Hacking Can we please get universal sector size support?

[crwys]

This was being discussed here, but it seems to be forgotten
http://gbatemp.net/topic/306410-adding-%26gt%3B-2tb-support-to-wiimc/

As some people know if you try using your Wii with an external hard drive that is 2tb or bigger it will crash with a code dump on any homebrew. So far the only homebrew that will work is CFG Loader and USB Loader GX. This is because they use CIOS and it supports these hard drives.
So can libext2fs please fix this or can developers add support for CIOS in their programs.
http://code.google.com/p/libext2fs-wii/issues/list?thanks=2&ts=1314226728

It would really be appreciated if this can be done. Thank you.

 

[PsyBlade]

Why do you even use ext2 on a wii?
Not that it is a bad filesystem, I used improved versions (3 and 4) for years.
But I don't think many people use it on their wiis.

 

[crwys]

I don't I use Fat32.
I was told that NTFS supports sector sizes greater than 512, so I tried formatting my drive but it sitll crashes.
Formatting it to Fat32 does the same thing, crashes, with the same error.
So far my drive only works on the USB Loaders.
At first I thought it was a WiiMC bug, as mentioned here:
http://gbatemp.net/topic/306410-adding-%26gt%3B-2tb-support-to-wiimc/
Read just the first post it has some good information.
But I was told its an actual liblog bug or whatever, and that is true because my drive crashes all homebrew with the same error.
After reporting the bug at libntfs-wii google source code, I was told it supports sector sizes greater than 512 so it couldn't be the problem.
So then after all this talking it seemed the problem had to do with libext2-fs and the developer said he would create a fix for it, but hasn't yet.

 

[PsyBlade]

From what I can gather from your links libext2-wii does not support big sectors and its aparantly not going to change soon.
Support would certanly be nice but what I still can't see is why this is a problem for you.
Or do you use ext2/3/4 without mentioning it? Or do you want to use it?

 

[tueidj]

The problem is WiiMC probes all unknown partitions to try and mount them.

 

[PsyBlade]

Then simply adding a check to wiimc to not try to mount big sector drives as ext2 should solve the problem.
Returnig proper errors in libext2fs-wii would certanly be nicer (if it does not already does) but everything better then crashing.
If a lib really is prone to crashing, I would even probe magic myself before using it.

 

[tueidj]

The app doesn't know the drive uses big sectors, just like libext2fs doesn't know.

 

[crwys]

To avoid further confusion:
I am trying to get a 2.5tb Hard Drive with 4kb sectors to work on the Wii formatted as Fat32 or NTFS.
I hope to see it supported soon.
Isn't ext2 also fat?
Or wait thats a linux partition?

I don't understand why it was so easy to add support on CIOS for 4kb sectors but for libext2-fs, or whatever is causing it, is harder?

 

[tueidj]

Correction: You are trying to get it to work in WiiMC. Your first post says "any homebrew" but most things made within the last 6 months will work fine.

I told you before, that cios stuff is completely irrelevant. Libogc has the same capabilities to access large sector drives and an app using a cios to access the HDD would still crash in libext2fs.

 

[crwys]

Well I have 2 hard drives, I want to use my 2.5tb hard drive for everything on my Wii. Such as VBAGX, FCueGX, SNESGX, Wii64, WiiSX, basically all my homebrew. But I can't do this becase they are all crashing... Any homebrew app crashes when my drive is plugged in besides CFG and USBGX..

"and an app using a cios to access the HDD would still crash in libext2fs."
I don't understand this.

 

[tueidj]

Wii64 and WiiSX haven't been updated in over a year, the *GX apps haven't been updated since May. Go find someone to compile fresh builds.

 

[crwys]

Wii64 and WiiSX haven't been updated in over a year, the *GX apps haven't been updated since May. Go find someone to compile fresh builds.

I have no problem compiling things my self if the option is available.
Can you tell me a program that should work and I will test it?

 

[PsyBlade]

Isn't ext2 also fat? Or wait thats a linux partition?
I don't understand why it was so easy to add support on CIOS for 4kb sectors but for libext2-fs, or whatever is causing it, is harder?

