[Request][Android-x86] GRUB based recovery similar to CWM - Android Software/Hacking General [Developers Only]

Hello all,
Updating android-x86 variant could be accomplished via OTA updates, and/or
another bootable installer, however wouldn't having the ability to 'flash'
customizations via a GRUB like interface be beneficial as well?
I feel for testing purposes that this could be beneficial. Having the
ability to rework the source without having to do a clean install every
time could provide a more accurate method for testing. This would also be
good for devs, who want to modify their actual system rather than a virtual
one.
I have little knowledge of android building, however I am vaguely familiar
with C and java. I have the source downloaded and I am reviewing it, in the
case that people will find this worthwhile, I will (hopefully) be able to
contribute to the cause.
Again, if I am completely off base here, please inform me. I am just trying
to help the cause!
Thanks all for future inputs. :good:
korg bootable recovery ( may be useful) : http://sourceforge.net/p/android-x86/korg_bootable_recovery/ci/master/tree/
Source thread : http://grokbase.com/t/gg/android-x86/143w3yx749/grub-based-recovery-similar-to-cwm

bump

no idea?

Related

Sapphire ROM HowTo - request for info

I'm Linux & BSD literate, and used to administering servers, compiling programs and kernels from source. I've also managed to root and flash my Magic, following advice found here. What I'd like to do is gather up some info on how to build ROMs for the Sapphire platform.
I'm already poking around the Android Wiki FAQ and the Dream dev forum on this site. There's quite a bit of info there but some of it is out of date and I've not found much that's Sapphire-specific. I also plan to take apart the .zip files released by Haykuro and others and compare/diff configs to get a feel for things.
My intent is to put together enough info to allow anyone to pull apart a released ROM and replace the dialler, add some language support or some extra apps, maybe make some other simple changes.
What I need is any pointers on:
1. Sapphire-specific info.
2. Any danger of bricking my Magic by messing around with home-made ROMs.
3. Anything else that might be useful.
Hopefully I'll be able to put together a rudimentary HowTo for the wiki, which others can add some fine-tuning and extra info to.
Thanks for any input.
I think this is a very good idea!
It would simplify things if everybody would understand how exactly custom ROMs are created.
1 - Be aware that there are different Magic HW versions...
2 - I don't think you can brick your magic as long as you make backups via nandroid.
3 - A few things I think should be in the wiki :
- how to completely setup a linux environment and which applications you need to be able to build custom ROMs.
- Explain how the android OS is working, explain what boot, hboot, recovery, system is, how the partitions work, etc..
- What are test-keys, what is the difference with and release-keys.
- How to sign.
- How to dump the recovery.img, boot.img without having root access.
- What to change into the recovery.img and boot.img to get root.
- How create an update.zip
- How to make backups with nandroid and how to restore them..
Agreed think this would be a fantastic idea, unfortunately it seems like the people in the know are not willing to share any of their knowledge =o(
Do keep us up to date as to what you find by dissecting the ROMs, had a look the other day briefly but didn't have time to play yet,
Also waiting for info/confirmation that as long as you just flash bad roms its not possible to brick your phone only if you play with SPL's and such
fxn said:
Agreed think this would be a fantastic idea, unfortunately it seems like the people in the know are not willing to share any of their knowledge =o(
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, I'm sure the knowledge is scattered around the place - sharing is one thing, bothering to document is quite another!
The only thing I don't expect to find openly shared is traceable leaked material, and frankly I can live without that.

[Q] Porting From Xoom

Hi all,
I'm hoping some of you guys in the know would lend me a hand here. I recently became the proud owner of a Fusion Garage Grid 10. It's a really great slate that's based on the Tegra 2 platform, just like the Xoom. Unfortunately, unlike the Xoom, it was neither successful nor did it ever run a "true" version of Android. It is also no longer supported by the manufacturer, as the company itself no longer exists (they went bankrupt, big time).
Right now, through the efforts of some other Grid 10-owning community members, there is a stable build of Android 2.2 for the device, which I am currently running. However, I would really like the device to have a working version of the latest Android 4.0.3, not only because the chipset is powerful enough to justify it, but also because the device has no hardware buttons, making navigation in Froyo a bit of a hassle.
To this end, I have starting looking around and trying to learn as much as I can about Android, the nVidia Tegra chipset, and embedded computing in general. Although I have some significant experience with both Linux (I'm a Linux SysAdmin by trade) and Windows (MCSA, MCSE, MCDST, MCTS for Win7), I'm finding that the world of embedded computing is very different from that of the PC.
I was hoping that some of you more learned guys here could tell me if my current understanding of the situation is well-founded, and maybe give me some pointers on where to go from here:
As far as I understand, the easiest (ha!) way for me to go about getting a version of Android 4.0.3 running on the device is to port a build meant for another device to the Grid 10. To do this, I need the boot.img and system.img from another device. After I get those, I need to extract their contents, replace the kernel in the boot.img with the original kernel for my device, and replace the hardware and kernel specific files in the system.img with the corresponding original ones. After this I need to flash the updated images to the device and then debug through adb for a long, long time.
Obviously, that's a bit of an "in a nutshell" overview, but hopefully it is basically correct. Assuming it is, I have started taking steps towards completing this goal. So far I have:
1. Made a 1:1 backup of the internal NAND of the device using nvflash (a partition at a time)
2. Acquired the bootloader.bin, system.img, boot.img, and recovery.img used in the build of Froyo that was created by the community for the device (nvflash is used pretty much exclusively at this point, no update.zip's here!)
3. Downloaded the latest master branch of Android 4.0.3 from the AOSP and compiled it for the Xoom - this generated a boot.img, system.img, and recovery.img of Android 4.0.3 (albeit for another device)
Right now, I am in the middle of trying to transfer the data from the old images into the new one, and am running into some problems. However, I think I've already typed enough, and I don't want to overwhelm you guys with questions, so I'll stop there
Is the road I'm heading down right now the way I should be headed if I would like to have Android 4.0.3 running on the device (eventually)? If not, could you please point me in the direction I should be heading?
Thank you in advance, your patience and assistance is very much appreciated
~ Kent
MODS - Please feel free to move this to a more appropriate forum if applicable. I posted here because a lot of the issues I am running into revolve around my build of the AOSP for the Xoom, so I figured this would be the best place to ask.

