FIRST OF ALL, we should say thanks to @alvinhochun 's work on porting kexec hardboot patch to Xperia M. His original thread is here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2568151
And @Tasssadar who has ported kexec hardboot patch on MSM chips. Original thread is here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-4/orig-development/kexec-hardboot-patch-t2472316/post46223952
As for the kernel patch and kexec binary for TX, they are here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2747215
OK let's begin our tour on TX...
0. Disclaimer
This is a rather dangerous hack. I'm not responsible for data loss, broken SD cards, dead internal storage or bricked phones. Try this at your own risk. Proceed only when you know what you are doing.
1. Requirements
a. ROM with “kexec hardboot” patched kernel. My OmniROM build will do the job. Since Alx31Tse is also using my kernel source for TX, the Carbon builds for TX may be capable of handling this as well. This ROM should be installed into internal storage : just flash it in recovery as usual.b. External MicroSD card which is big enough for your ROMs. One ROM takes up ~4GB space.c. Some basic knowledge of partitions, device nodes, ramdisk modding(check this thread by letama: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2418893).
2. Partitioning the external sdcard
a. Plan the partitions
Each ROM need three partitions : system, data and cache. You need at least 1.4GB system + 2GB data + 400MB cache for stock ROMs. The system partition for third-party ROMs can be shrinked to ~900MB. Of course you can set your own data partition size if 2GB does not suit your needs. The space left can be used for storing data just like a normal sdcard.
For example, I'm using a 16GB card and going to install two stock ROMs (9.1.B.1.67 + 9.2.A.0.295). So I have to create at least 6 partitions for them:
1.4GB system for 295
2GB data for 295
400MB cache for 295
1.4GB system for 67
2GB data for 67
400MB cache for 67
There is ~8GB left after all these partitions. This can be used as a normal sdcard. Just create another partition for it.
b. Go partitioning it!
Everyone has his own way of doing this. I prefer using a USB card reader and Disk Utility that comes with Ubuntu.
Erase the card and initialize it with GUID Partition Table (GPT). Of course you can use MBR, but I didn't test it. Be careful in the following steps if you choose MBR.
Create the “normal sdcard” partition. In my example, create a 8GB partition here and format it with FAT32. THIS PARTITION SHOULD BE THE FIRST ONE ON THE CARD! Otherwise Android system may not be able to recognize it.
Create the partitions for guest systems. There are no particular order for the partitions. Just make sure you remember their order. DO NOT FORMAT them for now.
In my example:
PART 1: 8GB, FAT32
PART 2: 1.4GB unformatted
PART 3: 2GB unformatted
PART 4: 400MB unformatted
PART 5: 1.4GB unformatted
PART 6: 2GB unformatted
PART 7: 400MB unformatted
3. Kernel mods for guest systems
For each guest system:
a. Unpack its kernel.
If you are going to install a full stock ROM, please choose a corresponding kernel with recovery built-in in Android Development section.
If you are going to install a third-party ROM (OmniROM, CM etc) or customized stock ROM (Rockers etc), chances are that their kernels have recovery built-in already and you can proceed.
Now unpack the kernel.
We have zImage(sec0.bin), ramdisk(sec1.bin) now. The rest can be ignored.
b. Modify the mount entries in fstab (and other files)
fstab is the file that suggests the real device for the /system, /data and /cache mount points. Modding it will make it possible to mount the partitions other than the ones in internal storage on /system /data and /cache, so that we can separate different systems into different partitions.
Now you have to be clear about “how the partitions on external card will be presented in your phone” (their device nodes). In my example (GPT with 7 partitions):
PART 1: 8GB → /dev/block/mmcblk1p1
PART 2: 1.4GB → /dev/block/mmcblk1p2
PART 3: 2GB → /dev/block/mmcblk1p3
PART 4: 400MB → /dev/block/mmcblk1p4
PART 5: 1.4GB → /dev/block/mmcblk1p5
PART 6: 2GB → /dev/block/mmcblk1p6
PART 7: 400MB → /dev/block/mmcblk1p7
As has been mentioned above, mmcblk1p1 is for normal file storage, p2~p4 is for 295, p5~p7 is for 67.
Files that need modding:
(sec1.bin/sbin/ramdisk.cpio) /fstab, /fstab.qcom, /init.target.rc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(sec1.bin/sbin/ramdisk-recovery.cpio) /fstab, /fstab.qcom, /etc/recovery.fstab, /etc/twrp.fstab
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The fstabs are easy to deal with. Just change the block device name for /system /cache and /data to /dev/block/mmcblk1p* accordingly. The init.target.rc has only one line that should be modded. For example,
FOR 9.1.B.1.67 in my example:
ramdisk.cpio/fstab:
/data ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk1p6
/cache ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk1p7
/boot/modem_fs1 raw /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/modemst1
/boot/modem_fs2 raw /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/modemst2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ramdisk.cpio/fstab.qcom:
/dev/block/mmcblk1p5 /system ext4 ro,barrier=1,discard wait,check
/dev/block/mmcblk1p6 /data ext4 nosuid,nodev,noatime,barrier=1,noauto_da_alloc,discard wait,check,encryptable=footer
/dev/block/mmcblk1p7 /cache ext4 nosuid,nodev,noatime,barrier=1,discard wait,check
/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/SDCard /mnt/int_storage ext4 nosuid,nodev,barrier=1,noauto_da_alloc,discard wait,check
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ramdisk.cpio/init.target.rc:
(SEARCH FOR /system)
on post-fs
mount ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk1p5 /system ro remount barrier=1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just do the same for ramdisk-recovery.cpio. For example:
ramdisk-recovery.cpio/etc/recovery.fstab
/boot emmc /dev/block/mmcblk0p4
/system ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk1p5
/cache ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk1p7
/data ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk1p6 length=-16384
/sdcard ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p15
/external_sd auto /dev/block/mmcblk1p1 /dev/block/mmcblk1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And replace mmcblk1p5~p7 with p2~p4 then do it all again for 9.2.A.0.295's ramdisk.cpio & ramdisk-recovery.cpio
NOTE: All these fstab and rc files should be rw-r—r-- and owned by root:root. Otherwise the system may fail to boot.
Now repack the ramdisk.cpio, ramdisk-recovery.cpio and then the whole ramdisk.
4. Installing the guest systems
Take notice of the texts in red. Change them to fit your needs.
a. Preparing the guest systemsIf you are installing full stock ROM (FTF format), you can use Flashtool to dump the system image (Flashtool > Tools > Sin Editor, load system.sin from FTF archive and dump data). Then write the image to the sdcard by “dd if=system.ext4 of=/dev/sdb2“ on the computer.
If you are installing ROMs in ZIP format, you need to modify updater-script and replace all (for 9.1.B.1.67 in my example)
/dev/block/mmcblk0p12 or /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/System to /dev/block/mmcblk1p5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
/dev/block/mmcblk0p13 or /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/Cache to /dev/block/mmcblk1p7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
/dev/block/mmcblk0p14 or /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/Userdata to /dev/block/mmcblk1p6
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And
remove /dev/block/mmcblk0p4 or /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/Kernel formatting/writing lines
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then repack the ROM and push it into phone's internal sdcard.
b. Boot the guest kernel/systemRemember we have zImage and modded ramdisk for each guest system? adb push them to /data partition. The kexec binary is needed as well. Now you can use the kexec binary(check the beginning of this thread) to boot your guest kernel and then recovery.
For example:
I pushed 295 kernel zImage to /data/boot4.3/zImage-stock, modded ramdisk to /data/boot4.3/initrd-stock, and kexec binary to /data/kexec. Now execute as root:
Code:
cd /data
chmod 755 kexec
busybox sync
busybox mount -o remount,ro /system
busybox mount -o remount,ro /cache
busybox mount -o remount,ro /data
busybox sync
./kexec --load-hardboot [COLOR="Red"]./boot4.3/zImage-stock[/COLOR] –initrd=[COLOR="Red"]./boot4.3/initrd-stock[/COLOR] --mem-min=0x85000000 --command-line="`cat /proc/cmdline`"
busybox sync
./kexec -e # phone reboots and guest kernel (295) starts
NOTE: the guest kernel's cmdline may not be exactly the same as the host one. However, it doesn't matter much. 67 and 295 both boot fine using the same cmdline as OmniROM. Since bootloader will append some parameters to the command line, using guest's sec3 without appending these parameters manually is not a good idea.
c. Preparing filesystems and installing ROMs in ZIPAfter the phone reboots, press Vol buttons at purple LED to go into recovery. Now you are in the recovery for your guest system (295).
