Dual SD Cards
dArkOSen supports using the console's second SD card slot for ROM storage.
The included SYSTEMS Manager is pre-installed in the System folder and manages which SD card is used for each system.
The version of EmulationStation used by dArkOS does not understand the dual-SD configuration mechanism that was used by ArkOS.
ArkOS could use a dedicated dual-SD configuration to tell EmulationStation where the ROMs for each system were located.
dArkOS does not provide that same functionality.
Rather than replacing or modifying EmulationStation, SYSTEMS Manager uses a different approach.
EmulationStation uses:
/etc/emulationstation/es_systems.cfg
to define the systems it displays and the locations from which it loads ROMs.
SYSTEMS Manager changes the ROM locations defined in es_systems.cfg when the user switches a system between SD cards.
The result is effectively a simulated dual-SD configuration:
SYSTEMS Manager
│
▼
es_systems.cfg is modified
│
┌──────────┴──────────┐
▼ ▼
SD Card 1 SD Card 2
/roms/... /roms2/...
│ │
└──────────┬──────────┘
▼
EmulationStation
From EmulationStation's perspective, it is simply being given a different ROM location.
No dual-SD feature needs to exist inside EmulationStation itself.
SYSTEMS Manager allows systems to be assigned to the appropriate SD card.
This is useful when the first SD card contains the operating system and a second SD card is used primarily for additional ROM storage.
The manager handles the required changes to the EmulationStation system configuration rather than requiring the user to manually edit es_systems.cfg.
This also means that the configuration remains compatible with the version of EmulationStation included with dArkOS.
SYSTEMS Manager does not move the ROM files themselves.
It changes where EmulationStation looks for them.
For example, a system may normally point to:
/roms/system
and be reassigned to:
/roms2/system
The actual ROM files remain on their respective SD cards.
This makes it possible to use the second card for large ROM collections without replacing the operating system or manually maintaining EmulationStation's configuration.
SYSTEMS Manager is the supported method for managing dual-SD system assignments in dArkOSen.
Do not manually edit es_systems.cfg unless you understand the configuration and are prepared to maintain those changes yourself.
If the system assignments become incorrect, use SYSTEMS Manager to restore the intended configuration rather than manually recreating the dual-SD configuration mechanism used by older ArkOS versions.
The purpose of SYSTEMS Manager is not to recreate ArkOS's dual-SD implementation internally.
It provides the same practical result using the configuration mechanism that the dArkOS version of EmulationStation actually understands.
dArkOSen is a passion project born out of love for the R36S. If you appreciate what I do and want to support the project you can show that support by buying me a coffee. Proceeds help fund the cost of SD cards and other expenses involved with development.