[ROM][CM/AOSP][JB/KK] sediROM for LG Optimus F3Q / D520

sediROM for LG Optimus F3Q - Custom ROM (codenames: fx3q, d520)
This is about building a custom ROM like Cyanogenmod or AOSP working on the LG Optimus F3Q.
Introduction
First of all: At the moment there is no CM or AOSP based ROM available for the F3Q. Not yet.
That said it means I try to port CM (or build pure AOSP) to the F3Q and this is this thread about.
Some words about me and what I do:
I do Android ROM development since June 2014 mainly doing things based on stock.
Before the F3Q I never had to do with porting CM or AOSP to a brand new (no not such "new" anymore) device before.
New means "no file device tree" etc available. So I dive into porting months ago and still learning every day new things here.
Porting is nothing you can learn in a week or so The main problem with porting is that there is not much you can read or
where you can get many help for. The guides out there are very generic and to be honest the best would be having a pro on your site
which guides you through all the problems which WILL occur when porting.
Before starting I never heard about "loki", doesn't know how TWRP gets compiled or created an Android kernel with or without CM
automatism. In the meantime I compiled a working TWRP version, having a kernel in place which allows to boot unsigned system
images and many more. The only "little" thing left is to get CM ready.. Nevertheless I have 2 things which helped me a lot over
the years: patience and "never-give-up".
The state:
If you ever tried to compile Android or CM by your own you know that you need a valid file device tree (in this case "device/lge/fx3q/")
which contains all the stuff which describes the hardware, the things to do, proprietary files you cannot compile because their sources
are kept by LG and so on. Building that from scratch is a pain in the a.. so you need to find another device whose hardware is as much
the same as yours. In this case this means LG Optimus F6 which has the same processor etc. The great thing is that there are people
out there who had build a working device tree for the F6 which means it should be possible to have the same for the F3Q!
The problem is that before I used the DT from hroark and fixed several build errors there and well now I use the very much more newer
one from dm47021 and this means: adapt everything again, fixing build errors again..
Even when there is such a valid base available from a device with same specs this does not means it would simply work when copying
it over.
I need to adapt nevertheless many things to get the sources at least compiled! and then the question is what works and what not.
This is where we are atm: Fixing compilation errors (fix 1 and you get 2 new) and then we will see..
For updates about the state scroll down to the "current state" topic.
Here what we achieved so far :
Root:
Saferoot: http://www.andromods.com/root-unlock/d520-one-click-rooted-tmobile-lg-optimus-f3q.html (Original: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2565758)
Recovery:
CWM (I cannot recommend that CWM version atm! Because it was build with not a full valid device tree and is missing features TWRP has included!): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pressy4pie.oudhs.manager
TWRP (highly recommended!): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2867339
Kernel:
sediKERNEL thread
ROM related:
AROMA installer for customized ROM installation
Stock based "hLe Storm ROM" by @joel.maxuel: [ROM][STOCK][JB 4.1.2] LG Optimus F3Q / D520
Guides & Discussions:
General talk: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2650840
Revert to STOCK again: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=54667480&postcount=181
If you want to help let me know and I provide you the sources and whatever else needed.
Current state (as of 2015-04-30):
Spent time = about 244 hours... any "Thanks" click still HIGHLy motivating..
Done:
Lokifying (without that we were absolutely L-O-S-T!!! BIG thx @djrbliss) process is done automatically by my self created build-script (took me some time but was it worth)
Lokifying means: due to a hack by @djrbliss (click here and click at his THANKS button!!) we can trick the locked bootloader to boot whatever we want!
boot a modified compiled kernel with the stock ROM / or hLe stock ROM
custom 3.4.0 kernel with kexec(disabled atm), xattr, selinux support and much more based on the stock kernel sources (sediKERNEL thread)
the ability to boot unsigned ROM's provided by sediKERNEL
Fully (or mostly) working TWRP version where storages correctly mounted and backup/restore working fine (TWRP thread)
adapt hroark's device tree of the LG optimus F6 to the F3Q (superseeded by dm47021)
adapt DM47021 DT to F3Q and compiling CM KK systemimage/full otapackage (do not expect too much it simply means that I was able to fix all the thousands of compilation errors. which is GREAT but now the debuggin starts)
Rebasing EVERYTHING of the file device tree to the f6mft one by Dm47021. Reason: CM is now available for the F6 which is damn great because we use the same hardware in many cases. I currently rewriting everything from scratch, adding the correct proprietary files etc. Will take a while but hopefully then we get more in the right direction then before.
Build system:
Intel® Core™ i7-3632QM CPU @ 2.20GHz × 8 (Quadcore. Due Hyperthreading 8 threads/CPU's)
8 GB RAM
Ubuntu Server 14.04 - 64 bit, running in a highly optimized VM based on KVM
CM11 compilation time (full cleaned working directory)
real 56m47.417s - up to 80m
user 213m6.612s
sys 20m9.400s
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Current progress:
Testing and debugging CM KK image
Building a custom kernel without stock initrd (Details on the process here: sediKERNEL thread)
To do:
must-have: Building a custom kernel without stock initrd
must-have: having a working device tree (depends on having an own initrd)
undecided: compiling AOSP JB
undecided: compiling CM JB
Stalled:
compiling CM11 kernel based on the F6 device tree (too many compilation failures)
compiling AOSP Jellybean including the LG sources works (but different issues with booting)
compiling AOSP KitKat including the LG sources fails (doesn't start at all because of several changed vars maybe. Didn't investigate that further cause I focus on kernel now)
compiling CM JellyBean fails with the adapted LG Optimus F6 device tree
MultiRom (discontinued as sediKERNEL can now do all I need):
Multirom TWRP = compiling OK but no screen shown?!
Multirom binary = compiling OK
Multirom trampoline = compiling OK if it works or not? Cannot test it until TWRP
Kexec Kernel = Porting to F3Q (hopefully) finished. compiling OK but it has problems with mounting the correct places (I think. Didnt investigate that further atm)
For testers: ALPHA/BETA testing download area
http://tinyurl.com/q7fwcf3
(password protected - PM me to get access)
For developers: my sources
My current device tree of the fx3q AOSP build can be found here: device_lge_fx3q_aosp (updated from time to time, PM me for an immediate commit)
My current device tree of the fx3q CM11 build can be found here: android_device_lge_fx3q_cm (updated from time to time, PM me for an immediate commit)
My build tools (useful tools I developed for me to speed up build/compile etc): buildtools (updated from time to time, PM me for an immediate commit)
.
XDA:DevDB Information
sediROM for LG Optimus F3Q / D520, ROM for the Android General
Contributors
xdajog, joel.maxuel
Source Code: https://github.com/xdajog/android_device_lge_fx3q_cm
ROM OS Version: 4.4.x KitKat
ROM Kernel: Linux 3.1.x
Based On: CyanogenMod
Version Information
Status: Testing
Created 2015-05-19
Last Updated 2015-05-20
Reserved
reserved 1
reserved 1
BUT IN THE MEANTIME YOU COULD USE THIS POST FOR ANOTHER THANKS CLICK
Questions & Answers
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
(in no special order)
Question #1: Is CM or pure AOSP (or similar) for this device available now?
No. Not AFAIK. If you find some please tell me! But afaik I'm the only one working on that port so if you find someone or you want to help by yourself please send me a PM!!!
