Database Develop

$50 dollars to the first solution to sideloading non market apps

I have a brand new ATT Captive.
I have it rooted.
I am on a MAC.
I am looking for a solution to allow me to sideload no market apps.
First person to post a method that will allow me to complete this will get $50 paypal as soon as I get this completed.
I have tried every solution on this board and spent 3 days trying to do this. Nothing has worked.
I begging someone to please find and post me a solution. I guarantee that I will pay to the first solution to make this possible.
Please help me out.

Don't pay people for it, there's threads all over for how to do it. This is copied from one of those threads.
"Method 2: with Root Explorer
(courtesy of kirbo20)
This is a pretty easy process. I went in to Root Explorer - dbdata - databases - com.android.providers.settings, copied settings.db to my sd card, edited it on my pc with a db editor changed 0 to a 1 next to non market apps. Copied it back to the original directory, rebooted and installed a non market app.
(added by gotfolk)
again using FF plug in..
Click Secure on the left pane
click on install_non_market_apps
click edit
number 3 states value click there and type in 1. hit ok
(/gotfolk)
Please use caution. If you want to make sure the db save properly open it on your sd card before you copy and replace the original. It should open up as a readable table. If it opens up in a txt editor its corrupt. This permanently enables non market apps. You can not toggle it on and off.
( This is a sqlite3 database file, you can find many GUI editors that will be able to handle the editing, including a FF plugin. Search "SQLite" )"

And if you don't want to use root explorer - Use the Android SDK on your mac - it is free.
You have to do your work in the terminal, but it is easy using the ADB Shell to get the file to your SD card, move it to your mac, use Firefox and SQLite manager to change the one value, put the file back, change permissions and you are done.
Most of us are not looking for $50 - just looking for people to use search and give things a try before creating a new post.

I think you can spend $4 very well on Root explorer and enable sideloading apps. And save $46.
2) Downloaded Root Explorer and SQLite Editor. Both of these are paid apps but look like they are worth owning. For instance, you can also use Root Explorer to rename and disable the AT&T bloatware, as an alternative to this method.
3) Using Root Explorer, mount the filesystem R/W and copy /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db to /sdcard/settings.db
4) Open /sdcard/settings.db in SQLite Editor
5) Open the 'secure' table
6) Long-hold on record 6, "install_non_market_apps" and select "Edit Record"
7) Change the value from 0 to 1 and save
8) Back in Root Explorer, copy /sdcard/settings.db back to /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db
9) I don't remember if I had to reboot or not, but you may as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Edit: Couldn't find the video with these intructions. Anyways you can download SQLite manager add-on on firefox, open firefox, go to tools->sqlite manager. Have the copied settings.db on your desktop, then open it up with the firefox SQLite manager(just to save you some more money). Once you're there, open up settings.db, go to secure on the left side, and then go to "browse and search" on the menu bar. Right click and edit "install_non_market_apps" and change the value from 0 to 1 like the instruction above. Then do steps 8 and 9. And you do have to reboot.
Sorry if it was confusing lol

doesnt the android central sideloading wonder work in mac?

