Database Info

Installable Linux Image for HTC Herald / T-Mobile Wing (UPDATED: Android Install)

I've developed a kernel and base linux system suitable for installation on the HTC Herald / T-Mobile Wing series of phones. This image is for installation of a root filesystem directly to an SD storage card (no need for a root FS image). Several things don't work so far -- this is early development. But it's enough to play with. My hope is that we can use development on this as a jumping point for getting Google Android to run on the wing.
UPDATE (2/10/09):
I've added a Resources section to collect the useful information and links that have been posted here and in the other thread. I've also updated the known issues section for Android to reflect what I've discovered so far.
UPDATE (2/9/09):
I've got an updated kernel config and images for starting Android now! Android will now pull up the boot animation and begin startup. It still does not complete startup, but at least we know we've got the right stuff in the kernel now!
I've added instructions at the bottom for installing these and using them with an already set up linux system (per the first set of instructions).
UPDATE (2/7/09):
Here's some extra files you can grab if you're interested in development: (The patches don't apply cleanly yet against the linwizard kernel)
Kernel .config file I've used (against the linwizard 2.6.25 kernel): http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/198699/linux_wing/wing_config
Android diffs (between SDK android kernel and kernel.org 2.6.27 kernel): http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/198699/linux_wing/android-2.6.27.patch
Contents
Part 1: Linux Base System Installation Instructions
Part 2: Android Installation Instructions
Resources
Part 1: Linux Base System Installation Instructions:
The below instructions assume you have access to Linux and can read/write to your SD storage card.
To start out with, here's what you'll need:
Haret + default.txt + kernel (.zip, 1.4mb)
Root filesystem contents (.tar.gz, 13.1mb)
1. Repartition your SD card.
For this, you'll need to use something like Partition Magic or some other suitable partitioner (in Linux, you can use gparted to resize your Windows partition.) I recommend the following layout:
Partition 1: Primary, FAT16 or FAT32 containing your original Windows files (any size of your choosing)
Partition 2: Primary, Linux Swap, 128mb
Partition 3: Primary, EXT3, >=64mb​My linux partition is 650mb with a 1.2gb Windows partition and 128mb swap -- adjust to preference.​2. Format the swap and linux partitions.
In linux, run the following: (I assume your SD card is /dev/sdb -- adjust if different)
Code:
# sudo mkswap /dev/sdb2
# sudo mkfs.ext3 /dev/sdb3
I'm assuming the layout in step 1 as well.​
3. Mount the new Linux partition.
Run the following:
Code:
# sudo mount /dev/sdb3 /mnt
4. Copy the base linux system into the new Linux partition.
Save the root filesystem .tar.gz file from above to somewhere (I'll assume $HOME). Then run:
Code:
# cd /mnt
# sudo tar -xzvf $HOME/rootfs.tar.gz
# cd ..
5. Unmount the linux partition.
Run the following command:
Code:
# sudo umount /mnt
6. Mount the windows partition and copy the Haret executable + kernel.
I'll again assume you saved the "haret+kernel.zip" file to $HOME. Run the following:
Code:
# sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt
# cd /mnt
# mkdir linux
# cd linux
# sudo unzip $HOME/haret+kernel.zip
# cd /
# sudo umount /mnt
At this stage, your Linux base system and kernel should be installed. All that's left is to remove your SD card and re-insert it into your phone, start up HaRET and enjoy.
7. Log in
Once you're booted into Linux, you can log in with:
Username: root
Password: wing​
Plug in a USB cord to log in on your laptop. If your laptop runs linux, you'll need to make sure that the usb0 network interface has the right address:
Code:
# sudo ifconfig usb0 10.100.0.2 up
The phone's address will be 10.100.0.1. You should be able to SSH or telnet in to the phone and mess around. Run "startx" to bring up X and such.
What's Working
Minimal X server capable of landscape and portrait video modes (KDrive, using the framebuffer (omapfb))
Touch screen support + calibration software (TSC2046 driver + tslib)
Console keyboard (some characters are difficult / impossible to type due to the limited key layout and driver)
USB gadget support for connecting with my laptop (I can SSH / telnet into the phone, or ssh/telnet from the phone into my laptop)
Full access to the SD card (even the Windows FAT side -- mmci-omap driver)
Known Issues
Bluetooth -- haven't been able to get a working driver, or anything to even recognize that it exists
WLAN -- same as bluetooth
GPRS / Phone -- same. There appears to be a GSM device, but I haven't been able to do anything with it.
Most of the extra buttons don't fire any events
LEDs for the most part don't work
Battery and power stats aren't available, as well as power management
No control of the backlight or display power
Sound not functional -- don't have any drivers / software compiled for sound, so I don't know if this would work or not
No real time clock (RTC) functionality
Part 2: Android Installation Instructions:
For these instructions, the recommended procedure is to copy the files you'll need to the Windows side of your SD card and install using the Linux boot system. Make sure you follow the instructions for getting a Linxu base system installed first before following this.
First off, grab the following files (Required)
Android patched kernel for the wing (same as the below kernel, but with android patches): http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/198699/android/zImage2
Android root filesystem, compiled for the wing: http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/198699/android/root.tar.gz
Android /system partition, compiled for the wing: http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/198699/android/system.tar.gz
Script for starting Android: http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/198699/android/start_android
You can also grab the kernel config file if you're interested in building the kernel (I'll have the android patch set available soon) (Optional):
Kernel .config file for the modified kernel: http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/198699/android/kernel_config
1. Copy all files to your wing
From Windows Mobile, download the 4 required files above and place them on your storage card:
root.tar.gz -- Place in /Storage Card/
system.tar.gz -- Place in /Storage Card/
zImage2 -- Place in /Storage Card/linux (overwrite the file that's already there, or re-name the original first)
start_android -- Place in /Storage Card/
2. Install Android
Run HaRET.exe to start Linux. It should boot the new kernel (you most likely won't notice a difference). Once in Linux, run the following commands (you can do it directly with the wing keyboard, or you may elect to use SSH (see instructions above) -- SSH is easer in my opinion):
Code:
# cd ../..
# mkdir android
# cd android
# tar -xzf ../mnt/windows/root.tar.gz
# tar -xzf ../mnt/windows/system.tar.gz
# cp ../mnt/windows/start_android ../bin
# chmod 775 ../bin/start_android
If using the Wing's keyboard, you'll need to use the following key mapping:
'/' --> 'Tab'
'-' --> 'Alt + x'
'_' --> 'Alt + c' (I think -- it's Alt + one of the letter keys)
Numbers -> 'Alt + <top row>'
3. Start Android
At this point, android is now installed and ready to run. Simply execute the following command to start Android:
Code:
# start_android
After a few seconds, you should see the Android startup animation appear.​Known Issues
The omapfb driver currently in use does not support page flipping, preventing the Android GUI from being displayed
Resources
WMStorage -- turn your wing into a USB SD card reader (Kudos to Kuff!): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3263023&postcount=5
Wing Service Manual (kudos to drmidnight!): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3291171&postcount=132
Google Andriod for Herald and Tmobile Wing -- the thread that started it all: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=398830
Enjoy