No ext2 is not fat. It is a another filesystem like fat and ntfs, mostly used by linux.
Adding support to it is harder because be original lib that was ported to the wii did not support big sectors.
I expect that this is fixed in new versions but porting the changes to the wii might be a lot of work.

"and an app using a cios to access the HDD would still crash in libext2fs."
I don't understand this.

He means that both access methods hand over the data just fine.
But the lib simply can't understand big sectors, no matter where they come form.


If you want to see if fixing libext2fs-wii would even help, try removing the respective mount call from wiimc or whatever programs you use.

 

[caaraa]

From what I can gather from your links libext2-wii does not support big sectors and its aparantly not going to change soon.

 

[crwys]

Isn't ext2 also fat? Or wait thats a linux partition?
I don't understand why it was so easy to add support on CIOS for 4kb sectors but for libext2-fs, or whatever is causing it, is harder?

No ext2 is not fat. It is a another filesystem like fat and ntfs, mostly used by linux.
Adding support to it is harder because be original lib that was ported to the wii did not support big sectors.
I expect that this is fixed in new versions but porting the changes to the wii might be a lot of work.

"and an app using a cios to access the HDD would still crash in libext2fs."
I don't understand this.

He means that both access methods hand over the data just fine.
But the lib simply can't understand big sectors, no matter where they come form.


If you want to see if fixing libext2fs-wii would even help, try removing the respective mount call from wiimc or whatever programs you use.

How would I go about doing this?
My Drive is formatted as NTFS and it isn't detected in GeexBox but it also doesn't crash it.
But I don't think GeexBox initializes NTFS drives?

 

[PsyBlade]

[How would I go about doing this?

Look through the source and comment out the respective line.
But if you have to ask its nothing for you anyway.

 

[crwys]

[How would I go about doing this?

Look through the source and comment out the respective line.
But if you have to ask its nothing for you anyway.

Then what is? Or what can be done to fix this or to find out what is causing it?

 

[crwys]

Correction: You are trying to get it to work in WiiMC. Your first post says "any homebrew" but most things made within the last 6 months will work fine.

I told you before, that cios stuff is completely irrelevant. Libogc has the same capabilities to access large sector drives and an app using a cios to access the HDD would still crash in libext2fs.

As ignorant as I may sound....
How is cios completely irrelevant if my dirve works with Cios and not Libogc?
I'm still having a hard time understanding why its so hard to add support for the 4kb cluster size for apps that use liblogc. When it was added to the USB loaders so easy.
"cios to access the HDD would still crash in libext2fs."
What is crash in libext2fs? Can this just be removed? None of my drives use ext.

 

[PsyBlade]

Yes it does sound ignorant on so many levels.

Correlation does not imply causation.

What crash? lol! How about the one you reported.

Fucking all users of ext because you don't use it.
I don't use 4k drives so why don't we fuck you Instead.




That said I like to see this fixed too but there does not seem much interest to do it.

If there is anyone willing to do it:
The most important thing to do is to verify the location of the error.
Do as I suggested earlier and remove the ext mounting as a test to see if thats the only problem.

 

[crwys]

Yes it does sound ignorant on so many levels.

Correlation does not imply causation.

What crash? lol! How about the one you reported.

Fucking all users of ext because you don't use it.
I don't use 4k drives so why don't we fuck you Instead.




That said I like to see this fixed too but there does not seem much interest to do it.

If there is anyone willing to do it:
The most important thing to do is to verify the location of the error.
Do as I suggested earlier and remove the ext mounting as a test to see if thats the only problem.

I said "What is crash in libext2fs?" because I didn't understand specifically what he meant when he said in libext2fs. As you said your self "Do as I suggested earlier and remove the ext mounting as a test to see if thats the only problem."

I didn't mean it like that, I meant is it just possible to remove it through the source code for apps for people that don't want it and are in the same situation as me. For individuals, not make it an official change.


I don't know what you have up your ass but please get over your bitch fest before raging at me again.

[How would I go about doing this?

Look through the source and comment out the respective line.
But if you have to ask its nothing for you anyway.

I know what you mean by this, I was just wondering if there was a certain file that it would be in so I don't have to look through tons of files and tons of lines.
int a;
to comment out
// int a;
I don't know what mounting ext2fs would look like though.