puttingg said:
I have a brand new ATT Captive.
I have it rooted.
I am on a MAC.
I am looking for a solution to allow me to sideload no market apps.
First person to post a method that will allow me to complete this will get $50 paypal as soon as I get this completed.
I have tried every solution on this board and spent 3 days trying to do this. Nothing has worked.
I begging someone to please find and post me a solution. I guarantee that I will pay to the first solution to make this possible.
Please help me out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
max_warheads said:
(additional CHOWN notes added below. If you are getting "chown: unknown user/group system:system" read them!
Ok, we do have a WHOLE other thread that was made a sticky already, but you need to read the WHOLE thing to get all the properly interesting parts. I'll make sure I keep this OP up to date.
The following methods enable side loading and installing of apps onto the captivate, without the need of a program on a computer attached via the SDK. There are multiple methods, and for the most part, these methods that have worked flawlessly for many users here on this forum. We're just collecting them all in one post for speed and clarity.
Methods that assist in loading applications, without modification to the settings (a.k.a still need a computer attached) can be found at the collective wiki, http://samsungcaptivate.wikia.com/wiki/How_to_Sideload
ALL METHODS REQUIRE ROOT & BUSYBOX:
Root your phone, see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=725555
Busybox : http://www.appbrain.com/app/stericson.busybox
Please, save a clean, un-altered backup copy of this file. To be safe. Rarely does corruption occur, but if it does, it won't be good.
Method 1: From Win7x64, Samsung Drivers, Android SDK installed.
This method uses the tools you already have at hand, as part of the SDK. All instances in code blocks are run inside of the command prompt. You will need to know where you installed your SDK, and the tools directory therein.
Once rooted, go install BusyBox installer from the App Market/AppBrain etc and run it. It will download and install the latest version for you.
From my Win7x64, with USB Debugging ON. Ensure that you phone is UNLOCKED as it the SU app will ask for permission for 'UNKOWN' in the following command.
Connect to PC, and Eject/Safely Remove the SD card, and "Turn off USB Storage" on the phone.
open command prompt, follow along:
Code:
> c:
> cd \android\tools
> adb shell
$ su
# cp /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db /sdcard/settings.db
# exit
$ exit
mount the SD cards to the pc,
"USB Connected select to... ", Mount
mine mounted as H:
Code:
> copy H:\settings.db settings.db
> sqlite3 settings.db
~> update secure set value="1" where name="install_non_market_apps";
1 row updated
~> .quit
> copy settings.db H:\settings.db
Eject the drive, safely remove, etc.
"Turn off USB storage" etc, to mount it back to the phone
Code:
> adb shell
$ su
# cp /sdcard/settings.db /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db
# chmod 660 /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db
# chown system.system /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db
# exit
$ exit
> adb reboot
Bam. Done.
Method 2: with Root Explorer
(courtesy of kirbo20)
This is a pretty easy process. I went in to Root Explorer - dbdata - databases - com.android.providers.settings, copied settings.db to my sd card, edited it on my pc with a db editor changed 0 to a 1 next to non market apps. Copied it back to the original directory, rebooted and installed a non market app.
(added by gotfolk)
again using FF plug in..
Click Secure on the left pane
click on install_non_market_apps
click edit
number 3 states value click there and type in 1. hit ok
(/gotfolk)
Please use caution. If you want to make sure the db save properly open it on your sd card before you copy and replace the original. It should open up as a readable table. If it opens up in a txt editor its corrupt. This permanently enables non market apps. You can not toggle it on and off.
( This is a sqlite3 database file, you can find many GUI editors that will be able to handle the editing, including a FF plugin. Search "SQLite" )
Method 3: with Root Explorer & Sqlite Editor & Terminal Emulator
(courtesy of ice3186)
- Open Root Explorer
- Browse to /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/
- copy settings.db to the root of your sd card ( /sdcard/ )
- Click on the newly copied settings.db in /sdcard/, with SQLite Editor installed, you can open and edit it here.
- Select the "secure" table, and update the value of 'install_nonmarket_apps' from 0 to 1, and save.
- close out of SQLite editor
- copy the modified file ( /sdcard/settings.db ), and browse back to /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/ and paste
- confirm the overwrite if asked and then open again to confirm it's been changed.
- open Terminal Emulator
Code:
$ su
# chmod 660 /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db
# chown system.system /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db
# reboot
- reboot phone.
No PC, no Mac, no drivers, no SDK. Viola.
Method 4: Mac & Android SDK
You will see "[sdcard]" through this method...I don't own a Mac so I'm guessing a bit.
This method uses the tools you already have at hand, as part of the SDK. All instances in code blocks are run inside of the Terminal. You will need to know where you installed your SDK, and the tools directory therein.
Once rooted, go install BusyBox installer from the App Market/AppDroid etc and run it. It will download and install the latest version for you.
From a Max OS X, with USB Debugging ON. Ensure that you phone is UNLOCKED as it the SU app will ask for permission for 'UNKOWN' in the following command.
Connect to Mac, and Eject/Safely Remove the SD card, and "Turn off USB Storage" on the phone.
open Terminal, follow along:
Code:
> cd /android/tools
> ./adb shell
$ su
# cp /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db /sdcard/settings.db
# exit
$ exit
mount the SD cards to the Mac,
"USB Connected select to... ", Mount
mine mounted as [sdcard]
Code:
> cp [sdcard]/settings.db settings.db
> ./sqlite3 settings.db
~> update secure set value="1" where name="install_non_market_apps";
1 row updated
~> .quit
> cp settings.db [sdcard]/settings.db
Eject the drive, safely remove, etc.
"Turn off USB storage" etc, to mount it back to the phone
Code:
> ./adb shell
$ su
# cp /sdcard/settings.db /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db
# chmod 660 /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db
# chown system.system /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db
# exit
$ exit
> ./adb reboot
Method 5: Android SDK only
Of course, this also requires root and BusyBox.
From the android sdk tools folder in a command prompt:
note: all linux/mac should use './adb' in place of just 'adb', and place quotes on the echo statement between echo and |
Code:
adb shell
su
chmod 666 /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db
exit
exit
adb pull /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db settings.db
echo update secure set value = 1 where name = 'install_non_market_apps';|sqlite3 settings.db
adb push settings.db /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db
adb shell
su
chmod 660 /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db
chown system.system /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db
reboot
NOTICE
You must chown the settings.db file and reboot once it is back in its original location. If you do not, you will not be able to alter settings such as WiFi,GPS, default Ringtones, etc. It's also highly likely that you may wish to chmod to 660 (-rw-rw---), so I've tacked that in here and above.
Code:
> adb shell
$ su
# chmod 660 /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db
# chown system.system /dbdata/databases/com.android.providers.settings/settings.db
# exit
$ exit
> adb reboot
Chown Note
In the event that you are getting "chown: unknown user/group system:system" please try 1000.1000 as this has been reported to work on several of the samfirmware-released roms that fail with this message.
Absolutely do not use someone else's settings.db unless you specifially make it a point replace android_id with your android_id!
[
Sent from my AOSP Captivate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

[Q] Changing permission on build.prop

I have SU and Root Explorer, so I copied /system/build.prop to sdcard/prop/build.prop
I made changes to the sdcard version, now using Root Explorer to change permissions to rw-r--r--
The permissions do not change , in the directory prop where it is located on the sdcard, it has ;
sdcard/prop --> rwxrwxr-x
sdcard/prop/build.prop --> rwxrwxr-x
I then decided to use the terminal
launched terminal
$su
# cd/sdcard/prop
pwd
/sdcard/prop
chmod 644 build.prop
ls -s
rwxrwxr-x build.prop
What am I doing wrong here?