I currently trying to port CM to this device and as I'm doing that alone and the whole process is very complex this is nothing you can do in 2 weeks or so.
Question #2: When will be CM or pure AOSP or similar available?
When it is ready. Sorry but for this no timeline can be made. I will update the OP from time to time so come back often to check if there are any news.
Question #3: Why are you doing this?
Well .. the main reason is I want to have an absolutely fully localized (German) Android for my wife. Yes it's that simple. There are plenty of apps who can switch the language in many dialogs but all LG ones (like settings, power menu etc) are all still English.
The following may harm you but the F3Q is not a device I would buy for myself. I do not really like it's design, it has more weight and height than my current one (Samsung i927). Ok not all is that bad: What I really like is the physical keyboard which is much more better than from the i927..
Nevertheless I own a F3Q since a while because the community sponsored one to me which makes it possible for me to continue developing for this phone. Otherwise I had stopped that at the time where my wife used her F3Q productive.
The other reasons are:
There are problems here in Germany regarding the reception: 3G (or better) is not possible (but it should be from the point of technical specs).
Besides that the displayed information about the speed seems to be wrong in some cases but that is another story..
Last but not least the problem of overfilled storage makes me mad (well in fact makes my wife mad but well that makes me mad then). There is always to less even with tricks like moving apps etc.
So in short: I want to be able to fix problems who are annoying me/my wife.
Question #4: I have bought the phone and need to unlock it (service provider lock, network lock, ...) now. How to do that?
Well there are thousands of services out there who offers unlocking and no guarantees wherever you go.
Just 1 thing before you read on:
I'm not responsible if the mentioned site doesn't work for you! For me it had worked but there are no guarantees out there in the evil internet ocean...!
The following describes my personal experiences with those services only. No guarantees no responsibilities no whatever.
I have tested 2 of them:
The first one is a "free" service named www.unlockphone.me.
Free means first of all: WAIT. As an example my request have this as the waiting time:
1027 people are in queue in front of you. 2 weeks, 3days, 10hrs, 14min remaining until you will receive your CODE
The service itself is free but as I do not wanted to wait such long I donated to them 10$ to receive the code more quickly.
Result: Well I got a code but is was not working. I send them 4 mails - never received any answer. Bad luck. That is what I mentioned above. No guarantees. Well you could try it on your own - at least the free one without a donation - and see what happens for you. It's may worth the try.
.
The second one was fine. To be sure: I do not own the following service or get anything for pointing there but I have used them 2 times and at least the service provider lock could be unlocked both times successfully. The first time used they unlocked for $2 CAD (November 2014) and today (April 2015) they unlocked for $7,50 CAD.. Well it still seems to be a reasonable price (at least for me).
freemyblackberry.com
I filled in the following:
Brand = LG
Carrier/Country = USA / T-Mobile
Model = LG Optimus F3Q
When you have received your code (the one way or the other):
if you do not see the unlock screen already type in the following in the dialer: 2945#*520#
in the displayed menu choose the type of unlock you want to do (in my case it was service provider locked so I choosen that)
type in the received unlock code (for my case the freemyblackberry named it SPCK)
the phone may reboot now automatically
enjoy.
Question #5: What can I do to help?
I thought you would never ask! :victory:
The first one EVERYONE can do even when no programming skills is: Use the "Thanks" button. :good:
This is simple, easy and can be done very quickly. This will not speed up anything of course but it keeps me motivating because it shows me that you like what I do.
.
The second one EVERYONE can do is to participate in beta testing versions.
From time to time I release a new Kernel or TWRP version or some day a CM version. If you want to help you should do that by installing those beta versions (if one is available) and telling me about the good and bad of it.
This needs always a full backup and you may need to restore things afterwards but I'm here to assist you as far as I can.
.
The third one is not for everyone: helping to port.
That means going to the steps of CM porting guide and downloading the LGE sources and cloning my git repos. Get in contact with me before so you use an uptodate repo like the device tree etc.
This one would be the biggest effort but it is the most time consuming. At least for the full port.
If you "only" want to help partly like making TWRP better or helping with Kernel development it will be much much easier because those both are already fully working and you can start with fixing things instead of try&error!
That said Option 3 here is the only option if you really want to speed up the process!
.
The last one I can think of is donating, of course. I do not beg for money here - it is simply one of the available options.
One thing about this is important: a donation is much much more motivating then the mentioned "Thanks" click but you also will not speed up anything (Ok you would speed up things when the donation is about 10.000 € or more haha)!
But seriously: I do all that in my free time atm and that means I need to cut out time somewhere else from RL. This is not a problem for me and if you donate or not I will continue until I reached my personal goal.
That simply means that it will take much more time than doing it full time. The only other option would be developing in the normal work hours which means not earning money here for this time. So there needs to be a balance for if I would do that. That said there will be times where I can work on it and may times not for weeks. It depends.
Question #6: What is that "adb" thing?
adb stands for: Android Debug Bridge and can help a lot when it comes to work with your device. It is not for developers only but they use it a lot of course.
But a normal user can use this to exchange files without the need of mounting, backing up the device, reboot the device and use it as a very comfortable way of having a terminal emulator.
.
Normally adb itself is not available as a standalone application - it comes with the Android SDK which is very big and heavy if you want to use adb and/or fastboot (another great tool) only.
But we live in a great world with many people wanting to make things easy so here you go when you want/need only adb and fastboot:
download & install adb @lifehacker
Question #7: How can I find the LG Hidden Service Menu (STOCK)?
Normally you will not need this! But you may want to enable the USB DIAG mode if you're a developer or you simply want to make your phone unusable - so here we go:
As usual: Use on your own risk!
adb shell
su
am start -a android.intent.action.MAIN -n com.lge.hiddenmenu/com.lge.hiddenmenu.HiddenMenu
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
or simply by typing the following in the dialer:
3845#*520#
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know I am getting ahead of myself, but I know some devices have a /datadata partition (like the Samsung Infuse) when ported for a KitKat ROM.
When it comes time to design for KitKat, can this separate partition be eliminated? I know it is done for performance reasons, but with such limited userdata space as it is, another partition would come as a detriment. This has already proved a problem on the Infuse, and they have much more space to deal with (albeit ~600mb /datadata).