FORMAT (not wipe) /data and /cache there. For ZIP ROMs you need to format /system as well.
Then install the modded ZIP file if needed. You can also flash SuperSU or anything else to this guest system in the recovery (remember to check if there are wrong block device paths in updater-script).
After finishing the installation of one guest system, reboot and you will go into the host ROM. Execute the commands again and specific the next guest system's zImage and ramdisk to boot into the next guest system. Then do the formatting and flashing things as described above.
5. Boot into guest systems
Once you finish installing all the guest systems, reboot. Then in the host ROM you can execute the commands in Step 4 again to boot into the corresponding guest system. Don't press any key after the reboot. If there's nothing wrong, you will see the bootanimation and then the Android system. Since external sdcards may not be as fast as internal storage, the first boot may take very long time. If you see the bootanimation, just be patient and it will boot up finally.
===========================================================
I know I can't speak English well and it's hard to make myself clear. So if you feel confused, please post your questions here so that everyone who knows the answer will be able to help.
And if you are skilled in Android things, you can choose your own way to achieve the goal:
Partition the sdcard → Mod fstsb and rcs to mount partitions on sdcard to /system etc → Mod the ROM installation script → Boot into guest recovery to format(initialize) data & cache &system and flash ROM → Boot into the guest Android OS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a little bit complicated. But I do hope this will add more fun to our device
Thanks for your sharing
got it
Although this is labeled for the Xperia TX, after reading through everything, it looks like this works on all devices, you just have to change a few things. Good job putting this together! (Even though I don't have an Xperia TX)
r3pwn said:
Although this is labeled for the Xperia TX, after reading through everything, it looks like this works on all devices, you just have to change a few things. Good job putting this together! (Even though I don't have an Xperia TX)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it seems that the guide applies to all devices with patched kernels
updateing said:
Yeah, it seems that the guide applies to all devices with patched kernels
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This guide is nice, full of content, and detailed, but wouldn't it have been easier, though, to just make a MultiROM port?
r3pwn said:
This guide is nice, full of content, and detailed, but wouldn't it have been easier, though, to just make a MultiROM port?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have thought of porting MultiROM, but I'm running a tight schedule...sorry
Whether this Xperia V can also be made from ??
Mircinko96 said:
Whether this Xperia V can also be made from ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's applicable to Xperia V in theory. But you need a kernel with kexec hardboot patch, which hasn't appeared yet (as far as I have seen). If you know how to compile a kernel, you can try patching the kernel yourself.
.........
do I need linux to unpack kernel?
Related
The basic idea of this mod is moving all partitions to the SD card, and running the full OS from the SD card.
There are many reasons why not to do this and probably is a bad idea, but the main reason behind this mod is just a proof of concept that can potentially result in a better internal and external memory utilization and speed improvements.
Reasons I can think of for not doing this:
- Reduced responsiveness and overall speed.
- Over stress on the SD card that can potentially leed to permanent damage to the card.
- The need to use modified boot and recovery images, thus leading to an install incompatible with any rom update (as it is) out there.
- Reduced battery autonomy.
- Many more I can't think of right now.
Reasons to do this:
- Because we can.
- As a proof of concept.
- For developing purposes.
- We get the ability to switch between 2 installations just by switching the SD card (of the same rom or roms with compatible boot images: kernel+ramdisk).
Don't do any of this if you don't know what you are doing!!!
Simplified steps (I've only tested this with Mik's CM7 (betas 6.2 and 6.3) + ClockWorkMod recovery on a Ubuntu machine):
- Download and flash ClockWorkMod recovery.
- Download and flash Mik's CM7.
- Do a full backup from recovery.
- Turn the phone off.
- Take out the SD card and put it on a Card reader on your PC.
- Backup the SD Card contents (including the full backup).
- Use Gparted (or any partition manager that has support for ext4 partition creation) to create the following partition structure:
Code:
num mount point size type
1: /sdcard REST fat32
2: /data 500M ext4
3: /system 190M ext4
4: /cache 64M ext4
The partition number is important, so you should calculate the fat32 partition beforehand or resize the existing one.
- Put new boot and recovery images on the fat32 partition. *
- Put the card on the phone and boot into recovery.
- Mount the sdcard trough menu.
- Connect the phone to your pc and start adb shell.
- Flash custom boot and recovery images:
Code:
flash_image boot /sdcard/boot-everything2sd.img
flash_image recovery /sdcard/recovery-everything2sd.img
- Reboot recovery.
- Through menu, mount all partitions.
- Connect trough adb shell and copy your data:
Code:
adb shell
cp -a /int-cache/* /cache/
cp -a /int-system/* /system/
cp -a /int-data/* /data/
- In adb shell, remove the sd_ext mount script:
Code:
rm /system/etc/init.d/05mountsd
- Reboot the phone.
Off course, no other method of storing the apps on the SD is desired as they are already there.
* I've attached custom boot and recovery images for Mik's CWM and CM7 beta 6.2 (updated boot images to Mik's CM7.02 beta 6.3 in post #3), but, the steps for creating them are next:
- Extract the original images (boot.img and recovery.img) from the root of the downloaded zips (signed-recovery.zip and cyanogen_thunderg-ota-eng.mik.zip).
- Unpack the images following this guide: HOWTO: Unpack, Edit, and Re-Pack Boot Images: Alternative Method (Perl scripts are attached, you'll need compiled mkbootfs and mkbootimg for your OS).
- On recovery ramdisk, change the etc/recovery.fstab file as follows:
Code:
# mnt pnt fstype device [device2] [fstype2]
/boot mtd boot
/cache ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p4
/data ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p2
/misc mtd misc
/recovery mtd recovery
/sdcard vfat /dev/block/mmcblk0p1 /dev/block/mmcblk0 ext4
/system ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p3
/int-cache yaffs2 cache
/int-data yaffs2 userdata
/int-system yaffs2 system
- On boot ramdisk, change the init.rc file as follows (diff output):
Code:
[email protected]:~/Descargas/bootimages$ diff boot.img-orig_ramdisk/init.rc boot.img-ramdisk/init.rc
22d21
< export SD_EXT_DIRECTORY /sd-ext
68,69d66
< mkdir /sd-ext 0771 system system
<
100,103c97,100
< mount yaffs2 [email protected] /system
< mount yaffs2 [email protected] /system ro remount
< mount yaffs2 [email protected] /data nosuid nodev
< mount yaffs2 [email protected] /cache nosuid nodev
---
> mount ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p3 /system
> mount ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p3 /system ro remount
> mount ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p2 /data nosuid nodev
> mount ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p4 /cache nosuid nodev
- Recreate the ramdisks and images following the guide posted above, changing the mkbootimg command line to (notice the base and cmdline parameters; for recovery, change boot to recovery on all instances):
Code:
mkbootimg --base 0x12800000 --cmdline 'mem=471M console=ttyMSM2,115200n8 androidboot.hardware=thunderg' --kernel boot.img-kernel --ramdisk boot.img-ramdisk.gz -o boot-new.img
Ahaha another sleepless night ahead to test this out. Any Quadrant Advanced I/O score for comparison?
I've updated boot images to Mik's CM7.02 beta 6.3, attached below.
I'm going to run a Quadrant Advanced and let you know. Anyway, I don't think I will get good results, as my SD card is cheap and buggy, half the time it doesn't get mounted, with or without this mod. Also, I think we'll get better scores with your tweaks, especially with the modded libsqlite.so.
The idea behind this is not to get impressive results or leave it as a definitive mod (as it is right now). Instead, the idea I have is to start moving some things back to the internal memory, for instance, mounting [email protected] as /data/dalvik-cache (just an idea). Basically, leaving the things that need fast reading times, but infrequent writes in the SD, and the things that are constantly being written to, in the internal memory.
