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I got fed up with crappy wireless reception in a hotel and decided to use my RTL8187 based Alfa USB wireless adapter with my Prime. Here's how it works, pretty rough and open to improvement but it works.
Set up a chroot (ubuntu/debian will work); everything is done within that chroot
Compile and install the drivers for your usb adapter (see the Kernel modules thread for instructions)
apt-get install wicd-curses (or wicd-cli if you prefer), wpasupplicant and dbus plus any of its dependancies
Turn off the broadcom wifi that's controlled by android
insmod your modules (in my case eeprom_93cx6.ko, mac80211.ko, rtl8187)
start dbus and wicd (/etc/init.d/dbus start; /etc/init.d/wicd start)
run wicd-curses (or wicd-cli), refresh the network list and connect to your network
configure dns for android to your dns or to googles (setprop net.dns1 8.8.8.8)
???
Profit
To stop using external usb wifi, reverse the steps; basically:
stop wicd and dbus (/etc/init.d/wicd stop; /etc/init.d/dbus stop)
kill any running dhcp clients (killall dhclient)
rmmod your modules (in my case eeprom_93cx6.ko, mac80211.ko, rtl8187)
To be able to insert mac80211 without it complaining about missing symbols for ewma_init and ewma_add, I had to add lib/average.c to the mac80211 module; it's pretty simple, here's how i did that:
Go to your prime kernel source tree (e.g. /usr/src/linux)
cp lib/average.c net/mac80211/
Edit net/mac80211/Makefile and add average.o to the list of objects for mac80211-y (don't miss the trailing backslash if you add it halfway)
For simplicity sake I've added the modules for an rtl8187 based usb nic to this post. These are built against the 9.4.2.7 kernel source, and work fine for the 9.4.2.11 release (current ICS release as of Feb 07 2012).
Oh and I don't recommend doing this with androids wifi turned on, it kind of breaks it until you reboot your tab. So if you're smart you'll script the above and spit out a nice warning that your broadcom module is still loaded and then exit. I had no problems switching between external USB wifi and built-in wifi as long as I only turned one of them on exclusively.
Enjoy solid wifi on your prime
,can you show screenshots of how much of an improvement it was using a USB wifi device vs. Stock wifi. You should relay this info in the kernel modules thread n SaturnDe can probably clean it up or simplify more or make it easier to implement. He could add it to his driver packs and make a new ATP tweaks version. For quick app enabling of this USB wifi method. This is very cool. I really would like to see how much of an improvement in reception thisngives.
You can't use the external wifi together with the android wifi control, it isn't compatible. So screenshots make no sense. This is why you need the chroot and wicd-curses; that's where you configure your wifi connection, not in android.
As for the increase in reception, it depends on your usb adapter. If you have one with an external antenna that is 6 feet long, you can figure out how much of an improvement that would be. Nothing is stopping you from connecting an even bigger wifi antenna if you want. So, reception increase could be anywhere from a few dB up to long range 5km wifi using powerful long range antennas.
infernix said:
You can't use the external wifi together with the android wifi control, it isn't compatible. So screenshots make no sense. This is why you need the chroot and wicd-curses; that's where you configure your wifi connection, not in android.
As for the increase in reception, it depends on your usb adapter. If you have one with an external antenna that is 6 feet long, you can figure out how much of an improvement that would be. Nothing is stopping you from connecting an even bigger wifi antenna if you want. So, reception increase could be anywhere from a few dB up to long range 5km wifi using powerful long range antennas.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, I believe you're being told to do it yourself 'darin. I have a nice little wifi usb adapter, I'll give this all a whirl later on after work.
Certainly not a solution for myself, but a simple workaround for those uncomfortable with modding and who don't mind annoying sticks coming from their tablets/laptops. Not saying anything against this, I just always hated using older laptops with usb adapters and don't see me liking it more on a smaller, more stream-lined device.
buxtahuda said:
Certainly not a solution for myself, but a simple workaround for those uncomfortable with modding and who don't mind annoying sticks coming from their tablets/laptops. Not saying anything against this, I just always hated using older laptops with usb adapters and don't see me liking it more on a smaller, more stream-lined device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FWIW, this can also be used to run aircrack or other wifi security analysis tools with, which aren't able to ever run with the builtin broadcom adapter. So it has other uses too
infernix said:
FWIW, this can also be used to run aircrack or other wifi security analysis tools with, which aren't able to ever run with the builtin broadcom adapter. So it has other uses too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has anyone tried doing so with their ATP? I'd be very interested to know. I've had a bunch of problems with the build-in card in terms of using the bt5 pentest suite so this might potentially solve some of those problems
Yeap, done with BT5 for arm and ALFA AWUS036H (Rtl8187), apt-get the aircrack tool and bang! : monitoring mode enables
Thanks a lot to the OP for the modules !
what version of linux are you guys using? I was trying to install wicd-cli and wicd-curses through my bt5 and had no success. wicd-curses just can't install on arm bt5 for some reason stating that some dependant libraries are incompatible. wicd-cli gives me an fopen error during install and then craps out when I try to run it.
Thanks for the info, one question tho.
Did you have to do anything special to get the wicd client to run, I get the error 'cannot connect to dbus socket' or something to that effect..
I have tried wicd-cli, -curses, and -gtk
Any help would be appreciated.
Dear Sirs,
This may be newbish, but where can I get the source for the kernel modules the op mentioned. I have obtained my kernel source for my phone, but can't seem to find the source I actually need to compile, rtl8187, etc.
Update:
Alright, I found them, they are part of the compat-wireless package. http://www.aircrack-ng.org/doku.php?id=compat-wireless
I still can get it to compile, but I guess I need to learn a little about cross compiling.
I did find a kernel for my device with the modules already built in, used and voila. Cracked a wep key in about 5-10 minutes. I was happy, happy, happy. Then, a ruinous moment occurred. Almost the very second aircrack-ng finished cracking the key, my phone came up with a low battery warning, I was using a awus036h wifi adapter and it was draining my battery fast, I had about 50% to begin and had the 14% warning hit me about 10 minutes in, funny thing is the warning is usually 14%, but this time was 13%, go figure? Anyway seconds after the warning my phone just blanks, turns off. I plug it in and reboot and the battery is at 0% and stuck there, so a word of warning:
An external wifi adapter my require more usb host juice then the battery can safely supply. I have seen people using powered hubs to circumvent draining the phone battery, I would defintiely recommend the practice.
Ok, if the last poster was noobish then i dont even know where i would be because i need help just deciphering wtf OP said.
I realize the drivers for each wireless adapter are going to be a little different... because each wireless adapter is different, but can someone translate this into non geek? I dont even know where to begin.
Can this work using the ubuntu/backtrack/linux installers from the market? Ive muddled my way through that and got linux working that way, or is this completely different?
I just wanted to say THANKS! I now have my Alpha card working in Monitor mode on my TF300T Transformer PAD and man it feels good! I have never been able to get this to work and have been trying to use an external card in backtrack for a loooong time! Thank you 1 million times!
Hi! Thanks for instructions. I got compile and install driver for my G-Sky (rtl8187) on AllWinner A10 (Ainol Aurora II) with android 4.0.4 and 3.0.8 kernel. All network settings were done with tablet's terminal (without PC). Only one problem remains - I can't undestant connecting to wpa networks - it's too difficult. Here: http_://nuzhen-sovet.ru/content/podklyuchenie-vneshnego-wi-fi-adaptera-k-planshetu-na-android-4 you can read my manual with connection to nonWPA networks on russian (read with google translate).
I am wondering if something like this could be used for the folks concerned with bt\wifi fallout. There are plenty of bluetooth dongles out there that are small enough to leave in the dock full time. I have the fallout I just dont use bluetooth enough to care.
BlackUbuntu 12.04 V4: http://kat.ph/blackubuntu-12-04v4-for-android-s3-tested-t7252750.html
So how would I go about this on the galaxy s3 l710.
My alfa card reads on pcap app.
Hi everyone.
I plan on using the Bolse adapter : http://www.mybolse.com/products_more.asp?id=96 that has an Android driver with my Galaxy Note2.
Do I have to go through all these steps with it considering it has an Android driver?
Thanks
infernix said:
I got fed up with crappy wireless reception in a hotel and decided to use my RTL8187 based Alfa USB wireless adapter with my Prime. Here's how it works, pretty rough and open to improvement but it works.
