[Script][A2SD]Darktremor 2.7.5.3 Beta 04 [DesireZ] (01/29/2011)

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tkirton

Senior Member
Jul 13, 2009
2,044
224
50
Katy Texas
www.darktremor.info
Introducing...
Darktremor Apps2SD 2.7.5.3 Beta 04
Date of Release: January 29, 2011

Download Current Version

Instructions - Change Log - Commands - ROM List - Developer's Guide
Darktremor Apps2SD Fan Page ---- Darktremor Apps2SD Development Group

Are you installing Darktremor Apps2SD on your phone? Here are the instructions to help you: Facebook
Are you a developer wanting to include Darktremor Apps2SD in your latest ROM? Here is the Developer Guide: Facebook
Update on Beta 4
It seems I'm getting mixed results with these betas. I'm not sure why this is occurring, some people have been able to get this working right while others have had a hard time with it.

Currently, I'm rebuilding the entire program. This takes a while because I have to figure out how to pack all these options into the program but make it small enough to where it will run correctly.

I will say that some of the beta features are coming back out...one of them is the search for a partition code. I suspect that code may be leading me into issues with certain platforms, so I'm going back to the 2.7.5.2 method of mounting (mmcblk0p2 or mmcblk1p2).

Also, parts of the code will use Busybox Ash (the only code that won't will be starta2sd, which will still use Bash for the time being). The startup code will definitely use Busybox Ash.

Until then, here are the links to the the last two betas and the last official release:

Version 2.7.5.3 Beta 04 - http://www.darktremor.info/files/a2sd/dtapps2sd-2.7.5.3-beta04-signed.zip
Version 2.7.5.3 Beta 03 - http://www.darktremor.info/files/a2sd/dtapps2sd-2.7.5.3-beta03-signed.zip
Version 2.7.5.2-1 - http://www.darktremor.info/files/a2sd/dtapps2sd-2.7.5.2-1-signed.zip

And, if you want past versions, you can view the repository: ftp://dtuser:Darktremor1@ftp.darktremor.info (ignore the smiley face...that's XDA doing that.)
Beta 04 took longer than I expected to release. I have done major changes to the code:

1. New commands: convert-ext4 - This will convert your EXT3 partition into EXT4. Just a friendly reminder on this command: Not every rom supports EXT4, so it is possible to go into a boot loop if you switch roms. Use with caution.

2. Reworked convert-ext3 (convert-ext4 gets similar code)...now a flag file is set before the reboot (no conversion is done before the reboot). At load time, the conversion is performed. This takes longer in the reboot process and you may think your phone has locked up...wait about five minutes before doing anything with the phone.

3. Repair is rebuilt...now it uses existing commands to repair the setup (reinstall, remove, cachesd, cachepart, nocache, datasd, nodata). Definitely shrinks the code.

4. Added fix_permissions program to the package. This may help with Superuser issues when using the datasd feature. It is used in reinstall, remove, datasd and nodata.

5. a2sd install is back!!! Both a2sd install and a2sd reinstall do the exact same thing.

6. Dalvik heap code has been shrunk and now creates a file called dalvikheap. Actually, the code has been doing this all along (since about 2.7.5.2, I think), but I never put the code in to use the file.

7. Low Memory Killer code has also been shrunk and uses a file caled dtset_lowmem to set the low memory killer parameter.

8. Replaced Busybox PS function with Toolbox PS. The issue with Busybox PS is that it gives a false reading when I look for android.process.acore (which is the main program when the GUI starts up). If that is present, the program thinks you are trying to run Darktremor without any command line parameters. This was because Busybox would report the process was there when, in reality, it wasn't (validated this when my phone was boot looping.) Toolbox's PS reports the correct setting. This should fix the bootlooping issues some people are experiencing.

9. New commands: usedtbusybox and usedefaultbusybox - these commands may help in diagnosing issues that is may be related to the native Busybox on your rom. a2sd usedtbusybox will use the Busybox that is packaged with Darktremor. a2sd usedefaultbusybox will turn back on the scan behavior of the program introduced in Beta 03.

10. Support for Darktremor Apps2SD version 2.7 and earlier has been discontinued. To upgrade correctly from one of those versions, use version 2.7.5.3 Beta 03b or earlier.

11. Finally fixed stalled boot issues (or at least my tests with several roms says so.)

See the change log for additional details.