The SD card is FAT32 - it doesn't really support Unix style file permissions, so using chmod on it won't have much effect.
Regards,
Dave

Dave,
Thanks, that makes sense, I did not think about the disparity.
So, I just backed it up, and used Root Explorer's built in Text Editor.

How to install ubuntu on the Droid 4

How to install ubuntu on the Droid 4
Note to mods: this thread is a branch off of this thread
Huge thanks to zacthespack for creating the ubuntu installer app and original boot script and to zeroktal for modifying the script to work on the D4 and helping me get it working on my device.
I decided to take my experience in setting this up and put it into a how-to so that others could enjoy the experience of having ubuntu on the Droid 4. If zackthespac or zeroktal have any problems with me making and putting this guide up, please let me know and I will remove it.
Knowledge Required:
working knowledge of command line
working knowledge of vi
OR the ability to learn how to use both
Tools Required:
A rooted Motorola Droid 4
BusyBox (Android Market)
Terminal Emulator (Android Market)
Android VNC Viewer (Android Market)
Ubuntu Installer App (Android Market)
zeroktal's ubuntud4.zip file (attached to this post and mediafire)
Vi Cheat Sheet (lagmonster.org)
Step by Step:
Install BusyBox, Terminal, and Android VNC Viewer
Install and run Ubunutu Installer App
Follow the on-screen instructions and click next
Download either the Small or Large image to your phone, (use zeroktal's ubuntud4.zip file instead of the boot script provided in the guide) after the image downloads (will take a while because the file is HUGE) click next
For this screen, the instructions differ from the app.
1. With your D4 plugged into your PC in USB Mass Storage, create a directory (folder) called ubuntu in the EXTERNAL sdcard's root*
2. Extract the image you downloaded to that directory
3. Download and extract the attached .sh (ununtud4.zip) to that directory
4. Disconnect your phone from your PC
5. Open terminal and run the following commands:
su [ENTER]
mount -o remount,rw,exec,suid /dev/block/vold/179:1 /mnt/sdcard-ext [ENTER]
cd /mnt/sdcard-ext/ubuntu [ENTER]
sh ubuntud4.sh [ENTER]
960x540 [ENTER]**​If you get an error message: ubuntud4.sh: 45: syntax error: end of file unexpected (expecting "then") see troubleshooting section below.​killall -TERM Xtightvnc [ENTER]
vncserver :1 -geometry 960x540 [ENTER]**​6. Open androidVNC app and enter the following settings:
Nickname: Anything you want
Password: ubuntu
Address: localhost
Port: 5901
Color Format: 24-bit color (4 bpp)
7. Hit connect
8. Hit your menu soft button and then set input mode to touchpad
9. You have ubuntu on your Droid 4!
To "shut down" ubuntu:
press the menu button, select disconnect in VNC
In terminal type this command 3 times (terminal will close itself when you are done):
exit [ENTER]
To "start up" ubuntu again:
Follow steps 5-8 above
Troubleshooting:
If you get the error message: ubuntud4.sh: 45: syntax error: end of file unexpected (expecting "then") you are about to have fun with vi at the command line.
Do the following from inside terminal:
su [ENTER]
cd /mnt/sdcard-ext/ubuntu [ENTER]
vi ubuntud4.sh [ENTER]​If you see ^M or ^ at the end of any line (remember to scroll all the way to the right to see the end of long lines) remove it. once you do that, everything should work just fine. (See the Vi Cheat Sheet above for help with Vi)
Note: Vol Up + E is [ESC] by default in this terminal emulator
Notes:
* It does not have to be on the external SD, but if you put it on the internal SD you will have to modify things as needed-- if you dont know what needs to be changed, just put it on the external SD.
** Screen size can be whatever you want it to be, but 960x540 is the size of the D4 screen.
*** This is a fairly involved process... especially when it comes to editing the .sh file in vi things can get very frustrating and hard, but just take your time and you will get it. As always, doing anything with root access on your phone, especially on the command line has risks. I am not responsible if anything goes wrong with your phone... proceed at your own risk!

