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Possible to boot Ubuntu from Sd card?

Hi,
I know there's already a thread about Ubuntu, but I ran across this, and it looks a little different:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=10306407#post10306407
It looks like, instead of replacing the Nook Color ROM, they're booting Ubuntu from the (external, I think) sdcard.
Would it be possible to do something like this with the Gtab? If it is, maybe we could have an Android/Ubuntu dual boot?
Jim

http://nexusonehacks.net/nexus-one-hacks/how-to-install-ubuntu-on-your-nexus-oneandroid/
The above is the based info on this. It looks like, basically, they run Ubuntu under chroot (in a jail).
This seems like it'd be cool, on a Gtab!
Jim

jimcpl said:
http://nexusonehacks.net/nexus-one-hacks/how-to-install-ubuntu-on-your-nexus-oneandroid/
The above is the based info on this. It looks like, basically, they run Ubuntu under chroot (in a jail).
This seems like it'd be cool, on a Gtab!
Jim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would it be fast like that? I used to run Android on an sd card on my old HTC Titan phone. It was slower than Molasses in winter.. Would be neat if it could be done, and was still fast.

Sprdtyf350 said:
Would it be fast like that? I used to run Android on an sd card on my old HTC Titan phone. It was slower than Molasses in winter.. Would be neat if it could be done, and was still fast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I don't know the answer to your question, but we run stuff under chroot all the time (mainly things like Apache httpd) for security reasons, and running under chroot doesn't add overhead. It's not like it's running a VM/hypervisor. Rather, chroot just isolates the app (in this case, Ubuntu) from "seeing" the rest of the system, so I think that if it could be done, the Ubuntu "instance" would run at native speed. Again, this would be more like a dual-boot configuration, rather than a VM type situation.
If you read through the 2nd link, it's kind of neat the way they did this, i.e., they got just a command line Ubuntu going first, then they used apt-get to bring in the X stuff on top of that, kind of like bootstrapping, at a little higher level. Also, similar to how the earlier versions of Windows worked, i.e., basically you'd boot to DOS (yikes !) then start Windows from there.
Jim

i want this soooooo bad.....

When I have some time, I wouldn't mind trying to get something like this working on Gtab, but at this point, I'd (we'd) need some guidance.
For example, would we need our own img file for the Gtab, or could we use the one that was linked on those sites? Those are, I guess, for Nexus One and for EVO, so the native code would be for Snapdragon. Would those work on the Gtab, which is Tegra 2?
I originally hesitated posting this in the Development forum, but maybe it should be. I don't know ...
Jim

There is an ubuntu image that runs on the external micro-sd card. You have to change the boot loader to run it. Right now you have to have an external mouse and keyboard.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=894960
It does not modify the internal storage so you can restore a boot image from Clockwork and boot back into android.

NMCBR600 said:
There is an ubuntu image that runs on the external micro-sd card. You have to change the boot loader to run it. Right now you have to have an external mouse and keyboard.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=894960
It does not modify the internal storage so you can restore a boot image from Clockwork and boot back into android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I read through some of that thread for awhile now (not too closely), but I had the impression that the Ubuntu in that thread replaced the normal Gtab ROM?
So, is the only thing that gets replaced on /sdcard the boot image? If that's the case, then it wouldn't allow a dual boot, without using CW and restoring the appropriate boot image?
Sorry, not arguing, but just trying to understand...
Jim

It uses a custom boot image to load ubuntu from the micro sd card. It will not boot android. You have to reflash the boot image to boot back into android. There is a post in that thread (#57) where a dual boot capable boot image is being asked for.