The alternative would be building Link2SD into the ROM, knowing that there will still be only a small collections of apps that can be installed.
Unfortunately, because of our limited userdata, we probably won't be able to develop past KitKat, at least end up with something usable. ART will prove to be too much of a pig for this device (storage wise).
Just my nickel's worth...
Bad news..
The Desire Z of my wife is completely broken now.
That means I cannot develop anymore..
- I ported and released the latest TWRP version to the F3Q
- I'm able to build AOSP JellyBean (not booting yet though),
- I compiled and released a custom AOSP Kernel (named sediKERNEL)
.... and a lot more..
I have everything I need to continue here in place...
I have the will and the ability to continue...
But no device anymore..
If someone has a F3Q to give away.. then I will continue but I'm not willing to buy a F3Q for developing only. So if you have an idea how we could continue let me know.
Otherwise that will end here for me unfortunately...
Hopefully not.
Yours
Xdajog.
Update:
Check out the following link if you want to help http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2952919
-----
Sent from my SGH-I927 using XDA Android mobile app
xdajog said:
sediROM for LG Optimus F3Q - Custom ROM (codenames: fx3q, d520)
Recovery:
CWM (I cannot recommend that CWM version atm! Because it was build with not a full valid device tree and is missing features TWRP has included!): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pressy4pie.oudhs.manager
TWRP (highly recommended!): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2867339
Done:
Lokifying succesful and is done automatically by my build-script (took me some time but was it worth)
I am able to boot a modified compiled kernel with the stock ROM
Custom JB kernel with kexec support based on the stock sources (stock initrd)
Custom JB kernel with xattr support based on the stock sources (stock initrd)
Custom JB kernel with selinux support based on the stock sources (stock initrd)
Fully (or mostly) working TWRP version where storages correctly mounted and backup/restore working fine (TWRP thread)
Current progress:
Building a custom kernel without stock initrd (Details on the process here: sediKERNEL thread)
To do:
Building a custom kernel without stock initrd
having a working device tree (depends on having an own initrd)
compiling AOSP JB (depends on device tree)
compiling CM JB (depends on device tree)
compiling CM KK (depends on device tree)
Stalled:
compiling CM11 kernel based on the F6 device tree (too many compilation failures)
compiling AOSP Jellybean including the LG sources works (but different issues with booting)
compiling AOSP KitKat including the LG sources fails (doesn't start at all because of several changed vars maybe. Didn't investigate that further cause I focus on kernel now)
compiling CM JellyBean fails with the adapted LG Optimus F6 device tree
compiling CM KitKat fails with the adapted LG Optimus F6 device tree (mainly because some of the adaptions enforces the goldfish emulater?! Havent found out why! damn.)
MultiRom:
Multirom TWRP = compiling OK but no screen shown?!
Multirom binary = compiling OK
Multirom trampoline = compiling OK if it works or not? Cannot test it until TWRP
Kexec Kernel = Porting to F3Q (hopefully) finished. compiling OK but it has problems with mounting the correct places (I think. Didnt investigate that further atm)
Well one of the ideas is to have a working MultiRom installation which then would boot a custom ROM like CM with the kexec technique.
That way we could boot a "insecure" ROM with our locked boot loader.
That really seems to be possible because I can flash a TWRP image to the BOOT partition for example. That means TWRP would start up everytime.
If we could get MultiRom in place where the boot partition sits we COULD be able to boot everything we want.
Sources:
My current device tree of the fx3q AOSP build can be found here: device_lge_fx3q_aosp
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just so im clear what exactly is incomplete about the cwm that was compiled? you say its not a valid device tree (crazy because ive never heard those kind of terms even used before) what exactly makes it invalid to you?
what was the point of labeling this thread? gain some thanks by saying you spent 200+ hours on compiling the stock kernel source that has a guide to compile it in teh source zip? cuz it doesnt appear to make any progress on booting aosp even though you forked an oudhs device tree from another device. then you talk about needing hacks etc to get past the locked bootloader yet you dont seem to understand that there was an exploit tahts how there even was a cwm.
instead you are pulling in search results giving false hope to people looking for cm in hopes they donate to you so you can buy a phone when you obviously dont understand how it works.
Just so im clear what exactly is incomplete about the cwm that was compiled? you say its not a valid device tree (crazy because ive never heard those kind of terms even used before) what exactly makes it invalid to you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never said that CWM is incomplete but to be honest it was and it is missing features TWRP has, of course. It is a while ago that I took a look at that CWM version so I would need to check again maybe. The last time I tried it the mounting of /data/media (the internal usb storage) was not possible as backup, too. But that may have changed.
cuz it doesnt appear to make any progress on booting aosp even though you forked an oudhs device tree from another device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may have more experience in porting to a complete new device so what is wrong with forking from a device which has more or less the same hardware specs ? That is the recommended way mentioned in the porting guides.
The reason why there was no progress since a while is:
I had no device anymore
Donation offer took some weeks
Then the new (used) device need to be shipped for about 2 weeks
Then I was on vacation for 2 and a half weeks
Then I needed to bring down the workload in RL to continue which took me another week
Then I started with development again since 1 day
Today
The main focus is to develop a fully working initial ram disk build from scratch instead of using the stock one. Then I will continue on porting AOSP as the ram disk is an essential part as you know.
then you talk about needing hacks etc to get past the locked bootloader yet you dont seem to understand that there was an exploit tahts how there even was a cwm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well it seems that you do not understand but that is not a problem I explain it for you:
The locked bootloader is a problem because normally we have not the possibility to install a custom kernel and/or custom ROMs. There is a hack available named "loki" which makes it possible to circumvent that fact. The only thing you need to do is to use the loki patch on the kernel/boot image.
The other thing around this is that the bootloader send kernel boot parameters which avoid starting a custom or modified ROM. This is one of the examples I fixed as you can see in the kernel thread and the reason why the modified stock ROM from @joel.maxuel is booting.
The multirom thingy (you may point to) was about having a special boot image (based on TWRP) named multiROM. With this it would be possible to power on the device and choose different ROMs you may have installed (that means different ROMs on 1 device in parallel). Great thing and at the time of writing one thing I tested. The main problem here is not using the Loki patch mentioned above but instead the /data/media internal storage which need to be mounted correctly and some other things as well. Nevertheless is multirom nothing I want to work on atm because the main part of work is to have CM/AOSP compiled and working.