greekchampion04 said:
Notes:
* It does not have to be on the external SD, but if you put it on the internal SD you will have to modify things as needed-- if you dont know what needs to be changed, just put it on the external SD.
** Screen size can be whatever you want it to be, but 960x540 is the size of the D4 screen.
*** This is a fairly involved process... especially when it comes to editing the .sh file in vi things can get very frustrating and hard, but just take your time and you will get it. As always, doing anything with root access on your phone, especially on the command line has risks. I am not responsible if anything goes wrong with your phone... proceed at your own risk!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually got it up and running on my internal sdcard partition. Pretty much just have to modify the Mount remount command, and a few lines in the script.
Here's the original command
Code:
mount -o remount,rw,exec,suid /dev/block/vold/179:1 /mnt/sdcard-ext
And the modified one
Code:
mount -o remount,rw,exec,suid /dev/block/vold/179:57 /mnt/sdcard
Only things you have to change are the device location(179:57) and mount location(drop the -ext after sdcard)
Now, after that you also have to modify the script a bit. Just go through it, and anywhere that you see sdcard-ext, drop the -ext off the end.

thanks for putting that up for everybody! like i said, if you know what you are doing its not a hard swap to make.

Is anyone else getting just a gray screen when they remote in? What could be causing this?

i had that same problem at first... did you use zeroktal's ubuntud4.zip file? or did you use the ubuntu.sh file included in the app?

I used the sh file included. I did however fix the problem, when mounting at the start i confused vold with void. I did not get the file system mounted properly. This method does work!! however I am currently trying to get bash on my droid to replace sh as the shell. I've checked the forums but have not found anything yet about someone installing bash on the droid 4. With no way for nandroids I feel i should wait before I kill sh.
Sent from my DROID4 using XDA App

If you mod your init.sh in your root directory to the following, your vnc will work on startup without issue. It will also shutdown vnc on exit.
#!/bin/bash
#############################################
# Asks User to screen size and saves as REZ #
#############################################
#echo "Now enter the screen size you want in pixels (e.g. 800x480), followed by [ENTER]:"
#read REZ
##############################################
# Pick which desktop environment to use, this#
# is done by having a xstartup file for each #
# desktop, then renaming the one you want to #
# use to 'xstartup' before boot #
##############################################
echo "Please select which Desktop environment you want to use, type the number to select it then press [ENTER]"
echo "1 - LXDE"
echo "2 - Gnome"
echo "Make your Selection:"
read DESKTOP
if [ $DESKTOP == 1 ]
then
mv /root/.vnc/lxstartup /root/.vnc/xstartup
fi
if [ $DESKTOP == 2 ]
then
mv /root/.vnc/gxstartup /root/.vnc/xstartup
fi
###########################################
# Tidy up previous LXDE and DBUS sessions #
###########################################
rm /tmp/.X* > /dev/null 2>&1
rm /tmp/.X11-unix/X* > /dev/null 2>&1
rm /root/.vnc/localhost* > /dev/null 2>&1
rm /var/run/dbus/pid > /dev/null 2>&1
############################################################
# enable workaround for upstart dependent installs #
# in chroot'd environment. this allows certain packages #
# that use upstart start/stop to not fail on install. #
# this means they will have to be launched manually though #
############################################################
dpkg-divert --local --rename --add /sbin/initctl > /dev/null 2>&1
ln -s /bin/true /sbin/initctl > /dev/null 2>&1
###############################################
# start vnc server with given resolution and #
# DBUS server, (and optionally an SSH server) #
###############################################
dbus-daemon --system --fork > /dev/null 2>&1
/etc/init.d/ssh start
vncserver :1 -geometry 960x540
echo
echo "If you see the message 'New 'X' Desktop is localhost:1' then you are ready to VNC into your ubuntu OS.."
echo
echo "If VNC'ing from a different machine on the same network as the android device use the 1st address below:"
##########################################
# Output IP address of android device #
##########################################
ifconfig | grep "inet addr"
echo
echo "If using androidVNC, change the 'Color Format' setting to 24-bit colour, and once you've VNC'd in, change the 'input mode' to touchpad (in settings)"
echo
echo "To shut down the VNC server and exit the ubuntu environment, just enter 'exit' at this terminal - and WAIT for all shutdown routines to finish!"
echo
###############################################################
# Spawn and interactive shell - this effectively halts script #
# execution until the spawning shell is exited (i.e. you want #
# to shut down vncserver and exit the ubuntu environment) #
###############################################################
/bin/bash -i
#########################################
# Disable upstart workaround and #
# kill VNC server (and optionally SSH) #
# Rename used xstartup to its first file#
#########################################
killall -TERM Xtightvnc
/etc/init.d/ssh stop

Also save the follow lines between ### as remount.sh on your system partition. Then chmod 755 /system/remount.sh. Now you can just run run from a terminal /system/remount.sh and voila it remounts correctly and starts ubuntu(with the above fixes). Im still working on the unmounts.
####### for the internal sd card
mount -o remount,rw,exec,suid /dev/block/vold/179:57 /mnt/sdcard
/mnt/sdcard/ubuntu/ubuntu.sh
######
OR
####### for the external sd card
mount -o remount,rw,exec,suid /dev/block/vold/179:1 /mnt/sdcard-ext
/mnt/sdcard-ext/ubuntu/ubuntu.sh
#######

great stuff!

feel free
Feel free and take, modify, repost or edit anything I touch.

