21/Dec 1.91 - Teknologist kernel with tun.ko, ext4, cifs, and compache ramzswap for GSM Hero

[Guest BTJ]

Any reason to switch from ext3 to ext4? Is it faster? How much faster?

BTJ

[Guest teknologist]

For some reason Dropbear stopped working after installing 1.6. I know it worked before, because I used SCP to copy Teknologist 1.6 to my phone. Now it just gives me "connection refused" with the exact same command that worked before. Maybe you overwrote some startup script? I tried running it manually with

su

cd /usr/xbin (just to make sure I'm executing the right one)

./dropbear -A -N root -U 0 -G 0 -C mypassword -p 2222

And it doesn't complain, but Dropbear isn't running either. The hero has no pipe sign that I can find, so even ps | grep dropbear can't be entered.

killall dropbear always gives me "no processes killed", so evidently it's never running.

There's no /var/log, so I don't know where to look for errors and having the limited text entering capabilities of the Hero, it's hard to test stuff out like you would on a normal Unix, Linux or such...

EDIT: Got it working by running /system/bin/dropbear.sh by hand. Apparently something changed and that has now got to be run by hand. I'll check out userinit later. But on another note: My phone spontaneously rebooted a while ago while entering ./dropbear.sh in a terminal. Don't know if the system is unstable, but will keep an eye on it.

-J

Hi can confir, you are right...seems I may have killed the Bear ! (no pun intended)

I'll have a look into it...and keep you guys posted.

I am releasing too much, too fast...maybe I need to slow down...

[Guest arielext]

This kernel is ACE! The whole phone is so much smoother; can these optimalisations make it into the mcr?

Keep it up!

[Guest kendon]

Hi can confir, you are right...seems I may have killed the Bear ! (no pun intended)

I'll have a look into it...and keep you guys posted.

I am releasing too much, too fast...maybe I need to slow down...

well you should mark this thread as DEV or EXPERIMENTAL, as i have no doubt that the next mcr will contain a stable version of your kernel :D

so everybody willing to test and debug can get the bleeding edge stuff here, you know they (we) want it :P

btw, dropbear not working here either.

[Guest milko9000]

have I gone mad or is the link to the update file now missing?

[Guest teknologist]

have I gone mad or is the link to the update file now missing?

Was uploading the new version. This might be the last i release as it seems everything is working great and faaaaast!

I don't consider this to be experimental, considering the growing user base and their overall satisfaction.

If it's stable for me, it should be for you ! ;-)

Apart from the dropbear ssh bug, there haven't been many issues. Read the topic and Paul's topic on MCR 2.8 (where it all started last week) and you'll se for yourselves.. ;-)

Enjoy everyone, I really think with 1.7, This is it! (again, no pun intended ;-)

[Guest dlzerocool]

If you want to do a convert from ext 3 to ext 4 here is a simple way

(under linux)

plug your Hero using usb cable.

mount usb

look at your computer /dev/sdb2 or something like that your mounted sdcard ( type mount to see what is mounted ) (normaly you have a fat32 and an ext3 partition, we whant the ext3 !)

(make sure /dev/..... is your phone and not your hard drives ! you shouldn't be alowed anyway to tune2fs mounted disks.)

then just do

sudo tune2fs -O extents,uninit_bg,dir_index /dev/DEV (sdb2 in my case)

sudo e2fsck -fpDC0 /dev/DEV (sdb2 in my case) (without -fpDC0 if you have problems)

on the hero unmount sdcard

it's done :D

Edited October 30, 2009 by dlzerocool

[Guest teknologist]

If you want to do a convert from ext 3 to ext 4 here is a simple way

(under linux)

plug your Hero using usb cable.

mount usb

look at your computer /dev/sdb2 or something like that your mounted sdcard ( type mount to see what is mounted ) (normaly you have a fat32 and an ext3 partition, we whant the ext3 !)

(make sure /dev/..... is your phone and not your hard drives ! you shouldn't be alowed anyway to tune2fs mounted disks.)

then just do

sudo tune2fs -O extents,uninit_bg,dir_index /dev/DEV (sdb2 in my case)

sudo e2fsck -fpDC0 /dev/DEV (sdb2 in my case) (without -fpDC0 if you have problems)

on the hero unmount sdcard

it's done :D

Yes! well done!

I would just add:

1) if you don't have Linux installed, boot off an Ubuntu Karmic LiveCD (released today and supports ext4 very well!)

2) I would *STRONGLY* recommend doing this while in RA-Hero-1.2.3 recovery menu (the partition is mounted by a2sd in android ! ). First activate USB storage, if its mounted automatically by ubuntu, unmount first (right clik on desktop and Unmount, be careful, do not Eject), then do the thing as explained by dlzerocool, turn off usb storage on RA-Hero-1.2.3 recovery menu and reboot!

[EDIT] seems you can mount A2SD partition while android is running..weird though. My bad. Anyway I feel more secure with the "in Recovery menu method"

3) you may also want to backup everything before you do this by mounting the a2sd partition in ubuntu:

mount /dev/sdbX /somedirectory

then back it up with:

tar czvf backupA2SD.tgz /somedirectory

That way, if something goes wrong you have a backup..and will avoid reinstalling all your apps...isn't that sweet ?