You will notice that if the program runs repair and finds a problem, it will correct the issue and reboot. You will see a second reboot when the dalvik-cache clears (this is to fix timing issues with CyanogenMod...I can't control that startup as well as I can other roms). This only happens if repair is ran or you flash a new rom (as repair will realign all data). If you are upgrading from a previous version of Darktremor, you should not see the reboots.
This is Darktremor Apps2SD, a multipurpose program that primarily allows a user to execute applications created for the Android OS on their Secure Digital card (with the proper setup...more on that later). But, Darktremor Apps2SD is all about stability. The goal is to be able for all users of the Android OS to be able to take advantage of a method to run their applications from a secure digital card.

But just because the Darktremor Apps2SD is all about stability, doesn't mean it isn't packed with features:

- Move applications (both free and paid) to the Secure Digital card.
- Move Dalvik Cache to run either from your Secure Digital card or from your cache partition and clears the cache on demand.
- Boot Loop Protection: prevents the phone from boot looping in the event the SD card could not be mounted.
- Dalvik JIT for faster performance on Roms which support it.
- User selectable sizes for the Dalvik heap sizes, allowing a user to freely optimize their system.
- Activate a swap partition on your SD card and sets how often the swap partition is utilized.
- Automatically fixes configuration issues.
- Users can check the free space on their SD card and check the installation to make sure all is setup correctly.
- Runs ZipAlign on demand...this makes your programs load faster.
- Built in help system for easy reference of commands.
- All features can also be reversed without repartitioning your Secure Digital card.
- New logging features assists in troubleshooting issues.
- Commands to set the Low Memory Killer feature at boot time. Great for those people who are the "set it and forget it" type.
- And more...

Darktremor Apps2SD is not the same as Froyo Apps2SD. Froyo Apps2SD creates a secure folder on the FAT32 section of your SD card (this is the section that you see when you mount your phone to your computer) and stores the programs there. This is nice as you don't have to do anything special with the phone, but it isn't backwards compatible with older versions of Android (Cupcake, Donut, Eclair) and, because of the way Froyo works, older programs not designed for Froyo will automatically stay on your internal storage (unless you install a program that forces the move to your SD card).

Darktremor Apps2SD takes a different approach. Based on the original CyanogenMod works, Darktremor Apps2SD uses symbolic linking to force Android into moving your applications to the SD card. Because Android will not allow anything to be ran from the FAT32 partition on your SD card (and, in Froyo, it will only allow you to run programs from a special folder), Darktremor utilizes filesystems called EXT2, EXT3 and EXT4. Each one of these filesystems is native to Linux (the operating system running Android), which allows you to run programs from them (same as, say, a computer running Ubuntu). This method is completely compatible with all versions of Android, including Froyo. In fact, you can run both the Darktremor Apps2SD and Froyo Apps2SD at the same time.

Check out the list of Roms that either have Darktremor Apps2SD installed or are compatible with Darktremor Apps2SD. Click on the link labeled ROM List at the top of this message.
 
Last edited:

KCRic

Senior Member
Aug 4, 2010
1,230
268
Overland Park
What?! Thanks darktremor, used this with my slide, will be testing and update this post asap with feedback.

Just curious though, is this meant for froyo based roms or should it work with gingerbread also?... guess I could test and see. Also do we still need to used the 'a2sd reinstall' and 'a2sd cachesd' commands to install it?

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
 

stevencpoynter

Senior Member
Sep 19, 2010
363
21
I can't get it to work on CM7 nightly 11 ( That I know of).

Used Clockworkmod to set up the ext partition (which doesn't specify which filesystem so i'm guessing either ext2 or ext3); set partition to 512mb and swap to 0mb.

Card partitioned successfully according to CWM; upon flashing the app2sd.zip the installation goes through all steps and posts that the install was successful even though the little check box by install successful is the only one that is starred. I noticed that during the install the script mounts /system and /data to write to them...not sure if that is affected by GB. I thought I read somewhere that this script was designed to check for ext4.

Hell, idk lol. I nandroided and went for it, these are my findings.

scratch that, there's a part two i missed that involves command line functions in the terminal emulator app. It looks like it's working to me.

Edit2: From what ive moved to /sd-ext so far everything seems to be working. Moved my apps, app data, dalvik cache and /data/data.

So far I havent experienced any data loss when moving /data/data.
 
Last edited:

tkirton

Senior Member
Jul 13, 2009
2,044
224
50
Katy Texas
www.darktremor.info
There's no reason it shouldn't work with Gingerbread, other than the usual suspect of the rom doesn't launch scripts at boot or doesn't have EXT support.