NMCBR600 said:
It uses a custom boot image to load ubuntu from the micro sd card. It will not boot android. You have to reflash the boot image to boot back into android. There is a post in that thread (#57) where a dual boot capable boot image is being asked for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I remember that "request" in that thread ...
I guess that the nice thing about the approach at the beginning of this thread, if it could be possible, would be both runnable "images" (the Gtab/Android and the Ubuntu) would exist (but not run) simultaneously, the former on the internal SDCARD, and the latter on the external microSD card...
Jim

ext2 support?
Hi,
I've been reviewing the shell scripts that are used for this (downloaded from the link from the original NC thread), and it looks like almost everything would be ok, except:
- It looks like the ubuntu.img file is an image with an ext2 fs on it (they do a loop mount on it). I tried "busybox modprobe ext2" on my Gtab (stock TNT 3452), and it looks like it doesn't have the .so or whatever to support ext2. Does anyone know if it's possible to get ext2 support on the Gtab?
- I was hoping to at least try the mount, to see what's there, but since I can't, I'm still assuming that the ubuntu.img was compiled for the NC, so I'm still wondering if I could get it mounted, if the code in there would work? According to:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/28/nook-color-processor-revealed-arm-cortex-a8-based-ti-omap3621/
it's an "ARM Cortex A8", whereas the Gtab uses a Tegra 2, which I guess is an ARMV7?
Thanks,
Jim

jimcpl said:
Hi,
I've been reviewing the shell scripts that are used for this (downloaded from the link from the original NC thread), and it looks like almost everything would be ok, except:
- It looks like the ubuntu.img file is an image with an ext2 fs on it (they do a loop mount on it). I tried "busybox modprobe ext2" on my Gtab (stock TNT 3452), and it looks like it doesn't have the .so or whatever to support ext2. Does anyone know if it's possible to get ext2 support on the Gtab?
- I was hoping to at least try the mount, to see what's there, but since I can't, I'm still assuming that the ubuntu.img was compiled for the NC, so I'm still wondering if I could get it mounted, if the code in there would work? According to:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/28/nook-color-processor-revealed-arm-cortex-a8-based-ti-omap3621/
it's an "ARM Cortex A8", whereas the Gtab uses a Tegra 2, which I guess is an ARMV7?
Thanks,
Jim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if i remember correctly it's an arm 9 that shows up as a 7....

[Q] Safe, Simple Ubuntu/Android dualboot with (SL101) Slider?

I'm interested in dualbooting my SL101 slider with Ubuntu. I currently have a semi-stock ICS installed (9.2.1.17) and rooted. Naturally, this is an sbk2 device.
I have a big microSD card and I have seen instructions on dualbooting from microSD, (here, post #3: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1537566) but I have some questions:
1) My ideal would be to flash Ubuntu to the microSD card and leave my ICS installation untouched on the internal memory. I would like to just change which partition the device tries to boot from. Is this possible?
1b) It looks like the instructions referenced above flash "ubuntu-sdcard.zip" over my ICS installation and then require me to reflash ICS each time that I want to switch OSes. Is there any way to avoid this?
1c) If I need to reflash the rom every time, I would like to use the one that I am currently running, post OTA modifications. I tried using "dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p4 of=ics.img", copying the ics.img to my desktop, using "blobpack blob LNX ics.img" and inserting the blob file that resulted into an existing ASUS kernel update zipfile. This didn't work; CWM recovery 5.8.3.4 gives the error "installation aborted" every time I try to install this file. (I have turned checksum verification off.)
1d) Is there any program that will psuedo-automate switching between operating systems? A one-touch choice of ubuntu or ICS to do the flash and boot automatically?
2) As of July 2012, which are the best ubuntu.img and ubuntu-sdcard.zip to use? What are my choices? Can I update Ubuntu online via normal "Update Manager" methods after installation?

