I need a answer to BootLoaders and KNOX. My first Question is:
Which Galaxy S3's have a Locked Bootloader and at what version f/w is it locked or unlocked? (My understanding is that Verizon S3's are all bootloader locked and have read that some or most others are not, with some only unlocked until KitKat).
My Second Question is KNOX. How does KNOX relate to the BootLoader if at all? I have read many KNOX articles. Example is it flashed into a boot partition or bootchain, many places or just loaded to verify hash/signs/enforce, etc? Just how deep/comprehensive is the spyware integrated?
I currently have a MTR (long story) which is closest to the Vzw model, besides USC. Most Vzw ROMs work perfect, until 12+. These have misc issues mostly radio/wifi/BT.
Goal is to Update to the Lowest/Highest BootLoader that will allow proper BaseBand access with CM13. Keeping in mind I don't want KNOX or Locked BootLoader if at all possible. I was considering just extracting the bootloaders from NA1 and dd them or use Odin/zip if needed. As long as everything works I don't care about not being able to downgrade again to a lower version. I also don't want to spend a fortune on BST Tools either. Too bad there is not a LK/Aurora based open bootloader or even u-boot.
I do not really care about Warranty (prefer not having it say so), don't foresee needing KNOX Containers,etc. I have seen some ROMs with it stripped out, meaning its not absolutely necessary! I have even seen some custom "Voodoo" files that will wipe/mod/revert the flag if flashed (not even going there, have sd brick recovered twice). I would have posted in T-Mo, but not appropriate. I also cannot get a clear answer as to whether MetroPCS locked the bootloaders? I read that Samsung was enforcing it, via KNOX/NSA campaign. I trust xda more than any other generic Android site. I even went to teamusc and consensus is unlocked until late/last 4.x release. I recall it is the same, but cannot find it again!
I have read allot of opinions and guesses here and elsewhere, but want and need a clear answer! The S3 is still popular around this area believe it or not. Sorry for the length and organization of post... The information is spread out everywhere and almost every list of firmware do not add a notation. The more info the better! Thank you in advance for your time and help!
Requests for information belong in the Help section. Please read the sticky called "Rules for Posting in Development" when posting in that section.
THREAD MOVED
Related
(As a foreword, I've been searching and trying to find these answers myself but I haven't had much luck. If there are resources out there covering my questions, please direct me there. Thanks!)
Could someone please inform me of the specific difference(s) between the VRALEC and VRALE6 bootloaders? Also any background info would be interesting to know as well (order in which they were leaked, timeframes, circumstances etc).
Next question: I was able to successfully ODIN the VRALEC bootloader (only) to my stock phone on VRBMF1. When I tried to do the same with VRALE6 it failed with a signing-related error. However I was able to flash the VRALE6 directly using the CASUAL utility and that worked fine. I don't understand why/how the phone will allow itself to boot from that file, but wouldn't allow it to be ODIN'd. Could somebody enlighten me? Also, if I were to have tried ODIN'ing the entire VRALE6 bootchain, would that have succeeded?
Also, is there any rationale for using any other bootloader(s)? There appear to be at least 10 different bootloader and/or bootchain version varients out on the web in different places. From what I can gather though, only the two listed above are significant since they are 'unlocked'.
Lastly, which bootloader does the Developer Edition phone use? Does it come unlocked, or is it unlock-able via some web site or something? If it has its own 'special' unlocked bootloader, why could we not simply get a copy and use that on retail phones rather than the old/leaked version widely used now?
B
pluto01 said:
(As a foreword, I've been searching and trying to find these answers myself but I haven't had much luck. If there are resources out there covering my questions, please direct me there. Thanks!)
Could someone please inform me of the specific difference(s) between the VRALEC and VRALE6 bootloaders? Also any background info would be interesting to know as well (order in which they were leaked, timeframes, circumstances etc).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, for the longest time the VRALEC was titled the "boot chain" and I'm seeing now in Invisiblek's awesome thread over on Rootz, that's not the case anymore. So, I'll preface this by saying referring to both VRALEC and VRALE6 terms as "bootloaders" sounds weird now because VRALEC was originally titled "VRALEC.bootchain.tar".
VRALEC file should be a "tar" and the VRLE6 file should be a "zip." Cool? Here's how to differentiate, the VRALEC.bootloader.tar needs to be flashed in Odin to allow you to install a custom recovery. It is essentially just the first step of several to unlock the bootloader, it is not unlocked at this point. Someone of a more technical background can explain this better but its like this file is hijacking the boot sequence and telling the phone everything is still recognized as official firmware. There's no trigger that prompts the phone to give you the yellow triangle warning. Once a custom recovery is installed, you need to flash in recovery the VRLE6.zip to unlock the bootloader. Both of these files come from a pre-release VZW GSIII that were so graciously provided to AdamOutler by an African-Canadian Sock Monkey. Seriously, check post #317. This also serves to answer your question about times, leaked, etc. Moving on!