QUESTION:
After I delete all the ^M and ^ what do i do next? I try to hit the command ":x" to exit and save changes but it just creates another line. Also when I press VOL UP + E to escape nothing happens.

PhanTuhC said:
QUESTION:
After I delete all the ^M and ^ what do i do next? I try to hit the command ":x" to exit and save changes but it just creates another line. Also when I press VOL UP + E to escape nothing happens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In vi, the command to save and exit is :wq (probably short for write and quit).

remember, read up on the vi quick-reference guide: http://www.lagmonster.org/docs/vi.html

OK I fixed it but now its not letting me connect with androidVNC. All the settings entered is correct but when I try to connect it says:
"VNC connection failed!" localhost/127.0.0.1:5901 - Connection refused"

ok, i've gone thru this a few times (slowly and deliberately) and must be missing something...the directions seem pretty straightforward! here's what i know...
busy/terminal/vnc are all installed
small 2.5gb image is unzipped in /sdcard-ext/ubuntu directory
the attached .sh file from page 1 is in the same directory
i removed all ^M using vi
but when I try sh ubuntud4.sh i get an error...
"mkdir failed for /data/local/mnt/ubun, No such file or directory"
(plus a few other errors)
should the directory be "ubun" or "ubuntu"? am I typing something incorrectly?

copy and paste new script
Copy and paste the new scripts I posted. They will fix your problem. Remember to use the remount script from /system/ the rest will work perfectly if you are root. I'll check back later on your progress.

Ok, well I started from scratch (deleted both .img and .sh files) and it's still not working.
I have all the apps installed (and yes rooted, SU works just fine)
I used Ubuntu Installer app to download the image zip (tried both the large and small img)
I downloaded the .sh file from the first post
The /sdcard-ext/ubuntu/ folder now has two files: "ubuntu.img" and "ubuntud4.sh"
All ^M characters have been removed from .sh file
Still no joy...
Ideas? What am I missing?
In terminal, I can set SU permissions and the mount/cd commands work just fine...it's the last sh command that spits out a bunch of errors about not being able to create/find the directories.
I'm going to format the sdcard and try again...any help is appreciated.
Update: Even after re-formatting the SD and following the steps exactly, no luck!

Did you remember to remount the sdcard with exec and suid permissions?

Andbuntu will work much better than this method. It works on every single phone with modification to the "environmental variables".
http://code.google.com/p/andbuntu/
Follow the directions in the script to make the process much easier than the first post.
instructions:
generate an image with rootstock on an ubuntu computer.
put it on /sdcard/ubuntu/ubuntu.img
run the script on your phone with "sh /path/to/script"
Here is the script. http://andbuntu.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/uboot
Also, run "firstRun" to make things like terminals work properly.

Adamoutler: That didnt work for me. The permissions were incorrect on the mounted partitions.
Sent from my DROID4 using XDA App

[mod][6T] init.d / services.d framework using Magisk [linux]