Set up a chroot (ubuntu/debian will work); everything is done within that chroot
Compile and install the drivers for your usb adapter (see the Kernel modules thread for instructions)
apt-get install wicd-curses (or wicd-cli if you prefer), wpasupplicant and dbus plus any of its dependancies
Turn off the broadcom wifi that's controlled by android
insmod your modules (in my case eeprom_93cx6.ko, mac80211.ko, rtl8187)
start dbus and wicd (/etc/init.d/dbus start; /etc/init.d/wicd start)
run wicd-curses (or wicd-cli), refresh the network list and connect to your network
configure dns for android to your dns or to googles (setprop net.dns1 8.8.8.8)
???
Profit
To stop using external usb wifi, reverse the steps; basically:
stop wicd and dbus (/etc/init.d/wicd stop; /etc/init.d/dbus stop)
kill any running dhcp clients (killall dhclient)
rmmod your modules (in my case eeprom_93cx6.ko, mac80211.ko, rtl8187)
To be able to insert mac80211 without it complaining about missing symbols for ewma_init and ewma_add, I had to add lib/average.c to the mac80211 module; it's pretty simple, here's how i did that:
Go to your prime kernel source tree (e.g. /usr/src/linux)
cp lib/average.c net/mac80211/
Edit net/mac80211/Makefile and add average.o to the list of objects for mac80211-y (don't miss the trailing backslash if you add it halfway)
For simplicity sake I've added the modules for an rtl8187 based usb nic to this post. These are built against the 9.4.2.7 kernel source, and work fine for the 9.4.2.11 release (current ICS release as of Feb 07 2012).
Oh and I don't recommend doing this with androids wifi turned on, it kind of breaks it until you reboot your tab. So if you're smart you'll script the above and spit out a nice warning that your broadcom module is still loaded and then exit. I had no problems switching between external USB wifi and built-in wifi as long as I only turned one of them on exclusively.
Enjoy solid wifi on your prime
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, after i read most replies, most don't understand how to get things set up, please describe it a bit more, organize things, like section for requirements, etc.
Explain to Kernel and Kernel Modules and how to build them
For everyone who didn't Understand Step 2, I Will explain and tell you how to do that, Please read it all to Understand:highfive::
What is Kernel?
A Kernel is Simply a Bridge Between Software and Hardware.
So The Drivers are Inside the Kernel itself?
For Short, Yes. In Linux Overall (Android, Ubuntu, etc.), Drivers are Included Inside the Kernel it self, Some say for Performance Improvements.
Your Phone's Android Kernel Include all the Drivers required for your phone to function, And for the Devices that Support USB-OTG there are a Plenty of Drivers Included, However, Drivers like the one's for the RTL8187 Most likely won't be included.
What are Kernel Modules?
Kernel Modules are Files that have *KO Extension That can be loaded Through insmod and Unloaded through rmmod Command-Line Commands, These files is to Extend the Functionality of the Kernel Without Touching/Editing it at all,It Just does some effect Until the Modules are Unloaded/Device Rebooted, Kernel Modules useful Either by Adding a Driver or by adding other things..[/B]
What are the Disadvantages of Kernel Modules?
Well, There's no Difference Expect you need to reload the Kernel Modules after a Reboot or Module Unload, Some Tutorials Show you how can you add a command to load these Modules after each boot up
So A Kernel Module is the Solution for adding a driver without modifying the kernel?
Yes, Kernel Modules is the Solution here, Each USB Device needs it's own Kernel Modules, so you can't Download a Module and Use it, You need to Compile yours.
What is the Requirements to build a Kernel Modules?
1.You need Linux Environment, Use either the Chrooted Linux On you phone, or, better use Ubuntu or any linux Distro on a Computer, Build the Module, and load it on the Chrooted Linux on your phone,
2.You need an Internet Connection in the Linux Environment.
3.You need the Driver Source code for your USB Device. Get them from the Manufacturer if he offer them, if he doesn't, You need to Look in the internet until you find one, if you were unable to find the Source code for you Device but found similar Devices Driver source code, see if the Other Device Driver is Compatible with yours usually a Single Driver work on many Devices, you need to look by your own way
4.You Also need some Programs to install in Order to be able to Compile the Kernel Module, Enter these Commands in a Terminal, Pressing Enter after each Line, and make sure you have the Internet Connection:
HTML:
sudo apt-get install fakeroot
sudo apt-get install build-essential
sudo apt-get install dpkg-dev
sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)
For the most Important Part, make the Kernel Module?
1.Unpack the Kernel source code, if it's Extension is bz2 then use:
HTML:
tar jxvf <package-name>
Where <package-name> is the Compressed File name, and make sure you put it in the Home Folder, if it's Extension is gz or tgz the Unpack it with:
HTML:
tar zxvf <package-name>
2. Second, Find config.mk and Open it with gedit or whatever Text editor you like, at first, there is two lines about WPA Support, make sure they end with y rather than n, Save and close.
3.Third, and last, is to Compile the Kernel Module, Open Terminal and use cd command to get inside the folder that contains the Source code, and Simply Execute:
HTML:
sudo make
And now you own the Kernel module, Now copy the Kernel Module to the root of your Internal Storage, Open up a Terminal and Type:
HTML:
cd /mnt/sdcard
insmod <kernel-module-name>.ko
And make sure Internal Wi-Fi is OFF and now your Kernel Module works, Follow the Guys steps to get it working on Chrooted distro
Troubleshooting:
If you find a similar Device Driver Source Code and after Compiling it doesn't work plug the Device in, Open a Terminal and type:
HTML:
sudo lsusb
and Find your Device in the Output and you should find Numbers for it Looks Like 0x148F,0x2070 or whatever, Write them down.
After Step 2 Follow These Steps:
Find usb_main_dev.c and Under #ifdef Section add the Following Line:
HTML:
{USB_DEVICE(0x148F,0x2070)}, /* Your Device name, this is just a Comment. */
Where You should replace 0x148F,0x2070 with the String you just wrote down.
And then Continue Other Steps and it should work.
Please Click "Thanks" Button if i Helped you
Also, if you had any Problems and fixed them Just tell me so i can add them to Troubleshooting Section.
Hi! Im going on vacation in 2 weeks and I want this to work on my Nexus 5. I run CM12. I think I can manage the kernel part myself (there are a lot of nexus 5 kernels which include the driver of my wifi dongle: TP-Link WN722N). but I don't know how to do the next steps (for example step 4 and 5). Can someone give me a detailed tutorial with command lines? I am familiar with terminal.
My step again:
Nexus 5 running CM12
Wifi dongle: TP-Link WN722N
thanks in advance!
Sorry for the extremely noob question, but will this make the wifi adapter work in the chroot or on the entire device?
Last summer I got Ubuntu 11.04 working on my A43 but didn't post anything about it. With the progress made on kexec and the new kboot bootloader, it is now possible to have multiple kernels for multiple OS'es. This means it just got a whole lot easier to boot Ubuntu without losing the ability to run OpenAOS or UrukDroid Android OS'es.
As far as I'm aware, Ubuntu doesn't work on the 2.6.29-omap1 kernel that Archos uses and is the base for most other development on gen8. However, for A43 and A101 users, OpenAOS member Nicktime made some headway in porting the 2.6.37+ kernel to gen8, but appears to have abandoned the project. I've cloned his repository and have been working to add features that he did not finish implementing. However, his kernel did have the ability to boot an Ubuntu rootfs and it works very well for desktop Linux distributions (this also works on Debian and I would assume other ARM distros as well).
As I have been unable to build an Ubuntu 11.10 rootfs using the rootstock method that Ubuntu describes here, I've started working with the HP TouchPadBuntu rootfs from this thread. This rootfs boots well on my TouchPad and I've removed the TP-specific items from it and added the gen8 items as necessary. The display is working and the touchscreen works as well (calibrated correctly as I copied my calibration from my 11.04 install). It boots into Unity 2D which is the default. I'm having issues getting the wl1271 wireless module up, I have had it running once but NetworkManager said device was not ready despite being able to iwlist scan and see a list of AP's and then connect to them manually.
RELEASE 1
You will need the rootfs and the modifications.