Seems awesome. I already booted up perfectly with the modded .imgs, no issues.
so what class of sd card do you preffer?
still class 4 above?
well, sorry about what im going to say , but if **** happened and luckily sd card got corrupted, then the phone does as well?
ive not read all of your first post,
but if ever we are changing sd cards, like example upgrading from 4g-8g,
is it necessary to repeat the whole process or copy paste is enough?(i bet not due to ext)
cmangalos said:
so what class of sd card do you preffer?
still class 4 above?
well, sorry about what im going to say , but if **** happened and luckily sd card got corrupted, then the phone does as well?
ive not read all of your first post,
but if ever we are changing sd cards, like example upgrading from 4g-8g,
is it necessary to repeat the whole process or copy paste is enough?(i bet not due to ext)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If **** happened you could mount it in a computer with a card reader and perform a disk check + recovery. If the sd card broke, well.. I think there's still hope, since you may boot in recovery and replace the mount points back to the internal memory ( right ? )
As for the storage upgrade, well, it's not exactly copy-paste but you should be able to duplicate the partitions without much hassle..
I really like this idea,we could get 3000+ quadrant score
But can be potentially dangerous. If anything goes wrong i think that Phone can't boot anymore.
how abt two separate roms in 6 separate partitions ???? is the bootloader cracked ??? Can we have a grub like menu to select two roms ???Way 2: Maybe somebody cud mod android's initramfs and add options there to select two different fstabs ...just a thought
a dual boot would be cool... one rom on the internal nand memory and the other on SD card...
Having fastboot disabled is such a pain in the ass...
ciaox said:
I really like this idea,we could get 3000+ quadrant score
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not me, because my SD card is very buggy. Anyway, it depends very much on the card, the card reader and the kernel. Anyway, it's just a proof of concept and it opens a great window for experimentation.
ciaox said:
But can be potentially dangerous. If anything goes wrong i think that Phone can't boot anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not at all, recovery can boot even if the SD card is damaged or not present. Then you can flash the original recovery, boot it and flash any ROM without this mod.
Steps:
- Extract recovery.img from your desired custom recovery.
- Boot recovery.
- Mount /int-cache from mounts and storage menu.
Code:
adb push recovery.img /int-cache/recovery.img
adb shell
flash_image recovery /int-cache/recovery.img
- Reboot recovery
- Flash desired ROM from any SD card.
OR: Just flash an original (released by LG) ROM through emergency mode.
sarfaraz1989 said:
how abt two separate roms in 6 separate partitions ???? is the bootloader cracked ??? Can we have a grub like menu to select two roms ???Way 2: Maybe somebody cud mod android's initramfs and add options there to select two different fstabs ...just a thought
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bootloader isn't cracked yet, so it would have to be implemented on the boot.img (kernel and/or ramdisk), and I don't know how. Right now is easier to swith SD cards. Anyway, ROMs should be able to share boot.img (kernel + ramdisk).
ciaox said:
Having fastboot disabled is such a pain in the ass...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1. But bootloader isn't cracked yet.
Just a little heads up, but if anyone is paying attention to the Nook Color development, this is exactly how the boot process on that device works, I am running one os off the sd card and if I remove it I am back to stock. The main point of my brining this up is you create the sd card with all it's partitions by flashing an image of the sd card with the WinImage application on windows. Might at least save you some steps. Hope this helps.
tsukisan said:
Just a little heads up, but if anyone is paying attention to the Nook Color development, this is exactly how the boot process on that device works, I am running one os off the sd card and if I remove it I am back to stock. The main point of my brining this up is you create the sd card with all it's partitions by flashing an image of the sd card with the WinImage application on windows. Might at least save you some steps. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Possibilities seem to be limitless.
Sent from my LG-P500 using Tapatalk
This project is intended mainly for those interested in trading the near plug-and-play convenience of a dual boot flashable zip for increased flexibility when experimenting with different ROMs.
Users may also be interested in comparing the performance of identical ROMs hosted on different physical devices. Others may want to configure their emmc-based ROM, clone to SD and then flush emmc to host their entire system on removable media.
Preliminaries
Unlocked phone with fully charged, healthy battery and ClockWorkMod (CWM) Recovery 5.0.2.0 installed.
Instructions
1. Boot to primary ROM to ensure that correct boot image is flashed, though it is not necessary with the initial release of clone ROM zip.
2. Boot to CWM and connect phone to computer.
3. Partition SD card to host ROM. There are many ways to do this, but the most convenient is “SmartPart”: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1651356 .
If you're already dual booted, this step shouldn't be necessary unless you are cloning a “heavy” ROM that doesn't quite fit. If so, you can modify SmartPart to increase the size of your SD ext partitions at the expense of further downsizing FAT32. I did this when porting NottachTrix 1.3.1 to SD.
4. Flash Clone-ROM-to-SD-Card-signed.zip : http://www.mediafire.com/?ara2r3174cb9yir
This will, in sequence: a) Backup any existing SD card-based ROM, b) wipe all three ROM partitions on SD card (it does not touch your FAT32), c) push primary ROM /system, /cache and /data to SD card and d) push ROM boot image to /tmp/boot.img. That's all for now --- see Note below. The entire process can take 15-20 minutes depending mainly on prior existence of SD ROM partitions, ROM size and performance of SD card.
Faster (no SD ROM backup) Clone-ROM-to-SD-Card-No-BK-signed.zip: http://www.mediafire.com/?kbaowagqmnu6k5o
Note: In the clone zip “updater-script”, there is a block of source code commented out. I was trying to modify the boot image, but CWM does not appear to support the "unpackbootimg" and "mkbootimg" executables. And CWM's “busybox awk” does not include the gawk extensions required to adequately support binary file processing. Another (smaller) problem is that the user has no direct knowledge as to which boot image is being modified unless that image is manually inserted into the zip prior to flash, or user boots to primary ROM before cloning. So, for now I am content with modifying boot image ramdisks offline using Perl on my Ubuntu 12.04 laptop.
5. User modifies ROM boot image offline to redirect /system, /cache and /data mounts from emmc to sdcard (just three lines of code in “init.olympus.rc”). For example if ROM = Neutrino V2.8 GT, modify Neutrino GT boot image to create “boot-Neutrino-V2.8-GT-sdcard.img”. See my Auto-Modify Boot Image thread here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1766939
Here are sample boot images ported to SD card:
boot-Neutrino-V2.8-GT-sdcard.img: http://www.mediafire.com/?oudm9qm5a0d7glh
boot-NottachTrix-1.3.1-att-sd-ext.img: http://www.mediafire.com/?nok6hp4rl5e92h6
Faux-CM7-1.00GHz-026b1boot-sdcard.img: http://www.mediafire.com/?fesm0hff58pnv28
6. Power down, enter fastboot and flash modified boot image, for example:
[email protected]:~/Desktop# fastboot flash boot boot-Neutrino-V2.8-GT-sdcard.img
sending 'boot' (2963 KB)...
OKAY [ 0.210s]
writing 'boot'...
OKAY [ 0.266s]
finished. total time: 0.476s
[email protected]:~/Desktop# fastboot reboot
rebooting...
finished. total time: 0.000s
[email protected]:~/Desktop#
After boot-up to SD, you can cross-verify that Neutrino-V2.8 was indeed cloned to sdcard by entering the android “mount” command via ADB or on phone using Terminal Emulator:
Code:
rootfs on / type rootfs (ro,noatime,nodiratime)
tmpfs on /dev type tmpfs (rw,noatime,nodiratime,mode=755)
devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,noatime,nodiratime,mode=600)
proc on /proc type proc (rw,noatime,nodiratime)
sysfs on /sys type sysfs (rw,noatime,nodiratime)
tmpfs on /mnt/asec type tmpfs (rw,noatime,nodiratime,mode=755,gid=1000)
tmpfs on /mnt/obb type tmpfs (rw,noatime,nodiratime,mode=755,gid=1000)
[COLOR="Blue"]/dev/block/mmcblk1p2 on /system type ext4 (rw,noatime,nodiratime,errors=continue,barrier=0,nobh,data=writeback,noauto_da_alloc,discard)
/dev/block/mmcblk1p4 on /data type ext4 (rw,nosuid,nodev,noatime,nodiratime,barrier=0,nobh,data=writeback,noauto_da_alloc,discard)
/dev/block/mmcblk1p3 on /cache type ext4 [/COLOR](rw,nosuid,nodev,noatime,nodiratime,errors=continue,barrier=0,nobh,data=writeback,noauto_da_alloc,discard)
/dev/block/mmcblk0p13 on /osh type ext4 (rw,nodev,noatime,nodiratime,barrier=1,data=ordered,noauto_da_alloc)
/dev/block/loop0 on /pds type ext3 (rw,noatime,nodiratime,data=ordered)
/dev/block/vold/179:33 on /mnt/sdcard type vfat (rw,dirsync,nosuid,nodev,noexec,relatime,uid=1000,gid=1015,fmask=0602,dmask=0602,allow_utime=0020,codepage=cp437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,utf8,errors=remount-ro)
/dev/block/vold/179:33 on /mnt/secure/asec type vfat (rw,dirsync,nosuid,nodev,noexec,relatime,uid=1000,gid=1015,fmask=0602,dmask=0602,allow_utime=0020,codepage=cp437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,utf8,errors=remount-ro)
tmpfs on /mnt/sdcard/.android_secure type tmpfs (ro,relatime,size=0k,mode=000)
/dev/block/vold/179:18 on /mnt/emmc type vfat (rw,dirsync,nosuid,nodev,noexec,relatime,uid=1000,gid=1015,fmask=0602,dmask=0602,allow_utime=0020,codepage=cp437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,utf8,errors=remount-ro)
Benchmarks (CF Bench)
Identical ROMs (Neutrino V2.8 GT) hosted on emmc and Class 6 SD card. Guess which one is SD ROM...
