Open PS2 Loader bundle included several types of the same OPL version. Thesetypes come with more or fewer features included.

OPL uses the following directory tree structure across HDD, SMB, andUSB modes:

OPL will automatically create the above directory structure the first time you launch it and enable your favorite device.

For HDD users, OPL will readhdd0:__common/OPL/conf_hdd.cfg for the config entryhdd_partition to use as your OPL partition.If not found a config file, a 128Mb+OPL partition will be created. You can edit the config if you wish to use/create a different partition.All partitions created by OPL will be 128Mb (it is not recommended to enlarge partitions as it will break LBAs, instead remove and recreate manually with uLaunchELF at a larger size if needed).

Game files should beideally defragmented either file by file or by whole drive,and games larger than 4gb must use USBExtreme format if device uses FAT32 format (see OPLUtil or USBUtil programs).We donot recommend using any defrag programs. The best way for defragmenting - copy all files to pc, format USB, copy all files back.Repeat it once you faced defragmenting problem again.

NOTE: partial file fragmentation is supported (up to 64 fragments!) since OPL v1.2.0 - rev1893

For loading games by SMB protocol, you need to share a folder (ex: PS2SMB)on the host machine or NAS device and make sure that it has full read andwrite permissions. USB Advance/Extreme format is optional - *.ISO imagesare supported using the folder structure above.

For PS2, 48-bit LBA internal HDDs up to 2TB are supported. HDD should beformatted with the APA partition scheme. OPL will create the+OPL partition on the HDD.To avoid this, you can create a text file at the locationhdd0:__common:pfs:OPL/conf_hdd.txtthat contains the preferred partition name (for example__common).

OPL now uses anNBD server to share the internal hard drive, instead of HDL server.NBD isformally documented and developed as a collaborative open standard.

The current implementation of the server is based onlwNBD, go there to contribute on the NBD code itself.

The main advantage of using NBD is that the client will expose the drive to your operating system in a similar way as a directly attached drive.This means that any utility that worked with the drive when it was directly attached should work the same way with NBD.

OPL currently only supports exporting (sharing out) the PS2's drive.

You can usehdl-dump,pfs-shell, or even directly edit the disk in a hex editor.

For example, to usehdl_dump to install a game to the HDD:

• Connect with your choosen client (OS specific)
• Runhdl_dump inject_dvd ps2/nbd "Test Game" ./TEST.ISO
• Disconnect the client.

To use the NBD server in OPL:

• Grab the latest beta version (OPL 1.1.0 (current stable) has some bugs in the NBD server) - go to theReleases section and grab the one at the top.
• Ensure OPL is configured with an IP address (either static or DHCP).
• Open the menu and select "Start NBD server". Once it's ready, it should update the screen to say "NBD Server running..."
• Now you can connect with any of the following NBD clients.

Supported: Linux,Windows with WSL and custom kernel

nbd-client requires nbd kernel support. If it isn't loaded,sudo modprobe nbd will do.

list available export:

nbd-client -l 192.168.1.45

connect:

nbd-client 192.168.1.45 /dev/nbd1

disconnect:

nbd-client -d /dev/nbd1

You'll generally need sudo to run this commands in root oradd your user to the right group usually "disk".

Supported: Linux, Windows with WSL2

list available export:

nbdinfo --list nbd://192.168.1.45

connect:

mkdir ps2nbdfuse ps2/ nbd://192.168.1.45&

disconnect:

umount ps2

Supported: Windows

WNBD client.Install, reboot, open elevated (with Administrator rights)PowerShell

connect:

wnbd-client.exe map hdd0 192.168.1.22

disconnect:

wnbd-client.exe unmap hdd0

Not supported.

As of version 1.2.0, compressed ISO files in ZSO format is supported by OPL.

To handle ZSO files, a python script (ziso.py) is included in the pc folder of this repository.It requires Python 3 and the LZ4 library:

pip install lz4

To compress an ISO file to ZSO:

python ziso.py -c 2"input.iso""output.zso"

To decompress a ZSO back to the original ISO:

python ziso.py -c 0"input.zso""output.iso"

You can copy ZSO files to the same folder as your ISOs and they will be detected by OPL.To install onto internal HDD, you can use the latest version of HDL-Dump.

Currently, supported onlyPS3 Backward Compatible (BC) versions. So onlyCOK-001 andCOK-002/COK-002W boards are supported. USB, SMB, HDD modes are supported.

To run OPL, you need an entry point for running PS2 titles. You can use everything (Swapmagic PS2, for example), but custom firmware with the latest Cobra is preferred. Note: only CFW supports HDD mode.

Open PS2 Loader needs thelatest PS2SDK

Since 05/07/2021 every OPL build dispatched to the release section of this repository will be uploaded to amega account. You can access the archive by clicking the mega badge on top of this readme

Sometimes OPL freezes when loading config files made by older OPL builds.

holdSTART while OPL initializes to make it skip the config loading, then, you can save your own settings.fixing the issue.

Main game executable could not be found. Either game is fragmented or image is corrupted

You may have selected a Video Mode which your TV does not support. Hold Triangle and Cross while OPL initializes to reset your video mode to "Auto".