electricfield said:
I'm interested in dualbooting my SL101 slider with Ubuntu. I currently have a semi-stock ICS installed (9.2.1.17) and rooted. Naturally, this is an sbk2 device.
I have a big microSD card and I have seen instructions on dualbooting from microSD, (here, post #3: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1537566) but I have some questions:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good, you searched and found the thread! Make sure the microSD is a high class (8 or 10) or else it will be super laggy and IMO not worth it. (If you want lag you can just run Ubuntu or any other linux distro in a chmod format over VNC)
electricfield said:
1) My ideal would be to flash Ubuntu to the microSD card and leave my ICS installation untouched on the internal memory. I would like to just change which partition the device tries to boot from. Is this possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) The .zip files are just afaik to change which installation you're booting from, so the installations I think are untouched (aside from the kernel)
electricfield said:
1b) It looks like the instructions referenced above flash "ubuntu-sdcard.zip" over my ICS installation and then require me to reflash ICS each time that I want to switch OSes. Is there any way to avoid this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1b) Not that I know of, this is the safest method of dualboot. You're not actually flashing over your data, just changing the kernel from Android to Ubuntu and Vice-Versa
electricfield said:
1c) If I need to reflash the rom every time, I would like to use the one that I am currently running, post OTA modifications. I tried using "dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p4 of=ics.img", copying the ics.img to my desktop, using "blobpack blob LNX ics.img" and inserting the blob file that resulted into an existing ASUS kernel update zipfile. This didn't work; CWM recovery 5.8.3.4 gives the error "installation aborted" every time I try to install this file. (I have turned checksum verification off.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1c) You don't need to reflash the ROM every time, just the kernel. If you still want help with the dd, see my response to your other thread. (In the future please start only one thread )
electricfield said:
1d) Is there any program that will psuedo-automate switching between operating systems? A one-touch choice of ubuntu or ICS to do the flash and boot automatically?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1d) Not for Sbkv2 that I know of, one could be made though, but it would require a computer to run. (Basically put the updater-script file and run through adb shell in a .bat file on the computer, the computer replaces CWM, I'd personally just flash the .zips in cwm, it'd take less time than gathering everything up and plugging into the computer)
electricfield said:
2) As of July 2012, which are the best ubuntu.img and ubuntu-sdcard.zip to use? What are my choices? Can I update Ubuntu online via normal "Update Manager" methods after installation?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not entirely sure here, the one I run is really old.. ask here (or if someone could enlighten for me x)): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1537566

boot tab2 from external sd

Hi xda-dev forum,
Hopefully, this thread is appropriate for this forum, if not please advise as to a better place to post this question.
I've got a tab2 10.1, i'm rooted and running CM9 with Clockworkmod Recovery. I've experimented with running a full linux distro in a chrooted environment, and it seems to work alright. What I'd like to do now is install debian to an external sd card and optionally boot from the external drive rather than the internal one.
So far, I haven't found any threads discussing this, but please point me to resources if you know of any. Alternatively, we can create a resource here if people are interested in discussing this further in this forum.
Many thanks in advance.

That would be great! You can boot from SD on the nook color. I ran all kinds of different things on it.
If you find a way will you share the disk image?

So far, I havent found an easy way. Ive got a debian binary file system, can chroot into it, have connected to an x11 desktop with metacity and/or icewm over vnc with no problem.
Seems like I should be able to pass a rootfs=/path/to/extsdcard/ to the bootloader command that calls the kernel. I think the android kernel I have on internal sd should be fine to control processor and interface with hardware, I just want to point to external sd as rootfs when the kernal starts. Then, when the kernel finishes, it would call the /sys/init on external sd and Id be running debian natively (armel binaries) on the tab.
Alas, seems the clockworkmod recovery boot doesnt have configurable menu options (like grub, menu.lst), so I guess I can compile my own bootloader (possibly customize clockworkmod or android_bootloader) or try to use fastboot.
fastboot offers pointing the kernel to an arbitrary rootfs, but I havent gotten the p5113 into fastboot mode. Least not yet.
That's all I know for now. I'd love any advice from the experts.

If nobody here can help, for example confirming the info in my last post, making a suggestion, etc, then I wonder if there's another forum that someone can recommend.
Any help?

I'm pretty sure none of the Tab 2's have fastboot mode.

How to Root and upgrade from ice cream sandwich to jelly bean??