Standard disclaimers apply. In short, I am not responsible for any harm you or your phone may incur by using any or all of this material.
Many thanks to Notorious544d and CM/Photon/Atrix/Android dev teams for their excellent ROMs, hatefuel19 for porting NottachTrix to SD, Koush (CWM and AnyKernelUpdater) and Always_Jonezen for offering the clone-to-SD concept.
Thanks man and it's definitely worth the leg work.
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2
Nice job... :>)
downloading...
Thanks for the tips!
AWWWWWESOME!!!
Thank you for your work - man I´ve been waiting for something like this.:laugh:
I think more interesting tool would be one which changes partitions installation in zip files to one which is preferred by user with all symlinks etc.
Adam
greenwitch said:
I think more interesting tool would be one which changes partitions installation in zip files to one which is preferred by user with all symlinks etc.
Adam
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All of the partitioning tools I have used to date perform auto-numbering.
Also, any partitions added beyond the first four primary partitions (e.g. beyond FAT32 and three primary "ext"s for dual boot) must be extended, not primary.
One interesting experiment would be to try adding a fourth "ext" for webtop2sd.
Hope this helps.
I finally got this working however the cloned version shows "Wifi error" and cannot turn on Wifi. I think this is similar to the Data error that someone posted. I am guessing this is due to permissions. I am going to try re-cloning with all of the Radios turned on at the time of cloning to see if this makes a difference. I will post back if successful.
[Update: Wifi not working even when cloned with all radios turned on prior to cloning. BTW, my ROM which shows this issue on ext-SD only is Notatrix 1.3.1. I might try a CM7 based ROM if I can get a system.img of it - right now I don't want to wipe Notatrix without getting it to fully work off ext-SD.]
If someone can create a flashable zip that fixes permissions on ext-SD card (just like CWM does for int SD), that would solve a lot of such issues easily and would be appreciated.
In order get the cloning done successfully, I did have to modify SmartPart a bit since I am using a 32GB SD card and it appears that the last 6 MB on a 32GB SD card are reserved or cannot be allocated for some reason. I already PMd sendust7 on this and am posting in case someone else also has the same issue with 32GB SD cards. Again, I am not sure if this is something to do with the specific SD card that I am using (Samsung Class10 32GB micros SD). This is the change I made to the part-sd script to get it working (reduce the size of the last created partition by 6):
After this line:
parted /dev/block/mmcblk1 mkpartfs primary ext2" $val7" "$val8"
added this block:
if [ $? -ne 0 ]
then
val8=`expr $val8 - 6`
echo "Partition 3 create failed. Retrying with a slightly smaller size to account for some large SD cards(New last sector=$val8).."
parted /dev/block/mmcblk1 mkpartfs primary ext2" $val7" "$val8"
fi
shenoyh said:
I finally got this working however the cloned version shows "Wifi error" and cannot turn on Wifi. I think this is similar to the Data error that someone posted. I am guessing this is due to permissions. I am going to try re-cloning with all of the Radios turned on at the time of cloning to see if this makes a difference. I will post back if successful.
[Update: Wifi not working even when cloned with all radios turned on prior to cloning. BTW, my ROM which shows this issue on ext-SD only is Notatrix 1.3.1. I might try a CM7 based ROM if I can get a system.img of it - right now I don't want to wipe Notatrix without getting it to fully work off ext-SD.]
If someone can create a flashable zip that fixes permissions on ext-SD card (just like CWM does for int SD), that would solve a lot of such issues easily and would be appreciated.
In order get the cloning done successfully, I did have to modify SmartPart a bit since I am using a 32GB SD card and it appears that the last 6 MB on a 32GB SD card are reserved or cannot be allocated for some reason. I already PMd sendust7 on this and am posting in case someone else also has the same issue with 32GB SD cards. Again, I am not sure if this is something to do with the specific SD card that I am using (Samsung Class10 32GB micros SD). This is the change I made to the part-sd script to get it working (reduce the size of the last created partition by 6):
After this line:
parted /dev/block/mmcblk1 mkpartfs primary ext2" $val7" "$val8"
added this block:
if [ $? -ne 0 ]
then
val8=`expr $val8 - 6`
echo "Partition 3 create failed. Retrying with a slightly smaller size to account for some large SD cards(New last sector=$val8).."
parted /dev/block/mmcblk1 mkpartfs primary ext2" $val7" "$val8"
fi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since you're having problems with Nott 1.3.1 on SD-ext and I need a stable ROM for my business trip to Europe tomorrow, I thought it would be helpful to go through the entire process of cloning Nott 1.3.1.
Here's what I did today:
Install NottachTrix 1.3.1 using CWM 5.0.2.0 and select all defaults.
At MotoBlur welcome screen, go to Settings > Set up Wifi to configure wireless.
Set up MotoBlur and Google. This should not be necessary, but we want to reduce duplication of effort after cloning.
Accept all updates to existing apps.
Clone: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1764680
Configure dual boot: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1645344
Modify ROM2 boot.img: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1766939 Call it “boot-repack.img”.
Then...
Code:
adb shell mount sdcard (may not be necessary)
adb push boot-repack.img /sdcard/Boot/ROM2/boot.img
Boot to fastboot and reboot to ROM2:
Code:
fastboot flash boot boot-repack.img
fastboot reboot
Use Android mount command to verify ROM2 mounts for /system, /cache and /data.
System can now dual boot Nott 1.3.1 on internal (/sdcard) and external (/sdcard-ext) . And wifi comes right up on both sides.
I'm not sure why ROM2 would misbehave for you since it is an exact replica of ROM1...
sendust7 said:
Install NottachTrix 1.3.1 using CWM 5.0.2.0 and select all defaults.
I'm not sure why ROM2 would misbehave for you since it is an exact replica of ROM1...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, works now - I think (but cannot be certain) that it was the faux 1.0G kernel that I had installed on Notta earlier that seems to be the reason. (Maybe the faux 1.0G kernel in Nottachtrix Aroma installer may have some paths set that refer to internalSD and are not changed during the cloning process?)
I didn't do all that you mentioned (mainly because I wanted to preserve the Nottachtrix install in the state it was in on the internal SD), but you pointed me in the right direction by saying "defaults" and that helped.
I reinstalled Nottachtrix, without deleting existing data, directly to SD using hatefuel19's Nottachtrix1.3.1.sd-ext.zip http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=27543308&postcount=1 from the other thread selecting the default ATT kernel and now the Wifi is working!.
Thanks for taking the time to experiment with this and respond to me.
Now that Nottachtrix has been successfully cloned to ext-SD, I can now proceed to do more experimental work by using my internal SD for CM7, CM9 or related ROMs.
CF-bench results from Nottachtrix 1.3.1 ROM on ext-SD versus int-SD. The better one is int-SD. However, despite the gap in the benchmarks, I didn't feel much of a difference during regular usage between the two and I think I can confidently say that the ext-SD version is going to be my primary now that its fully working. I plan to use the int-SD for experimental ROMs.
[Note the ext-SD version benchmark is uising the stock ATT kernel while the internal-SD version is using the Faux1G kernel. So not necessarily a good comparison, but realized that only after posting].