what was the point of labeling this thread? gain some thanks by saying you spent 200+ hours on compiling the stock kernel source that has a guide to compile it in teh source zip?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never said that I spent 200+ hours for compiling a stock kernel. Please read carefully before getting rude. This thread here is for developing on the F3Q ROM not the kernel. Kernel things are located in the Kernel thread. (Btw. compiling the stock kernel was never a problem or somehow time consuming there are other things like the initial ram disk and correct mounting paths etc which had taken some time but that is another story and as said not related to this thread.)
You may have heard about people porting ROMs to new devices? I try to do so and that is the reason why this thread exists. Not for some thanks clicks - some people define their self not with this you have to know. To be honest I do not get paid for everything here - which is ok. So a thanks click is appreciated, of course. Nothing more nothing less.
btw: I believe that a user can decide on their own if they want to click thanks when they want right? TWRP and Kernel are both things ready to use and the ROM porting is a WIP which a user can or can not say thanks for. That should be decided by the user IMO.
instead you are pulling in search results giving false hope to people looking for cm in hopes they donate to you so you can buy a phone when you obviously dont understand how it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest it seems obvious that you do not understand. That is not a problem because I can explain it to you again.
As stated before and in the OP I try to port AOSP and/or CM to this device. Well it is true that I'm still learning and will learning forever but that is the truth for everyone (maybe not for you, ok ).
The donation part is something which was an offer to continue the work because I do not owned the device anymore but I was and I am willing to continue. As stated in the the donation thread I do not use the device for anything other then development because I do not really like the phone itself. But my wife uses the phone and she needs CM / AOSP to be able to be fully in German language and having a smoother Android experience than with the stock ROM.
If you know everything better than me then why you do not share your knowledge so we can speed up the process of porting? Would be more efficient than writing
Check out the brand new FAQ: :good:
Frequently Asked Questions
.
.
.
.
......and another thing I want to mention today!
The following has been done 10 minutes ago:
adapt DM47021 DT (device tree) to F3Q and compiling CM KK systemimage/full otapackage
This is 1 step further into the right direction but do not expect too much it simply means that I was able to fix all the thousands of compilation errors for the new adapted device tree.
Which is GREAT, of course but now the debugging starts and recompiling etc ..
The first boot was a mess I believe it has to do with a wrong used gcc version but I need to investigate that further in the next days/hours whatever..
just wanted to keep you updated
greetings from the front
xdajog
EDIT:
if someone interesting in This is the time duration of a full cleaned compilation (real = the actual duration):
Build system:
Intel® Core™ i7-3632QM CPU @ 2.20GHz × 8 (Quadcore. Due Hyperthreading 8 threads/CPU's)
8 GB RAM
Ubuntu Server 14.04 - 64 bit, running in a highly optimized VM based on KVM
CM11 compilation time (full cleaned working directory)
real 56m47.417s
user 213m6.612s
sys 20m9.400s
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.
Thanks for the update. It's amazing how difficult it can be just to get all the variables of a dev environment to agree. Certainly getting somewhere.
xdajog said:
.
.
.
......and another thing I want to mention today!
The following has been done 10 minutes ago:
adapt DM47021 DT (device tree) to F3Q and compiling CM KK systemimage/full otapackage
This is 1 step further into the right direction but do not expect too much it simply means that I was able to fix all the thousands of compilation errors for the new adapted device tree.
Which is GREAT, of course but now the debugging starts and recompiling etc ..
The first boot was a mess I believe it has to do with a wrong used gcc version but I need to investigate that further in the next days/hours whatever..
just wanted to keep you updated
greetings from the front
xdajog
EDIT:
if someone interesting in This is the time duration of a full cleaned compilation (real = the actual duration):
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My hat is tipped to you xdajog. I'm looking for a qwerty slider replacement phone for my wife as her current one is reaching 5 years old soon.
Your efforts have tipped me towards this phone as a working ASOP or CM would be necessary as I do not think this phone will be updated by anyone else. I'm always leery of putting a family member on anything past a feature phone unless I can be confident of keeping it patched. Since there are no flagship phones with qwerty keyboards the efforts of devs like you are all the rest of us have.
@xdajog than you truly for your continued support on this device, i am a late adopter to this phone but is there any hope for getting android 5 on it?
vordhosbn said:
@xdajog than you truly for your continued support on this device, i am a late adopter to this phone but is there any hope for getting android 5 on it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well.. lets talk about that when we have KK ready
-----
Sent from my SGH-I927 using XDA Android mobile app
already has a ready rom CyanogenMod with kk ask you to take a look, you just need to fix the camera, can test or basaer it?
link: http://androidforums.com/threads/t-mobile-metropcs-beta-4-4-4-cyanogenmod-11-unofficial.923379/
GhostDwl said:
already has a ready rom CyanogenMod with kk ask you to take a look, you just need to fix the camera, can test or basaer it?
link: http://androidforums.com/threads/t-mobile-metropcs-beta-4-4-4-cyanogenmod-11-unofficial.923379/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx but this is for the F3 not F3Q.
-----
Sent from my SGH-I927 using XDA Android mobile app
xdajog said:
Thx but this is for the F3 not F3Q.
-----
Sent from my SGH-I927 using XDA Android mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, but the lg optimus f3 and f3q have the same specifications and the same kernel, the difference among them is where it was manufactured and the f3q comes with a keyboard and different touch buttons, take a look at the comparison below:
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=5998&idPhone2=5509&
GhostDwl said:
yes, but the lg optimus f3 and f3q have the same specifications and the same kernel, the difference among them is where it was manufactured and the f3q comes with a keyboard and different touch buttons, take a look at the comparison below:
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=5998&idPhone2=5509&
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course. Thats the reason why I use the F3 device tree as base for development. But there are many differences in compiling. If you want you can try would be nice to have another dev here.
-----
Sent from my SGH-I927 using XDA Android mobile app
xdajog said:
Of course. Thats the reason why I use the F3 device tree as base for development. But there are many differences in compiling. If you want you can try would be nice to have another dev here.
-----
Sent from my SGH-I927 using XDA Android mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, i will try, give me the a one time
So I've got an Ubuntu 14.04 LTS VM set up on my machine and I downloaded the Android source tree (AOSP) and configured the build environment per the instructions. I ran a build and everything came out okay (but slow ). I have some additional RAM on order for my machine so I can dedicate more resources to the VM.
I have an extra F3Q I can use for testing and I have a pre-paid SIM on order so that I can actually use my test device in real-world scenarios.
I'm ready to start digging in here. :good:
Edit: RAM arrived today, have 32GB now which means I can dedicate a full 16GB to the Ubuntu build environment!

