Reclaiming flash space
Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 11:02 pm
What are all the flash partitions for?
cat /proc/mtd
dev: size erasesize name
mtd0: 00030000 00010000 "u-boot" # 192 KB
mtd1: 00010000 00010000 "u-boot-env" # 64 KB
mtd2: 00010000 00010000 "factory" # 64 KB
mtd3: 007b0000 00010000 "firmware" # 7.8 MB
mtd4: 00117dae 00010000 "kernel" # 1.1 MB
mtd5: 00698252 00010000 "rootfs" # 6.7 MB
mtd6: 00120000 00010000 "rootfs_data" # 1.1 MB
I can understand the bootloader and its setting, the factory settings,
kernel, and rootfs related partitions, but what is this "firmware" that
seems to eat up nearly half the space on the flash?
Where I come from, a computer needs a bootloader to boot a kernel and
rootfs to hold the user land. I do not understand what the "firmware"
could possibly be needed for.
Can I reclaim the "firmware" partition and format it as a filesystem?
Are there any other ways to make more space for user programs? I do not
want to use SD card or USB flash. I recon 16MB of built-in flash should
be plenty enough to run a Linux computer.
--Sampo
cat /proc/mtd
dev: size erasesize name
mtd0: 00030000 00010000 "u-boot" # 192 KB
mtd1: 00010000 00010000 "u-boot-env" # 64 KB
mtd2: 00010000 00010000 "factory" # 64 KB
mtd3: 007b0000 00010000 "firmware" # 7.8 MB
mtd4: 00117dae 00010000 "kernel" # 1.1 MB
mtd5: 00698252 00010000 "rootfs" # 6.7 MB
mtd6: 00120000 00010000 "rootfs_data" # 1.1 MB
I can understand the bootloader and its setting, the factory settings,
kernel, and rootfs related partitions, but what is this "firmware" that
seems to eat up nearly half the space on the flash?
Where I come from, a computer needs a bootloader to boot a kernel and
rootfs to hold the user land. I do not understand what the "firmware"
could possibly be needed for.
Can I reclaim the "firmware" partition and format it as a filesystem?
Are there any other ways to make more space for user programs? I do not
want to use SD card or USB flash. I recon 16MB of built-in flash should
be plenty enough to run a Linux computer.
--Sampo