[DEV] Booting Ubuntu nativ!!!

bergfex · Apr 22, 2011

This is about booting Ubuntu natively on the DHD. (without chroot and without an Andriod running at the same time)

Based on the version for the HTC HD2

What works:

touchscreen (touchscreen works as touchpad) (thanks to Jhinta)
two finger scrolling (thanks to Jhinta)
Wifi
dragging windows (double click and holding second click)
right click (double two finger click) (thanks to dronf)
adb (thanks to torsrex)
incoming calls (thanks to liljom)
SMS (thanks to liljom)

What doesn't work:

sound
keys (hard and soft keys)
usb host
firefox (only as root)

Instructions:

Download ubuntu4dhd.zip
Download easy to use.zip
Put the linux folder from ubuntu4dhd.zip to the root of your sdcard
Put the easy to use folder to your windows PC
Bring your DHD into the bootloader
Connect DHD to the PC
Double click Start here.bat
Tip "fastboot boot boot.img"
(without ")
after restarting your old rom will start

Change log:

Working touchpad driver
two finger scrolling
Wifi working out of the box

Modifing the rootfs on your PC or virtualBox:

mkdir /ubuntuDHD
sudo mount -t ext2 -o loop /path/to/rootfs /ubuntuDHD
rootfs is now mounted under /ubuntuDHD and can be modifyed as root
umount /ubuntuDHD

Dual boot option:

Download two different cwm from Rom manager
Open the clockworkmod folder on you sdcard an open the download folder.
Search for the version number for the old recovery. You will find an image file, open the containing folder and copy the boot.img from the Ubuntu4DHD.rar into it.
Now, rename the boot.img file to the recovery image filename and deleted the old recovery.
Now, when you select the old recovery from Rom manager, it will flash the ubuntu boot image.
Booting into Recovery will now boot Ubuntu

When you want to go back to cwm, just select/flash the newer cwm version with Rom Manager.

Download:

Ubuntu4DHD.rar (reuploaded as rar)
MD5 of image: 79a9faa2d49725fb6bfdc30d4c5fb885

easy to use.zip

appendix:

easy to use.zip
with:
My boot.img
boot-usbhost.img (boot image with usb host support)

Tips:
Password: ubuntu

bergfex · Apr 22, 2011

For porting to other devices

Chaosz-X said:
Hi,

I saw you got native Ubuntu up and running on the Desire HD, and I wanted to do the same with my Flyer. I know how to compile kernels and an Android build etc., but I can't figure out how to set the partitions, that the boot.img boots from a partition on the SD-card. So I was wondering if you could tell me, what modifications are made to your boot.img to make it boot from SD.

Thanks in advance!

Changes on the boot.img:
I guess you know how to extract a boot.img.
http://android-dls.com/wiki/index.php?title=HOWTO:_Unpack%2C_Edit%2C_and_Re-Pack_Boot_Images

When you try split_bootimg with my boot.img you will find two things.
1) a special command line arguments
2) a complet other ramdisk image containing
2a) a busybox
2b) a init script

The commad line arguments refer to the init script in the ramdisk.
The init script mounts some partitions including the ubuntu "partition" (in this case a image file on the sd card".
For mounting the partitions the init script calls a other script called MAKEDEVS also based in the ramdisk image.
In this second script you need to change the major and minor numbers of the block devices to match your kernel/device.

Placing the ubuntu image on the sd card:

I use a image file on the sd card.
You could use following commands on a linux machine to edit the image.

mkdir /mnt/ubuntuimg
sudo mount -t ext2 -o loop,rw /pathToTheImage/rootfs.ext2 /mnt/ubuntuimg
Then you will see the content of the image in /mnt/ubuntuimg.
Don't forget to unmount.
umount /mnt/ubuntuimg

Edits on the kernel:
In the kernel the framebuffer must be activated to run ubuntu

make menuconfig
Device Driver->Character Devices-> Set Virtual Terminal
Device Driver->Graphics support->Console display driver support->Remove VGA Text console

Maybe same patches for the framebuffer are needed to use the framebuffer.
Some information can be found under:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1008144&highlight=ubuntu

twiztedvvv · Apr 22, 2011

getting this working would be awesome, better than a working honeycomb possibly

.

shree.cse · Apr 22, 2011

If this would be possible. DesireHD Can Dual boot. Thank-you

Sent from my Desire HD

raze599 · Apr 22, 2011

If this ever works, is it possible to modify the normal Android system to allow a virtual environment within which you can run Ubuntu? That way you can have the benefits of both.

bergfex · Apr 22, 2011

I think, I must not start my init script directly. Instead I shloud start it from within the init.rc.

But how?

twiztedvvv · Apr 22, 2011

raze599 said:
If this ever works, is it possible to modify the normal Android system to allow a virtual environment within which you can run Ubuntu? That way you can have the benefits of both.

See leedroids post on booting ubuntu through Android. A bit closer to what your looking for and working although a bit of experience would be needed.
But like another said. Dual boot Android and ubuntu should be possible if we can get this to boot.

Columbia · Apr 22, 2011

Man if you do it, it will be exciting! Even better than working sense 3.0 Good luck!