This thread will allow you to set up init.d (and services.d) scripts on your phone so they can run at boot time.
Prerequisites
- understanding of what "init.d" scripts mean ...
- your phone must be rooted (see https://www.xda-developers.com/oneplus-6t-unlock-bootloader-root/)
- you must have a working Magisk (see https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk)
- linux knowledge (I am not a Windows guy but instructions below should easily apply to Windows / PowerShell)
- adb knowledge
If this scares you, stop reading and go play with something else.
Attached zip file contains
- a magisk.img file
- a directory with init.d scripts
- a directory with services.d scripts
You can use the scripts provided or not use (some) of them, or write your own.
What's the difference between init.d and services.d scripts?
The idea is to have 2 directories on your phone with scripts:
Code:
/system/etc/init.d/
/system/etc/services.d/
The init.d scripts are run early in the boot (when Magisk initializes). The scripts in /system/etc/services.d/ will run a bit "later", to be precise: when sys.boot_completed = true.
Important warrning: even when sys.boot_completed = true, this does NOT guarantee that /sdcard is mounted. Your script can "sleep" until /sdcard is mounted if it relies on things on /sdcard. See for example the code in /system/etc/services.d/LS99maxvolumewarning which will show how you can do that.
Scripts in init.d should NOT rely on any of the file systems being mounted !
The framework will run all scripts in parallel. So be careful that you do not write scripts which depend on eachother!
The framework will run all scripts as background processes so that they do not hinder the normal boot of your phone.
Prepare the basic setup
To use the scripts (or your own), you must first create the directories init.d and services.d; to do that open a linux shell and do:
Code:
> adb shell
$ su
# mount -o rw,remount /system
# mkdir /system/etc/init.d/
# mkdir /system/etc/services.d/
# chown 0.0 /system/etc/init.d
# chown 0.0 /system/etc/services.d
# chmod 755 /system/etc/init.d
# chmod 755 /system/etc/services.d
# sync; exit
Putting the scripts on your phone
Download the attached zip file (initd.zip); create a directory in your linux file system and unzip, e.g.
Code:
> mkdir mydir
> cd mydir
> unzip ~/initd.zip
> adb push init.d/ /sdcard/
> adb push services.d/ /sdcard/
> adb shell
$ su
# mount -o rw,remount /system
# mv /sdcard/LS00* /system/etc/init.d/
# mv /sdcard/LS99* /system/etc/services.d/
# chown 0.0 /system/etc/init.d/*
# chown 0.0 /system/etc/services.d/*
# chmod 755 /system/etc/init.d/*
# chmod 755 /system/etc/services.d/*
# sync
# exit
$ exit
Installing the magisk image on your phone
First important remark: I need to turn this really into a proper magisk "module" but I need to study that first. Open a linux shell and do:
Code:
> cd mydir
> gunzip magisk.img.gz
> adb push magisk.img /sdcard/
> adb shell
$ su
# cd /data/adb
# mv magisk.img magisk.img.orig
# cp /sdcard/magisk.img .
# chown 0.0 magisk.img
# chmod 644 magisk.img
# sync
# exit
$ exit
That's all !!! If you now reboot your phone your init.d and services.d scripts will run.
How can I tell this is working?
Each script has a log file in /data/; whose name is LS00 (for init.d) or LS99 (for services.d) appended with the name of the script. That log file is passed as "$1" into the script and the script code can write to this log file using:
Code:
LOGFILE=$1
echo "Hi I am writing to the log" | tee -a $LOGFILE
To check that the log files are there, open a linux shell and do:
Code:
> adb shell
$ su
# ls /data/LS*
And you should see something like:
Code:
16 /data/LS00blockdev 4 /data/LS99bootclean 4 /data/LS99maxvolumewarning 4 /data/LS99sysctl
4 /data/LS00governors 4 /data/LS99callrecording 4 /data/LS99network 4 /data/LS99trimcaches
4 /data/LS00kerneltweaks 4 /data/LS99cputweaks 4 /data/LS99overlays 4 /data/LS99turnoffnightmode
4 /data/LS00procgate 4 /data/LS99enablecallrecording 4 /data/LS99remounts 4 /data/LS99workqueue
4 /data/LS00readahead 4 /data/LS99hdparm 4 /data/LS99resetprop
4 /data/LS00resetprop 4 /data/LS99magiskhide 4 /data/LS99sqlite
To check the contents of the log files, do:
Code:
> adb shell
$ su
# cat /data/LS*
And you will see logging info:
Code:
>> Starting /system/etc/init.d/LS00procgate at 19700110-17:21:12
-- remounting: mount -o remount,hidepid=2,gid=3009 /proc
<< Ending /system/etc/init.d/LS00procgate at 19700110-17:21:12
>> Starting /system/etc/services.d/LS99maxvolumewarning at 20181201-07:34:00
-- slept for 4 seconds waiting for /sdcard/Android
-- disabling max volume warning
<< Ending /system/etc/services.d/LS99maxvolumewarning at 20181201-07:33:58
What's next
Write your own scripts (and share them). Note that scripts must be owned by root (chown 0.0) and have 755 linux permissions (chmod) to run.
How does it really work?
No secrets ... magisk.img is actually a magisk module which runs the scripts. To see the inner details, do the following after you have installed the magisk image and rebooted your phone:
Code:
> adb shell
$ su
# ls -l /sbin/.core/img/template/
total 12
0 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 0 2018-03-12 21:19 auto_mount
4 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 935 2018-08-06 17:59 post-fs-data.sh
4 -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 498 2018-08-05 10:11 scriptwrapper*
4 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2750 2018-08-11 12:07 service.sh
Magisk will run the post-fs-data.sh first and service.sh later. Check the code of both of these files to understand how init.d and services.d are ran (using run-parts). If you want more details please read: https://topjohnwu.github.io/Magisk/guides.html#scripts.
Disable ALL scripts from running
If you want to disable any script from running do:
Code:
> adb shell
$ su
# touch /data/noinitrd
To undo this and get your scripts running again, do:
Code:
> adb shell
$ su
# rm /data/noinitrd
What do my init.d scripts do?
Code:
LS00blockdev: change properties of block devices (non rotational, no kernel io stats, ...)
LS00governors: set all CPU governers (to schedutil; which is actually the 6T default)
LS00kerneltweaks: a few basic kernel tweaks + stop debug of kernel modules
LS00procgate: protections against the procgate security vulnerability (thanks to @topjohnwu)
LS00readahead: change the readahead amount on logical disk devicesw
LS00resetprop: reset model, brand, manufacturer (only useful if you would want to get your phone appear externally as a Pixel; check the code)
What do my services.d scripts do?
Code:
LS99bootclean: clean junk and log files
LS99cputweaks: improve scaling governor
LS99enablecallrecording: enable call recording (must be done at every device boot)
LS99execonce: a whole series of settings; this is only executed ONCE
LS99hdparm: increase readahead on /system and /data
LS99magiskhide: hide some packages from seeing root
LS99maxvolumewarning: remove the high volume warning (I am not sure this will always work !!!)
LS99network: TCP transmit queue and congestion control
LS99overlays: enable all overlays automatically (if you use substratum then no need to enable them manually)
LS99remounts: improve file system performance of multiple partitions
LS99resetprop: increase memory used by dalvik
LS99sqlite: REINDEX and VACCUM sqlite database files (the script only runs every 3rd day)
LS99sysctl: optimize linux kernel settings and TCP/IP performance
LS99trimcaches: trim android cache files
LS99turnoffnightmode: reset the night mode to OFF (night mode conflicts with dark mode in newer Google apps)
LS99workqueue: tune kernel work queue