To install, mount your destination partition (should be at least 4GB and ext3 formatted) to a location, then run the following:
Code:
cd /media/UbuntuPartition (change this to wherever your Ubuntu partition is mounted)
tar xzf /path/to/TouchPadBuntuRootfs.tgz ./
tar xzf /path/to/Gen8Modifications.tar.gz ./
If you do not have a microSD card in the slot, you need to edit the file etc/fstab and change anything mmcblk1 to mmcblk0, this is because the SD card will identify as mmcblk0 if it exists, but if it does not exist then the internal storage gets identified as mmcblk0 instead. This is a kernel issue I have yet to find a solution to.
Kernels for Release 1
These boot from partition 3 of internal memory (/dev/mmcblk2p3)
Normal and Rotated 90 Degrees
This boots from partition 1 of external sdcard (/dev/mmcblk0p1)
Normal
These files do not need an initramfs, but to flash to device or to use with kboot you need one anyways. Simply create an empty (0 byte) file named 'initramfs.cpio.gz' and use it for this purpose.
INFO ON KERNEL MMC/SD INITIALIZATION
mmc0 (mmcblk0pX) - Micro SD card
mmc1 (mmcblk1pX, mmcblk2pX) - System and Data blocks of internal memory
mmc2 - wl1271 SDIO interface
I installed the rootfs to an 8GB microSD and boot it using root=/dev/mmcblk0p1 on the kernel command line.
USEFUL LINKS
http://dev.openaos.org/wiki/Gen8Linux2.6.37
https://github.com/CalcProgrammer1/archos-gen8-kernel-2.6.37
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1304475
http://www.omappedia.org/wiki/OMAP_WiLink_Connectivity_Home
http://www.omappedia.org/wiki/MAC802.11_based_Wilink
TIPS AND TRICKS
Disk Usage Power LED:
It is possible to make the Power LED function as a disk usage LED. This will let you know when the system is reading or writing to the memory and can be incredibly helpful in determining whether your system has locked up or is just being slow.
Simply write "mmc0" or "mmc1" (depending on what interface you wish to monitor) to:
/sys/class/leds/power/trigger (maybe power_led can't remember)
This can be changed in the kernel source in the file "archos-leds.c" as well if you want it to apply during boot time.
Charging the battery on A43:
(as root)
echo 1 > /sys/devices/platform/battery/usb_online
echo 3 > /sys/devices/platform/battery/charge_level
Enabling WiFi:
The wl1271 driver from linux-wireless requires firmware files to be placed in /lib/firmware. These files can be downloaded from here. The MAC address on the wl1271 is not stored on the actual wireless chip and instead resides in a configuration file on the system data directory in a file called system/persist.archos.WIFI_mac. This file is in the form:
Code:
Wifi MAC XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
To extract just the MAC address, use
Code:
cut -f3 -d" " /media/data/system/persist.archos.WIFI_mac
Then, to set the MAC of the actual device you can do
Code:
ifconfig wlan0 hw ether `cut -f3 -d" " /media/data/system/persist.archos.WIFI_mac
ifconfig wlan0 up
I'm doing this in /etc/rc.local which is run on boot. This means the WiFi card is prepared when the system boots. However, NetworkManager still sees the card as "not ready" and you must Disable Networking and then Enable Networking before it will start showing AP's. After doing this, the WiFi works properly.
Screen Rotation:
The A43's display is 480x854 ("tall screen" orientation). For Ubuntu it is likely more useful to have a widescreen 854x480 orientation. Fortunately, this is not hard. It involves adding two parameters to your kernel's command line (either via kboot or by adding them to .config and recompiling your kernel). THIS DOES NOT ROTATE THE TOUCHSCREEN INPUT, so make sure you have an alternate input device when using rotation (BT keyboard/mouse, USB keyboard/mouse).
Code:
omapfb.vrfb=y omapfb.rotate=1
Enabling Audio:
This is pretty easy. Audio is installed and ready to go, the only issue is that the default settings in the mixer for this chip happen to disable the output entirely. To fix this, open ALSA Mixer (alsamixer) and turn on either speakers or headphones, then turn on Left Mixer and Right Mixer (hit 'M' to unmute/mute a channel). Finally, turn up the 'PCM' volume and start playing music. I recommend getting rid of Pulse Audio, but I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do so as it uses a lot of resources and provides little benefit.
PowerVR SGX 530 GPU:
The OMAP 3630 CPU has an on-board PowerVR SGX 530 graphics processor. TI provides an SDK that contains the userspace driver libraries as well as the open-source kernel drivers. There are three modules that must be built (pvrsrvkm.ko, omaplfb.ko, bufferclass_ti.ko) and loaded into the system. Then the userspace stuff must be installed. There is information here that should help. So far I've got the drivers to compile, but they aren't properly loading yet. More work to be done on getting the modules to work.
RC.LOCAL START-UP SCRIPT
This script should enable everything at boot time and should make Ubuntu easier to use on gen8 tablets. It starts WiFi and Bluetooth as well as enables USB charging.
Code:
#!/bin/sh -e
#
# rc.local
#
#MAC_ADDRESS='00:22:33:44:55:66'
MAC_ADDRESS=`cut -f3 -d" " /media/data/system/persist.archos.WIFI_mac`
ifconfig wlan0 hw ether $MAC_ADDRESS
ifconfig wlan0 up
modprobe btwilink
sleep 10
hciattach /dev/ttyS0 texas 3000000
/etc/init.d/network-manager restart
echo 1 > /sys/devices/platform/battery/usb_online
echo 3 > /sys/devices/platform/battery/charge_level
exit 0
You must have /media/data mounted in your /etc/fstab file, the entry should look like this:
Code:
/dev/mmcblk1p4 /media/data ext3 defaults 0 0
If this entry isn't in /etc/fstab, the /media/data partition will not be available at the time rc.local is run, and it will fail trying to read the MAC address. Alternatively, you can uncomment the hard-coded MAC address and use that but it's not as clean.
First off, Thanks for the effort you've put in, I just cant wait to get this up and running on my 101. Hopefully I'll have some time this weekend to sort it out but I've questions, How well does it perform? Is unity actually working? & have you tried any other distros? The reason i ask is because i was gonna buy a linux tab running plasma active but if i could eventually run it reasonably well on my 101 i'd hold out and save a couple.
Cheers again and nice work.
It runs fairly well. Unity works (2D only at the moment, not 3D), but whether that's a good thing or not I'll leave up to you (personally I don't like the Unity interface at all, and I find it slow when in 2D mode). I have GNOME 3.0 Fallback installed which runs pretty smooth and fast as it is fairly lightweight. You can use any non-3D-accelerated interface at the moment (Xfce, fluxbox, LXDE, MATE/GNOME2, etc). I've heard of people running plasma active on other non-accelerated systems (including the HP TouchPad, which is where I got my starting image). I haven't bothered as I prefer a traditional desktop-style interface.
That said, if you're willing to test I'd love feedback on how this performs on A101. I don't have an A101 and I am not sure of the status of A101 support. I'm taking Nicktime's word for it that the kernel supports A101. The actual Ubuntu image should be pretty independent of the device but the kernel needs to specifically support each individual board.
To start I'd just download the TouchPadBuntu rootfs I posted (which despite its name doesn't have anything TouchPad related in it and should at very least boot to login screen on the Archos 2.6.37 kernel without modifications). I'll hopefully get a package of modifications up soon including drivers for WiFi, Bluetooth, and a script to get everything running properly at boot.
As for 3D acceleration, I think it should be possible. There are apparently user-space drivers for OMAP3 that will work under Ubuntu. The bigger issue is getting a version of Compiz/Unity3D/Gnome Shell/whatever accelerated desktop you prefer that is compile for OpenGL ES.
Hey dude, could you give me some instructions as to how you installed the roofs.tgz to the memory card? I've got the new boot loader installed and I'm mad to get this going this weekend. Cheers in advance.
P.s. if there is a link to a tut for it that'd be excellent because I don't mind searching for myself just couldn't find any info on it. Thanks.
EDIT:
First post updated, see it for full installation details and feel free to post any questions or problems you have during or after installation. I really want to know how well this plays on A101 devices, as I don't have one to test with. Also, anyone with kernel experience that wants to take on adding additional devices, go for it! It would be great to get A70 support at least, as that is a popular device that has seen Debian/Angstrom activity in the past.
