notification - running low on disk space

[equk]

I've just started getting this error message after updating some apps.

Comes up in notification area "low on space" - "phone storage is getting low" when I select it, it takes me to app settings and suggests I remove apps.
I removed most of my games I had installed (about 8MB) but the notification was still there so I rebooted the phone and now it's still coming up and the phone is pretty unresponsive.

I got the phone on debug and opened a shell and here is the current state of the filesystem

df
Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
tmpfs                    82624        12     82612   0% /dev
tmpfs                     4096         0      4096   0% /sqlite_stmt_journals
/dev/stl6               200996    133660     67336  66% /system
/dev/stl5               150644    150184       460 100% /data
/dev/stl7                80576      4180     76396   5% /cache
/dev/stl10                7729       776      6953  10% /efs
/dev/bml8                 4096      4096         0 100% /xbin
/dev/block//vold/179:1
                        964336    280560    683776  29% /sdcard

/data and /xbin both seem to be full, not sure if this is normal tho

maybe the notification is just giving a false error

Some stuff from logcat

W/ApplicationContext( 2105): writeFileLocked: Got exception:
W/ApplicationContext( 2105): java.io.IOException: No space left on device
W/ApplicationContext( 2105):     at org.apache.harmony.luni.platform.OSFileSystem.writeImpl(Native Method)
W/ApplicationContext( 2105):     at org.apache.harmony.luni.platform.OSFileSystem.write(OSFileSystem.java:178)
W/ApplicationContext( 2105):     at java.io.FileOutputStream.write(FileOutputStream.java:297)
W/ApplicationContext( 2105):     at com.android.internal.util.FastXmlSerializer.flushBytes(FastXmlSerializer.java:212)
W/ApplicationContext( 2105):     at com.android.internal.util.FastXmlSerializer.flush(FastXmlSerializer.java:233)
W/ApplicationContext( 2105):     at com.android.internal.util.FastXmlSerializer.endDocument(FastXmlSerializer.java:183)
W/ApplicationContext( 2105):     at com.android.internal.util.XmlUtils.writeMapXml(XmlUtils.java:184)
W/ApplicationContext( 2105):     at android.app.ApplicationContext$SharedPreferencesImpl.writeFileLocked(ApplicationContext.java:2773)
W/ApplicationContext( 2105):     at android.app.ApplicationContext$SharedPreferencesImpl.access$800(ApplicationContext.java:2526)
W/ApplicationContext( 2105):     at android.app.ApplicationContext$SharedPreferencesImpl$EditorImpl.commit(ApplicationContext.java:2711)
W/ApplicationContext( 2105):     at com.android.mms.transaction.SmsReceiverService.handleSIMStatus(SmsReceiverService.java:653)
W/ApplicationContext( 2105):     at com.android.mms.transaction.SmsReceiverService.access$700(SmsReceiverService.java:88)
W/ApplicationContext( 2105):     at com.android.mms.transaction.SmsReceiverService$ServiceHandler.handleMessage(SmsReceiverService.java:208)
W/ApplicationContext( 2105):     at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:99)
W/ApplicationContext( 2105):     at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:123)
W/ApplicationContext( 2105):     at android.os.HandlerThread.run(HandlerThread.java:60)

---------- Post added at 03:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:11 PM ----------

hmm seems like a lot of it is from /data/dalvik-cache

du from /data/

408.0K  ./data/com.google.android.apps.genie.geniewidget
412.0K  ./dalvik-cache/system@app@DataCreate.apk@classes.dex
424.0K  ./app/com.google.zxing.client.android.apk
424.0K  ./dalvik-cache/system@framework@com.google.android.maps.jar@classes.dex
436.0K  ./app/com.google.android.apps.localdirectory.apk
440.0K  ./dalvik-cache/system@app@MediaUploader.apk@classes.dex
456.0K  ./dalvik-cache/data@app@com.google.zxing.client.android.apk@classes.dex
460.0K  ./data/jonasl.ime
480.0K  ./dalvik-cache/system@app@Contacts.apk@classes.dex
484.0K  ./dalvik-cache/system@app@MusicPlayer.apk@classes.dex
488.0K  ./dalvik-cache/data@app@tv.studer.smssync.apk@classes.dex
504.0K  ./dalvik-cache/system@app@Gallery3D.apk@classes.dex
520.0K  ./data/com.android.browser/databases
556.0K  ./dalvik-cache/data@app@com.google.android.apps.localdirectory.apk@class
es.dex
556.0K  ./data/com.facebook.katana
576.0K  ./dalvik-cache/system@app@Phone.apk@classes.dex
632.0K  ./dalvik-cache/system@app@YouTube.apk@classes.dex
640.0K  ./data/com.google.android.apps.localdirectory/databases/data
664.0K  ./dalvik-cache/system@app@Settings.apk@classes.dex
664.0K  ./dalvik-cache/system@app@gtalkservice.apk@classes.dex
712.0K  ./dalvik-cache/system@app@Mms.apk@classes.dex
724.0K  ./dalvik-cache/data@app@jonasl.ime.apk@classes.dex
792.0K  ./data/com.estrongs.android.pop/app_.apps
800.0K  ./dalvik-cache/data@app@com.android.vending.apk@classes.dex
800.0K  ./data/com.android.browser/app_databases/http_www.google.co.uk_0.localst
orage
824.0K  ./dalvik-cache/data@app@com.layar.apk@classes.dex
828.0K  ./data/com.google.android.apps.localdirectory/databases
888.0K  ./data/com.estrongs.android.pop
896.0K  ./data/com.google.android.apps.localdirectory
908.0K  ./app/com.google.android.apps.unveil.apk
944.0K  ./data/com.android.settings/files/wallpaper
960.0K  ./dalvik-cache/data@app@com.facebook.katana.apk@classes.dex
972.0K  ./data/com.android.email/databases/EmailProviderBody.db
976.0K  ./dalvik-cache/system@app@SamsungCamera.apk@classes.dex
996.0K  ./dalvik-cache/data@app@com.seesmic.apk@classes.dex

