Tao Effect Forums

Espionage => Espionage 2 => Espionage 2 Tips => Topic started by: greg on August 14, 2009, 01:25:15 PM

Title: How to modify an encrypted folder's capacity
Post by: greg on August 14, 2009, 01:25:15 PM
When Espionage encrypts a folder, it uses the same technology that Apple's FileVault uses: encrypted disk images. These special files must be given a capacity upon creation, which determines how much data they can potentially hold.  The actual size of the disk image can change, and thus the disk image can grow in size on your hard drive, but it can only grow up to the capacity.

When Espionage encrypts a folder, it calculates the folder's capacity using a value called the Minimum Image Capacity (MIC) as defined in the Advanced preferences:

if 10 times the size of the folder is greater than the MIC
folder capacity = 10 times the size of the folder
otherwise,
folder capacity = MIC

By default, the MIC is 10GB.

The capacity can be changed, and a future version of Espionage will make this simple to do.

However, it is also possible to change it yourself, but it does involve the use of the Terminal.

Below are instructions for doing this that should be easy enough to follow, even if you've never heard of a "Terminal":

Verbose Instructions for Adjusting a Folder's Capacity


In a future version of Espionage this will be handled in an easy-to-use interface.

Alternative Methods

If you are running out of space in an encrypted folder and would prefer an alternative method to the above instructions (with the current version), simply restore the folder by removing it from Espionage, and then re-encrypt it. You can also simply set the MIC to be a very large value, although that will only apply to folders you encrypt after modifying it.