I tar'd the files to the sdcard, created a folder inside OS called ubuntu and placed the zimage & intramfs inside but it wont boot? I probably missed something so feel free to tear me one .
Wasn't even thinking...Duh...the kernels provided assume the root device is /dev/mmcblk2p3 (my Ubuntu partition on internal SD card). You probably want /dev/mmcblk0p1 (first partition on external SD card). I'll build a new kernel and post it soon, or you can take a shot at compiling your own kernel (my GitHub sources need work, for now I'd go with Nicktime's sources at Gitorious as I realized I broke some things).
Kboot should have a cmdline option where you can specify a kernel command line (and thus a root device) but I couldn't get it to work. To clarify, you ARE seeing the kernel boot messages right? If you aren't then kboot probably isn't set up correctly. Try booting another kernel (such as OpenAOS boot menu) from kboot and see if that works.
EDIT: here
CalcProgrammer1 said:
As for 3D acceleration, I think it should be possible. There are apparently user-space drivers for OMAP3 that will work under Ubuntu. The bigger issue is getting a version of Compiz/Unity3D/Gnome Shell/whatever accelerated desktop you prefer that is compile for OpenGL ES.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know they
http://www.linaro.org/
are working on the Open GL ES port of Unity 3D.
Maybe u can find some sources there
And KDE should also have a builf of KDE Plasma wiht OpenGL ES.
Maybe you could add it? would be awesome.
Archos 70
Does/Will this work on the Archos 70? I'm trying to get it working but all I'm getting is static on my screen when Kboot tries to boot Ubuntu. This could be my fault and I could have just messed up the installation but I don't think so.
Thoughts?
shrewdlove said:
Does/Will this work on the Archos 70? I'm trying to get it working but all I'm getting is static on my screen when Kboot tries to boot Ubuntu. This could be my fault and I could have just messed up the installation but I don't think so.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you read the first post, you will see that this currently only works with A43 and A101. This is due to the kernel I'm using, which was ported by an OpenAOS user who hasn't been active in 6 months. Chances of him resuming his project are slim, so I've forked his kernel progress but don't have an A70 to work with. I could attempt to add A70 support to the kernel but I would be blind to the progress and would need testers. There aren't a ton of changes necessary, mainly just need to add the right LCD driver to make the screen work and then update the board file with the changes that have been made to the A43/A101 boards.
Unfortunately, I don't have much time as of late, I've got a senior design project and school work to deal with, plus I've been working on getting CM9 ICS to compile for gen8, and I've also been working on the HP TouchPad Ubuntu port. Adding A70 support to the kernel is low priority for me, but if any A70 owners want to take a stab at the kernel go right ahead, I'll gladly accept changes to the kernel. As far as Gen8 Ubuntu is concerned, my current focus is getting the SGX GPU up and running with TI's Graphics SDK. If successful, this GPU should be able to run hardware-accelerated Unity 3D and Compiz for a fast, fancy desktop experience.
shrewdlove said:
Does/Will this work on the Archos 70? I'm trying to get it working but all I'm getting is static on my screen when Kboot tries to boot Ubuntu. This could be my fault and I could have just messed up the installation but I don't think so.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've the exact same problem with my 101, at first I thought it was an issue with kboot but its able to boot uruk and bull. Every time I choose to run ubuntu it stalls with a static on the screen and I have to force a re-boot. I'm using a 2GB sd with only one partition if thats any help and the zimage in question is the one for boot from sd.
Any input?
Oh! Just looked at my kernel configuration again and I forgot to enable A101 support in the configuration file. I'll build a new kernel later today with A101 support enabled! Sorry about that. Should fix A101 but A70 still needs some real work before it will be supported.
EDIT:
Here it is
http://www.box.com/s/18d0e43877b5877ce79f
CalcProgrammer1 said:
Oh! Just looked at my kernel configuration again and I forgot to enable A101 support in the configuration file. I'll build a new kernel later today with A101 support enabled! Sorry about that. Should fix A101 but A70 still needs some real work before it will be supported.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, don't apologize. I, and this community, appreciate what your doing. I'd love to have the knowledge to compile my own kernel and have a fully functional distro on this device, but I don't yet have that ability. You do, so any time you give up your time and effort to provide us with something new and cool is fricking brilliant. Keep working and let us know how you get on, but don't cause yourself too much hassle.
Thanks.
I've updated my previous post with an image with A101 support included. I have no way to test it. If any A101 users could take a short video or picture of the device booting Ubuntu I would like to see how it works on that device. I've also looked a bit into A70 support and it looks like the necessary modifications would be relatively straightforward, seeing as all the gen8's have essentially the same core hardware (OMAP3, Wolfson Audio, WL1271 WiFi/BT, MicroSD, POWER/VOL+/-, Power LED, etc). The primary difference (and probably most significant code change required) is the LCD panel, but seeing how the A43 got the short end of the stick on this one, the A70 should be easier to port (A43 has a DSI-interfaced serial LCD while the other gen8's have a DPI parallel LCD, DSI support is flaky at best in this kernel release).
Managed to get it to boot to ubuntu login screen but my usb keyboard doesnt get picked up, I dont know if the touch screen should register at this point but for me it doesnt. I've no bt keyboard but I can't see the device when I scan for bt from my phone either. If you want, I can take a vid of it booting to this point and send it to you. Just in case I get it to work, what are the login details (password) ?
The login is ubuntu/ubuntu (user/pass). I haven't tested the USB yet, and I'm not sure how the A101's host port is set up (the A43 supports USB OTG host but has no dedicated host port). It is a kernel issue for sure. As for the touchscreen, the A101 I think uses a USB touchscreen, so again with the USB issue. You can try forcing automatic login by modifying one of the files on the rootfs (would have to look up which one, can't remember, but should be possible). The fact that it boots is great and the fact that the panel works is also great. I'll look into USB host some more when I get a chance.
Cheers for getting back to me. Is there anyway we can pull something from either the bodhi image or android itself? or would it have to be changed at the kernel?
Pretty sure this is kernel level, the USB driver is being compiled differently than on the stock kernel (musb_hdrc should be a module, but this kernel it is built in, preventing you from loading in different modes). I booted up my A43 with a USB mouse attached, the kernel detected the mouse but then disconnected it before it could be used.
I'm trying to get together all the files I need to have a go at getting a DVB-T tuner working with the Tablet S - I have all the DVB-T modules, but for a lower kernel revision, and from what I've read they probably wont work with this kernel.
I'm really not looking forward to compiling these myself as I use Windows 7 and am aware that there are issues with compiling Linux on a Windows system and being new to Android/Linux cross compiling I could cause myself more problems than I solve.
So the question is, has anyone got info on a repository for these modules compiled for ICS at our kernel revision?
Have you seen this?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1870077
TUN, NTFS, CIFS, usbserial, fuse kernel modules for 2.6.39.4, attached
You could post your request there. And if you manage to get it working could youshare a solution please?
Sent from my Sony Tablet S using xda app-developers app
could you please explain what is needed to make this work?
post some links perhaps.
Hi there,
I've uploaded a bunch of dvb files to forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1870077 for you.
I'm not sure if those are the ones you need, but if you post there what you are trying to do and what specific modules you need, then perhaps I can help further.
A
praed0r said:
I'm trying to get together all the files I need to have a go at getting a DVB-T tuner working with the Tablet S - I have all the DVB-T modules, but for a lower kernel revision, and from what I've read they probably wont work with this kernel.
I'm really not looking forward to compiling these myself as I use Windows 7 and am aware that there are issues with compiling Linux on a Windows system and being new to Android/Linux cross compiling I could cause myself more problems than I solve.
So the question is, has anyone got info on a repository for these modules compiled for ICS at our kernel revision?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@abactor_xda: your link directs to general section of tablet s forum. I guess you should put a link to your modules post.
could you, please provide more information about those files you uploaded.
where did you get them from? what software is used with? do I insmod them the same way as other kernel modules?
this is what I find promising, but development seems to be stopped: https://github.com/chrulri/droidtv
when I install this app it says something about needing kernel modules and drivers or something like that. are this those modules and drivers. how do I chose which of them I need?