If this is based on the linwizard kernel, have you seen the Android kernel that the linwizard crew ported over to the Wizard? It's incomplete, but it might be a good starting point for a an Android Port. When I have time tomorrow, I might try installing this.

Hmm, I actually haven't tried that. My image is based on the Polaris development tree, using htcwizard_defconfig. I added some extra drivers, like the touchscreen and SD drivers from there.
Looks like their download of the android kernel is down, unfortunately.

Hey guy, I can and will help you!
A winrar is you!
I don't know how to work with GSM module, but sound drivers should compile OK

Can't find your SD-card in the partitioning program?
As mostly your sd-card is not seen as a "drive" in Windows and in Linux, you can use the "WM5Storage"-tool to do so.
The .cab is attached. Just install it on you device, reboot and start the program without the device being attached to you computer.
Uncheck "Read-Only" and "Removable Class" en tap "Active".
Now you can connect your device (with the sd-card in it) and go on partitioning.

Hi Guys!
I'm surprised. This is the first image and way thats works on my german herald.
My linux experience is very limited. But i want help to let run Android on herald.
What are the next steps?
Morning, I will try to set up android filesystem.
Thank's a lot,
expone

Glad to hear it works for you!
I've managed to get an earlier version of Android to at least begin to start (I get the red-eye moving back and forth), but nothing happens after that.
My guess is that the video is working based on the ability to get the red-eye, but that either some other driver isn't working, or there's not enough free memory.
The image I used was a modified linwizard kernel (not the one I have here), plus a root filesystem that contained Android as an ext2 fs. I never tried with a swap partition enabled.
If we can get our hands on a copy of the android root filesystem in a form that we can mount with this image, perhaps there's a chance of running it. I saw a link somewhere about someone getting this method to work on a different phone (they copied an android root filesystem image to SD card and mounted it from linux, then started android). I'll have to dig around a bit to find it again. Expone, good luck!
Another thing is that we need lots of drivers. If we can get our hands on a spec sheet of the herald listing all the chipsets used, that might give us what we need to start getting this to work. More than likely we'll need to port (or even write) some drivers from different platforms though, as none of the drivers I compiled into this kernel seem to work for things like bluetooth and wifi. Those are probably secondary to getting android to run though -- more for getting it useful.
Just my thoughts.

darkstar62 said:
Glad to hear it works for you!
I've managed to get an earlier version of Android to at least begin to start (I get the red-eye moving back and forth), but nothing happens after that.
My guess is that the video is working based on the ability to get the red-eye, but that either some other driver isn't working, or there's not enough free memory.
The image I used was a modified linwizard kernel (not the one I have here), plus a root filesystem that contained Android as an ext2 fs. I never tried with a swap partition enabled.
If we can get our hands on a copy of the android root filesystem in a form that we can mount with this image, perhaps there's a chance of running it. I saw a link somewhere about someone getting this method to work on a different phone (they copied an android root filesystem image to SD card and mounted it from linux, then started android). I'll have to dig around a bit to find it again. Expone, good luck!
Another thing is that we need lots of drivers. If we can get our hands on a spec sheet of the herald listing all the chipsets used, that might give us what we need to start getting this to work. More than likely we'll need to port (or even write) some drivers from different platforms though, as none of the drivers I compiled into this kernel seem to work for things like bluetooth and wifi. Those are probably secondary to getting android to run though -- more for getting it useful.
Just my thoughts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw someone with an Elfin who had a similar issue but it turns out that it just took 20 minutes for android to boot.
The full source code of Android is available online.
You're right about the drivers, though. We'll probably have to write some of our own.

Can you provide your android images?
One Idea:
Is it possible to merge this two file systems of android and this Linux File system? We get the working driver from this system and get software of android system.
What problems might occur?
@darkstar62:
Can you get me some tips where I can find the image?

You can find the android source code here:
http://source.android.com/
If you have a cross-compiling toolchain, you can build it up. As far as binary images go, I don't have one yet for the wing that works -- I'll be working over the next few days or so to get one compiled for the arch and installed.
I found instructions here for getting an earlier version of Android to run off SD card:
http://wiki.kldp.org/wiki.php/AndroidPortingOnRealTarget
All the porting sites I've found talk about pulling the Android /system and /data partitions from the emulator. I don't think that's necessary though (especially with the Android source code out now). Browsing around, I think I may need a different toolchain compiler -- not sure mine supports EABI (see here: http://elinux.org/Android_on_OMAP#Compiler)
Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I'll be able to get my toolchain working and build a kernel. I'm going to attempt to compile Android's kernel source with their patches using bits and pieces from my kernel configuration (the one for the kernel in the howto). With any luck all will be well. Then the real fun in building Android begins.
Also, to whet your appetite, someone managed to get Android running on a phone not too dissimilar from the wing -- OMAP730 processor @ 200mHz, 64mb of RAM, SD card:
http://ohawatch.blogspot.com/2008/02/android-running-on-omap-730-200mhz.html
Also, TI showed android on our processor, the OMAP850 200mHz CPU:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=400905
So with a bit of luck I think we'll have a rather nice Android platform on our phones.