As for the commands, you shouldn't have to rerun those commands if you are upgrading.

What?! Thanks darktremor, used this with my slide, will be testing and update this post asap with feedback.

Just curious though, is this meant for froyo based roms or should it work with gingerbread also?... guess I could test and see. Also do we still need to used the 'a2sd reinstall' and 'a2sd cachesd' commands to install it?

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
 

stevencpoynter

Senior Member
Sep 19, 2010
363
21
I can honestly say that so far everything seems to be working well on my end. Dropped ~100megs of internal space usage and sent it to the sd.

The phone does seem a bit snappier, does this style of app2sd stress the card more than usual?
 
Mar 9, 2010
18
1
hmm.

I'm running cm 7 nightly 11, set 512mb, 0mb swap and I think I got everything right. Strangely enough, I keep getting reboots every time i run a command in terminal.
edit: a2sd command*
 
Last edited:

joemm

Senior Member
SWEEET..........

I too can confirm that this works with CM7 Nightly "Gingerbread" sweet, installed the zip file from recovery, QUICK NOTE: Had to mount /system and mount /data in recovery before installing the zip file from sdcard. This is great apps2ext that works with any rom. Now in my titanium back ups it shows three seperate storge locations: internal, SD card and SDCard(a2sd) plus it restored apps I previously had on my ext.2 partition from when I was running Enoms Rom....sweeeeeet.

Also dont forget to run the command in adb shell:

Code:
/system/bin/a2sd cachesd

if you want to move dalvik cache to sd.:D

UPDATE: internal memory free reads out of 1.37GB Avail. there is 1.28GB FREE and Ive got 77 apps installed right now and about too install a lot more..........:D

FYI im runnning a 16gb class 10 sd card with a 1024mb ext.2 partition
 
Last edited:
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tkirton

Senior Member
Jul 13, 2009
2,044
224
50
Katy Texas
www.darktremor.info
Most of the code is similar to the previous version. I think the snappiness may be that your SD card is faster than internal storage.

I can honestly say that so far everything seems to be working well on my end. Dropped ~100megs of internal space usage and sent it to the sd.

The phone does seem a bit snappier, does this style of app2sd stress the card more than usual?
 

KCRic

Senior Member
Aug 4, 2010
1,230
268
Overland Park
Just so everyone knows (may want to add this to the OP;) you know, so you don't get a million ?'s) these are the commands you HAVE to enter after flashing it in recovery.
Code:
su [ENTER]
cd /system/bin [ENTER]
sh a2sd cachesd [ENTER]
Your phone will reboot and will take a bit to complete - be patient because it's moving all your apps and the dalvik cache.

Notes: Your memory will still drop (not by much) over time because the apps will still store cached memory on the phone. To deal with this use the 'datasd' command to move that info to the sdcard also. Also, use the 'a2sd help' command to find all the functions you can perform with this. If you've used this before then all of this is irrelevant:D
 

joemm

Senior Member
Was so excited about this , It worked perfectly on CM7 nightly builds but when I went to update the Nightly build from 11 to 12, problems, keep getting reboot, since all my apps including titanium were on EXT, I could not access them, so the modification didn't stick from build to build, had to full data wipe, so I guess I'll be coming back to this when CM7 stable is realeased.
 
Last edited:
Mar 9, 2010
18
1
Yah I did. It's a beta on a nightly rom...I'm not surprised that something would be weird. I know it worked sending my dalvik cache to sd for sure, but as far as my apps being reinstalled on sd..im not sure. I followed the directions to the t and i know i didnt skip steps cause i used to use this on my nexus one
 
Mar 9, 2010
18
1
Was so excited about this , It worked perfectly on CM7 nightly builds but when I went to update the Nightly build from 11 to 12, problems, keep getting reboot, since all my apps including titanium were on EXT, I could not access them, so the modification didn't stick from build to build, had to full data wipe, so I guess I'll be coming back to this when CM7 stable is realeased.
You may have to remove the script in terminal, reinstall the rom than rerun the zip script. I think that should work if you want to keep using this on nightlies
 

tkirton

Senior Member
Jul 13, 2009
2,044
224
50
Katy Texas
www.darktremor.info
If you change roms (including moving between different nightly builds), you will need to reflash Darktremor.