I have this usb tuner: http://www.avermedia.com/avertv/Support/Download.aspx?Type=Software&id=31&tab=APDriver
Can somebody please help me or point me in right direction
thank you
Hi Kulen,
Thanks, I'll fix that link. The files i uploaded are just more compiled kernel modules, you'll need to use the tar -xvzf flag to unzip them as it was a bigger tar file than xda would allow. They're compiled from the kernel sources available from Sony...I don't have the link to the sources at the moment, but if you search the forums you'll be able to find it. The modules are loaded with insmod, the same way as before, yes. I have no idea how one would go about putting these to use but it seems like in addition to the kernel module you'll need a driver and perhaps more kernel modules for an ARM architecture that will work with the 2.6.39.4 kernel version. Looking at the avermedia's website, the support they give is for an x86 architecture so you may be out of luck unless somebody can help you out over here:
linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/AVerMedia_A828
Have you ever gotten this usb tuner to work with a real linux box?
Good luck,
a
kulen said:
@abactor_xda: your link directs to general section of tablet s forum. I guess you should put a link to your modules post.
could you, please provide more information about those files you uploaded.
where did you get them from? what software is used with? do I insmod them the same way as other kernel modules?
this is what I find promising, but development seems to be stopped: https://github.com/chrulri/droidtv
when I install this app it says something about needing kernel modules and drivers or something like that. are this those modules and drivers. how do I chose which of them I need?
I have this usb tuner: http://www.avermedia.com/avertv/Support/Download.aspx?Type=Software&id=31&tab=APDriver
Can somebody please help me or point me in right direction
thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Sony Tablet S using xda app-developers app
Well, thank you.
You are really fast and willing to help.
I did make this tuner work with linux mint on x86. Actually my friend Google did it mostly, so I'm not sure what I did any more. It was a long time before and I'm not very familiar with linux.
This is what Avermedia site says for both x86 and x64 driver:
"The following distributions, with their stock kernel, are officially tested and supported:
1. Open SuSE Linux 10.3
2. Mandriva Linux 2008
3. Fedora Core Release 6
4. Fedora Core Release 7
5. Ubuntu 7.10
6. Ubuntu 8.10
7. Ubuntu 9.04
8. Ubuntu 9.10
9. Mandriva Linux 2009
Sent from my Sony Tablet S using xda app-developers app"
I guess I should find some generic ARM driver that works with my tuner?
Is there a way to batch insmod (all at once) all this modules? something like insmod *.ko?
Do I need all those modules? How do I find that out?
Hi there,
You're welcome, I'm happy to help.
In order to load all modules within a directory (and its respective sub-directories), try:
Code:
su
cd /data/local/kmods
find . -name "*.ko" -exec insmod {} \;
[\CODE]
Or just
[CODE]
su
find /data/local/kmods/ -name "*.ko" -exec insmod {} \;
[\CODE]
I'm not sure what kernel modules you'll need, but I would look at the #include files in the driver and/or ask the people over in the forum that you listed who work on these tuners specifically. Perhaps some people from the arm-based rasperry pi community might be working on this type of thing too.
Good luck,
A
Sent from my Sony Tablet S using xda app-developers app
Thanks for answer, again!
I already solved problem "insmoding" them all at once by making a script for them all as you showed me in your kernel modules thread.
At first it seems not all of them are insmoded. "no such file or directory" error. But at second script run it seems they are insmoded. I guess they are dependent on each other and need to be insmoded at right order? I also guess "file exists" means it's already insmoded?
Some of them return "exec format error" which, Google suggests, mean they are not for ARM?
anyhow nothing happens when I plug in my tuner.
I'll have to do a research starting where you sugessted but I'm setting my expectations low.
Terminal transcript of running script 3 times is in attachment. (I'll upload it later, can't do it from xda app - DONE)
Sent from my Sony Tablet S using xda app-developers app
Hey there,
maybe we can get DVB-T-Sticks working on Tablet S. Some devs got the "WinTV Nova-T"-stick working on Odys Loox. Kernel modules they used were:
dib0070.ko
dib3000.ko
dib7000m.ko
dib7000p.ko
dib8000.ko
dibx000_common.ko
dvb-core.ko
dvb-usb.ko
dvb-usb-dib0700.ko
If abactor can provide us these files we're maybe able to get it working. But I don't know if other sticks are working, too.
kulen said:
Thanks for answer, again!
I already solved problem "insmoding" them all at once by making a script for them all as you showed me in your kernel modules thread.
At first it seems not all of them are insmoded. "no such file or directory" error. But at second script run it seems they are insmoded. I guess they are dependent on each other and need to be insmoded at right order? I also guess "file exists" means it's already insmoded?
Some of them return "exec format error" which, Google suggests, mean they are not for ARM?
anyhow nothing happens when I plug in my tuner.
I'll have to do a research starting where you sugessted but I'm setting my expectations low.
Terminal transcript of running script 3 times is in attachment. (I'll upload it later, can't do it from xda app - DONE)
Sent from my Sony Tablet S using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
some of them have dependencies and others may not be compatible with our hardware even if we can build them. all of the modules are built in the same way but there may be issues due to some modules being built-in to the kernel - I don't know how those sorts of conflicts are resolved. another way to go would be to build the whole kernel again.
I would keep loading the modules until the output from insmod stops changing as you've done...or look up the dependency tree and load them in order. your way is easier.
---------- Post added at 12:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:25 PM ----------
djlars said:
Hey there,
maybe we can get DVB-T-Sticks working on Tablet S. Some devs got the "WinTV Nova-T"-stick working on Odys Loox. Kernel modules they used were:
dib0070.ko
dib3000.ko
dib7000m.ko
dib7000p.ko
dib8000.ko
dibx000_common.ko
dvb-core.ko
dvb-usb.ko
dvb-usb-dib0700.ko
If abactor can provide us these files we're maybe able to get it working. But I don't know if other sticks are working, too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I finally managed to get the dvb-usb.ko built with some manual editing. I'm going to post them to the other thread with all the other kernel modules. The link is posted above. let me know if this does or does not work for you guys.
If you guys are having trouble loading the dvb-usb.ko module, it may be contained within the dvb-core.ko module it seems...
kulen said:
could you please explain what is needed to make this work?
post some links perhaps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Kulen,
I managed to get my dongle working in Ubuntu with the correct kernel revision after a lot of hair pulling - when i tried to cross compile the modules for ARM, the compiler crashed and trashed my Linux installation, after trying for days to restore my system, i had to resort to a re-install and have not attempted anything since.
I got all my info here :-
http://linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
Sorry I can not be more helpful, but I see a lot of guys on here chipping in with very useful information - hopefully you'll succeed where I failed.
PS - I might just get back into this again.
I can't say thanks enough for all help I got here.
@abactor_xda
I tried all modules you posted. since some of them are in both archives I tried first those from one archive, then from another. I extracted all and then I copied ones and other over them, and then the other way. I wanted to be sure they all are there. And then I used commands you taught me. I insmoded them 5-6 times to be sure, but some modules were not insmoded. some with that exec error and some with no file error.
and nothing happened in any case.
but here we come to another problem. I'm not sure how to check it. I use Droid TV app and it says:
" Sorry, no device found or device acces denied. This application NEEDS a working DVB device, plugged into your Android device and set up with drivers, firmware and correct permissions. Make sure that these prerequirements are met and try again."
I also get some massage from android system that connected USB device is unsupported or unreckognized or something like that.
any idea how could I see which modules are/are not activated when I plug DVB tuner?
and thanks for your help again.
@praed0r
which DVB tuner do you have?
compiling and all the other programming stuff is, unfortunately, way too much for me, so I have to rely to help from good people.
Hey Kulen,
I'm sorry to hear that didn't work. Though I had a feeling that would be the case as I also had issues trying to load those modules.
I have a feeling the modules need to be adapted somewhat before being compiled or a special driver written.
Otherwise run "dmesg" from the terminal after you plug in the device. Maybe this info would be useful to someone who knows about this stuff (unfortunately that's not me
If you do find out how to adapt these modules, I can try to compile them.
A
Sent from my Sony Tablet S using xda app-developers app
well thanks again.
I can make dmesg by help of google. but that's about maximum of my developing competence.
I guess I have to give up on this, unless some "good soul" shows up here and give us a solution.