I was together with a colleague ever compiled a kernel. We had the ARM GNU / Linux compiler used.
Myself, I need more time to get more information about this topic.
Where will we discuss in the future? In this topic or in the other?

I would say, since this thread is really meant for using an installable Linux image that we keep Android-related discussion on the other thread (since that's what its topic is).
On the other hand, having all the images in one place at the front of this forum with installation instructions makes it very accessible. Perhaps we should rename this thread to something like:
"HOWTO: Multi-Boot Linux, Android and WM6 on T-Mobile Wing / HTC Herald (in work)"
I hate to turn this thread into a spin-off from the other one though...
Anyone have any thoughts?

darkstar62 said:
I would say, since this thread is really meant for using an installable Linux image that we keep Android-related discussion on the other thread (since that's what its topic is).
On the other hand, having all the images in one place at the front of this forum with installation instructions makes it very accessible. Perhaps we should rename this thread to something like:
"HOWTO: Multi-Boot Linux, Android and WM6 on T-Mobile Wing / HTC Herald (in work)"
I hate to turn this thread into a spin-off from the other one though...
Anyone have any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe this a real good since i have little to no time to work on it.
All because of school. UGH!
I'm just glad I inspired you guys in making this happen.
So I will indeed keep the other thread open cause i would have time working on porting android to the wing in a month.

@darkstar62:
Is it possible that you provide me your kernel sources and make-project-file?
So I could even work...

The sources I've been working from come from the linwizard project:
http://linwizard.sourceforge.net
I used a git clone from their instructions using the polaris branch. It's a 2.6.25 kernel (the latest Android is based on 2.6.27...) so we'll have to either port the Android patches from 27 to 25 or port all the linwizard drivers to the android 27 kernel.
I'll post the .config file I'm using when I get home (it's on my desktop there).
A cursory look seems to indicate that it'll be easier to port the android patches to the linwizard kernel, since there's a lot less code involed (and most of the patches apply cleanly against it -- some conflicts need to be resolved though).
I got the patches by git cloning the android source code and diffing their kernel source against the kernel.org kernel of the same version. I'll post that diff when I get home too.
I've got an Android filesystem image compiled for the phone, and it seems to work (I can run the binaries from it using our working kernel -- just can't boot without the patches). So, assuming we get a working kernel, running Android should be a slam-dunk.
More to follow. If things start getting more involved, I'll probably start a sourceforge project for all this so we have some place to put all this information.

As promised, here's the .config and android patches:
Config: (rename to .config): http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/198699/linux_wing/wing_config
Android patches (against kernel.org 2.6.27): http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/198699/linux_wing/android-2.6.27.patch
I've updated the top post as well. The patches don't cleanly apply against the 2.6.25 kernel yet. Hopefully I'll be able to get that working soon.
Good luck.

Unfortunately, I don't have time, nor the crazy Linux experience to be of any help...
But I am way excited and can't wait to see what you can pull off...

Another step in the right direction -- The modified Android kernel boots, and Android will now try and start.
For some reason or another it won't complete starting -- I'm going to install some debugging tools later to try and figure out what else we need (if we're missing something). I've also noticed that Android isn't taking advantage of the swap space we have, so there may be an Android mod needed to allow that -- not sure how much it will help at this point though.
I've updated the top post with instructions on how to install the new kernel and android images to play with on your phone.
Enjoy!

I have a rooted G1. I didnt see a swap partition when I run the mount command. Let me know if you need anythhing else. I'll do my best to help out.

Yeah, not surprised. The G1 has a lot more memory than the Wing (128mb vs. 64mb if I'm not mistaken) so I doubt there'd be a need for one.
My hope was that if memory was tight for running on Android, adding a swap partition would give it some more breathing room. I guess Android wasn't designed that way though.

Need help with vold.conf for cupcake apps to sd

I am trying to work with haykuro to get apps on sd for his cupcake roms, but I ran into a problem. They replaced mountd with vold, and there is no known documentation on how to format the config file. This does not seem to be the same vold that is used on SUN or other unix operating systems. If anyone has any useful info, please share it with me so I can look into this further.

Maybe this will get you started...
*EDIT* didnt read your post correctly... Didnt see that it was not related to the Sun version.
Darkrift,
Maybe the vold.conf in the android system is similar to the vold.conf in my Solaris 10 Sparc Server.....
Code:
> > For Solaris 8, you have to fake a change on the vold.conf
> > configuration file, otherwise the HUP signal is ignored:
> >
> > touch /etc/vold.conf
> > + pkill −HUP vold
>
> I stopped vold & commented out the one /etc/vold.conf line:
> # use rmdisk drive /dev/rdsk/c*s2 dev_rmdisk.so rmdisk%d
If you want vold to automatically mount an usb mass
storage device on a reboot (or a re−start of vold, or the above
mentioned touch / SIGHUP sequence), you have to make sure to remove
the comment character from the "use rmdisk" line in /etc/vold.conf.
Study some of the Sun Solaris docs I have listed below and maybe you will find the right recipe you are looking for...
Sun Solaris USB Flash Drive Mount Command
Solaris 10 - System Administration Guide - Devices and File Systems
Hope this helps...
I'm on Gtalk as AndroidSamurai if you have any questions.
While I'm at it, this is the command to mount a floppy in Solaris...
Code:
mount -f pcfs /dev/diskette /mnt
/mnt is the mount point

Here is what is currently in the file:
Code:
## vold configuration file for Sapphire
volume_sdcard {
## This is the direct uevent device path to the SD slot on the device
media_path /devices/platform/msm_sdcc.2/mmc_host/mmc1
emu_media_path /devices/platform/goldfish_mmc.0/mmc_host/mmc0
media_type mmc
mount_point /sdcard
ums_path /devices/platform/usb_mass_storage/lun0
}
I tried adding:
Code:
volume_apps {
## This is the direct uevent device path to the SD slot on the device
media_path /dev/block/mmcblk0p2
media_type mmc
mount_point /system/sd
}
with no luck. And yes, I tried doing the media_path in the same format as the first one, which also did nothing.

