900), they don't display scrollbars to navigate in the cropped image. If you move the cursor towards the edge of the screen, it won't move neither. Is there any trick to force scrollbars in flash when it's bigger than the screensize in these browsers (I prefer Midori because it's very lightweight, but any browser doing the trick will be perfect), or keyboard shortcuts to move the frame around?

Many thanks in advance. This is basically the last thing I would like to do with my N900. :>


Edit: I got an horizontal scrollbar working by typing "javascript:var d=(document.body.style.minWidth="1050px");" in the address field after the game was loaded. Using the same thing with "minHeight="724"" did not work however. The vertical scrollbar actually appears, but the image is not updated, the extra vertical space is just empty and the image is cut. It worked for width.

I used both "javascript:var d=(document.body.style.minWidth="1050px");javascri pt:var d=(document.body.style.minWidthHeight="724px");" and "javascript:var d=(document.body.style.minWidthHeight="724px")" alone.

Re: Easy Debian Fremantle Beta Testing
 

Let me try to reconstruct what I have done to get Easy Debian on an ext4 partition of the SDcard, next to a normal FAT partition. I don't feel confident enough to add it to the wiki unless I get reports that it works and is ok like this. The usual warnings apply.

I used the updated image from AndrewX192, but that should not matter, just make sure it is working before transferring it.

I am assuming the latest ED (from Extras-Devel?) is installed and working, and Kernel-Power 46+, which supports ext4, is installed.

- create an ext4 partition of at least 2GB on your sdcard. I used Gparted on Knoppix, a desktop Linux livecd, with the N900 connected in Bootmenu's mass storage mode. But there are many ways.
The rest of the SDcard can be used for a Fat32 partition. I have the FAT partition at the start, I'm not sure if that is important.

On your N900, the partitions will appear in /dev as mmcblk*p*. In my case mmcblk1p2. (mmcblk0p* are the internal memory partitions)

- start a terminal, and as root, enter

(replacing the *s as appropriate of course)
This should format the partition. (The partition formatted using Gparted would not mount, not sure why)

The next bit, copying the files (including symlinks etc.) from the image file to the partition is based on AndrewX192's instructions:
(again, as root)

Don't forget to update /home/user/.chroot to point to the correct location....
Eg:
Code:

....and the correct filesystem

Note that it did not go very smoothly for me, I ended up mounting the .ext2 image file on a linux livecd, and copying everything to the sdcard after formatting the partition on the N900.
Then at first it would not mount the partition on Easy Debian startup, even though I could mount it manually. But that does work now, maybe due to me upgrading Easy Debian from Extras-Devel and/or rebooting.

Re: Easy Debian Fremantle Beta Testing
 

Can people report that AndrewX192's image is bug-free enough to include as a qole.org download from the Easy Debian installer?