PS3:MultiMAN

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Multiman is the proverbial Swiss Army Knife of CFW tools. At its core, it serves as a the most popular backup manager and file manager with a multitude of extra features. Here you can see all of its features and how to use them. It is recommended to use Webman alongside Multiman to mount and launch games more quickly.

The download page at Brewology lists an update version (UPD) and a full install version (BASE). If you already have Multiman installed, you can just install the UPD version.

Controls

The primary view of MultiMan is the XMMB view, which controls identical to the XMB. Square and Triangle will bring up different options for whatever you have selected (circle in the File Manager). Switch views with R1 and L1, jump between File Manager and Backup Manager by holding Select, then Start.

File Manager

Multiman's file manager will allow you directly move files around on your PS3. To quickly access or exit it, hold Select, then press Start.

Controls

  • Left Analog Stick: Move cursor (can swap left and right stick actions in settings)
  • Right Analog Stick: Move current window
  • Cross: Select or deselect file/folder
  • Circle: Open options of file/folder
  • Start+Select: Go back to Multiman's main menu
  • Start+R2: Take a screenshot (saved to root of USB device, or root of /dev_hdd0/)
  • Select+R1: Go back to Multiman's game menu
  • Select+L1: Refresh all devices content

Combining Split Files

If you had to split large files or packages in order to move them on a FAT32 device, or running a "Test" on a game reports back split files, you can put them back together with Multiman. Simply press circle on the first split file (.#, .psarc#, or .666##) file → Cut, browse to another folder and press circle → Paste. It will automatically copy and combine all of the other split files into one file. Press circle → Cut on the new file, and paste it back in the original directory. This does not always work, and you may need to use PS3 File Splitter (in AldosTools) to combine them on your PC and transfer the merged file back via FTP.

Symbolic Links

To make a symbolic link, press circle on a file or folder and select "Copy". In the directory you want to put the link, press Circle and "Paste as Link". Multiman will prompt you to do a "Shadow Copy", select Yes. What is a Symbolic Link? It’s essentially a shortcut, so you can have the same file or folder in two places on the drive, while only taking up space for one. Typically, this feature can be use to trim down game install sizes. Games will install themselves to /dev_hdd0/game/ABCD1234/, and you can replace that install with a symbolic link to those files in the backup, thus saving space. This will only work on the internal HDD.

Zip Files

You can create zip files on your PC and transfer them to a folder on your PS3 to be opened by Multiman. To unzip the file, press Circle on it, then Extract. It will ask you for a folder name to extract it to, enter anything you want or accept the default, and it will create a folder with that name and unzip the contents into it. Note that only .ZIP files are supported; Multiman will not recognize .RAR or .7z archives.

Dev_flash

Dev_flash is where the most important system files sit, on the NOR/NAND chip of your console. If for some reason you’re convinced you need to write to there, you must make it as writeable first. From Multiman’s XMMB view, Go to Settings -> "Write Access to /dev_flash/" and enable. A new root directory called’ "dev_blind" will appear, and that’s dev_flash with write permissions. Ensure that you turn this option off when you’re done to protect it from accidental overwrites.

Making Backups of Games

To backup your game to your hard drive, first put your disk into the PS3. Highlight the game disk in Multiman and press triangle and select "Backup/Copy". It will ask you to choose whether you want to backup your game to your internal hard drive, or an external. If the game has files greater than 4GB and your external drive is formatted as FAT32, it will automatically split the files and the game will be unplayable until you move it to your internal drive. Alternatively, you can format your external drive a certain way to bypass this limitation. More information can be found on this page.

  • Alternatively, you can select "Create ISO" to make an ISO version of your game. This will take up more hard drive space.
  • A video demonstration of backing up your games can be found on MrMario2011's channel.

Updating Games and Installing Packages

To update games, simply hover over the game you wish to update press triangle, and "Update". It will prompt you if there are new updates, and it will download all updates sequentially. You must then go to the Package Installer, select them all, and press triangle to queue them. From there, they will be visible in the "Install Packages" section of the XMB and you can install them. The files can be deleted afterwards.

Installing Multiple Packages at Once

  • If your packages were downloaded with multiman, first go to the Package Installer, select them all, and press triangle to queue them.

On the XMB, go to "Install Packages", hover over the third option (Standard) and press triangle to install ALL packages in the Standard folder.

Net_Host (PS3netsrv)

Net_Host is a kind of PS3 specific file server. You can run a net_host server on your PC, and multiman can connect to it. It will show up in your file manager, and backups stored there will end up with your other local backups. You can configure this option in Settings -> Network Servers. Enter the IP address of your Net_Host server and the port. You can find a full tutorial on the PS3netsrv page.

NTFS & exFAT

Multiman supports NTFS and exFAT storage devices if properly set up. Note that only PSX/PS3/BD/DVD ISOs (or ECM/BINs) can be used. In order to use an NTFS/exFAT device with Multiman, you will need to run prepISO (previously known as prepNTFS) every time you add a new game, and your games will appear in the Retro column of Multiman.

FTP Server

Multiman has a built in FTP server, so whenever it’s running, you can access your PS3’s file system via an FTP client like FileZilla.

Homebrew Downloader

On the far right most column of the XMB view is a collection of popular homebrew. This is only maintained by deank (the developer of MultiMan) and as such is often out of date.

Media Playback

If you have Movian (Showtime) installed, you can run a media file and it will automatically open Movian and play it.

Backup Manager

Multiman’s original feature was the backup manager. You place your backups in one of the supported directories, and you can mount and run them from there. If you open the file manager (mmOS) to dev_hdd0, you’ll see Multiman automatically creates folders for you to put your various backups in. PS3 backups in extracted folder format go into the "GAMES" folder, and everything else is pretty self explanatory: PS1 ISOs go in PSXISO, PS2 ISOs go in PS2ISO, etc. This is the how you’ll want to set up your USB drives and net_hosts as well. It is recommended to delete the PS3_UPDATE folder in PS3 backups to prevent accidental update to OFW and to save disk space.

With modern PS3:Cobra firmwares, most games should boot properly. If one does not, you can try the "BD Mirror" option. This option temporarily moves the files on the HDD in a fashion to mirror how they would appear on a real Blu-ray disc. This can help with some games. Some games may not work on internal drives, and some games may not work on external drives. Compatibility can be checked on the devwiki. If Multiman asks to patch a game, choose Yes.

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