Would the "mount_point" not be "/sdcard"?
I cannot work the terminal on my G1 bc of the keymapping error preventing me from using "/"...
Would it not be:
Code:
media_path /dev/block/mmcblk0p1
seeing that a fat partition(vfat) would be "p0" ?
Have you tried looking at "vold/mmc.c and vold/mmc.h" ?
Also try looking at the following:
Code:
vold/volmgr_ext3.c
vold/volmgr_ext3.h
vold/volmgr_vfat.c
vold/volmgr_vfat.h
If you would please e-mail me the vold.conf in a zip archive so I can play around with it a little...
Sorry, my resources are a little bare at the current time due to a surge knocking out all my equipment.
Email Me
or find me on GTalk under androidsamurai.....

No, i am trying to add apps to sd, which go in /system/sd/app. this would mount my second partition (ext2) /system/sd

Let me also state that the top part is working. that is what loads the sdcard to /sdcard. what I am trying to do is load the second partition to /system/sd by adding a *second* block to the file, which is not working.

Hi Darkrift,
I don't have a second partition on my sd card nor have I installed any of the cupcake builds so I can't test my thoughts myself but thought I'd share them with you...
Have you tried browsing to the directory referenced by the original vold.conf? I was just wondering how this structure compares to a device using a partitioned sd card? Maybe a comparison would give us some clues as to how the new volume manager works.
Mine looks like this:
sys/devices/platform/msm_sdcc.2/mmc_host:mmc1/mmc1:d516
With no other similarly name directories below the msm_sdcc.2 level.

Why don't we use Fat32 partition as extra memory? why can't we run application from a Fat32 partition?

#1 FAT32 doesn't support case-sensitivity, and that is enabled on the internal FS's
#2 extfs is way better than FAT
#2 FAT sucks

@wellsie: I think the problem is the name I am giving it "volume_apps {
" but if i change it to volume_sdcard { like the first one, it adds those config options to teh top block. Also I have tried adding all different versions of the media path (in /dev, in /system/devices and more) with no luck.
@funbacon: Joushou's ideas make sense, but neither of those are the reason. Each application installed on the G1 has an owner, group and set permissions. That is part of the "sandbox" that keeps apps from accessing each others files. Fat has no permissions, so an app on fat would not be able to have the needed permissions to be used.

Oh yeah, permissions aswell
I have been too long in unix, so i just expect that to be there
But i believe that fits under the "FAT sucks" category

I agree with that one

C'mon. I know someone has gotta have some ideas or maybe know how to browse the source and figure stuff out more than I could. I tried checking out the source but its fairly foreign to me. I know a little scripting, but not much as far as coding goes. I really would like to help get apps-to-sd working in cupcake but this is a major stumbling block for that.

I just want to say that even i am not proficient on this type of stuff i voluntere to test whatever setup you come up with.
I really apreciate your work on this as this is the only reason I have not moved to haykuros or anybodys cupcake build.
So thanks tanks to every body for pitching in.
oh by the way, If you set it up i will donate to the cause!!!!!

I'll try and look at the code over the weekend...family time comes first though so it may have to wait until next week when I'm at work ;-)

I think the main problem is the naming convention for a new "block". sdcard is already in use, and adding a second one just adds to the first one. I think there might be "sdcard2" or something else that it is expecting. I tried just naming it whatever I wanted hoping that would work but it didnt seem to.

im with carlos im not a good with all that code stuff, but im down to test whatever u come out with,
also for i heard haykuyo is coming out with a fix for the physical keyboard soon

If you are speaking about "Keyboard Fix" in the terms of the Keyboard Mapping being messed up, then chack out the first post of the Sapphire/Magic G1 Port thread... Keyboard mapping has been fixed.
I honestly cannot believe that Google hasn't had any hits on the android site about this problem yet...

Instead of partitioning, maybe we can try this other method for apps to sdcard.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3402719&postcount=683
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=3402947&postcount=687
This method creates an ext2 filesystem object as a file under the fat32 filesystem so there would be no need to partition.
I'm doing my taxes today, but if I get a chance to play around with it, I'll try to implement this tomorrow. Looks pretty straightforward.

well, nobody would know about this problem unless they are breaking the rules. A, having a rom which we should not have, and B, making changes to the OS and "hacking" it to read apps somewhere its not supposed to. Android should not have 2 partitions, so this is not something they would even answer.

Using dm-crypt to Encrypt the SD Card...?

Trying to setup a script to automatically encrypt/mount/dismount the SD card using dm-crypt (the same tool used in Froyo's app2sd).
Targets as below...
A wizard to setup disk/partition encryption.
The key can be randomized by the device itself, or manually configured by user, and stored on the phone's memory (the point is that the content on the SD card will NOT be readable once removed from the device.
Automatically mount and dismount during boot and shutdowns.
Compatibility with the native USB mount feature.
It's my understanding that the encryption/decryption will be done in the background and transparent to the user. I also understand that there will be a hit on the performance and battery life.
It seems that Android uses vold, and most dm-crypt guides out there involves editing /etc/fstab which is not used on Android at all.
Pardon my ignorance, and any pointer will be appreciated!

Anybody...?