Thanks man I have been trying to get boot scripts to run.

jacksummers said:
Thanks man I have been trying to get boot scripts to run.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

excuse me for the ignorance, but what is the use of this mod?
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

isoladisegnata said:
excuse me for the ignorance, but what is the use of this mod?
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the end of OP he's got a summary of what the different scripts do.

I am stuck here > unzip ~/initd.zip
It keeps saying:
1|OnePlus6T:/mydir # unzip /initd.zip
unzip: can't open /initd.zip[.zip]
Any ideas I extracted initd to the directory where my platform tools are and where I do my system updates am I supposed to extract it somewhere else? How do I create a directory in my linux shell using windows cmd promts?

kirschdog1 said:
I am stuck here > unzip ~/initd.zip
It keeps saying:
1|OnePlus6T:/mydir # unzip /initd.zip
unzip: can't open /initd.zip[.zip]
Any ideas I extracted initd to the directory where my platform tools are and where I do my system updates am I supposed to extract it somewhere else? How do I create a directory in my linux shell using windows cmd promts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like a simple typo "/initd.zip" implies that the file is located in the root directory. "~/initd.zip" would be in your "home" directory. Since I don't know if "/mydir" is defined as your home directory and presuming initd.zip is located there try "unzip /mydir/initd.zip" (no quotes).

Still not working
Base2 said:
Looks like a simple typo "/initd.zip" implies that the file is located in the root directory. "~/initd.zip" would be in your "home" directory. Since I don't know if "/mydir" is defined as your home directory and presuming initd.zip is located there try "unzip /mydir/initd.zip" (no quotes).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1|OnePlus6T:/ # cd mydir
OnePlus6T:/mydir # unzip ~/initd.zip
unzip: can't open //initd.zip[.zip]
1|OnePlus6T:/mydir # unzip /mydir/initd.zip
unzip: can't open /mydir/initd.zip[.zip]
Any ideas? How to get this working? I tried both commands to no avail.

kirschdog1 said:
I am stuck here > unzip ~/initd.zip
It keeps saying:
1|OnePlus6T:/mydir # unzip /initd.zip
unzip: can't open /initd.zip[.zip]
Any ideas I extracted initd to the directory where my platform tools are and where I do my system updates am I supposed to extract it somewhere else? How do I create a directory in my linux shell using windows cmd promts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to create the directory mydir on your linux machine, not on your phone.

Base2 said:
Looks like a simple typo "/initd.zip" implies that the file is located in the root directory. "~/initd.zip" would be in your "home" directory. Since I don't know if "/mydir" is defined as your home directory and presuming initd.zip is located there try "unzip /mydir/initd.zip" (no quotes).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, not a typo. mydir is on your PC, not on the phone !

foobar66 said:
No, not a typo. mydir is on your PC, not on the phone !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do I create the directory? I'm using a windows device using adb command prompts?

kirschdog1 said:
How do I create the directory? I'm using a windows device using adb command prompts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Search how to create directories in PowerShell ... I am not a Windows guru :crying:

foobar66 said:
Search how to create directories in PowerShell ... I am not a Windows guru :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thank you.ill hold off as it appears to be above my pay grade.

foobar66 said:
You have to create the directory mydir on your linux machine, not on your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This won't work anymore as magisk doesn't use magisk.img anymore

How To Guide How to change the home directory for the user root on an Android phone

