EA3500 tmpfs 27MB pointing to /tmp

  1. I have an EA3500 running 22.03.2 squashfs factory

I noticed there is an tmpfs pointing to /tmp

What is the use for this and why is it half the ram size?

I assume this leaves less ram available to openwrt?

Is it possible to lower the size and is that useful?

  1. Can I reclaim the second firmware partition somehow ?

( EA3500 / 64 flash / 64 ram )

  1. tmpfs RAM remains available for general usage unless files are stored there. Making the filesystem smaller would not change RAM usage given that the same files are stored there.

  2. The partition scheme is defined in the dts/dtb file which is attached to the kernel. Partitions which are not expected to be used by OpenWrt (set aside in case of return to stock firmware) are defined as read only.

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  1. is clear
  2. What does this mean ? is it possible to reclaim the second firmware partition ?

Hi.
Yes you can reclaim the use of this partition, but it is not advisable. This second partition is expected to be safely bootable by the bootloader. It is meant as a failsafe, it's the purpose of a dual-partition device.

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Does it have to be half the size of the flash ?

It is meant to be this way: both partitions should be exchangeable, so have the same size. Changing the partition layout on such device is both risky and tricky. Proceed at your own risk.

You'd better consider that this device is modest, don't expect too much about it. Use it as a simple router or an AP, and so keep it as it is presently.

You're probably right , at least i was able to install some packages even python3-light so it is still a good experimenting tool , along my other routers

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If you want to experiment, consider using a recycled old PC (x86 or x64). You can install any amount of packages you like, and proceed to every possible config. And there no risk of bricking as you can always format the disk.

I thought about that , but id like to run it 24/7 and power usage becomes an issue with these old PC's

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