Anybody knows how Froyo's A2SD system works? There's no cryptsetup whatsoever but somehow it can use dm-crypt to store the apps on SD card?
It seems that Android's vold has parameters hardcoded and compiled into the binary.
Furthermore, it's not necessary to to use vold to mount the sdcard, good ol' mount can be used (no auto-mount through), but there's no cryptsetup to setup the partition.
I would like to do some rough experiments but needs crypsetup, or setup a cross-compile platform for compiling a static cryptsetup first.
P.S. Someone had worked on encrypting /data but it wasn't finished before he's switched to N900... (my target is a bit difference through, to encrypt the sd card which is more easily stolen... if the phone itself is stolen, it wouldn't do much good anyway cause someone can use adb to access /data, assuming the key is stored on the device not entered manually during each boot)
http://androidvoid.wordpress.com/2009/09/30/android-encryption-using-cryptsetup-and-luks/
P.P.S. The DROID PRO is said to have both device and SD card encryption as well. I suspect dm-crypt is used. Look forward to see how it's being handled...

Any pointers...?

: ).......................

Sorry, that I am not able to help you - although I would in fact appreciate if you achieve the aim somehow!

I'm really surprised this hasn't gained more attention. I sincerely hope someone discovers a way to fully encrypt SD cards.

Damian works on a kernel (still alpha) which so far already has cryptsetup.
Section galaxy s
I think this could be more easy achieved with steam recovery than cwm.
So far full encryption of blackberries is THE killer argument why android still doesnt go professional and get more attention.
Lets change that!
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

Push for implementating it in Android, please *star* the issues.
Issue 11211 - android - Android too insecure - Encryption of the SDcard is crucial - Project Hosting on Google Code
Issue 3748 - android - Add support for partition/block device encryption - Project Hosting on Google Code

I was able to get encrypted file system to work within a chroot'd debian environment; the key was to get the right cipher to work with the android kernel (aes-cbc-essiv:md5). The only reason I couldn't get it to work directly in android was the lack of the cryptsetup command.
Here's a guide, where a 64M file "dummy" is created filled with random junk, turned into a device, LUKS formatted, and mkfs'd. The second section mounts it, the third dismounts and frees resources.
HTH
Paul
Code:
=== create ===
dd if=/dev/urandom of=cryptvol.raw bs=1024 count=65536
mknod /dev/loop21 b 7 21
losetup /dev/loop21 /home/cryptvol.raw
cryptsetup --cipher aes-cbc-essiv:md5 --key-size 256 luksFormat /dev/loop21
cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/loop21 cr_cryptvol
mkfs.ext3 /dev/mapper/cr_cryptvol
cryptsetup luksClose /dev/mapper/cr_cryptvol
losetup -d /dev/loop21
=== use ===
mknod /dev/loop21 b 7 21
losetup /dev/loop21 /home/cryptvol.raw
cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/loop21 cr_cryptvol
mount /dev/mapper/cr_cryptvol /data/local/cryptvol
mkdir /data/local/cryptvol
cd /data/local/cryptvol
echo "this is a file in encrypted file system" >> README
== close ==
umount /data/local/cryptvol
cryptsetup luksClose /dev/mapper/cr_cryptvol
losetup -d /dev/loop21

@speculatrix
Are you able to use the chroot Debian rmount in Android at all?

[HOWTO] Install LinuxOnAndroid distros on your sdcard's second partition.

