Hello all
I have installed openwrt on xiaomi mi4a gigabit (flash 16 and 128 Ram) version recently
with 16 mb flash i see that there is only 8 mb of overlay partition to install packages see my screenshot please
as the router doesnt have usb port , is there any solution to have a bigger than this small 8MB overlay partition ?
can we combine it with ant of exist partiotions ?
replace the flash chip or swap router
assuming there's actually any space available, and you're willing to build your own images
or you could try to mount a network resource where you would go to put installation files or whatever
it would not be an overlapping partition, but would allow the filesystem to be expanded
it's an excellent suggestion @ncompact is making, but keep in mind the resource have to be available 24/7, just like the router.
it was obvious that the resource must be available 24/24, but it seems to me the simplest way to solve the problem
or swap routers for something expandable, multiple usb ports or sata ports
ex:
Xiaomi Mi4A - official store mi.com - 39,99 € euro
Avm Fritzbox 4040 - amazon.it - 75,99 € euro (1 usb port 2.0 + 1 usb port 3.0)
clarification, I'm not a fan of avm, but I'm happy with the model chosen by me, other routers are equally valid (you just have to think about the purchase with a little foresight)
to replace the memory chip, you need equipment and expertise, it won't always be possible to do the job cheaply ...
I agree,
I didn't mean it as a negative comment, just a warning, so OP's aware.
16MB is plenty of storage for packages if You use https://firmware-selector.openwrt.org
Building all in one firmware will save some space. After that is possible to use RAM in /tmp to keep files like addblock lists that hardly fit on storage.
depends on what you're installing, the vray / v2ray package won't fit a 16 mb device.
is it possible to reduce temp partition and add to overlay ?
i check the custom image but cant find partitions options
plenty ?! perhaps but not chalengable 
tmp is RAM, not flash.
so what is the other partition of flash other than overlay ?
Does it matter ?
Are you willing to build your own images for your router ?
yes i want to install more packages so i need a bigger overlay partition would you please give me a step by step tutrial to do that ?
And how much will you gain by allocating all "available" flash space ?
Is it worth the effort, compared to buying a new router?