Enjoy !

Edited October 30, 2009 by teknologist

[Guest masterpfa]

Was uploading the new version. This might be the last i release as it seems everything is working great and faaaaast!

I don't consider this to be experimental, considering the growing user base and their overall satisfaction.

If it's stable for me, it should be for you ! ;-)

Apart from the dropbear ssh bug, there haven't been many issues. Read the topic and Paul's topic on MCR 2.8 (where it all started last week) and you'll se for yourselves.. ;-)

Enjoy everyone, I really think with 1.7, This is it! (again, no pun intended ;-)

Thanks @Teknologist

Great work and simple too. I had Paul's MCR 2.8 already just added your 1.7 as an update zip, worked first time and like a dream

Phone is so smooth now together a my Hero runs so smooth.

Next ext3 to ext4 but might leave that to normal day hours already falling asleep at 03:45 in the morn

Not too bad for a noob only on Android for around a month.. :D

[Guest Shahz]

Kernel 1.6 is superb! Transitions and performance has never been smoother! I don't think I will use dropbear ssh, so I'm sticking to v1.6 for now until Teck releases his next version :D

Hopefully the next version will be even more enhanced (maybe combined with MCR2.9 ROM maybe? - hope Paul's workin on it :P )

[Guest wusui]

hi there guys! i'm on MCR 2.6 and thinking of getting on MCR 2.8 and then applying tecknologist's kernel.. what i need to know is if my apps will stay installed and run-able because i don't want to install 100+ apps again!! Can anyone confirm that going from 2.6->2.8+applying 1.4 kernel will not "kill" my apps?! Also i have to mention that my sd card is formatted as stated in amon ra's recovery: space+swap+ext3

I have a similar setup , FAt32 + ext3 (APP2SD)+ swap. upgrade from MCR 2.51 to MCR 2.8 (no wipe) + Tenologist 1.4 . all installed application can be used wthout problem. no worry.

[Guest Shahz]

If you want to do a convert from ext 3 to ext 4 here is a simple way

(under linux)

plug your Hero using usb cable.

mount usb

look at your computer /dev/sdb2 or something like that your mounted sdcard ( type mount to see what is mounted ) (normaly you have a fat32 and an ext3 partition, we whant the ext3 !)

(make sure /dev/..... is your phone and not your hard drives ! you shouldn't be alowed anyway to tune2fs mounted disks.)

then just do

sudo tune2fs -O extents,uninit_bg,dir_index /dev/DEV (sdb2 in my case)

sudo e2fsck -fpDC0 /dev/DEV (sdb2 in my case) (without -fpDC0 if you have problems)

on the hero unmount sdcard

it's done :P

or you can use the code I supplied in my previous short tutorial:

p2 refers to the second partition of the mmcblk0 (the memory card) :D

ext3 -> ext4:

tune2fs -O extents,uninit_bg,dir_index /dev/block/mmcblk0p2

After that, type the following string:

e2fsck -fpDC0 /dev/block/mmcblk0p2

[Guest wusui]

I had a question for A2SD partition , why we don't use JFFS2/YAFFS2/UBIFS file system considering the nature of flash memory for TF card ? what's the benefit to use ext3/ext4 ?

is it the limitation of Android OS or APP2SD ?

[Guest Shahz]

I had a question for A2SD partition , why we don't use JFFS2/YAFFS2/UBIFS file system considering the nature of flash memory for TF card ? what's the benefit to use ext3/ext4 ?

is it the limitation of Android OS or APP2SD ?

Good question actually..Teknologist might have an answer to this (or maybe we can start playing with new FS now? :D )

[Guest Loxley]

I had a question for A2SD partition , why we don't use JFFS2/YAFFS2/UBIFS file system considering the nature of flash memory for TF card ? what's the benefit to use ext3/ext4 ?

is it the limitation of Android OS or APP2SD ?

Because we don't need to. The cards controller takes care of the flash by using techniques like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wear_levelling. Jffs et al. are for filesystems that access the flash directly like the ones on the Hero itself.

HTH

Niki (<- Using Ext2, no need for journalling on a device that doesn't crash.)

[Guest GodsDevil]

pssstt..why don't you use Market Enabler? ;) Works for me~ :P

Get it here

Did try it...doesn't work for me :D

[Guest teknologist]

Hi everyone,

I see people posting "I'll wait for next release, for more enhancements".

Just to make it clear: If this release is stable and no bugs are reported (as it seems so far, and I am pretty convinced this will be the case), it will be my final release and this is due to the following:

1) I don't think there's much more to do on config optimization without the risk of deviating too much from HTC's specs (ie break some of the device's functionality)

2) Now that we know Android 2.0 for Hero is at the door, why would we spend more time on this ?

3) Isn't the thing already fast using Paul's excellent MCR2.8 and v1.7 of my kernel config with compcache ?