Dear all,
I received an Asus Transformer Tf101 for Christmas, 16gb internal RAM,
OS 4.0.3 (ice cream). Can someone please guide me how to enable root and upgrade the os?
I tried to rooted with Sparkyroot but, kept getting " exploit not found". Please help!
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda app-developers app

Check to make sure the rooting method works with your device. Have you checked out the sticky threads here about it ? I remember that I tried three different ways of rooting (all from here) before it worked - I think it was a PC driver issue and a lack of support for one.
After that, you will need to install a custom recovery in order to flash from. I really like TWRP, and was advised to download "Goomanager" from the Play Store - from there you can go to the menu dots in the upper right and choose "Install OpenRecoveryScript" and it will install it. I also like the "Reboot2Recovery" app, although it's not as useful on a custom ROM that includes the feature, but is easier than holding down buttons just right for that first time.
After that, you can flash a ROM via that custom recovery you installed (on TWRP it is very user-friendly and very obvious what you need to do as long as you know what you need to "wipe" beforehand - all you need is to use the "Install" button and thereafter).
ROM+Kernel(optional)+GAPPS(Google proprietary apps) . You need to wipe both caches, /system and internal data. You could use Titanium Backup prior to this to backup apps and of course back up data to an external source. A Kernel is sort of an underlayer of the "OS" that works on a low level with the hardware. You can read about some of the available ones in the Development section and see why people are using them, what possible benefits they get, et cetera.

arabic support
do custom roms support foreign languages and fonts, i use to visit arabic web sites and arabic tweets, do CM10, AOSP or Teom eos support such fonts
Pennycake said:
Check to make sure the rooting method works with your device. Have you checked out the sticky threads here about it ? I remember that I tried three different ways of rooting (all from here) before it worked - I think it was a PC driver issue and a lack of support for one.
After that, you will need to install a custom recovery in order to flash from. I really like TWRP, and was advised to download "Goomanager" from the Play Store - from there you can go to the menu dots in the upper right and choose "Install OpenRecoveryScript" and it will install it. I also like the "Reboot2Recovery" app, although it's not as useful on a custom ROM that includes the feature, but is easier than holding down buttons just right for that first time.
After that, you can flash a ROM via that custom recovery you installed (on TWRP it is very user-friendly and very obvious what you need to do as long as you know what you need to "wipe" beforehand - all you need is to use the "Install" button and thereafter).
ROM+Kernel(optional)+GAPPS(Google proprietary apps) . You need to wipe both caches, /system and internal data. You could use Titanium Backup prior to this to backup apps and of course back up data to an external source. A Kernel is sort of an underlayer of the "OS" that works on a low level with the hardware. You can read about some of the available ones in the Development section and see why people are using them, what possible benefits they get, et cetera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

You should be fine with foreign languages as the custom rom is generally built on what Android uses, so if you can do it on stock than you should be fine on custom.
I use a different recovery than the above post, but if you follow his steps then you should be fine. You don't NEED a custom kernel to run JB per say, but it does give you a bit more power if you want to get into overclocking etc. Also, I try to stress, once you have custom recovery and are ready to flash whatever rom you chose, wipe everything. My first and only real panic was a bootloop from not wiping everything.

Like somebody mentioned above, make sure your device is compatible with each tool. Look at your serial number on the bottom of the tablet next to the usb port. Should see B60blahblah or B70blahblah, or maybe something higher (if it's newer).
I use a nice tool put together by whitekidney called EasyFlasher. It's an all in one package where you can root, install custom recovery, and install new firmware. Check this thread. It works very well for me, and is super easy.
whitekidney says:
Works for:
ANY TF101:
SBK1 (B10-B70)
SBK2 (B70,B80,B90++)
Some B70 models are SBK1, some newer B70 are SBK2, if you don't know which one you have, try both!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's real easy to use. Put your tablet into apx mode by holding the power button and the volume up button. The screen will look like it's off but if you plug it into your Windows computer, you should hear the sound when a device is plugged it. Then it'll try to install the drivers for an apx device, or some MTP drivers, I believe. If they fail to install, download PDAnet and install it. This will correctly install your drivers. There's also another method of getting your drivers to install correctly. Here's a universal driver package that 1wayjonny put together. To clarify, only use PDAnet or the universal driver package if your drivers didn't install correctly when you plugged your transformer (which should be in apx mode) into your computer.
Now you can use EasyFlasher to install a custom recovery. I left it on the very first option, (a touch recovery, so you don't have to use your buttons to change your selection). During this process, EasyFlasher should first open up a command prompt (it might pop up behind your current programs running so you won't see it until you minimize everything except for EasyFlasher). The cmd prompt will ask you to overwrite some files on your device, just type a for "always" and let it do it's thing. It's really running NVflash which you should also get familiar with too.
After you have a custom recovery installed, flash your ROM of choice. Here's a nice JB 4.1 that I've tried out. Download that file, put it on a micro sd card, pop it in your transformer, and reboot into recovery by holding volume down and the power button. When it reboots, press volume up to enter your new custom recovery (like it should say on the screen). If you installed the same recovery that I recommended above (hopefully these are the correct steps, as I don't have my device in front of me), click on flash .zip, then click on from sd card. You should see the zip that you transferred from your computer, click on it, and it should install.
Once that's finished, reboot your transformer, let it load the new rom, either set it up or skip all the junk in the beginning. Once you're on the main home screen, remove your micro sd card and transfer the superuser zip that you can find inside the tools folder in EasyFlasher's directory (on your computer) to your sd card. Reboot into recovery, and now flash that super user zip the same way you flashed the rom.
Now you have a brand new, 4.1.2 JB rooted device!