Update something
[Edit Philz 6.2.3+ is perfect & does not mess with my swap anymore.]
messed with the install-recovery.sh!
So just reflash the swap , not sure what did it : an xposed modual?
v5 up.
Works now even if on bone stock.
Step 1: (for those rooted, on the ota or out of the box)
Install this https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=stericson.busybox
Use the smart install & choose 1.21.1 not 1.22. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=50064227&postcount=4
Do not use Universal init d.
Reboot.
Step 2:
Flash v5 with Twrp2.6.3 e33 or Philz v6079.
For SafeStrap users using bootstrap, should work.
Reboot.
TWRP e33: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=49509466&postcount=1
Fixed conflicts with my ◢ PurePerformances™X ◣ mod.
You can only successfully install with Plilz v6079. I only use, for now the one below.
Once installed TWRP does not seem to be a problem.
Plilz v6 for msm8960 phones: Atrix HD, Razr M & Photon Q is here
Took down the deodexed version as it was only the ui from this 1% battery mod that made it different. You can flash it to any deodexed 412 xt907 or xt905 rom.
All storage defaults to storage0 (your real SD card) which is the way it should have been from Motorola, well closer anyway.
Flash from recovery or SS bootstrap Philz v6. Wipe dalvik & cache only. Not for cm based, multuser, or anything but 4.1.2 stock roms!
My ◢ PurePerformances™X ◣ mod must be followed by the SD Swap. Because of a conflict with install-recovery.sh file.
Do not use cwmr 6044 as it messes up the swap by forcing data/media/0. Plilz is better as you can choose data/media only. See my goodies for Philz.
Always use TWRP 2.6.3 e33 OR Philz v6079.(for install use Philz only)
Always choose any NO when rebooting from Philz.
Go Recovery Goodies
Because install-recovery.sh is now an agent in the initd setup & needs to be protected.
Notes on the SD swap: When you choose "Device storage", sdcard0 or storage0 you will browsing your real SD card. When you choose "SD card", sdcard1 or storage1 you will be browsing the internal SD ("data/media").
This internal SD ("data/media") memory now has no purpose. You can move what you want to your real SD & delete everything else to let the phone use it all. All storage defaults to storage0 (your real SD card) which now is the way it should have been from Motorola, well closer anyway.
ZaYAC-ua's swap thread
The formerly unwanted file: install-recovery.sh is now an agent in the initd setup & needs to be protected, as noted above, and it's permissions, if altered, can be restored to rwxr-xr-x.
If this file is not protected you boot up with 2 internal SD cards.
Known issues:
Two things will Kill the SD swap: (by messing with install-recovery.sh)
1)Using TWRP older then v2.6. (To install use Philz only)
2)If you boot from CWMR and choose yes to "disable recovery flash".
Also) If you mess with multiuser roms feel free to delete 0 , obb & legacy folders in internal sd (storage1).
One more) It is expected for your settings-storage info to be out of whack.
Finally) Create folder in root of the phone with Root Explorer results in an error but is the same as the Rabbit's version & of no consequence. The folder does get created anyway. All else works in the root of the phone.
UsbMassStorage: BE SURE TO EJECT FROM PC/MAC BEFORE YOU UNMOUNT. DO NOT USE WITH ANDROID FILE TRANSFER.
".files" are a nuisance when mounting to osx: just delete them AFTER YOU UNMOUNT. Warning: If you do not enable your file browser to show hidden files & you unmount while your (os x is one) trash is full the .file can be huge!
More http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=43434787&postcount=3
V1 DL stats: deodexed-31, odexed-49
Reserved
V3 up. Fixes compatibility w/ PP mod. Twrp will not install the swap & let it work! Plilz v6 will & does twrp restores too....
I'm using this script to swap the storage on PACman and other 4.3 roms that lacks the swap option natively, I guess your solution is more or less the same, using the restore recovery script instead of the real init.d script.
Right ?
Code:
#!/system/bin/sh
sleep 3
mount -o remount,rw /
mount -t vfat -o umask=0000 /dev/block/vold/179:97 /mnt/shell/emulated
mount -o bind /data/media/0 /storage/sdcard1
chown system /data/media/0
chgrp sdcard_rw /data/media/0
chmod 0075 /data/media/0
mount -o remount, ro /
The Solutor said:
I'm using this script to swap the storage on PACman and other 4.3 roms that lacks the swap option natively, I guess your solution is more or less the same, using the restore recovery script instead of the real init.d script.
Right ?
Code:
#!/system/bin/sh
sleep 3
mount -o remount,rw /
mount -t vfat -o umask=0000 /dev/block/vold/179:97 /mnt/shell/emulated
mount -o bind /data/media/0 /storage/sdcard1
chown system /data/media/0
chgrp sdcard_rw /data/media/0
chmod 0075 /data/media/0
mount -o remount, ro /
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Did you have a link? I have never found one that works for 4.1.2 + !
aviwdoowks said:
Thanks. Did you have a link? I have never found one that works for 4.1.2 + !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A link ?
That's all I'm using, just copy it save it to (say) 02sdswap, put the file in the /etc/init.d folder and set the permissions as the other init.d files.
Then reboot the phone.
That's all
Keep in mind to use a decent editor and set the end line format to UNIX.
I'm using it on 4.3 on PhotonQ but it should work, as is, on other similar phones like the Razr M, or with little adjustment in other phones.
Is far from perfect but looks to be enough to solve the problem.
The Solutor said:
A link ?
That's all I'm using, just copy it save it to (say) 02sdswap, put the file in the /etc/init.d folder and set the permissions as the other init.d files.
Then reboot the phone.
That's all
Keep in mind to use a decent editor and set the end line format to UNIX.
I'm using it on 4.3 on PhotonQ but it should work, as is, on other similar phones like the Razr M, or with little adjustment in other phones.
Is far from perfect but looks to be enough to solve the problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just tried it, removing the "/0" from each line w/ datamedia.
No go for 412.
aviwdoowks said:
No go for 412.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Practically I've never used JB 4.1.2, as I see no point in doing it.
Depending on my moot I use my internationalized ICS, or a good 4.3 unofficial rom.
Bacause this, I don't remember exactly the changes in paths and symlinks between 4.1.2 and 4.3
But very likely the /mnt/shell/emulated is not present on 4.1.2, just check if I'm not wrong, and eventually change the /mnt/shell/emulated to the correct mountpoint.
V4 up. Much improved. Only the install-recovery.sh annoyance to overcome. I am trying a "userint.sh" version. Anyone know if that is do-able on a moto phone? Htc phones use it with a swap.
Couple this concise commentary of the data media problem,
http://teamw.in/DataMedia
[translation: data/media is useless if you have ext sd as default storage.
It needs to be formatted for reliable rom flashes (esp. 4.4)
& you can do it from Philz! ]
With the ability to use a large sd card on our phone,
then you understand why keeping data media zeroed out along with a sd swap is so nice.
Where oh where is a swap for 4.4?
Btw a new Plilz with ext sd cwm folder detection :fingers-crossed: due out soon.
Hello,
I'm quite new in android development, so sorry for dumb question.
I have new GT-S6102 (because of dualsim setup) and I'd be quite happy with the stock firmware (S6102XXMA2) if it wasn't of the 160M memory. What I'm trying to do is to modify init.rc in bootimage to mount /data on 4G second partition of my SDCard instead of 160M /dev/stl11.
I'm using a Ubuntu 12.04 machine for my experiments.
I've copied /dev/block/bml7 from my phone using ADB, extracted it using abootimg.
First (and I hope that main) trouble is that when I try to update the boot.img (abootimg -u boot.img -r initrd.img), even without modifying the ramdisk, the resulting image has few different bytes near the beginning of the file. Anyway when I flashed it back to phone, it booted normally.
Then I unpacked the ramdisk (using steps from here) and modified init.rc:
Code:
mount ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p2 /data nosuid nodev crypt check=no
# mount rfs /dev/stl11 /data nosuid nodev crypt check=no
I have a 32G uSD card with 28G FAT and 4G EXT4 primary partitions.
Then I've repacked it, made new boot.img, flashed with ODIN and it made a nice bootloop with Samsung bootanimation without usual sound.
What am I doing wrong?
Is this modification even possible?
Thanks for advice
P.S.