Feel free to comment, and may the force be with your Hero's ;-)

Cheers,

--Eric

PS: as per filesystem options on sdcard for A2SD, if you want to know which ones ar supported in my kernel config: ./adb shell cat /proc/filesystems

Feel free to use whatever you want. I don't have recommendations. I use ext4 and I am happy.

Edited October 30, 2009 by teknologist

[Guest Higgsy]

Hi everyone,

I see people posting "I'll wait for next release, for more enhancements".

Just to make it clear: If this release is stable and no bugs are reported (as it seems so far, and I am pretty convinced this will be the case), it will be my final release and this is due to the following:

1) I don't think there's much more to do on config optimization without the risk of deviating too much from HTC's specs (ie break some of the device's functionality)

2) Now that we know Android 2.0 for Hero is at the door, why would we spend more time on this ?

3) Isn't the thing already fast using Paul's excellent MCR2.8 and v1.7 of my kernel config with compcache ?

Feel free to comment, and may the force be with your Hero's ;-)

Cheers,

--Eric

PS: as per filesystem options on sdcard for A2SD, if you want to know which ones ar supported in my kernel config: ./adb shell cat /proc/filesystems

Feel free to use whatever you want. I don't have recommendations. I use ext4 and I am happy.

This is sweet for me - phone is like a rocket and i see no bugs in how i use the phone. Teknologist has put some fine/hard work into this over the past week, and has released very fast and fixed bugs reported within hours, I am in awe at this really lol.

I think the final thing that needs doing here is a final ROM from Paul that integrates Tek's Kernel, in which hopefully Paul will look at integrating bluetooth file transfer patches etc.

I agree that now we know that the hero will get Android 2.0, and we have 1.5 working so well, it seems silly to continue developing what in a month or 2 will be defunct. Save yourselves and your time for 2.0!

I will miss the excitement of seeing a new release and installing it and checking out the speed, then again 3 releases in a day it far too much excitement! Besides Tek needs to get a good nights sleep lol.

[Guest kendon]

this is just ridiculous... i flashed 1.7 over 1.6, and sitting here at my desk i had nothing better to do than stare at my hero while booting. (after applying 1.6 yesterday i went for a smoke while the hero booted...) so there was me, wondering "uh i reactivated the bootsounds, forgot about that, nice...", and the next moment the lockscreen was already there. i thought "man that was quick", and in the next moment i was already wondering about the 4 bars of reception. not the strength, but the fact that the phone was already attached to the network! took a few seconds before. and then i pulled down the lockscreen and was presented with my homescreen, _not_ my background and the "please wait" msg. i think you are right tek, this seems to be it, this is lightning fast. gonna take the time now from start to loaded home, as i know it took quite exactly 2 minutes before... great work done here :D

edit: 1:30 for a fully loaded homescreen (3g network activity after ~1:20), another 10 secs till the phone is fully operational without noticable lags. insane :P

Edited October 30, 2009 by kendon

[Guest Higgsy]

edit: 1:30 for a fully loaded homescreen (3g network activity after ~1:20), another 10 secs till the phone is fully operational without noticable lags. insane :D

Exactly the same timings here mate lol

[Guest wabe]

Updated without any problems! Does not notice any big improvements yet but everything runs fine. One problem though:

- Tried to follow advice to remove "swapper" but this seems impossible. No uninstall option anywhere. How can I get rid of this app?

- I have disabled swapper but it still seems to be in use

[Guest chuti98]

My phone run smooth now even keyboard not feel much lag like before and i also set spare part to make it fast for move the page. Thanks Great job :D

[Guest khunjj]

Have gone through five pages and found many interesting ways to update to this kernal. BTW, can someone please provide the proper detail of steps to do this? .. most useful for all noob.. I am thinking that the steps should be as followings (but need linux expert to provide how to command)

1. How to back up SD memory (FAT, EXT3, and linux swap)

2. Update Tek kernal

3. Repartition SD to have EXT4

4. How to restore SD memory

Thanks for the help,

[Guest kwiksand]

I've just read the first post again, may install this kernel this afternoon. Is swapper just not required anymore, or would it break having it enabled still?

[Guest kendon]

Have gone through five pages and found many interesting ways to update to this kernal. BTW, can someone please provide the proper detail of steps to do this? .. most useful for all noob.. I am thinking that the steps should be as followings (but need linux expert to provide how to command)

1. How to back up SD memory (FAT, EXT3, and linux swap)

2. Update Tek kernal

3. Repartition SD to have EXT4

4. How to restore SD memory

Thanks for the help,

so you are not willing to read the post #83 by teknologist in this thread? there is explained how to backup your stuff, just do accordingly for your sdcard. how to update the tek kernel is described in the very first post, converting the sdcard to ext4 is also described in post #83, and for the restore just extract the tar.gz you created earlier to the according partitions on your sdcard.

you will need to read and learn, and it is quite a lot to learn. if you have specific questions they will be answered, but i have serious doubts that someone here will do the reading AND thinking for you.

btw, you cannot backup swap partitions. and even if you could it would make no sense at all.