Zaurus Notes - D E M E N T E D P E N G U I N . C O M

Back to main

## Add a swap partition to an SD card ##
(trust me, you want this. Performance will improve tenfold)

----NOTE----
DO NOT BUY A SAN DISK SD CARD FOR YOUR ZAURUS WITHOUT UPGRADING THE ROM!!!
Get it here:

ROM Images

If you do you will only regret it. The Zaurus does not like these cards. I recommend Lexar (check out prices on Ecost.com). I went through two San Disk cards, both of which became unusable after a few days (and unrecoverable I might add). Then I bought a Lexar (on the recommendation from another web site) and haven't had a problem since the day I got it. Now on to the point of this section.

----END NOTE----
You will need a few "tools" installed first. Things like fdisk and a shell. I'll provide a complete base list in the next few days (today is 3/26/2003). Chances are you already have this stuff installed if you're here looking to make improvements.
UPDATE - Okay, so I lied. I haven't updated the packages you need to do this like I said I would. It's because I came across a new open source image that I've been messing around with. So far it's pretty nice, you can check it out here OpenZaurus.

make sure the SD card is not mounted

   # mount

if you see it listed, then

   # umount /mnt/card

Now run these commands:
fdisk /dev/mmcda

check for existing partitions (p)
delete existing partitions (d)
create (n)

(write down the number of blocks used to create each of these)
1 data partition
1 swap partition

designate one partition as linux (default setting)(l - select 83)
designate one partition as swap (l - select 82)
write it (w)

eject card, re-insert card
unmount card again (umount /mnt/card)
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/mmcda1 bs=1024 count=[# of blocks] (from fdisk above)
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/mmcda2 bs=1024 count=[# of blocks] (from fdisk above)
mkswap /dev/mmcda1 (or /dev/mmcda2 if that's the partition you set as swap)
sync
Add to /etc/fstab:

/dev/mmcda1     none    swap    sw              0  0

then:
swapon -a

If there are ANY errors during the preceeding process, then something went wrong and it won't work. Back out any changes then try again.

This is so worth the effort. I was starting to lose faith in my precious little linux kernel running pda because it kept crashing on me all the time and was slow as hell. Once I added the swap it hasn't crashed once and it performs SO much better.

## My Zaurus Accessories ##

ITEM		MODEL/PART NUMBER
Netgear CF wireless card		MA701
Linksys CF wireless card		WCF11 (modified in an, unsuccessfull, attempt to attach a cantenna)
Lexar 128mb SD card		SD128
SanDisk 128mb SD card		0206LQ
PNY 256mb CF card		THNCF256MAA
Generic Intel chipset CF network card		98-12041-04
Generic Intel chipset CF modem card		97-12088-01
Linksys access point		WAP11
ZIO! USB SD card reader
PNY CF card reader
Spare battery		EA-BL06

## Zaurus Wish List ##

IBM 1gig micro drive		I heard they suck the battery but 1 whole gig, WHO CARES!?!
Serial cable		so I can console in to the servers at work

## Other Zaurus Links ##

OpenZaurus		Woo-hoo! A Zaurus open kernel site that provides a kernel with...wireless extensions!!!!
Zaurus Dev		This site has some really in depth documents. Things like the pinout of the 16 pin serial connector, a link to a large StrongArm pdf on Intels website (I haven't looked at it yet), detail specs for the 5000D and the 5500, etc. If you want to develop something - hardware or software - then this is a great place to start.
Linux Links		lots-o-software for the Zaurus
Handango		more software
ZaurusZone		Zaurus community, development, tips, software, etc...
MyZaurus		development, tips, software, etc...
Zaurus.loveslinux		More downloads. Set up a little like slashdot.org
Linux Journal		a good new Zaurus owner site. A lot of basics about your new toy.
mmhart.com		startup screens for the Zaurus (the Sun Microsystems one is my favorite ;) )
PocketMovies.com		Mini movies for the Zaurus (or just about any other platform)
www.aleph1.co.uk		information about ARMLinux
Invader Zim		for when you want to take a break. A funny as hell cartoon series that is no longer on the air. Nothing at all to do with Zaurus

More notes, software, and links on the way....

Main Page