I will post dmesg in cca. 10 days, cause I don't have tablet with me now and wait...
it'll be a pity if all abactor_xda's unselfish work was for nothing
I'm attempting to compile and load kernel modules to make my Nova-T Stick USB DVB-T dongle work with my TF201 Asus TFP. Any one have a step-by-step guide for doing this?
I first attempted to go down the cross-compile on ubuntu host machine, then I went to chrooted ubuntu on the target, now back to ubuntu host. I have managed to build a number of .ko's, and insmod'ed some of them on the TFP. When doing a lsmod, I get:
dib7000m 12318 0 - Live 0xbf1cc000
dib7000p 23027 0 - Live 0xbf1b9000
dvb_ttusb_budget 12571 0 - Live 0xbf11a000
dibx000_common 4990 2 dib7000m,dib7000p, Live 0xbf113000
dib0070 6585 0 - Live 0xbf0fc000
dvb_pll 7922 0 - Live 0xbf0cc000
dvb_core 77241 2 dib7000p,dvb_ttusb_budget, Live 0xbf0b7000
bcm4329 207334 0 - Live 0xbf082000
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But when I plug in USB dongle, I don't get any dvb-usb messages in dmesg. Only the standard usb ones.
To compile them, I took the kernel from Asus website, built using prebuilt ARM cross-compiler from AOSP (make menuconfig, and then make modules).
Any ideas anyone?
More info
Also,
cat /proc/devices
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gives me amoung other things: 212 DVB, which looks good to me. Just no dvb-usb messages in dmesg still.
Anyone have the ko's for all DVB tuners, and the correct order to insmod them? This will be useful for many people surely...
And yet more info
After inserting the USB Tuner into an Ubuntu laptop, I can see using lsmod that some modules used are dvb_usb_dib0700, and dvb_usb.
However when I build the Asus Kernel after changing the .config, I cannot for the life of me get these 2 missing ko's built. Any one know of the options required in make menuconfig to get this working?
solution
OK, I didn't realise that Remote Control stuff needs to be enabled (to get rc-core) in make menuconfig before stuff relating the USB DVB shows up. Now I've got my kernel modules.
Modprobe in chroot ubuntu doesn't seem to work, so I insmod a whole load of them in a certain order and finally the USB stick is recoginised as DVB-T.
Now for some reason I get ActivityManager: Segmentation Fault on my Prime when installing APKs from my host machine. Life is never easy...
More detail?
Hi
Thanks for posting this as I am interested in doing the same thing. Can you outline your process in a bit more detail so I could followsuit. Or maybe share the modules you created?
Thanks
robb001 said:
Hi
Thanks for posting this as I am interested in doing the same thing. Can you outline your process in a bit more detail so I could followsuit. Or maybe share the modules you created?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I managed to build the kernel modules and insmod them in the end. If you plug tuner into a host machine and do an lsmod before and after, you will find the dependency order for all the kernel modules you need. You need to generate all of these .ko files and insmod all of them in exactly the correct order. Search through make menuconfig to find all the required modules components including any related remote control ones, general DVB and USB ones too. It is possible to do it this way using insmod.... however....
I also did it a different way in the end to get some other benefits. Build Cyanogenmod 10 from source, and modify the kernel (as before), and just boot this custom ROM with all the required ko's already in place - seems to be an easier path with more help available on forums etc...
After this you need to make sure that after you plug in the DVB adapter, you change the permissions of the dvb nodes to 777 (or similar) before you can use them from an app.
Good luck! It is all possible!
Thanks for your very prompt reply. I am fairly familiar with linux and command line but not heavily in to compiling modules and kernels.
barkside said:
You need to generate all of these .ko files and insmod all of them in exactly the correct order.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To do this don't I need to have the kernel sources, headers and some tools like "make" available and carry all of this out on the actual target hardware with the appropriate kernel version? I.e. not on a host machine?
barkside said:
I also did it a different way in the end to get some other benefits. Build Cyanogenmod 10 from source, and modify the kernel (as before), and just boot this custom ROM with all the required ko's already in place - seems to be an easier path with more help available on forums etc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This sounds like a good way to go but first have to do the above generating of module files?
I think perhaps I need to do some more research on this subject.
robb001 said:
I.e. not on a host machine?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No you need to do it all on a host linux machine. Do do it with insmoding, you need to download the kernel from Asus for your corresponding target kernel version. This includes everything you need. Then you need to just enable the building of the new DVB stuff by modifying the kernel config (use make menuconfig), then build the kernel - this gives you a lot of stuff including the ko files.
robb001 said:
This sounds like a good way to go but first have to do the above generating of module files?
I think perhaps I need to do some more research on this subject.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More research is a good idea. It is not simple. But cyanogenmod has lots of help available - read its wiki on building from source etc. So to clarify - you either 1) build kernel modules when building the kernel and insmod them onto the target, or 2) build the entire CM10 source and flash this new custom ROM (which will be complete with the DVB stuff once you enable them in CM10 kernel config). Go with 2) and see how you get on.
Hello.
I noticed that kernels for ubuntu seem a bit old. I was thinking that maybe someone could modify cm10(or 3.0.21) kernel to support ubuntu/teach me how to add ubuntu support to android kernel. I did a bit googling, but results were filled with those loop ubuntus, not native.
I am also thankful if someone can point me to right direction.
(Trevd, i am counting on you )
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app
julle131 said:
Hello.
I noticed that kernels for ubuntu seem a bit old. I was thinking that maybe someone could modify cm10(or 3.0.21) kernel to support ubuntu/teach me how to add ubuntu support to android kernel. I did a bit googling, but results were filled with those loop ubuntus, not native.
I am also thankful if someone can point me to right direction.
(Trevd, i am counting on you )
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well as seeing as you ask so nicely, I'm far from an expert however especially in the ways of ubuntu kernels, A1Pha got the original ubuntu image going but ubuntu have done an official arm release now so that changes things ( probably ) I can only point you in the direction of more, hopefully better resources.
The Blaze Tablet seems to have have been the Development Platform for the G9 so you'll probably get some purchase from following that route.
Here's some links for you.
http://omappedia.org/wiki/Source_Trees
http://omappedia.org/wiki/OMAP_Ubuntu_Main
My days on the G9 could well be numbered, I foolishly overwrote the bootlloader in one of my more Laissez-faire moments. meh! That's what I get for having a caliver approach to consumer electronics.
trevd said:
Well as seeing as you ask so nicely, I'm far from an expert however especially in the ways of ubuntu kernels, A1Pha got the original ubuntu image going but ubuntu have done an official arm release now so that changes things ( probably ) I can only point you in the direction of more, hopefully better resources.
The Blaze Tablet seems to have have been the Development Platform for the G9 so you'll probably get some purchase from following that route.
Here's some links for you.
http://omappedia.org/wiki/Source_Trees
http://omappedia.org/wiki/OMAP_Ubuntu_Main
My days on the G9 could well be numbered, I foolishly overwrote the bootlloader in one of my more Laissez-faire moments. meh! That's what I get for having a caliver approach to consumer electronics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for answering. I'm out of thanks for today, so i press that button when i have more.
Now to business.
After doing some research, and asking few questions on #ubuntu-arm, this seems a bit hard project because there are no sources. There is no source for CM10 kernel(Or i can't read the github) nor Ubuntu kernel, so i can't just apply tweaks of them both to archos 3.0.8+ kernel. A way to unpack the zimage from ubuntu kernel and cm10 kernel would help, but atleast the script i tried couldn't unpack the zimage of ubuntu. Lets see what i figure out next.
julle131 said:
After doing some research, and asking few questions on #ubuntu-arm, this seems a bit hard project because there are no sources. There is no source for CM10 kernel(Or i can't read the github) nor Ubuntu kernel, so i can't just apply tweaks of them both to archos 3.0.8+ kernel. A way to unpack the zimage from ubuntu kernel and cm10 kernel would help, but atleast the script i tried couldn't unpack the zimage of ubuntu. Lets see what i figure out next.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what you mean by the CM10 Kernel, I don't think CM have any different settings from what is required by JellyBean itself. Plus the Kernel we originally used for the Archos CM10 is an ICS kernel with IPV6 Mangling adding, we got away with that because the Init.rc used to boot the Rom is a mashed up ICS Version. After thinking about it let me add the bit of knowledge I think I do know.