How to change the home directory for the user root on an Android phone
When working a lot in a shell via adb on an Android phone it's usefull to be able to store some user dependent config files in the home directory of the user. So let's see how that can be implemented on a phone running Android.
Note: The config was done and tested on a phone running OmniROM (based on Android 12)
The home directory for all user used in an (adb) shell on Android is the root directory "/".
Using a home directory for more then one user is not really usefull and in addition on Android "/" is mounted read-only so more or less useless as home directory.
Therefor this should be changed . Unfortunately there is no /etc/passwd file in Android to configure the home directory for a user.
Well, there is an /etc/passwd file (probably for compatibily reasons) but it's empty:
Code:
[email protected]_I006D:/ $ ls -l /etc/passwd
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 0 2009-01-01 01:00 /etc/passwd
[email protected]_I006D:/ $
And as far as I know there is no other config file to configure the home directory of the user in the Android OS.
So we must implement some work around to get this working.
The shell on Android behaves like normal shells on Linux and executes the file /etc/profile when starting a new session.
In Android /etc is a symbolic link to /system/etc:
Code:
[email protected]_I006D:/ # ls -ld /etc
lrw-r--r-- 1 root root 11 2009-01-01 01:00 /etc -> /system/etc
[email protected]_I006D:/ #
And in the default config there is no file called profile in that directory:
Code:
[email protected]_I006D:/ $ ls -l /etc/system/profile
ls: /etc/system/profile: No such file or directory
[email protected]_I006D:/ $
Because /system is also mounted read-only we need the magic tool Magisk again to create the file /system/etc/profile.
To create the file /system/etc/profile create these directories and files on the phone as user root (assuming Magisk is already installed on the phone):
Code:
[email protected]_I006D:/ # find /data/adb/modules/initshell/
/data/adb/modules/initshell/
/data/adb/modules/initshell/system
/data/adb/modules/initshell/system/etc
/data/adb/modules/initshell/system/etc/profile
[email protected]_I006D:/ #
and reboot the phone. After the reboot there should be the writable file /etc/profile:
Code:
[email protected]_I006D:/ # ls -l /etc/profile
-rw-rw-rw- 1 root root 1100 2022-07-14 14:51 /etc/profile
[email protected]_I006D:/ #
which is in reality the file
Code:
/data/adb/modules/initshell/system/etc/profile
Now you can edit the file /etc/profile as user root until it fullfills your requirements (be aware that all changes in that file are now persistent).
To test the changes open a new adb session (you should not close the current adb session to be able to fix an error in the profile if opening a new adb session fails).
This file can now be used to define the home directory for the user. The home directory should be on one of the writable filesystem, e.g. in /data:
Code:
# add in /etc/profile
HOME="/data/home/root"
export HOME
and the result is:
Code:
[email protected]_I006D:/ # id
uid=0(root) gid=0(root) groups=0(root),1004(input),1007(log),1011(adb),1015(sdcard_rw),1028(sdcard_r),1078(ext_data_rw),1079(ext_obb_rw),3001(net_bt_admin),3002(net_bt),3003(inet),3006(net_bw_stats),3009(readproc),3011(uhid) context=u:r:su:s0
[email protected]_I006D:/ # echo $HOME
/data/home/root
[email protected]_I006D:/ #
Note that there is not really a writable filesystem for the user shell so this approach to change the home directory is mainly usable for the user root.
The file /etc/profile can also be used to init some other settings for (adb) sessions (e..g. change the PATH, etc) . This feature can be used for sessions for non-root users also.
For additional user dependent configs you can also create the file .profile in the home directory of the user; the file ${HOME}/.profile will be executed after the execution of the file /etc/profile.
Notes:
Be aware that creating a profile for the user root and changing the home directory for the user root might have some side effects on other processes using the shell!
Therefor it's recommended to use the command "tty -s" to test if the profile is executed in an interactive session:
Code:
#
# check if we're running in an interactive session
#
if ! tty -s; then
#
# this is not an interactive session - so we're just doing nothing at all
#
:
else
#
# running in an interactive session
#
...
fi
You can also check if the parent process is the adb daemon to not do anything in non-adb sessions.
Code:
ps -fp $PPID| grep adbd >/dev/null
if [ $? -ne 0 ] ; then
#
# not running in an adb session
:
else
#
# running in an adb session
...
fi
For testing purpose I suggest to open at least two shells via adb to be able to fix an error in case opening a new shell fails due to a bug in the profile.
If opening a shell session fails due to an error in the /etc/profile and you do not have another open shell either delete the file /data/adb/modules/initshell/system/etc/profile with a filemanager with root access on the phone or boot the phone from a recovery image (like TWRP) and delete or edit the file /data/adb/modules/initshell/system/etc/profile.
I initially looked at this feature to enable a persistent command history for the shell on the Android phone. But after some google searches I found out that persistent history shells are disabled for the shell binary on Android. So this will not work without recompiling the shell binary.
The attached example for the profile (rename the attached file profile.txt to profile) will use the directory /data/home/root as home directory for the user root and will not change the home directory for other users. The profile will do nothing if not running in an interactive session.
The directory /data/home/root will be created by the profile if it does not yet exist.
As always, if the config is working you should create a real Magisk Module for the profile.
The Magisk Module attached, initshell.zip, can be used to create a Magisk Module with your own profile:
To create a new Magisk Module with your own /etc/profile do:
Code:
# create an empty working directory
#
TEMPDIR="/tmp/newdir"
mkdir "${TEMPDIR}"
cd "${TEMPDIR}"
# unpack the zip file in the new directory
#
unzip ../initshell.zip
# now edit the file ${TEMPDIR}/system/etc/profile
# also (optional) edit the files config.sh and module.prop in the new directory to document your changes
# the script customize.sh from the module will be executed once when the module is installed. You might add the code
# create the home directories or any other code here
#
# and recreate the zip file
#
zip -r ../initshell.zip .
Note:
Both attached files are also available from my web site: http://bnsmb.de/My_HowTos_for_Android.html