I've tried to extract the boot.img from S6102XXMA3_S6102DBTMA1_S6102XXMA2_HOME.tar.md5, but 7zip on Windows and TAR on linux complain that it isn't valid archive.
jelinek.01 said:
Hello,
I'm quite new in android development, so sorry for dumb question.
I have new GT-S6102 (because of dualsim setup) and I'd be quite happy with the stock firmware (S6102XXMA2) if it wasn't of the 160M memory. What I'm trying to do is to modify init.rc in bootimage to mount /data on 4G second partition of my SDCard instead of 160M /dev/stl11.
I'm using a Ubuntu 12.04 machine for my experiments.
I've copied /dev/block/bml7 from my phone using ADB, extracted it using abootimg.
First (and I hope that main) trouble is that when I try to update the boot.img (abootimg -u boot.img -r initrd.img), even without modifying the ramdisk, the resulting image has few different bytes near the beginning of the file. Anyway when I flashed it back to phone, it booted normally.
Then I unpacked the ramdisk (using steps from here) and modified init.rc:
Code:
mount ext4 /dev/block/mmcblk0p2 /data nosuid nodev crypt check=no
# mount rfs /dev/stl11 /data nosuid nodev crypt check=no
I have a 32G uSD card with 28G FAT and 4G EXT4 primary partitions.
Then I've repacked it, made new boot.img, flashed with ODIN and it made a nice bootloop with Samsung bootanimation without usual sound.
What am I doing wrong?
Is this modification even possible?
Thanks for advice
P.S.
I've tried to extract the boot.img from S6102XXMA3_S6102DBTMA1_S6102XXMA2_HOME.tar.md5, but 7zip on Windows and TAR on linux complain that it isn't valid archive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, so it seems that I´ve managed to work it out at last.
The unpacking and repacking of bootimage was all right, trouble was in updating only the init.rc and probably using ext4. What I have done:
I replaced all mentions of mounting /dev/stl11 on /data by mounting /dev/block/mmcblk0p2 (that was in files fota.rc, init.rc, init.charge.rc, res/recovery.fstab). In res/recovery.fstab I also changed formatting type from rfs16 to rfs32 so it supports my 4.5G partition.
Then I flashed the bootimg in my phone and formatted the data partition in recovery (that was the only way to make it rfs I've found).
Maybe it would all work with changing the format and mount type to ext4, but I hoped for as little modification as possible.
Now it reports 4.25GB free space after all my apps are installed, hurray .
I have just to remember to never boot it up without SDcard inserted. Maybe it would work as a possibility to borrow the phone to somebody with another card.
The boot.img came from S6102XXMA3_S6102DBTMA1_S6102XXMA2_HOME.tar.md5, if someone wants to try it, it is here . It probably wouldn't touch the original /data partition, so it might be possible to try it and undo it by flashing original boot.img. It just requires to have a second primary partition on SDcard and formatting it in recovery before first boot.
i didnt know to do that boot "compiling" like u did, quite good for you, im using cronmod int2ext , i have 850mb internal. i use 'pimp my rom' to get init.d support.
MultiSystem is a powerful tool for locked- and unlocked-bootloader Android devices with many features that at least includes the following:
Keeps stock system partition safe/rooted
Permenant root survival with proper use
MultiROM support via virtual ROMs
Unlimited number of virtual ROMs
Booting options to choose stock, primary, or secondary virtual ROM
Any of the virtual ROMs can work as a recovery replacement
Flashing multiple ROMs at the same time without a reboot
Ability to create/install ROMs on Linux to microSD card
Great performance & battery life on virtual ROMs
Recovery solution to install ROMs or Mods
Easy upgrade to newer versions of Android
Ability to safely apply OTA updates to virtual system
Permissive SELinux and other kernel tweaks
Safe flashing that doesn't trip KNOX flag on Samsung devices
Wrapper script runs via ADB or a Terminal Emulator on device
APK to manage all MultiSystem functions with a nice UI and extra options
Management for the best performance & user experience
Support for all Android devices with microSD card
Portability to almost all devices
Compatibility with all Android versions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q&A
What is the concept behind MultiSystem?
It runs virtual Android ROMs on microSD, like booting multiple systems on a PC from different partitions/disks. So, your stock system partition is kept safe/rooted. It won't affect performance or anything (might even be better on the virtual system if you've high quality microSD & the device supports its speed). Also, you can freely modify any of the virtual systems & in the worst case, reboot the safe stock system or another working virtual system to recover. So, no root loss or potential damage to the original device partitions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it a recovery or an APK tool?
It's a shell script that hijacks system at early boot & force Android to boot from the stock system partition or a virtual system IMG & an APK that manages all booting options, virtual ROMs, and works as a recovery replacement + extra features...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does it work as a recovery replacement?
It IS a POWERFUL recovery replacement. You can do whatever you do in recovery with the APK. HOW? recovery does its magic b/c it doesn't depend on the system & has its own kernel/ramdisk. In MultiSystem, you can boot a virtual ROM from extSD that sure doesn't depend on stock system partition or any of the other virtual ROMs (it does depend on the kernel, which you can't flash on locked devcies anyway). Hence, install, backup, restore, ... & all recovery functions are all possible +++ more features since you're running a full ROM not just a recovery ramdisk like Safestrap.
Bottom Line: I think it's the best & most convenient recovery replacement ever for locked devices & it can also attract unlocked devices for the powerful features, MultiROM, and recovery from within ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can I use FlashFire along with MultiSystem?
Yes. MultiSystem is compatible with FlashFire & fully supports it on stock & virtual ROMs. So, you can use both/any of them for flashing to either a stock or virtual ROM. However, it's recommended to use MultiSystem when flashing to the stock system partition (shouldn't be needed anyway since you can always be safe & flash to your old/new virtual ROMs).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does MultiSystem require FlashFire?
No, MultiSystem doesn't require FlashFire. They're fully combatible though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would the virtual ROM we install be exactly the one in the stock slot?
In MultiSystem APK, you can create a virtual ROM from stock system, a copy from other virtual ROM, a new IMG, a dev-provided ROM, a flashable .ZIP, ... etc. Literally, your virtual ROMs can be any stock or custom ROM that's compatible with your firmware/kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can it run virtual ROMs from external microSD card?
External MicroSD will be formated into 2 partitions:
exFAT or FAT32 for the 1st partition (your new external storage)
EXT4 for the 2nd partition (your MultiSystem partition)
It'll hijack the system & boot a virtual system from the 2nd partition. The 1st partition will be automatically detected as your extSD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can I run unrooted virtual ROM for work apps or any other reason?
Yes. You can add unrooted virtual ROM & reboot to it via MultiSystem APK.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you boot back into a different ROM?
MultiSystem APK manages all functions including ROM activation & reboot to current system, another stock/virtual system, download mode, recovery, ... etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will it be OK to still store media like movies/photos/music to extSD?
100% OK; That's my setup a few months ago. 2 virtual ROMs in the SECOND extSD partition in EXT4 format while all personal data are stored on the FIRST extSD partition in exFAT or FAT32 format... TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERET PARTITIONS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How much space are we going to have for virtual ROMs?
The size of the 2nd partition is optional (> 4GB) for your ROMs, but here is an estimated sizes:
1 Virtual ROM Uncompressed = ~2.7 GB ---> ready for running
1 Virtual ROM Compressed = ~1.5 GB ---> for full ROM backups
I'd say better allocate 4 GB for each ROM you plan to run. If you just need one virtual ROM to keep stock system safe, 4 GB 2nd extSD partition is enough; The remaining space is allocated for the 1st extSD partition as your external storage.
For me, I run Linux too from extSD via MultiSystem. So, I've 64 GB extSD card with two partitions 32 GB each.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can I clear up space on an existing SD card and partition it while full or will the entire card need to be wiped and partitioned from scratch?
You need to backup all your files; it'll be wiped & repartitioned.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can I swap microSD cards & be able to run virtual ROMs?
You can swap microSD cards as you wish provided that the device is powered off; don't remove the microSD card when running a virtual ROM. If the new microSD card doesn't include a 2nd parition of available virtual ROMs, the device will boot directly to the stock system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there a specific sd card you recommended for this?
I personally have two microSD cards:
SanDisk Extreme Plus 64GB (Up to 80MB/s read speed)
Samsung 64GB PRO (Up to 90MB/s read speed)
You don't have to change your microSD card for MultiSystem; any card you use on your device should work just fine. The need for more speed is relevant when the device supports that speed & if you're going to buy a new card anyway that you may use with a newer device later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can I copy virtual ROMs to a new microSD card?
