Install Game to SD Card Linux

[DucksCourage]

I'm running the Linux version of Steam. When I am going to install TF2, I can see the option to 'Create new Steam library on drive /media/removable/SD Card.' However, when I click it, it just shows me my Linux SSD and there's no sign of the SD card in /Media. Any ideas? Thanks.

[R3450N]

What file system is your SD card using? I don't know much about SD cards, but it should be Ext4.

[DucksCourage]

Originally posted by Apocryphus:

What file system is your SD card using? I don't know much about SD cards, but it should be Ext4.

Do you know how to format it to EXT4? I'm new to Linux.

[phillippi2]

Originally posted by Louis:

Originally posted by Apocryphus:

What file system is your SD card using? I don't know much about SD cards, but it should be Ext4.

Do you know how to format it to EXT4? I'm new to Linux.

You can try using GParted.

Although, if you need the card to be able to be read by other os's such as Windows, it's probably best to leave the format Fat32.

[R3450N]

We'll need to know which file system your SD card uses. gParted is a partition editor and quite easy to use. Look for it on your distro's package manager. If you're on Ubuntu, it's the Ubuntu Software Centre or you could use synaptic or the command line. You should see which filesystem is being used; it's even colour-coded.

[DucksCourage]

I formatted it with gParted but it's the same. Here's what it looks like (I haven't figured out how to screenshot yet).

https://www.dropbox.com/s/edl6f1aio1abfby/IMG_20140904_195912.jpg?dl=0

[R3450N]

To take a screenshot on Ubuntu or anything with GNOME on it is quite simple. You just press the 'Print Screen' button; you can then either save it to file or the clipboard wherein you can copy and paste it for quick-viewing by us. We still need to know which file system your SD card uses; or if Steam allows the installation of games on external storage devices.

[DucksCourage]

Originally posted by Apocryphus:

To take a screenshot on Ubuntu or anything with GNOME on it is quite simple. You just press the 'Print Screen' button; you can then either save it to file or the clipboard wherein you can copy and paste it for quick-viewing by us. We still need to know which file system your SD card uses; or if Steam allows the installation of games on external storage devices.

It's now formatted to EXT4, is that what you mean?

[Cybertao]

Why EXT4? EXT2 would be more suitable, or turn the journalling option off.
SDCards have lower throughput than hard-drives, but less latency. Journalling will slow throughput to a crawl.

[DucksCourage]

Originally posted by Cybertao:

Why EXT4? EXT2 would be more suitable, or turn the journalling option off.
SDCards have lower throughput than hard-drives, but less latency. Journalling will slow throughput to a crawl.

I could do either, I just need to get Steam to recognise the SD card and let me install TF2 on it. Check the Dropbox picture for what it comes up with when I click SD card.

[Cybertao]

It's not the filesystem format stopping Steam from using it, but how it is mounted.
I formatted an SD Card in EXT2 and Steam refused to give it as an option to create a library on. From a root terminal I mounted the card, did a chown on the mount folder so I could access it as a user, then installed and launched Droid Assault.
You will either have to create some custom udev rules to mount the SD Card with the correct options, or set up an fstab entry to mount it on boot. It looks to me like Valve have set it up like this as they expect you to not have games on removable media. Which makes sense, when Steam loads it expects all your library folders to be available. If you plan to switch between SD Cards with different games then Steam just isn't set up for that and will probably be more trouble than it's worth.

[DucksCourage]

Originally posted by Cybertao:

It's not the filesystem format stopping Steam from using it, but how it is mounted.
I formatted an SD Card in EXT2 and Steam refused to give it as an option to create a library on. From a root terminal I mounted the card, did a chown on the mount folder so I could access it as a user, then installed and launched Droid Assault.
You will either have to create some custom udev rules to mount the SD Card with the correct options, or set up an fstab entry to mount it on boot. It looks to me like Valve have set it up like this as they expect you to not have games on removable media. Which makes sense, when Steam loads it expects all your library folders to be available. If you plan to switch between SD Cards with different games then Steam just isn't set up for that and will probably be more trouble than it's worth.

Can you give me a link to how to do that? I'm a bit of a noob with Ubuntu. XD

[Cybertao]

Why do you want to?

[R3450N]

I don't really understand why one would install games on an SD Card; are them things still around? Hehe. A hard drive/SSD/external hard drive would suffice.

[Cybertao]

You can get acceptable performance from a class 10 card. SDCards have the same advantage that SSD has, no mechanical spin up and seek time. They are also very cheap, but incredibly flaky and not to be trusted with unbacked data. I replaced the built in 2Gb micro-SD in my Kobo Glo with an 8Gb class 10 - quadrupling both the storage and performance.
They are ideal for caching small files and often read data or a swap file. When it's going spare the slot can worth sacrificing by relying on a card in it, and the only situation where it's worth keeping a Steam library folder on one.

[Dr0zD]

What is your distribution? Check lsblk (in Arch or similar app for your dist) whether your card is recognized. Check if it is mounted correctly. If your SD card is correctly recognized and mounted maybe try to make simlink and install the game trough this symlink. (not sure if supported but should be) (symlink = symbolic link with ln -s)