[ROM][Development] NEC Terrain custom ROM

Hello!
This is a development thread for those who is ready to contribute to the creation of a custom ROM for NEC Terrain.
The prior steps, which are bootloader unlock, rooting and even repartitioning have found their solutions and can be found in:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2515602 for the discussion
https://github.com/x29a/nec_terrain_root for an apk which opens for you an ability to have the system area of the phone writeable
https://github.com/alex-kas/nec_terrain for the last ideas on how recovery and boot images should look like and the repartitioning
So, all questions regarding all the above should be asked in that thread as they are off-topic here.
For more general questions regarding the present rom, programs to disable, features and current bugs/oddities, please, see
http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/help/q-nec-terrain-discussion-t3162070
Thanks for understanding the thread aim and welcome to development!
Found this CWM recovery creator online. Apparently you can just upload the recovery img that comes with a phone and it will generate/build a recovery based on that. Worth a try?
EDIT: Here's the link. Apparently it is necessary for some phones to upload additional files to get the recovery to work properly. I'll look into it when I start to build this thing
https://builder.clockworkmod.com/
Sent from my LG-D415 using XDA Forums
alright......so ADW launcher is very very unstable with this ROM. Basically spontaneous reboot every 30min or so.
I need 5 panels, and the stock launcher can add them, but it always make the second panel default, which is very annoying.
So which launcher do you guys prefer?
Have I found?
Unfortunately this builder does not spit output ...
I got a strong impression the Terrain is reduced CasioCommando with qwerty. @MrMEEE, I suggest to investigate this direction. The later phone is reported to have both: custom roms and custom kernel. xda has developments on this.
This guess is NOT because NEC is Casio, this is because I found that both phones use for some unknown device the so called ktrc_driver.ko kernel module and the only device apart from Terrain which I could spot by google is CasioCommando. Then, of course, accounting that NEC is Casio I make this conclusion.
Also the boot of Terrain contains commands and even kernel modules references that do not exist. I have a gut feeling that devs were in rush and just were porting some system from another phone.
EDIT: I found a binary custom recovery for commando and so far it is the ONLY recovery which comes to some graphical image! I learned that graphics is device-dependent and presence of some colored points suggests that the graphics driver is correct. One just need to adjust the resolution ... This supports my theory that commando may be the prototype for the kernel.
Will try also to look into all of that.
alex-kas said:
Unfortunately this builder does not spit output ...
I got a strong impression the Terrain is reduced CasioCommando with qwerty. @MrMEEE, I suggest to investigate this direction. The later phone is reported to have both: custom roms and custom kernel. xda has developments on this.
This guess is NOT because NEC is Casio, this is because I found that both phones use for some unknown device the so called ktrc_driver.ko kernel module and the only device apart from Terrain which I could spot by google is CasioCommando. Then, of course, accounting that NEC is Casio I make this conclusion.
Also the boot of Terrain contains commands and even kernel modules references that do not exist. I have a gut feeling that devs were in rush and just were porting some system from another phone.
EDIT: I found a binary custom recovery for commando and so far it is the ONLY recovery which comes to some graphical image! I learned that graphics is device-dependent and presence of some colored points suggests that the graphics driver is correct. One just need to adjust the resolution ... This supports my theory that commando may be the prototype for the kernel.
Will try also to look into all of that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably explains why we have an HDMI selector in the build.prop, huh...
But wow, that's an astounding discovery! Never would have guessed NEC = Casio. I believe there are 2 Casio Commandos, I assume you are referencing the newer one?
Sent from my LG-D415 using XDA
alex-kas said:
Unfortunately this builder does not spit output ...
I got a strong impression the Terrain is reduced CasioCommando with qwerty. @MrMEEE, I suggest to investigate this direction. The later phone is reported to have both: custom roms and custom kernel. xda has developments on this.
This guess is NOT because NEC is Casio, this is because I found that both phones use for some unknown device the so called ktrc_driver.ko kernel module and the only device apart from Terrain which I could spot by google is CasioCommando. Then, of course, accounting that NEC is Casio I make this conclusion.
Also the boot of Terrain contains commands and even kernel modules references that do not exist. I have a gut feeling that devs were in rush and just were porting some system from another phone.
EDIT: I found a binary custom recovery for commando and so far it is the ONLY recovery which comes to some graphical image! I learned that graphics is device-dependent and presence of some colored points suggests that the graphics driver is correct. One just need to adjust the resolution ... This supports my theory that commando may be the prototype for the kernel.
Will try also to look into all of that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are correct, then the kernel source is available here:
http://www.casiogzone.com/us/download/index.html
I'll look into it..
GPL or not GPL?
Citation from http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Doc:_porting_intro:
"The manufacturer or vender of any device using Android will minimally need to make the source code available for all GPL components upon request, including (and especially) the kernel. You definitely want to request a copy of the kernel source and keep it handy."