Hello friends! I'm a year long follower of the LinuxOnAndroid project. I have always wanted to install ubuntu on my sdcard instead of using image files. I waited a long time for an instruction to crop up somewhere on the internet about how to do this, and in the meantime, learnt a lot of things. Then I decided to experiment with the idea a few days ago and also managed to get satisfying results. There was a significant performance boost compared to using a linux image.
While writing this tutorial, I have assumed that you are already quite familiar with the LOA project and that you have already managed to run a linux distro on your android device.
Please note that while this tutorial aims to be applicable for all distros released under the LOA project, I have only run Ubuntu 12.04 small, Ubuntu 13.10 small and Debian small images. I have never had any experience with the other distros. But I'm pretty confident that the instructions can be applied to other distros without any problem. If you encounter any problem while applying the instructions for your device and distro, I'm willing to help you as much as I can.
Warning: I've never bricked my android devices while rooting, modding or hacking them and I hope you will be as lucky. But please remember that I will not be held responsible for any damage or losses suffered by you or your devices while following the instructions given in this tutorial. You will do so at your own risk.
Let's begin.
First of all, Things You'll Need:
Root access on your android device
Busybox
An sdcard of optimum storage capacity. You decide what's optimum for your case. I have a 16GB card with a 4GB partition for ubuntu small image.
Init.d script support for auto-mounting second sdcard partition on boot. You can skip this if you want to mount the second partition only when booting up linux.
Attached zip containing bootscript.sh and 03ubuntu files.
Step 1: Partitioning the sdcard
WARNING: This will erase all data on your sdcard!
Use MiniTool Partition Wizard for windows, gParted for linux or aParted for Android to create the two partitions on your sdcard. I reccomend that you do the partitioning on your PC. Note that you cannot partition your sdcard by connecting your device to your PC my USB. You need to use a card reader. If you have a USB modem with built in card reader, you can use that too.
The first partition will be used by your android device for mass storage. Make it FAT32 or exFAT or vFAT. Note that if you make the first partition exFAT, custom recoveries like CWM will not mount it. This can cause problems, for example, when you are trying to restore a nandroid backup from your sdcard.
As for the format for the second partition (let's call it the linux partition), it depends on what linux filesystems your device supports. You can't use (ex/v)FAT(32). You can only use linux filesystem for installing a linux OS.
If you are using aParted to partition the sdcard, not every format will work. My tablet supports mkfs.ext2 and make_ext4fs but
Code:
mke2fs -t ext3/4
doesn't work. So I used aParted to format the second partition as ext2 and ran
Code:
make_ext4fs /dev/block/mmcblk0p2
in terminal emulator. So my linux partition is ext4. You need to unmount your sdcard to use aParted.
NOTE: Before creating your second partition, make sure your device is able to mount the format that you want to use. Run the
Code:
cat /proc/filesystems
or
mount
command in terminal emulator to check for supported filesystems.
STEP 2: Mounting the sdcard partitions
WARNING: If you are using the Link2SD app or any other app2sd app, you might be prompted to create mount scripts for the second partition. DO NOT CREATE THE MOUNT SCRIPTS. Our linux partition is not meant for app2sd.
In this tutorial, we will be mounting the linux partition automatically on startup. For this, you'll need init.d script support on your device. You can use Uni-Init to check/enable init.d easily. If your device does not support init.d and you've failed to enabled it, you could go for more advanced methods like unpacking your boot image and editing init.rc to mount the linux partition. You could also try the Script Manager app. You can also choose to mount the linux partition only when you boot up linux. Let me know if you'd like instructions for this.
Assuming that you already have init.d support, let us proceed.
Download the attached 03ubuntu script and using a root explorer copy it to /system/etc/init.d/here. I use ES File Explorer. Set file permissions to rwx-rwx-rwx or 777(? I'm not very familiar with numerical permissions). rwx-r-xr-x might also work. You can also use terminal to copy, set file permissions, etc. It's up to you.
EDIT: WARNING! Depending on your device, your MicroSD card might me mmcblk1. You can check using the mount command or from the aParted app. It is mmcblk1 on one of my friends' phone. If this is the case you must edit the 03ubuntu script to replace mmcblk0p2 by mmcblk1p2
The 03ubuntu script mounts the linux partition as ext4 at /mnt/ubuntu. The mount options in the script are meant for the maximum performance but may reduce reliability. I haven't had any problems yet. If your linux partition is not ext4, edit the script accordingly. Some of the mount options used in the script are meant for ext4 filesystems only. Google "best/optimum ext(whatever your linux partition is) mount options" to learn more. My linux partition is mounted with noatime option but becomes relatime sometimes after shutting down linux. Somebody please tell me why this happens.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
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"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
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"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
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"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
After placing the script in the init.d directory, reboot your phone.
After rebooting, open the /mnt folder. If you see a folder named ubuntu, congratulations, the init.d script worked. But is the linux partition mounted? You can check by opening the /mnt/ubuntu folder. If you see a lost+found or LOST.DIR folder, the partition is very likely to be mounted. Confirm it by running
Code:
mount
in the terminal. Look for the line
Code:
/dev/block/mmcblk0p2 /mnt/ubuntu ext4 rw,noatime,user_xattr,barrier=0,data=writeback 0 0
If you see that line, we're ready to move to the next step.
STEP 3: Copying the files from linux image to linux partition
Now, we install your linux distro on the sdcard. Place the image (a fresh one or the one that you've been using) in your sdcard and run the following commands. Note: You might need to make changes to the commands according to your image location and format.
Code:
su
mkdir /data/local/mnt
mknod /dev/block/loop255 b 7 255
losetup /dev/block/loop255 /mnt/sdcard/ubuntu.img
mount -t ext2 /dev/block/loop255 /data/local/mnt
cp -dpR /data/local/mnt/* /mnt/ubuntu
## wait till copy is complete ##
umount /data/local/mnt
exit
So that was it. You have your favorite linux distro installed on your sdcard now.
But before you go ahead and press that BOOT LINUX button, we still have some things left to do to make it possible to boot from sdcard.
STEP 4: Editing the bootscript.sh and init.sh files
Actually, I did the bootscript editing part for you. I made all (and only) the changes that are required to boot from the sdcard. The modified bootscript is based on the latest (v8) version. Things like sdcard and external sdcard mounts and binds are unchanged. I added comments in the script with my name to mark places where I made the changes. You can look through it if you like.
So now copy the modified bootscript.sh file inside /data/data/com.zpwebsites.linuxonandroid/files/here and set file permissions to rw-------.
After that, comes init.sh. Although the bootscript is common for all distros, it may not be the case for init.sh. You'll find it in /mnt/ubuntu/root/init.sh.
Copy it to your sdcard and keep a copy somewhere safe. Open the script in a text editor (I use Jota+ text editor) and find the following lines and remove them.
Code:
if [ $# -ne 0 ]; then
cfgfile=/root/cfg/$1.config
if [ -f $cfgfile ]; then
echo "Using config file $cfgfile"
else
echo "Config file not found, using defaults!($cfgfile)"
fi
fi
The original permissions for the init.sh file are rwx-rwx-rx
After that, place the modified init.sh file back inside /mnt/ubuntu/root/here and don't forget to set correct file permissions.
STEP 5: Final steps and booting linux
Everything is in place and now you can boot up your linux, or can you? Nope. The Complete Linux Installer app won't let you boot if it does not find an image file.
For this, create an empty file inside /mnt/ubuntu/here and name it ubuntu.img.
In the app, enter the location of linux image as /mnt/ubuntu/ubuntu.img and tap on the awesome boot button.
Voila! You've now successfully installed linux to your sdcard and managed to boot it up too! Well done, my son.
Aaaand...Just a reminder: Don't Update Script if you want to continue booting from thee linux partition.