The kernels on arm platforms, to paraphrase Linus Tovalds was a complete mess, something which Linaro are working hard to fix, and are unique to the SOC vendor.
You need to get the Archos specific sources which are located on GItorious @ git://gitorious.org/archos/archos-gpl-gen9-kernel-ics.git, clone the 3.0.21 branch, in the directory there's a file called linux.config.g9 ( or something similar ). that's the config file. I just copy that to .config, change the settings I need to (if any) compile. That should setup an archos kernel which should run android
Code:
git clone git://gitorious.org/archos/archos-gpl-gen9-kernel-ics.git -b linux-icc-3.0.21
cp linux.config.g9 .config
make menuconfig
make -j8
Like I say I was thinking about it and the main difference between a standard kernel and android kernels is the binder, the switch class support and the log driver ( this is things I've noticed when building an android x86 Kernel )
When doing menuconfig the Android Driver settings are found in devices/staging/android, I suppose a place to start is to turn them off then switch on SYSV IPC ( i think that's in genral kernel settings ), from what I understand this is the sysv binder and should create a node at /dev/binder, standard kernel switch class support is set in Device Drivers ( Switch Class Support ).
I'm not sure about logging , It basically breaks down like this. The Android Kernel has a specific logging driver this creates device node at /dev/log/main /dev/log/system etc , Ubunutu ( on x86 at least ) has a single log device node which is created at /dev/log, I don't know weather this is something created by the kernel or something created in userspace by syslogd or something similar. I also don't know whether the Android Logs are compatible with ubuntu, or the android binder for that matter. I'll try and boot my x86 ubuntu with my Android Kernel later on , I suspect It won't work but speculation is one thing, knowing for sure is better
With regards to unpacking the zImage, I'll say this , Not all zImages are created equal , I notice you are using a samsung mobile ( galaxy s, if I'm not mistaken ) , so you're probably using the samsung zImage as a frame of reference... How I understand it Samsung pack the initramfs into the zImage, similar, but not same to the way android AOSP pack a boot.img. Samsung however do this in kernel itself, this is why Samsung zImage a) can be unpacked and b) require different tools than the standard tools used for unpacking boot images which work on just about every other device ( expect Archos of course ) . So you generally don't unpack zImage because It's just a binary blob that contains all the kernel functions, this is in the assembly language of whatever architecture you built your kernel for.
Given all that info you should now be able to build a working archos android kernel ( I assume you using linux etc and your not stupid ) , You now need the Ubuntu side of things..... Have you asked in the Archos G9 Ubuntu Development thread, they may be able to shed light on the changes to the config you need to make or alternativaly you could download the Ubuntu for Arm OMAP Image from https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ARM/OMAP , unpack/mount it and see if there is the kernel .config file, It is normally packaged somehow with the distro for example x86 lubuntu has .configs in /lib/modules/3.5.0-19-generic/build/.config, the arm distro may have something similar. Then it's a case of see what configuration options are different, You can't just copy the config whole sale however because there are Archos Specific board settings in the Archos Kernel. Failing that the kernel sources will be somewhere as it is a legal requirement under the GPL and Cannonical are compliant, at least I've not read anywhere to the contrary.
This is just really how I understand it at the minute, Some of it could be inaccurate or just plain BS but hopefully should give you something to run with, there is a bit of a barrier to entry on the whole subject kernels/android kernels as the information is in little pieces all over the internet, when I was first getting to grips with it, it did feel like a bit a of treasure hunt for knowledge. Also knowing the Keywords to search for in the first place can be difficult It sounds quite an interesting challenge, shame about my brick!!
If you want to understand more about the kernel generally ( and lets face it, who doesn't ) then Linux Kernel in a nutshell ( http://www.kroah.com/lkn/ ) is a free e-book written by one of the kernel maintainers a should be a useful reference.
JUST IN CASE: Don't forget prefixing a filename with a fullstop (.) makes that file hidden and won't display in normal file listings, using ls -a to display all file in a directory
The CM10 kernel i was refering to is the CM10 in dev section. I thought there were other "hacks" than just a IPv6 addon, and that's why i counsidered it as a totally diferent kernel.
I think i need to download the kernel source as soons as i get to my laptop then. I have some experience on it, because i have made a few builds of B2G, but that was mainly just: download source, choose the device and build.
For the differences, that is what i consider as the hardest part. Merging them and then getting the kernel to build might take some time. Luckily I have plenty of time.
For the zImage, I was trying to unpack the ubuntu zImage one, because I'm working on archos device . Unpacking Galaxy S2 kernel wouldn't make any sense. atleast to me . I was trying to use a general unpacker, but it didn't work, just as you wrote.
For the OS & Knowledge, i am using linux indeed. Backbox, which is based on ubuntu 11.04 to be precise. I didn't even think about unpacking the IMG file... Maybe i am stupid . I think i am able to mount it to folder, so it is easy to explore.
I think I know the basics, and folders starting with . is part of them
Lets see what happens the next time i pick my laptop, boot it and start fooling around :good:.
Edit: Well, after the menuconfig, i can't fand anything related to ipv6 mangling. There was a file on the root of cloned folder called linux.config, but it was the default config for kernel, not archos specific.
julle131 said:
The CM10 kernel i was refering to is the CM10 in dev section. I thought there were other "hacks" than just a IPv6 addon, and that's why i counsidered it as a totally diferent kernel.
I think i need to download the kernel source as soons as i get to my laptop then. I have some experience on it, because i have made a few builds of B2G, but that was mainly just: download source, choose the device and build.
For the differences, that is what i consider as the hardest part. Merging them and then getting the kernel to build might take some time. Luckily I have plenty of time.
For the zImage, I was trying to unpack the ubuntu zImage one, because I'm working on archos device . Unpacking Galaxy S2 kernel wouldn't make any sense. atleast to me . I was trying to use a general unpacker, but it didn't work, just as you wrote.
For the OS & Knowledge, i am using linux indeed. Backbox, which is based on ubuntu 11.04 to be precise. I didn't even think about unpacking the IMG file... Maybe i am stupid . I think i am able to mount it to folder, so it is easy to explore.
I think I know the basics, and folders starting with . is part of them
Lets see what happens the next time i pick my laptop, boot it and start fooling around :good:.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 3.0.31 Kernel started by Quallenauge in the dev section is an Highly Expirimental effort. this was started before Archos released the 3.0.21 Kernel with their 4.0.2x roms which covered what was trying to be achieved by this development, It's best left alone unless you really want to get you're hands dirty with device bring up code, There's a version on my github which I think boots the G9A101's as well as the 80's......... anyway
You shouldn't have to do any merging of code, more a case of selecting the right options in the config, Thinking back, I've have booted Ubuntu using mainline kernel sources from kernel.org that I built myself so that kinda of suggests there's nothing special about ubuntu's kernels per se' .
Your main problem won't be with building , more booting, It should compile fine but I wouldn't be surprised to be looking at a blank screen then your problem is monitoring the output....There's an option in the archos config to get early debug output over USB, I think there's some modification you need to make to the USB Cable, Quallenauge knows about that, he did it , I was ghetto and used adb for my debugging. which can be probably made to work when booting ubuntu but I'd go the correct route , I just have my wierd ways of doing things.
Another thing that spring to mind with android "specialisms". Android runs /init in the root directory ubuntu normally likes /sbin/init. This is something that is specified again in the kernel config using the kernel cmdline option , just something to be aware of... If anything else springs to mind I'll let you know.
So I suppose as you say, Just fool around and see what happens. :good:
I think I know the basics, and folders starting with . is part of them
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just Checking LOL.
trevd said:
The 3.0.31 Kernel started by Quallenauge in the dev section is an Highly Expirimental effort. this was started before Archos released the 3.0.21 Kernel with their 4.0.2x roms which covered what was trying to be achieved by this development, It's best left alone unless you really want to get you're hands dirty with device bring up code, There's a version on my github which I think boots the G9A101's as well as the 80's......... anyway
You shouldn't have to do any merging of code, more a case of selecting the right options in the config, Thinking back, I've have booted Ubuntu using mainline kernel sources from kernel.org that I built myself so that kinda of suggests there's nothing special about ubuntu's kernels per se' .