The only time you don't have to do that is if Darktremor is already added on the rom you are loading. Since CM7 doesn't have Darktremor installed as part of its package, you'll have to reflash each time you change nightly builds.
If you still don't have access to your programs, type a2sd reinstall

My apologies.

You may have to remove the script in terminal, reinstall the rom than rerun the zip script. I think that should work if you want to keep using this on nightlies
 

fajarep

Senior Member
Jan 16, 2010
457
462
Jakarta
after several days nothing new in this android development section, today i saw something new here, keep your good work, gonna try it when i get home :)
 

KCRic

Senior Member
Aug 4, 2010
1,230
268
Overland Park
For me it seems that it doesn't stick. I tried it with cm7, flashed it in recovery and when I booted up to run the commands in terminal they weren't there. No a2sd at all. Guess I could shove all in the ROM prior to flashing and see if that works.
 

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  • 4
    Introducing...
    Darktremor Apps2SD 2.7.5.3 Beta 04
    Date of Release: January 29, 2011

    Download Current Version

    Instructions - Change Log - Commands - ROM List - Developer's Guide
    Darktremor Apps2SD Fan Page ---- Darktremor Apps2SD Development Group

    Are you installing Darktremor Apps2SD on your phone? Here are the instructions to help you: Facebook
    Are you a developer wanting to include Darktremor Apps2SD in your latest ROM? Here is the Developer Guide: Facebook
    Update on Beta 4
    It seems I'm getting mixed results with these betas. I'm not sure why this is occurring, some people have been able to get this working right while others have had a hard time with it.

    Currently, I'm rebuilding the entire program. This takes a while because I have to figure out how to pack all these options into the program but make it small enough to where it will run correctly.

    I will say that some of the beta features are coming back out...one of them is the search for a partition code. I suspect that code may be leading me into issues with certain platforms, so I'm going back to the 2.7.5.2 method of mounting (mmcblk0p2 or mmcblk1p2).

    Also, parts of the code will use Busybox Ash (the only code that won't will be starta2sd, which will still use Bash for the time being). The startup code will definitely use Busybox Ash.

    Until then, here are the links to the the last two betas and the last official release:

    Version 2.7.5.3 Beta 04 - http://www.darktremor.info/files/a2sd/dtapps2sd-2.7.5.3-beta04-signed.zip
    Version 2.7.5.3 Beta 03 - http://www.darktremor.info/files/a2sd/dtapps2sd-2.7.5.3-beta03-signed.zip
    Version 2.7.5.2-1 - http://www.darktremor.info/files/a2sd/dtapps2sd-2.7.5.2-1-signed.zip

    And, if you want past versions, you can view the repository: ftp://dtuser:Darktremor1@ftp.darktremor.info (ignore the smiley face...that's XDA doing that.)
    Beta 04 took longer than I expected to release. I have done major changes to the code:

    1. New commands: convert-ext4 - This will convert your EXT3 partition into EXT4. Just a friendly reminder on this command: Not every rom supports EXT4, so it is possible to go into a boot loop if you switch roms. Use with caution.

    2. Reworked convert-ext3 (convert-ext4 gets similar code)...now a flag file is set before the reboot (no conversion is done before the reboot). At load time, the conversion is performed. This takes longer in the reboot process and you may think your phone has locked up...wait about five minutes before doing anything with the phone.

    3. Repair is rebuilt...now it uses existing commands to repair the setup (reinstall, remove, cachesd, cachepart, nocache, datasd, nodata). Definitely shrinks the code.

    4. Added fix_permissions program to the package. This may help with Superuser issues when using the datasd feature. It is used in reinstall, remove, datasd and nodata.

    5. a2sd install is back!!! Both a2sd install and a2sd reinstall do the exact same thing.

    6. Dalvik heap code has been shrunk and now creates a file called dalvikheap. Actually, the code has been doing this all along (since about 2.7.5.2, I think), but I never put the code in to use the file.

    7. Low Memory Killer code has also been shrunk and uses a file caled dtset_lowmem to set the low memory killer parameter.

    8. Replaced Busybox PS function with Toolbox PS. The issue with Busybox PS is that it gives a false reading when I look for android.process.acore (which is the main program when the GUI starts up). If that is present, the program thinks you are trying to run Darktremor without any command line parameters. This was because Busybox would report the process was there when, in reality, it wasn't (validated this when my phone was boot looping.) Toolbox's PS reports the correct setting. This should fix the bootlooping issues some people are experiencing.