If you have been successful in achieving the goal of this tut, please leave a feedback with your device name and any modifications that you had to make, if any, to the whole process. That will be of great help to others.
EDIT: RISK OF DOUBLE BOOTING!
In case of booting from linux image, when you (accidentally) tap on the boot widget or the boot button while linux is already running, the app would display a confirmation dialog to chroot into the mounted image. This may not happen when you are booting from the second sdcard partition.
To prevent errors when you accidentally tap on the boot widget/button, add the following code into the bootscript right after the error_exit() function at the beginning of the script.
Code:
echo "Boot up Linux? Make sure it is safe to boot before proceeding!"
read answer
if [ $answer != muchfunny ]; then
error_exit "Aborted"
fi
Replace "muchfunny" with y or yes or any word of your choice.
When you try to boot, you'll have to enter this word to proceed. If you type in the wrong word, it won't boot. This way, you will have a chance to prevent errors when you accidentally tap on the boot widget while linux is already running.
Any user of LOA, not just those who are booting from linux partition, can benefit from this. You could replace "muchfunny" with a secret code to prevent anyone from messing with your linux installation. So it's like implementing password protection.
I'm using this on my tablet.

hello david,
Looks nice and clear, haven't had the chance to try yet but will post my results when i do.
Just wanted to say big thanks for the write up.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

joesnose said:
Looks nice and clear, haven't had the chance to try yet but will post my results when i do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you do a factory reset in CWM (probably also in other recoveries), the second sdcard partition is wiped.
So it's best to store the backups in the internal sd and remove the sdcard before performing a reset.
If you don't already know, and if you have not run "apt-get clean", you can back up any packages that you downloaded on ubuntu (if you're using it) by keeping a copy of the contents of the archives folder in /var/cache/apt/. In case your linux installation gets corrupted or the partition gets wiped, you can restore the backed-up packages later. So you won't have to download them again.

I have used this thread to install Archlinux using LinuxonAndroid on a Samsung Epic 4G's SD card. I have some issues to sort out with using VNC to access the Archlinux installation but the commandline environment on the Epic 4G works fine.
If you're trying to use this with Ubuntu, there are several issues. First, the image hosted by the LoA project for Ubuntu 13.10 doesn't work for this application: you'll get errors when you try to mount the image for installation to the SD partition. Second, you might try the 13.04 image: it will mount and install but the repositories are all gone because 13.04 is no longer supported.
If you're trying to install this in order to use a specific program (in my case, I'm wanting to use this device as a Prosody server), it's probably best to see which available distro hosted by LoA has up-to-date packages for that program and use that to guide your decision. Based on this logic, I chose Archlinux.
If you aren't using Ubuntu, the bootscript.sh file included with this post becomes problematic as it is littered with Ubuntu-specific calls. It isn't overly difficult to edit: open it in Notepad+ (or similar) and read through it, changing $mnt and $ubuntu to whatever you've named your partition mount folder as. In my case, my mount folder is /archlinux/ and the fake image file (used to spoof the LoA app as detailed in OP's post) is /archlinux/archlinux.img, so this meant simply replacing $mnt and $ubuntu with $archlinux. There are a few instances of $ubuntu that I didn't mess with--in the comments, David has mentioned that they refer to the "usermounts feature" and that he left these alone because he didn't understand it. Are these the usermounts that are defined in the LoA app? I don't know and I haven't tried defining a mount yet (such as partition 1 on the SD card). In short, bootscript.sh will need to be edited to account for a non-Ubuntu installation.
(If you're using Archlinux, LoA hosts a modified bootscript.sh that contains a Archlinux-specific change to mounting /dev/pts, whatever that is. I used this as a base script to work with, then added and deleted the areas that David has edited in his bootscript.sh.)
Accounting for the differences, Archlinux works at the terminal on the device. However, if you try to connect to the automatically configured VNC server, things start to get weird for a Linux noob (which I am). For starters, there isn't a desktop environment defined so when you first connect, you're gonna see a blank gray screen and a cursor. Right-clicking brings up a menu. Almost none of the apps on the menu work, because they aren't installed. I think what you're looking at is the openbox window environment. What you need is a terminal to install something that works better but here's the catch: the terminal isn't installed/working, either (in VNC, not at the device). What I did here might have been a mistake compounding an error: I used the terminal on the device (which is logged in as root) to install a desktop environment using Archlinux's package manager, pacman. Then, I edited the (hidden by default) /home/$yourinstallhere/.vnc/xstartup.sh to boot the installed desktop environment; add a line with the command appropriate to your chosen DE: e.g. gnome-session; startxfce4; startlxde. You can comment out most anything else as those lines are loading the openbox environment and a terminal session. Alternatively, leave those in place as a backup environment and place your DE load command after those, so if your DE doesn't load, you still have the nearly useless gray screen to look at.
Okay, so that got a DE going (after the xstartup script was executed again and possibly the Linux install rebooted). Now what? Well, as mentioned before, terminal still doesn't work. It will open but there isn't a prompt and no keyboard input is shown. Without terminal, Linux is crippled, DE or no DE. This is where I am currently. I can still manage the Archlinux installation from the device's terminal as root but access from VNC is effectively unusable. I don't know why: is it because the DE packages (including a terminal emulator) were installed by root and therefore the VNC user doesn't have the permissions to access them?
In any event, I would like to thank David for posting this thread. The LoA project has little to no documentation or discussion so this has been very helpful to me. Please let me know if you have any ideas regarding VNC access of the installation.
Edit: Additional installation-specific information:
My Epic 4G is running the Cyanogenmod 10.1 stable release. The init.d mount script for the second partition will not automatically run at boot, despite CM supporting init.d and having installed the Universal init.d app. However, the script can be manually executed from within the Universal app and that will mount the partition. I tried adding a 50-second sleep to the script to see if it was just bogging down but that had no effect so I gave that idea up. The test script that the Universal app uses to test if the device has init.d support also doesn't work, which indicates that the Epic 4G CM port may be at fault here.
Using Archlinux's systemctl to manage services from the root terminal on the device is not working as expected. For instance, if I try to restart the vncserver service (systemctl restart vncserver) the terminal returns, "Running in chroot, ignoring request."
Edit #2:
Installed xterm from the device terminal and now I can access xterm from VNC /facepalm (why does the xstartup script call something that isn't installed by default?).

When my device's screen powers off, the VNC session drops because the server apparently kills itself. I have Android set to keep wifi on during sleep. How do I keep VNC active while the device's screen is off?