Next question: I was able to successfully ODIN the VRALEC bootloader (only) to my stock phone on VRBMF1. When I tried to do the same with VRALE6 it failed with a signing-related error. However I was able to flash the VRALE6 directly using the CASUAL utility and that worked fine. I don't understand why/how the phone will allow itself to boot from that file, but wouldn't allow it to be ODIN'd. Could somebody enlighten me? Also, if I were to have tried ODIN'ing the entire VRALE6 bootchain, would that have succeeded?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I said above, VRALE6 should be a zip file and needs to be flashed in custom recovery NOT Odin. That's the key difference.
Also, is there any rationale for using any other bootloader(s)? There appear to be at least 10 different bootloader and/or bootchain version varients out on the web in different places. From what I can gather though, only the two listed above are significant since they are 'unlocked'.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. Idk what you mean by "at least 10 different bootloader and/or bootchain version varients." Maybe there is a "bootloader" per each OTA that we have received? But honestly, every OTA thus far has been rooted/unlocked via almost the exact methods so this is a moot topic. There are only two unlock files of significance for any root/unlock method for the VZW GSIII: VRALE6.zip and VRALEC.tar
Lastly, which bootloader does the Developer Edition phone use? Does it come unlocked, or is it unlock-able via some web site or something? If it has its own 'special' unlocked bootloader, why could we not simply get a copy and use that on retail phones rather than the old/leaked version widely used now?
B
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, AdamOutler actually received some help and got this phone unlocked well before the dev edition was released last year so there was never a need to look towards that device for bootloader unlock help. I have no clue about how to unlock that device and there's been no reason to think about having (at the time) a $650 dev edition GSIII when the retail one was officially unlocked. No clue on compatibility with bootloaders between either device.
Hey guys,
I've been playing around with the firmware on my Moto G and I didn't understand some things related to bootloader/partition table version and I hope someone more knowledgeable can explain me some things, in a more technical way if possible. Links to documentation are also appreciated!
So, apparently you have to keep an eye on bootloader, partition table, and OS versions so they match. You also cannot easily downgrade bootloader versions.
Also, I saw that you can brick your device if you try to flash 5.0.1 ota, then go back to 4.4.2 and flash 4.4.4 ota because of mismatched bootloader versions and will have to wait for official motorola 5.0.1 images.
My first question is why does this happen? If I get stuck on a particular bootloader version (in this case 5.0.1 GPE, right?) why can't I just boot the corresponding OS, why does the device brick (is it incompatible bootloader and partition table, so the bootloader can't find stage 2)?
Second question, apparently you CAN downgrade the bootloader versions, but have to follow some specific steps and use specific files. Why is that? What checks does the devices makes when upgrading bootloaders and what kind of files allow me to downgrade while passing those checks?
Third, why can't you boot older android versions with newer bootloaders? Doesn't the bootloader just initialize some devices and loads the kernel, can't you modify and older kernel to boot with the new bootloader or chainload and older kernel from a newer one? Also why does the boot processes change so frequently when it should be something very stable?
Fourth, what is the rationale behind not allowing you to freely switch bootloader versions?
Well, thats it. Sorry for the long post and thanks to anyone that can help me . Maybe I should post this in android development instead?
I follow .
I believe on Nexus hardware changing Bootloader is an easier process as those devices are deliberately Developer friendly. Motorola are open enough to allow unlocking, but as you have discovered, flashing an older Bootloader is a messy and dangerous process. Perhaps if enough people petitioned for a change, things might be different.
The Bootloader and Kernel are interrelated and that is why newer Bootloader versions break compatibility with previous iterations of Android (each with a unique Kernel.)
It's possible Kernel DEVs could offer a solution, but I suspect the reality is so few people care. The majority of users will get OTA Updates and never go back.
Uh, bump?
Anyone can tell me if there is a more appropriate place to ask question like these?
I hope it will give you some reference in these topics.
http://elinux.org/Android_Booting
http://androidforums.com/threads/android-partitions-kernels-explained.278898/
aryal.subasha said:
I hope it will give you some reference in these topics.
http://elinux.org/Android_Booting
http://androidforums.com/threads/android-partitions-kernels-explained.278898/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but I already found those in Google and they aren't very useful. Too superficial and both focus on what happens AFTER the kernel is loaded, I'm interested more in the bootloader, how it verifies the signatures, etc.
Anyone?
Hello,
I was wondering if anyone could help point me towards a working Stock AOSP ROM (No TouchWiz). Is there one in the works for Verizon models?
That's a tall order for this phone. None of the variants have one yet AFAIK. No documentation for the Exynos chip makes it too hard to develop it seems.