Your main problem won't be with building , more booting, It should compile fine but I wouldn't be surprised to be looking at a blank screen then your problem is monitoring the output....There's an option in the archos config to get early debug output over USB, I think there's some modification you need to make to the USB Cable, Quallenauge knows about that, he did it , I was ghetto and used adb for my debugging. which can be probably made to work when booting ubuntu but I'd go the correct route , I just have my wierd ways of doing things.
Another thing that spring to mind with android "specialisms". Android runs /init in the root directory ubuntu normally likes /sbin/init. This is something that is specified again in the kernel config using the kernel cmdline option , just something to be aware of... If anything else springs to mind I'll let you know.
So I suppose as you say, Just fool around and see what happens. :good:
Just Checking LOL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the moment i'm trying to find the archos config file. there is a defcon file, which looks like a config file in arch/arm/configs called android_archos_defcon. It sounds correct. Next thing for me to do is to find the right place to put it. I guess the root of the project is correct, and rename it to .config and linux.config. After building I need to test it. [email protected] or 4.0.26 root will suffice, right? I also need to figure out if there is a way to force adb on through kernel. And the IPv6 Mangling is nowhere to be found
julle131 said:
At the moment i'm trying to find the archos config file. there is a defcon file, which looks like a config file in arch/arm/configs called android_archos_defcon. It sounds correct. Next thing for me to do is to find the right place to put it. I guess the root of the project is correct, and rename it to .config and linux.config. After building I need to test it. [email protected] or 4.0.26 root will suffice, right? I also need to figure out if there is a way to force adb on through kernel. And the IPv6 Mangling is nowhere to be found
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The config file " linux.config.g9" should be in the root kernel directory, if it's not there then your on the wrong branch and you need to checkout the 3.0.21 branch explicitly using
Code:
git checkout linux-ics-3.0.21
If your using ICS builds to check with, which I probably recommend then don't worry about IPV6 managling , I don't think It's named that exactly but something like that!, For reference , I've just had a check the option is "Networking support/Networking options/Network packet filtering framework (Netfilter)/IPv6: Netfilter Configuration /Packet Managling"
You have to look pretty deep on some of these settings
As a test. Boot with a normal kernel configure your android debug options , then swap the kernels out , that should give you adb while booting, when I've tried to force adb on an uncofigured rom it got a bit confused with itself
If your struggling a bit with git, http://gitimmersion.com/ has a great tutorial you can step through in about 10 minutes to get the basics and get it configured a bit better
---------- Post added at 09:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:20 PM ----------
EDIT: Make sure you building for arm as well
Code:
$ export ARCH=arm
$ export SUBARCH=arm
$ export CROSS_COMPILE=arm-eabi-
Reference: http://source.android.com/source/building-kernels.html
Huuuh i'm late... most had been pointed out already.
Just to add this...
As you might know Android is put on top of a Linux base system more or less.
In most cases a kernel built for Android will suit most linux distributions as well.
Trevd already highlighted the main aspects.
The other way round is more evil... unmodified linux kernel (or a kernel set up to run well with Ubuntu) will refuse to boot up an Android system.
Some addon's on the default config may be nice though, depends on how the whole rootfs stuff is arranged in the end and if your system heavily depends on udev and stuff.
Keep track of the startup scripts at /etc/init.d.
It's good to have an extensive look at the /etc directory of your distribution image... to much to point at here.
The kernel may handle to boot into a lot of different scenarios.
On the Archos tablets initramfs plays an important role.
You may even tweak this jumpboard and locate your final rootfs on an USB stick if you like.
It's all about handling mounts, chroot and similar during start up.
There are limits on the Archos with stock loader though, because you might need to influence the kernel command line at a certain point.
I'm aware that this is not very specific but there are so many ways to set things up.
Just follow the useful links trevd gave already... these are good starting points :fingers-crossed:
...and just to add this:
I don't speak of fine tune the system in the end. This is another story and sometimes very hard stuff, where you may need to reverse engineer some proprietary libs or executables.
Best regards,
scholbert
Well, I have now built my first kernel... And it was 3.0.8+... I think I downloaded wrong source . I have ipv6 mangling enabled on it, so I should try it with CM10 now. I think I should search the 3.0.21 source, and download it.
Edit: Well, my 3.0.8+ Kernel image can boot CM10, AOKP and 4.0.7 roms... Now i have to figure out why i downloaded 3.0.8+ kernel and not 3.0.21 kernel. Maybe i had wrong branch.
Edit:Yep, wrong branch. I did realize when i downloaded the srce that it informed that the branch does not exists. i had icc instead of ics
Do you have any tips where i can find info about kernel modifications, like adding governors? I tried adding few, but all i got was bunch of errors. I propably forgot something.
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mer
Still working on this? I have been using Mer kernels with Ubuntu and they seem to be working fine.
Archos Gen9 Mer Adaptation Kernel --> http://gitorious.org/archos-gen9-mer-adaptation-kernel/
Archos Gen9 Mer Adaptation Kernel ICS --> https://gitorious.org/archos-gen9-mer-adaptation-kernel/archos-gen9-mer-adaptation-kernel-ics
I am using the 3.08 kernel from a Plasma Active distribution. --> http://share.basyskom.com/plasma-active/archos_gen9.html
Just mount the data partion in linux and convert it to ext4, write the linux image to it. Then cp the files from mer /boot /lib/modules to new rom, modules file in etc to load your modules, modify fstab, cp mtev.so to /usr/lib/xorg/modules/input, change or add a few other files.
/etc
modules
Code:
cypress_tma340
tr16c0_i2c
hso
compat
cfg80211
mac80211
wl12xx
wl12xx_sdio
cpt_i2c_tsp
pixcir_i2c_tsp
hci_uart
fstab
Code:
/swap none swap sw 0 0
/dev/mmcblk0p2 /media/system ext4 ro,noauto,users,uid=1000,gid=0,noatime 0 0
/dev/mmcblk0p4 /media/data ext4 ro,noauto,users,uid=1000,gid=0,noatime 0 0
none /proc proc rw,relatime,noexec,nosuid,nodev 0 0
none /sys sysfs rw,relatime,noexec,nosuid,nodev 0 0
none /dev devtmpfs rw,mode=0755 0 0
none /dev/pts devpts rw,relatime,gid=5,mode=0620,ptmxmode=0666 0 0
tmpfs /tmp tmpfs defaults,noatime,mode=1777 0 0
binfmt_misc /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev 0 0
none /sys/fs/fuse/connections fusectl rw 0 0
none /sys/kernel/debug debugfs rw 0 0
none /dev/shm tmpfs nodev,nosuid,noexec 0 0
none /dev/bus/usb usbdevfs defaults 0 0
none /sys/kernel/security securityfs (rw) 0 0
/etc/udev/rules.d
70-persistent-net.rules
Code:
# net device ()
SUBSYSTEM=="net", ACTION=="add", DRIVERS=="?*", ATTR{address}=="08:00:28:90:64:31", ATTR{dev_id}=="0x0", ATTR{type}=="1", KERNEL=="wlan*", NAME="wlan0"
# USB device 0x9710:0x7830 (usb)
SUBSYSTEM=="net", ACTION=="add", DRIVERS=="?*", ATTR{address}=="00:13:3b:04:02:6c", ATTR{dev_id}=="0x0", ATTR{type}=="1", KERNEL=="eth*", NAME="eth0"
70-touchscreen.rules
Code:
KERNEL=="event*", SUBSYSTEM=="input", SUBSYSTEMS=="input", ATTRS{name}=="cypress-tma340", SYMLINK="input/touchscreen"
/usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d
Add to the end of 10-evdev.conf, cypress-tma340 is the touchscreen on my G9.
Code:
Section "InputClass"
Identifier "Archos Touchscreen"
MatchProduct "cypress-tma340"
Option "Ignore" "off"
Option "CorePointer" "on"
Driver "mtev""
EndSection
openSUSE --> http://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:eek:penSUSE_on_your_ARM_board
Ubuntu --> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ARM/OMAP
Kubuntu 12.10 --> http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/releases/12.10/release/kubuntu-12.10-desktop-armhf+omap4.img
Please i am using Backbox Linux Distribution (Dual booted ) wit my windows 7....... now i wish to use a dail up connection on my modem !! PLEASE HOW DO I GO ABOUT IT ...
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