Quick question, do i need to connect my asus eee transformer pad tf101 to my windows xp pc to root it? Or can i used my ibook g3. The reason i ask is because i keep getting an error about MTP error. I have search everywhere for this error and i cant find a solution.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda app-developers app

jbusti75 said:
Quick question, do i need to connect my asus eee transformer pad tf101 to my windows xp pc to root it? Or can i used my ibook g3. The reason i ask is because i keep getting an error about MTP error. I have search everywhere for this error and i cant find a solution.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sure it can be done, but most of the tools (like EasyFlasher) use Windoze.
Even if you are getting an MTP error, it should not matter as you will be using the APX device. Just make sure you have the APX driver and update the unknown device that appears after you boot to APX mode.

[Q] where is boot options on transformer infinity?

I unlocked my boot loader and have not yet found where I can boot from a SD card or usb thumb drive...
I want this as a step towards partitioning and dual boot option...
I have the 64gig infinity, I want to install 10.4 Ubuntu, or more modern mint, or...
Any words of help, how to get this infinity to stop and notice my usb thumb as a boot option?
THANKS
koko

kokoPedli said:
I unlocked my boot loader and have not yet found where I can boot from a SD card or usb thumb drive...
I want this as a step towards partitioning and dual boot option...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlocking the bootloader only allows you to install and boot unsigned recoveries and kernels. Little is known how to reconfigure the bootloader - I have never seen a thread here how to do it. However I know some of the theory behind it:
Tegra devices use a proprietary partition table. On some devices, like our TF700, this partition table is even encrypted with a device-specific key, same as the bootloader itself. This is the partition table with the 3-letter partition names like BCT, PT, SOS, LNX, etc. It is used for the bootloader's blob flashing feature, and for NVFlash.
The Linux kernel on the TF700 (also on the TF101) uses a standard GPT, which is located at the end of the eMMC. This partition table does not contain some of the hidden partitions, in particular the boot partitions that contain recovery and kernel are invisible.
I think your safest bet is to use the same kernel for both Android and your Linux distribution, like rabits did, or try to use kexec.

> The Linux kernel on the TF700 (also on the TF101) uses a standard GPT, which is located at the end of the eMMC. This partition table does not contain some of the hidden partitions, in particular the boot partitions that contain recovery and kernel are invisible.
> I think your safest bet is to use the same kernel for both Android and your Linux distribution, like rabits did, or try to use kexec.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for responding! I appreciate it =)
And I wish I knew enough to try what you suggest, but I do not...
I got this infinity for 2 reasons, one was the hardware looked great to turn it into a linux box, the other was to use the speech to text function...
I was told by the sales guy that function worked fine out of wifi range... I guess he must have had a cell version od android, as I get nothing out of wifi range. Now I wish I had never gotten this, or at least never unlocked it with the asus unlocker so I could return it!
oh well, live and learn, I guess someone will still give me SOMETHING for it.
Unless someone else here tells me how to run non-android version of linux on this box ? Please ?!?

Read the Ubuntu thread from rabits.