arg I cleared dalvik-cache to see if it helped but as soon as it booted and re-created it, it filled up again

managed to clear a little bit of space removing more apps

df
Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
tmpfs                    82624        12     82612   0% /dev
tmpfs                     4096         0      4096   0% /sqlite_stmt_journals
/dev/stl6               200996    133660     67336  66% /system
/dev/stl5               150644    146076      4568  97% /data
/dev/stl7                80576       144     80432   0% /cache
/dev/stl10                7729       776      6953  10% /efs
/dev/bml8                 4096      4096         0 100% /xbin
/dev/block//vold/179:1
                        964336    291152    673184  30% /sdcard

still not much space tho

can we not move dalvik-cache to that 80mb /cache mount? (symbolic link?)

---------- Post added at 04:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:53 PM ----------

Just found this

Dalvik-cache-relocation - CyanogenMod Wiki

might try it

---------- Post added at 04:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:17 PM ----------

I have done it and seems ok so far loads more space free

df
Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
tmpfs                    82624        12     82612   0% /dev
tmpfs                     4096         0      4096   0% /sqlite_stmt_journals
/dev/stl6               200996    133668     67328  67% /system
/dev/stl5               150644    105580     45064  70% /data
/dev/stl7                80576     41962     38614  52% /cache
/dev/stl10                7729       776      6953  10% /efs
/dev/bml8                 4096      4096         0 100% /xbin
/dev/stl7                80576     41962     38614  52% /data/dalvik-cache
/dev/block//vold/179:1
                        964336    291808    672528  30% /sdcard

was going to try relocating it to the SD card but thought it would be a bit slow and pointless at least now it's on the quick system memory & also makes use of that 80mb cache partition

[sotipay]

can you post instructions on how to apply this to the spica? is there a speed increase when accessing apps?

[verszipo]

Only problem with this method is that the Dalvik Cache is read/write a lot and SDCards where not constructed for that so they will break sooner or later. SdCards have a limited number or read/writes for each sector, the number is huge but you could still "hit the limit" sooner or later if you use the card for swap/cache.

Also, SDcards usually are not as fast as the internal memory so even though you gain some space you'll probably loose some speed.

[equk]

Only problem with this method is that the Dalvik Cache is read/write a lot and SDCards where not constructed for that so they will break sooner or later. SdCards have a limited number or read/writes for each sector, the number is huge but you could still "hit the limit" sooner or later if you use the card for swap/cache.

Also, SDcards usually are not as fast as the internal memory so even though you gain some space you'll probably loose some speed.

Dalvik doesn't touch the SDCard with this method

It's on the cache partition which is part of the phone memory so is a lot quicker than the sd card also you have 45mb more for apps so no need to use the slow apps2sd method

---------- Post added at 08:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:34 PM ----------

can you post instructions on how to apply this to the spica? is there a speed increase when accessing apps?

I have created a mod zip now so it should be easy to do altho I would be interested to know how much free space others have at the moment on the /data partition

[MOD] http://forum.samdroid.net/f42/reloca...up-space-1117/

[verszipo]

Dalvik doesn't touch the SDCard with this method

It's on the cache partition which is part of the phone memory so is a lot quicker than the sd card also you have 45mb more for apps so no need to use the slow apps2sd method

Oh, thanx, i thought it's the "old way" which involved moving the DalvikCache to SDCard but now I see you move it to the Cache partition that's actually in the phone memory.
Very good find, i didn't know about the other partitions.