Jhinta · Apr 22, 2011

twiztedvvv said:
See leedroids post on booting ubuntu through Android. A bit closer to what your looking for and working although a bit of experience would be needed.
But like another said. Dual boot Android and ubuntu should be possible if we can get this to boot.

Keep in mind this is native and not chroot !!!

adwinp · Apr 22, 2011

1: Use the android init. It directly references init.rc
2: move your init script into init.rc
3: you have failed booting due to the system not knowing the executable paths;
you HAVE to export your paths. Either reference your binaries directly, for example:
/bin/mount, /bin/dosfsck
or
export PATH /bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin
Furthermore, you need to diet your boot.img; 5Mb is not flashable on the DHD unless you move and resize the partition tables (risky). The stock max is 4Mb.

You can also force the kernel to execute the init script by referencing it in the kernel cmdline. Check this option in your kernel config and compile it with such support.

twiztedvvv · Apr 22, 2011

Good point. Got a bit lost in concentration

MrYuiM · Apr 22, 2011

I would know about moving and resizing partitions :/ ended up reformatting completely.

adwinp · Apr 22, 2011

MrYuiM said:
I would know about moving and resizing partitions :/ ended up reformatting completely.

I was writing about emmc partitions, not "sd".

bergfex · Apr 22, 2011

1: Use the android init. It directly references init.rc
2: move your init script into init.rc
3: you have failed booting due to the system not knowing the executable paths;
you HAVE to export your paths. Either reference your binaries directly, for example:
/bin/mount, /bin/dosfsck
or
export PATH /bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin
Furthermore, you need to diet your boot.img; 5Mb is not flashable on the DHD unless you move and resize the partition tables (risky). The stock max is 4Mb.

You can also force the kernel to execute the init script by referencing it in the kernel cmdline. Check this option in your kernel config and compile it with such support.

Thx

The init.rc script is a android specific script/script language, can i place a shell script into it?

Jhinta · Apr 22, 2011

adwinp said:
1: Use the android init. It directly references init.rc
2: move your init script into init.rc
3: you have failed booting due to the system not knowing the executable paths;
you HAVE to export your paths. Either reference your binaries directly, for example:
/bin/mount, /bin/dosfsck
or
export PATH /bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin
Furthermore, you need to diet your boot.img; 5Mb is not flashable on the DHD unless you move and resize the partition tables (risky). The stock max is 4Mb.

You can also force the kernel to execute the init script by referencing it in the kernel cmdline. Check this option in your kernel config and compile it with such support.

1. kernel cmdline gets ignored rootdev will be NULL thats has to be fixed
2 moving init to int.rc no go as we want native ubuntu leaving init(android) will only boot android.
3 the reaseon it fails is that the kernel cant see mmcblk1 before cmdline ( why we have to find out )

So in sort kernel is oke but cmdline get igored, if we leave initrd enabled in kernel config its starts init ( android ) if not panic root not found here are partitions list of mmcblk0** root"NULL" not found <-- disableing initrd in kernel wel make root null because its wants to load initrd->init from ram witch is android binary elf init.

Step to take are making a initrd that will mount sdcard witch is mmcblk1 and mount it as rootdev if that works we can make a init.
So
1 we have to have a kernel thats has the correct cmdline as kernel config does not accept cmdline its will just be ignored.
2 have a initrd that that wil do a setup before starting init ( system setup mount pionts and so on)
3 build a init that will boot ubuntu and you done

bergfex · Apr 22, 2011

1 we have to have a kernel thats has the correct cmdline as kernel config does not accept cmdline its will just be ignored.

Do you mean boot comandline parameters?

I makes a difference if I use
fastboot -c "init=/init rw consoleblank=0 fbcon=rotate:1" boot boot.img
or
fastboot -c "init=/init rw consoleblank=0" boot boot.img

Jhinta · Apr 22, 2011

bergfex said:
Do you mean boot comandline parameters?

I makes a difference if I use
fastboot -c "init=/init rw consoleblank=0 fbcon=rotate:1" boot boot.img
or
fastboot -c "init=/init rw consoleblank=0" boot boot.img

so finaly got a working system to test stuf .
first of all you got console of in the image that makes it hard for anyone els to see whats going on . AND the laste time ill say this kernel cmdline is skipt !!!!!!!!!! fastboot c = cmdline=kernel command line = kernel arguments bla bla bla.
its get skipt !!!! root= init= bla bla = will not work !!!!!
why we have to find out !!

enable console you have userspace on, there is nog log out so people cant see whats happening

bergfex · Apr 22, 2011

My script in the initrd get started, but it has still an error in it.

Wait a moment, then i will upload the new boot.img

bergfex · Apr 22, 2011

New boot.img starts the my script in the initrd

1) copy the linux folder from the hd2-ubuntu_0.3.zip in the root directory of your sdcard
2) fastboot boot boot.img

Jhinta · Apr 22, 2011

bergfex said:
New boot.img starts the my script in the initrd

1) copy the linux folder from the hd2-ubuntu_0.3.zip in the root directory of your sdcard
2) fastboot boot boot.img

this realy is working you got it almost ? what is your script maby i can help as far as ik can see sdcard doesnt gets mounted also can you get on htc-linux irc make typeing for me easyer takes long frome to even type this

[DEV] Booting Ubuntu nativ!!!

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