Yes. I'll add a feature for swapping microSD cards so that you can backup/restore virtual ROMs from/to the current extSD to/from internal storage as follows:
power off device
use MultiSystem APK to backup your virtual ROMs
insert the new properly formatted microSD,
power on device (it'll boot to stock system)
use MultiSystem APK to restore your virtual ROMs
use MultiSystem APK to activate one of your virtual ROMs
use MultiSystem APK to reboot to any of your ROMs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about other data/cache partitions and internal storage?
Only system img's are in the extSD. All ROMs share all other partitions. This substantially improves the performance & you won't notice any difference between your stock & virtual ROMs. The reason for performance improvement is that EXT4 loop devices are very fast in reading but not in writing. Your system partition is read-only while data (for example) is read write & cache IMGs cause problems like Safestrap issues on ROM slots. Also, you don't have to worry about switching data/settings between ROMs (they're shared), but you just need to regularly backup your important data (which is healthy anyway).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can your elaborate where data is stored?
The userdata partition is also shared; so, you'll have access to all your FULL storage partitions & all apps/data similarly on either stock or virtual ROMs. This also solves the Safestrap issue of having less storage on ROM slots...
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Click to collapse
Will mSDcard incur a significant performance penalty on some devices?
there's no diffrerence between virtual & stock ROMs in terms of performance & battery life. The reason is simple: loop devices associated with the READ-ONLY system IMG mounted from EXT4 partition using a high-quality microSD card IS very fast more than enough.
The read speed is faster than the device can operate anyway + the exact same device should perform on the lowest speed when reading/writing from/to the FAT/FAT32/ExFAT extSD card (where you store your files or even move apps!!!) anyway, which is much slower than the read speed of a loop device mounted from EXT4 partition.
That's why data partition is shared for many reasons, including the poor READ/WRITE performance.
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Click to collapse
If virtual systems are read only, how do we modify them? Do we have to boot to another multisystem rom to modify a virtual rom?
The stock system partition is mounted by default read only & so are the virtual systems. To modify a stock/virtual system, the MultiSystem APK remounts them read/write. You can modify the currently running virtual system, copy it & modify the copy, modify another stock/virtual system.
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How is a corrupted virtual rom handled? Does it see it's bad and default to stock system?
At early boot, MultiSystem checks for the microSD & active virtual ROM to boot it. There's a boot menu that gives you options to select a stock/virtual system, but it crashes on LP. I'm debugging it, but all functions won't be affected if I removed it. To fail safe, you can remove the microSD card to boot to stock system & restore/repair your virtual ROMs.
UPDATE1: MultiSystem v1.0.1 now allows you to also switch to stock system on boot to repair corrupted virtual IMGs or any other reasons. More options will be added during boot to ultimately select another virtual system if the active IMG is not booting normally (e.g., bootloop after applying a mod or flashing a bad .ZIP).
UPDATE2: Now, on boot, you can choose from two primary/secondary virtual ROM or stock ROM. Flashing multiple ROMs at the same time without a reboot is now possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How to check if an IMG is corrupted using MultiSystem status?
Code:
Current System IMG: Test_Rom.img
Current System DEV: [B][COLOR="Red"]/dev/block/mmcblk0p23[/COLOR][/B]
When you see "/dev/block/mmcblk0p23"; it's the original system partition; so MultiSystem failed to boot Test_Rom.img, but it should be your current system.
So, the check is simple based on "Current System Device":
/dev/block/mmcblk0p23 = Stock System Partition
/dev/block/loop0 = Virtual System IMG
Note: The block device number (mmcblk0p23) may vary per device & per variant !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does android do any maintenance whatsoever on stored data within /data or external sd? So if I have an app installed on 1 system and not on another system will android see it and clear the data?
No, all storage partitions are shared between ROMs. If you installed an app, it'll be availabe for all of them. Since on locked devcies we're limited to stock manufacturer-based ROMs, this makes the switch between ROMs very convinient (you don't have to worry about your changes/data/setup & storage space on the another ROM; all ROMs share everything except system). However, you should make regular backups in case a virtual ROM (probably with unsafe mods) results in bootloop due to your user data. In this case, it's safe to wipe data & selectively restore apps/data from backup(s). Another advantage of sharing all storage partitions is that your messages/emails/etc received on a virtual ROM are immediated synced (actually shared) to the other ROMs.
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Click to collapse
Will anything like Xposed modify the virtual ROM system IMG as opposed to the stock system IMG?
When you run a Virtual System, everything incldung kernel & apps are hijacked to speak to it as the original system.
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Click to collapse
Can we install AOSP ROMs on locked devices?
You can only install stock/manufacturer-based ROMs on locked devices while unlocked devices can use kexec or flash the required kernel to boot any AOSP/Stock ROMs. I've got a Note 4 Developer Edition & a lot of development is planned to go there (thanks to the unlocked bootloader!) More devices will get supported including unlocked TMO & international variants after adding more features untilizing the unlocked bootloader with kexec'd kernels.
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Click to collapse
Are there limitations to the combinations of ROMs that can be loaded on the "stock" and "virtual" slots? Can you mix KK and LP?
Yes, if they can run on the same kernel. LP won't run on KK kernels & so, you'd have to upgrade the firmware anyway. As for running mixed compatible Android versions, this is possible but your'd have to backup your data before switching ROMs; if it cause no issues, enjoy smooth switch & if it doesn't, do factory reset in recovery & restore your data backup. Backups via MultiSystem are painless.
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Are applications installed once for each ROM slot that has that applicaiton installed, or can I share a game across ROMs (for instance?)
Everything is shared between ROMs, which is very good for storage & for easy switching. Just make regular backups of your sensitive data.
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Click to collapse
How there are no performance hits while internal storage memory was much faster than any microSD technology?
Read speeds from microSD is very fast compared to write speeds & since virtual ROMs are actually a virtual read-only systems (hence, MultiSystem), they provide a high performance. Moreover, again, read speeds from EXT4 loop devices are higher compared to physical partitions. They're very bad in writing, which we don't need for the read-only "system".
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Is there a preferred "daily driver" ROM that should be installed in the stock slot?
Uses a stock ODEXED ROM on stock slot for better stability!
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Is it based off of Safestrap?
Short answer NO. I've been working on MultiSystem & Safestrap for ~7 months. Earlier versions of MultiSystem (called, JasmineREC) was based on Safestrap, but it failed to support newer versions of Android mainly due to TWRP changes in the graphics/UI libraries that cause segmentation fault & the stock kernel framebuffer issues. Then, I decided to find another solution. However, the basic idea of system hijack is powered by Safestrap (or 2nd-init recoveries in general) & all the work done by @Hashcode is GREATLY appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can it overwrite system files while running?
MultiSystem allows you to install safe mod's or a ROM in full or OTA-like update. It's strongly recommended to install .ZIP files NOT to the current system, b/c some files can not be overwritten while running. So, you can use backup function to copy the current system & install to the new img or any of your other virtual systems. You'll have several options to activate a virtual img & reboot directly to stock system, any virtual img you've activated, quick reboot, Download/bootloader, recovery,... etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How would I benefit from it if I'm only running Stock ROM or would there be no point for me to install it?
If you run a ROM on stock system, you're vulnerable to root loss unless/untill a new rooting method for LP comes out. MultiSystem gives you the option to run safe-to-mod virtual ROMs + recovery replacement + extra features.
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Click to collapse
Is there a way to convert a normal ROM .ZIP into MultiSystem .IMG?
Create or copy any of your IMGs, activate it & reboot to the active IMG! Then, use FlashFire to flash the ZIP file. However, the updater-script should be safe/compatible. Some devs mount the phyical partition, which will redirect everything to it!!
For example:
Code:
mount(“ext4″, “EMMC”, “/dev/block/mmcblk0p23″, “/system”);
will mount the original system partition; while
Code:
run_program("/sbin/mount", "-t", "auto", "/system");
will mount the current system (stock or virtual). This is recommended/safe.
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Click to collapse
Would a KitKat ROM work with multisystem even though my stock is Lollipop?