I seem to have succeeded with having my Epic 4G run an XMPP server (Prosody) within Archlinux on Android. I don't want to take this thread too far off-topic but there were some aspects to my project that would be useful to know for someone installing LoA.
http://sourceforge.net/p/linuxonand...do-users-and-groups-work-under-linuxonandroid
https://android.googlesource.com/pl...r/include/private/android_filesystem_config.h
This is pretty key knowledge to know if you're going to install anything that's going to need to gain control over the Android hardware (e.g., opening sockets). Root at the terminal is probably in all of these groups but the default user (ubuntu or whatever you named your installation) might not be; if your software installs its own user, it definitely won't have these group memberships so you'll have to add them. In my case, Prosody creates its own user and group and refuses to run as root, so I had to give the Prosody user membership in the 3003 group so it could open listening ports (I also had to modify all of the files that should have belonged to Prosody with chown because root took ownership by default). I figured this was something to keep in mind, if you're a fellow Linux noob.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1585009&page=24
Speaking of the "everything as root" problem, I came across this that purports to make the default ubuntu user more typical of what you'd encounter in a Linux distro. I haven't tried it yet but I may need to in the future, if I expand the services offered by my Epic 4G. I still haven't figured out why the VNC server drops when the screen is turned off, though; I probably need to switch servers. The default is xVNC and I have been using Win7 x64 TightVNC Viewer to access it.

Hello there! Thanks for your posts! After encountering problems while trying to get LAMP to run on Ubuntu 12.04 and 13.10, I had given up LoA, until today. I've been using Linux Deploy instead for the past few months. Everything works fine on it. Have you tried it?
Anyway, I've decided to install LoA Debian as image from now. I think dedicating a 4 GB partition to a Linux installation is costly when you have just 14.7 GB of available storage.

Hello David,
I gave up on Linux on Android because I couldn't get it to stay connected to wifi with the screen off. I went back to using an XMPP server on my OpenWRT router instead.
Thank you for the suggestion regarding Linux Deploy. If I have some time, I will try it.
Does your LAMP stack manage to stay constantly connected with the screen off?

hammmy said:
Hello David,
I gave up on Linux on Android because I couldn't get it to stay connected to wifi with the screen off. I went back to using an XMPP server on my OpenWRT router instead.
Thank you for the suggestion regarding Linux Deploy. If I have some time, I will try it.
Does your LAMP stack manage to stay constantly connected with the screen off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Linux Deploy has options to keep screen on and to keep wifi on while the app is running. I'm not sure if this will help with accessing LAMP when the screen is off. BTW, I found other problems with LoA Debian. So I'm back to Linux Deploy Debian. I'll test LAMP with screen off and let you know how it goes.

Instead of running the web servers through a linux installation, I suggest you try the various web server apps available for Android, if you haven't already, that is. I use Palapa Web Server which is free and has a nice interface.

Unfortunately I was unable to get Apache to work. Anyways, like I said, the Android web server apps might best serve your needs.

davidheis said:
Instead of running the web servers through a linux installation, I suggest you try the various web server apps available for Android, if you haven't already, that is. I use Palapa Web Server which is free and has a nice interface.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a good suggestion but unfortunately the XMPP server apps that I've tried didn't work out. I don't recall exactly why as it's been awhile since I tested them. They are bare-bones and lack configuration options.

hammmy said:
This is a good suggestion but unfortunately the XMPP server apps that I've tried didn't work out. I don't recall exactly why as it's been awhile since I tested them. They are bare-bones and lack configuration options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, okay. I highly recommend Linux Deploy as the distros are downloaded directly from the official sources. Installing to a second partition is very easy too. And it also allows running of custom scripts during startup of your distro. So if you manage to have XMPP working, you won't have to open a terminal to start the service (which is necessary for apache - have to run "service apache2 start").
Let me know if you have any success with Linux Deploy. I may be working with XMPP in the near future, so having a 'take anywhere' server might prove very useful.

Hello David can you make a brief guide on how to install Kali on sdcards second partition. I'm stuck I don't know how to install the linux.IMG on the ext2 partition, I partitioned my SD card using minitool the problem is when I hit install on Linux deploy the IMG will be installed on the SD card but on the fat32 partition not the ext2, which is the path to ext2 ? I can't find it using file explorer maybe you can help me
EDIT: i need to mount the new ext2 partition right? which is the easiest way to do it?

hi... can you provide me a method to access the filesystem (eg. var, etc....) because in the old ubuntu version is no longer supported. i got 404 not found when try to get update(apt-get update). only one solution is modify etc/resource.list file....but ubuntu cant access the filesystem via termimal

Cifs mount on start? I've added it to fstab and mount -a works fine, but it seems that fstab is not being run on start-up? I tried adding the same line I used in fstab to the custom mount points but it does not like it "skip"' it's probably simple syntax, the mount cmd seems to change dep. on where you run it, anyone know the right way to get a cifs mount on start in ld? thanks..
this is what works in fstab/mount -a
//192.168.1.65/media/Cifs /Public/Video cifs username=user,password=pw,iocharset=utf8,file_mode=0777,dir_mode=0777,noperm 0 0

Well hello everyone.
I am going to try this now cause Linux deploy failed for me and it also messed up my external sd card (cause my xperia e3 doesn't have that Much internal).
Then i tried complete linux installer normal installation method but that also didn't worked so now i am going to try this.
I know this thread is very old but that's my only chance left for installing Ubuntu in phone
If anyone can provide any advice or any guidance i will be grateful to him
Thanks In Advance

Android 8.1.0 set file permissions in /sdcard/Android/data

I'm working with an application as part of my general learning about the android system. I would like to set a directory (folder) under /sdcard/Android/data/com.sample.app/sample as read only. It appears that the entire user space within Android 8.1.0 is actually vfat (or FAT32). I've got full root access but CHMOD obviously won't touch it. FATATTR gives me an error (and I'm assuming it either doesn't want to set a read only attribute to a directory or I'm missing a needed parameter). Does anyone know how to do this? Device does not have a removable sdcard and unlike newer variants of android the user space data is not EXT type file system. Device runs an early release of the e.foundation software and is old enough that it won't update to something newer. It's not a daily driver, so it's my experimenting device.