Due to the locked bootloader, we can not flash the custom kernel that would be needed to make a stock AOSP rom work. Only TW-based roms will work unless someone figures out how to unlock the bootloader.
There is work being done on porting CyanogenMod to one of the international variants. (this thread for the curious). However, even if that project is successful, it would be useless unless the bootloader for this phone is unlocked to allow installation of custom kernels on the Verizon model. This could, as I understand it come about in a couple of ways. The first is that someone finds an exploit that allows it, a feat that grows harder with each new generation of phone. The second is that there appears to be some question about whether Verizon/Samsung even have the right to lock the bootloader on the phone (I don'e want to make authoritative claims, I haven't really done the legal research, but the discussion starts here, this post also contains a link to a petition).
tl;dr No, this doesn't exist at the moment.
Side note, this kind of post should probably go in Q&A.
Hello,
I've searched through xda and other websites but couldn't find a proper answer -- my apologies if this was already asked and answered in an existing thread.
I have purchased a S6 from Amazon, but the device is branded with Swisscom, with an awful boot logo and sound, and a few specific apps.
I'm waiting for a nano sim, so for now I don't know if the phone is also simlocked.
I intend anyway to install custom roms, so I don't care much about this, however I can't find out whether the bootloader is locked or not (in which case, I'll have to send it back to Amazon I guess).
Can someone assist with this? The device is a SM-920F, I made the OTA update to 5.1.1 upon powering it (which might have been a bad idea actually, from what I read later..). Not sure what the bootloader and rom exact versions are, but I will add them to the post if necessary.
Thanks in advance!
yes
Verygromf said:
Hello,
I've searched through xda and other websites but couldn't find a proper answer -- my apologies if this was already asked and answered in an existing thread.
I have purchased a S6 from Amazon, but the device is branded with Swisscom, with an awful boot logo and sound, and a few specific apps.
I'm waiting for a nano sim, so for now I don't know if the phone is also simlocked.
I intend anyway to install custom roms, so I don't care much about this, however I can't find out whether the bootloader is locked or not (in which case, I'll have to send it back to Amazon I guess).
Can someone assist with this? The device is a SM-920F, I made the OTA update to 5.1.1 upon powering it (which might have been a bad idea actually, from what I read later..). Not sure what the bootloader and rom exact versions are, but I will add them to the post if necessary.
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes bootloader is unlocked. As far as which firmware you can use, you'll have to wait til you find out if its an international unlocked G920F. If so, you have many firmwares to choose from, just Odin and boot. Then recovery and factory reset and your CSC codes will all be lined up (that's just what I do) and happy flashing.
Thanks for the feedback.
Just got the nanosim, which registered just fine on Orange France, so the device appears to be unlocked and operational.
I'll proceed with rooting etc. in the coming days.
Cheers
Hello All,
Ok so first off you guys at XDA are the ****! I swear I can find anything I need to know on this site with a little research, much respect. So as the title suggests I wanted to know if it's possible to flash a SM-G970U (US) with SM-G970F (UK) firmware? I am basically looking for a slightly less complicated way of enabling "OEM Unlock" to Unlock the bootloader. And yes I realize that more than likely I will not be able to use any US sim cards with that firmware but if it is possible and I could unlock the bootloader I could basically load anything I wanted onto it right?
......actually seems like the SM-G9700 would be a better candidate for the firmware to load on the SM-G970U.
.....be gentle, I'm a N00B...kind of =\
Hello All,
xlivexevilx said:
Ok so first off you guys at XDA are the ****! I swear I can find anything I need to know on this site with a little research, much respect. So as the title suggests I wanted to know if it's possible to flash a SM-G970U (US) with SM-G970F (UK) firmware? I am basically looking for a slightly less complicated way of enabling "OEM Unlock" to Unlock the bootloader. And yes I realize that more than likely I will not be able to use any US sim cards with that firmware but if it is possible and I could unlock the bootloader I could basically load anything I wanted onto it right?
......actually seems like the SM-G9700 would be a better candidate for the firmware to load on the SM-G970U.
.....be gentle, I'm a N00B...kind of =\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually i want to know as well because i read somewhere where someone said its possible because they are all the same models........did it work for you?
yea no...don't do that it won't work
Lol i already tried it flashed succesfully according to odin but when the device rebooted it came with the same firmware before and nothing changed Lmao
how did it flashed ,please specify
I was told this is not possible. Unless you can find original overstock (i.e. that has NOT been updated) in which case you can pay to unlock the bootloader.
Otherwise, I believe any bootloader beyond v1 cannot be bootloader unlocked. Only hope is Sammie does us a solid when this goes EOL and unlocks the bootloader. Question is whether VZW and AT&T will prevent them from doing that.
My S10e is still going great, and if I could root and flash a custom rom I'd probably replace the battery and roll with it another 3-4 years because I have no interest in the larger phones that dominate the Android market now.