    9. New commands: usedtbusybox and usedefaultbusybox - these commands may help in diagnosing issues that is may be related to the native Busybox on your rom. a2sd usedtbusybox will use the Busybox that is packaged with Darktremor. a2sd usedefaultbusybox will turn back on the scan behavior of the program introduced in Beta 03.

    10. Support for Darktremor Apps2SD version 2.7 and earlier has been discontinued. To upgrade correctly from one of those versions, use version 2.7.5.3 Beta 03b or earlier.

    11. Finally fixed stalled boot issues (or at least my tests with several roms says so.)

    See the change log for additional details.

    You will notice that if the program runs repair and finds a problem, it will correct the issue and reboot. You will see a second reboot when the dalvik-cache clears (this is to fix timing issues with CyanogenMod...I can't control that startup as well as I can other roms). This only happens if repair is ran or you flash a new rom (as repair will realign all data). If you are upgrading from a previous version of Darktremor, you should not see the reboots.
    This is Darktremor Apps2SD, a multipurpose program that primarily allows a user to execute applications created for the Android OS on their Secure Digital card (with the proper setup...more on that later). But, Darktremor Apps2SD is all about stability. The goal is to be able for all users of the Android OS to be able to take advantage of a method to run their applications from a secure digital card.

    But just because the Darktremor Apps2SD is all about stability, doesn't mean it isn't packed with features:

    - Move applications (both free and paid) to the Secure Digital card.
    - Move Dalvik Cache to run either from your Secure Digital card or from your cache partition and clears the cache on demand.
    - Boot Loop Protection: prevents the phone from boot looping in the event the SD card could not be mounted.
    - Dalvik JIT for faster performance on Roms which support it.
    - User selectable sizes for the Dalvik heap sizes, allowing a user to freely optimize their system.
    - Activate a swap partition on your SD card and sets how often the swap partition is utilized.
    - Automatically fixes configuration issues.
    - Users can check the free space on their SD card and check the installation to make sure all is setup correctly.
    - Runs ZipAlign on demand...this makes your programs load faster.
    - Built in help system for easy reference of commands.
    - All features can also be reversed without repartitioning your Secure Digital card.
    - New logging features assists in troubleshooting issues.
    - Commands to set the Low Memory Killer feature at boot time. Great for those people who are the "set it and forget it" type.
    - And more...

    Darktremor Apps2SD is not the same as Froyo Apps2SD. Froyo Apps2SD creates a secure folder on the FAT32 section of your SD card (this is the section that you see when you mount your phone to your computer) and stores the programs there. This is nice as you don't have to do anything special with the phone, but it isn't backwards compatible with older versions of Android (Cupcake, Donut, Eclair) and, because of the way Froyo works, older programs not designed for Froyo will automatically stay on your internal storage (unless you install a program that forces the move to your SD card).

    Darktremor Apps2SD takes a different approach. Based on the original CyanogenMod works, Darktremor Apps2SD uses symbolic linking to force Android into moving your applications to the SD card. Because Android will not allow anything to be ran from the FAT32 partition on your SD card (and, in Froyo, it will only allow you to run programs from a special folder), Darktremor utilizes filesystems called EXT2, EXT3 and EXT4. Each one of these filesystems is native to Linux (the operating system running Android), which allows you to run programs from them (same as, say, a computer running Ubuntu). This method is completely compatible with all versions of Android, including Froyo. In fact, you can run both the Darktremor Apps2SD and Froyo Apps2SD at the same time.

    Check out the list of Roms that either have Darktremor Apps2SD installed or are compatible with Darktremor Apps2SD. Click on the link labeled ROM List at the top of this message.
    1
    SWEEET..........

    I too can confirm that this works with CM7 Nightly "Gingerbread" sweet, installed the zip file from recovery, QUICK NOTE: Had to mount /system and mount /data in recovery before installing the zip file from sdcard. This is great apps2ext that works with any rom. Now in my titanium back ups it shows three seperate storge locations: internal, SD card and SDCard(a2sd) plus it restored apps I previously had on my ext.2 partition from when I was running Enoms Rom....sweeeeeet.

    Also dont forget to run the command in adb shell:

    Code:
    /system/bin/a2sd cachesd

    if you want to move dalvik cache to sd.:D

    UPDATE: internal memory free reads out of 1.37GB Avail. there is 1.28GB FREE and Ive got 77 apps installed right now and about too install a lot more..........:D

    FYI im runnning a 16gb class 10 sd card with a 1024mb ext.2 partition