Can anyone clarify the tedious question in the subject? I mean, does running android implies gpl on kernel? Can anyone (NEC, ATT, Qualcom) hide the source and what the conditions should be then? Can they have proprietary blobs in the kernel?
Weird
alex-kas said:
Citation from http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Doc:_porting_intro:
"The manufacturer or vender of any device using Android will minimally need to make the source code available for all GPL components upon request, including (and especially) the kernel. You definitely want to request a copy of the kernel source and keep it handy."
Can anyone clarify the tedious question in the subject? I mean, does running android implies gpl on kernel? Can anyone (NEC, ATT, Qualcom) hide the source and what the conditions should be then? Can they have proprietary blobs in the kernel?
Weird
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android runs on a standard Linux kernel which is GPL covered. Android is really just a Java VM inside of a Linux kernel I believe. So yes, Android kernel IS Linux kernel so therefore it would be GPL covered (thanks for the explanation @Nardholio )
They understand GPL. Anything based on the Linux Kernel must have the source released, so AFAIK there is no "proprietary" in a Linux Kernel... however that is just my understanding and if I am wrong someone please correct me. If they put "proprietary" code in the kernel and try to use that as an excuse to not release it, I say "Too bad, that's not an excuse, since you understood GPL when you built the kernel but are refusing to follow it. Guess what, now you have to release the kernel AND your "proprietary" software! LOL!!!"
Sent from my LG-D415 using XDA
I posted this in the wrong thread. Long story short I found someone interested in helping enforce the GPL for the Terrain but I don't own one. I need someone who owns a Terrain (preferably directly bought from AT&T or NEC) and who has already requested kernel source and either received no response or a refusal (I used the feedback form on NEC's website and got a polite refusal a few days later but I don't own one)
Nardholio said:
I posted this in the wrong thread. Long story short I found someone interested in helping enforce the GPL for the Terrain but I don't own one. I need someone who owns a Terrain (preferably directly bought from AT&T or NEC) and who has already requested kernel source and either received no response or a refusal (I used the feedback form on NEC's website and got a polite refusal a few days later but I don't own one)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I own a Terrain, and have gotten a refusal from NEC support...
What do you have in mind???
---------- Post added at 12:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:19 PM ----------
Dear Mr. Martin Juhl,
Thank you for contacting NEC.
This is in regards to your email about the kernel of the NEC Terrain phone. You may check the kernel version and build number of the device on the phone itself. We do not have the source code of the device nor release them.
Please feel free to email us at [email protected] or call our toll free Customer Service number (1-800-637-5917) if you have any additional questions.
Your reference number for this inquiry is: 150727-000011
Thank you again for taking the time to write.
Sincerely,
NEC Customer Support
MrMEEE said:
I own a Terrain, and have gotten a refusal from NEC support...
What do you have in mind???
---------- Post added at 12:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:19 PM ----------
Dear Mr. Martin Juhl,
Thank you for contacting NEC.
This is in regards to your email about the kernel of the NEC Terrain phone. You may check the kernel version and build number of the device on the phone itself. We do not have the source code of the device nor release them.
Please feel free to email us at [email protected] or call our toll free Customer Service number (1-800-637-5917) if you have any additional questions.
Your reference number for this inquiry is: 150727-000011
Thank you again for taking the time to write.
Sincerely,
NEC Customer Support
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sweet. PM me your email address and I will hand off my communication with the SF Conservancy to you. Just saying you can go to kernel.org and download the Linux kernel is NOT a sufficient response. They need to provide full source to boot the device (including board files, device drivers, any in kernel firmware, and build scripts)
YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE!
http://nec-mobilecom.co.jp/gpl/w/list/NEC_TERRAIN.html
I pressed NEC to deliver it. Have no time to check right away the integrity. Also, I have some problem downloading from CAF (I'm in a place where git is blocked). Maybe will ask someone to help (re-download to an http store).
alex-kas said:
YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE!
http://nec-mobilecom.co.jp/gpl/w/list/NEC_TERRAIN.html
I pressed NEC to deliver it. Have no time to check right away the integrity. Also, I have some problem downloading from CAF (I'm in a place where git is blocked). Maybe will ask someone to help (re-download to an http store).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well sh*t... Never thought this would happen in a bazillion years.
Yet if you read their terms and conditions, it states you aren't allowed to reversed engineer their software to a "human readable form". Is this nullified by GPL, or can we be in trouble for using their kernel source for a ROM?
EDIT: Just downloaded myself a copy of the kernel.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using XDA Free mobile app
I do not care. I asked, nec gave the source publicly. no reverse engineering. Now we all gpl. My point.
Sent on the go
I don't think they would care as long as you are not reselling it...... you aren't, right?
Sent from my SGH-I547C using XDA Free mobile app