Any ROM requires a compatible kernel & modem. So, running KK ROMs requires flashing KK firmware (namely, kernel & modem). This may work with MultiSystem on other devices, especially if the bootlpoader is unlocked. For example, I plan to add features for Note 4 DevED to allow different Android versions (including AOSP, manufacturer-based, & probably Linux systems) by utilizing kernel swapping or execution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When MultiSystem comes out will it be open sourced?
Most probably, haven't decided yet!
Anyway, here's the repository on GitHub: https://github.com/hsbadr/MultiSystem
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Video Tutorials
A quick preview of MultiSystem v1.0 tested on Lollipop for VZW Note 3. The video has been captured on a stable virtual ROM of JasmineROM v5.0.1. It's FULLY compatible with FlashFire on virtual/stock systems. More devices will get supported as well, after required testing.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hsbadr/videos/vb.331488823689599/428178174020663
How to check if you are running a Stock/Virtual System?
There're many ways to check whether you're running a Stock or Virtual system. MultiSystem app should include this simple check at some point. That's important to avoint ruining the Stock system & keep it safe. To make it clear to NOOBZ & anyone who's requesting "another" proof even though I owe hime nothing. Very weird!
Anyway, BusyBox mountpoint applet can print the current block/device mounted to /system mountpoint by running the following command:
Code:
busybox mountpoint -n /system
The stock system is mounts the original system partition:
Code:
[B][COLOR="Red"]/dev/block/mmcblk0p23[/COLOR][/B]
while the virtual system mounts a loop device associated with a system IMG:
Code:
[B][COLOR="Blue"]/dev/block/loop0[/COLOR][/B]
Here're two videos for both stock & virtual systems...
UPDATE:
Now, you could run the following command to print the current system (stock or virtual) and the system device (physical partition or loop device):
Code:
MultiSystem status
Note: The block device number (mmcblk0p23) may vary per device & per variant !
How to repartition microSD card for MultiSystem?
You can use any tool/program for partitioning on Android, Linux, Mac, or Windows. For example, MiniTool Partition Wizard is a good partitioning tool for Windows. So, let's use it for this task. Simply, you need to follow this PDF tutorial (thanks to @carl1961). In sum:
Step 1: delete old partitions on SD card
Step 2: create FAT32 PRIMARY partition
Step 3: create EXT4 PRIMARY partition
Then, apply changes (note that the program UI may get changed in newer versions).
Notes:
This partitioning tutorial doesn't create PRIMARY partitions (it creates logical partitions). So, you need to change "Create As" from "Logical" to "Primary" when creatig a partition.
The sizes of the two partitions are arbitrary depending on number of ROMs you plan to install on the 2nd EXT4 partition.
The 1st partition (check size) is automatically detected as your external storage
In Terminal Emulator or ADB shell, check the existence of the two partitions by running the following command (in red):
Code:
[email protected]:/ # [COLOR="Red"]ls -l /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.3/[/COLOR]
drwxr-xr-x root root 2015-05-02 21:08 by-num
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2015-05-02 21:08 mmcblk1 -> /dev/block/mmcblk1
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2015-05-02 21:08 mmcblk1p1 -> [COLOR="Blue"]/dev/block/mmcblk1p1[/COLOR]
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2015-05-02 21:08 mmcblk1p2 -> [COLOR="Blue"]/dev/block/mmcblk1p2[/COLOR]
/dev/block/mmcblk1p1 is mounted by Android as your external storage.
/dev/block/mmcblk1p2 is NOT mounted & will be your MultiSystem partition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How to check microSD card partitions for MultiSystem?
You can use any tool/program for partitioning on Android, Linux, Mac, or Windows. For example, MiniTool Partition Wizard is a good partitioning tool for Windows. So, let's use it for this task. Simply, you need to follow this PDF tutorial (thanks to @carl1961). In sum:
Step 1: delete old partitions on SD card
Step 2: create FAT32 PRIMARY partition
Step 3: create EXT4 PRIMARY partition
Then, apply changes (note that the program UI may get changed in newer versions).
Notes:
This partitioning tutorial doesn't create PRIMARY partitions (it creates logical partitions). So, you need to change "Create As" from "Logical" to "Primary" when creatig a partition.
The sizes of the two partitions are arbitrary depending on number of ROMs you plan to install on the 2nd EXT4 partition.
The 1st partition (check size) is automatically detected as your external storage
In Terminal Emulator or ADB shell, check the existence of the two partitions by running the following command (in red):
Code:
[email protected]:/ # [COLOR="Red"]ls -l /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.3/[/COLOR]
drwxr-xr-x root root 2015-05-02 21:08 by-num
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2015-05-02 21:08 mmcblk1 -> /dev/block/mmcblk1
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2015-05-02 21:08 mmcblk1p1 -> [COLOR="Blue"]/dev/block/mmcblk1p1[/COLOR]
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2015-05-02 21:08 mmcblk1p2 -> [COLOR="Blue"]/dev/block/mmcblk1p2[/COLOR]
/dev/block/mmcblk1p1 is mounted by Android as your external storage.
/dev/block/mmcblk1p2 is NOT mounted & will be your MultiSystem partition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How to check MultiSystem Installation?
The 1st thing to do after installing MultiSystem is to check the /MultiSystem directory & its contents (it shouldn't be empty!). Then, check usage by running the following commands in Terminal Emulator or ADB shell:
Code:
su
bash
MultiSystem
If it retuns "MultiSystem not found" or permission denied, try to use open MultiSystem app to Update Configurations & try again. If this does't fix it, try the following command:
Code:
/MultiSystem/bin/MultiSystem
This should work if you've MultiSystem binaries installed in (extracted to) /MultiSystem directory. If so, you can create a symlink in /system/xbin as follows:
Code:
mount -o remount,rw /system
ln -sv /MultiSystem/bin/MultiSystem /system/xbin/MultiSystem
Then, test it by running:
Code:
MultiSystem
The last thing before using it is to check the boot options: reboot & monitor the GREEN LED indicator for 3 seconds (change in the app) , which give you the following options:
Volume UP = Primary virtual ROM
Volume DOWN = Secondary virtual ROM
HOME KEY = Stock System
Sure, you should have installed one or more virtual ROMs.
Backup & restore or creating/installing a virtual ROM are easy as copy & paste: all img's will be at
Code:
/MultiSystem/img/system
To backup a virtual/stock system, you have many options:
Use create function to create from stock system
Use copy function to copy the IMG
Copy & paste with a new name
Use FlashFire (fully supported on virtual/stock ROMs)
...
If you've IMG mounting issues, run the following commands:
Code:
mount -o remount,rw /system
busybox ln -sv /proc/self/mounts /system/etc/mtab
If this doesn't help, try mounting from Terminal Emulator or ADB shell after selecting the IMG in MultiSystem app, by running the following command:
Code:
MultiSystem mount virtual
@hsbadr
Multisystem is running on AT&T
and permissive is activated
I had to add symlink in installer
symlink("/MultiSystem/bin/MultiSystem", "/system/xbin/MultiSystem");
and I had to remove the cleaning script
Also no matter how tried (FlashFire and even Safestrap) the multiSystem apk would not install, I had to copy to sdcard and install with file manager or es explorer
Can i root my 9005?
Hi all, I have the note3 9005xxugboa2 running on kitkat 5.0. The most recent update. Since i updated it its slow as hell. I wanted to root it anyway but now more so. The problem is when i search for the method for my version it brings up too many results of people rooting and upgrading to kitkat. Not rooting from kitkat. Also i dont even know if im at&t lol. I have done this before though. If any1 could point me in the right direction it would save me a few hours later tonight. thanks
Great! I'll release v1.2.1 tonight with minor fixes/updates.
hsbadr said:
Great! I'll release v1.2.1 tonight with minor fixes/updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hsbadr updat installed fine, took me a couple reboots, but it may just be me. Permissive is set and running on sdcard going to install darkLord beta 2
MultiSystem status show different this time
carl1961 said:
hsbadr updat installed fine, took me a couple reboots, but it may just be me. Permissive is set and running on sdcard going to install darkLord beta 2
MultiSystem status show different this time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is NOT; status NOT Status
Code:
MultiSystem status
Also enjoy bash shell with perfect environment
Code:
su
bash
MultiSystem Video Tutorial
Thanks To: @Tomsgt , aka RootJunky
Don't forget to subscribe & like the video to show appreciation of his great effort & time spent in making the video :highfive::good:
Ok