Darn, I was gonna set up a booth in front of my house and be one of those loud, obnoxious salesmen
hey mister.... I'mer gonna take two them kernel if ye can cut me a deal....
jasonmerc said:
Darn, I was gonna set up a booth in front of my house and be one of those loud, obnoxious salesmen
"GEEEETTT'CHA KERNEL SOURCE HEEEEEEAAA! TERRAIN KERNEL SOURCE, ONLY FIIIIIVE DOLLAHS! MAKE YOURSELF A ROM! CUSTOM RECOVERY! FIIIIIIVE DOLLAHS!"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First experiments
Results for the moment are like this:
1. The kernel does compile with the modified files with no compilation issues at all.
2. The kernel is smaller then the stock one.
3. The recovery.img produced by full caf build does boot but halts at the android image with the red triangle. Or perhaps does not halt but I did not come with a key combination to proceed.
PROS: graphics works
4. The kernel being stuffed into original boot image does boot, shows boot animation WITHOUT boot sound and then not surprisingly goes to a bootloop flashing the home screen
CONS: seems that sound is not here yet
5. The bootloop was broken using
adb reboot recovery
which means that adb does function
6. I did not try to flash the whole image to check whether bootloops are due to somewhat above the kernel (aka this kernel doesn't work with the stock soft).
Overall, we have a messy kernel source which however at least boots to init, communicates with adb and has graphics.
I'm free for a team project: who is in?
Technically, to make this particular caf manifest I had to install a virtual ubuntu 10.04 x64. My native machine failed to compile. I have gcc 4.9. Even the downgrade to 4.4.7 did not do the job. And for some reason I failed to compile gcc 4.4.3 for my machine. ubuntu 10.04 has gcc 4.4.3. But there you need to install some stuff and update the present there python (it is just 6.5 there but still some update exists still inside 6.5 and it fixes somewhat causing a peculiar error during the build). Also, be aware: you cannot compile on a virtualbox share: mmap does not work for security reasons. You must arrange ALL inside the virtual machine. After the build it is about 53GiB. So, the vm-drive should be at least 60 giga.
alex-kas said:
Results for the moment are like this:
1. The kernel does compile with the modified files with no compilation issues at all.
2. The kernel is smaller then the stock one.
3. The recovery.img produced by full caf build does boot but halts at the android image with the red triangle. Or perhaps does not halt but I did not come with a key combination to proceed.
PROS: graphics works
4. The kernel being stuffed into original boot image does boot, shows boot animation WITHOUT boot sound and then not surprisingly goes to a bootloop flashing the home screen
CONS: seems that sound is not here yet
5. The bootloop was broken using
adb reboot recovery
which means that adb does function
6. I did not try to flash the whole image to check whether bootloops are due to somewhat above the kernel (aka this kernel doesn't work with the stock soft).
Overall, we have a messy kernel source which however at least boots to init, communicates with adb and has graphics.
I'm free for a team project: who is in?
Technically, to make this particular caf manifest I had to install a virtual ubuntu 10.04 x64. My native machine failed to compile. I have gcc 4.9. Even the downgrade to 4.4.7 did not do the job. And for some reason I failed to compile gcc 4.4.3 for my machine. ubuntu 10.04 has gcc 4.4.3. But there you need to install some stuff and update the present there python (it is just 6.5 there but still some update exists still inside 6.5 and it fixes somewhat causing a peculiar error during the build). Also, be aware: you cannot compile on a virtualbox share: mmap does not work for security reasons. You must arrange ALL inside the virtual machine. After the build it is about 53GiB. So, the vm-drive should be at least 60 giga.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't code in years, but I want to help out. I am ok with scripting and also able to load stuff to my terrain for testing. Let me know.
Progress Inquiry
Happy New Year!
Just wondering if any progress has been made for this particular device. I understand we all have lives and things get in the way, or interests wither away, its just an inquiry. I'd love to see an update to this device, even up to kitkat if that was possible. Any suggestions on how to recruit developers whom may be interested in the challenge of custom rom development for this device?

[Q] Informations for building a new Device tree for a unsupported Device

Hi Everybody,
I want to ask for some informations what is need to do to build SlimRom for a new device. I found a lot of informations about CM, but nothing is really in a way that I really know what I have to do at the end. So is there a Howto, which describes it a little bit more in detail? A lot of howtos was found which describe to get a build-system, and to generate something for a know device. But everybody then describes only: you have to get the vendor files, made your Board-config but only on a very high level.
What I did:
- set up a building-server on ubuntu.
- get Slim-Sources branch JB4.3, and build the version for galaxysmtd to be sure that the buildprocess is ok.
- get "Nonreallyfree"-Opensources from Samsung for my I8200, and try to put them in the right places, and try to implement all needed files in the device/samsung/i8200 folder.
Up to now I think I have everything in place more or less, but the system told me that there is no rule for make 'bacon', but lunch seems to work right with setting the variables...
Up to now I did not used the blobs of the devices. The question is, if that is needed if I have the sources from open Samsung?
I know, jb43 is not the newest, but I start here, because up to now the sources are based on that level, and the kernel have no selinux implemented... If this start point will work, then I will try to go ahead with higher versions... end goal will be Slimkat...
Any help is very much appreciated!!
BR
SP

Categories

Resources