[Update-Download KE8 Kernel & firmware]Dump System Image of SGS2 w/o Root Permission?

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Hi,
Is there any way to dump system image and then extract Kernel files(zimage) from the current rom running on my Indian version SGS2?( which Samsung is claiming to have put the NFC chip in, but none have found it/or a way to find it yet! ) I don't have root permission ( and i know i can root using CF root but that would overwrite the kernel! ) As, you might be knowing the Indian version of SGS2 came pre-installed with KE8 firmware and we don't have a kernel repository of it yet.

The HIDSWVER on my phone is
I9100XWKE8/I9100ODDKE2/I9100DDKE2/I9100XWKE8

& *#1234# gives me,
PDA-I9100XWKE8
Phone-I9100DDKE2
CSC-I9100DDKE2
Build Info - Wed May 18 13:55:45 KST 2011


I tried to pull the /system using adb but that is not much of a help i guess. I can't use "dd if=/dev/block/*** of=/sdcard/system bs=4096" unless m rooted and i don't know the location of kernel and system images in /dev/block/? either.
Doing this in adb shell,

dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p9 of=/sdcard/system.img bs=4096 ( For System Image )
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p5 of=/sdcard/zImage bs=4096 ( For Recovery + Kernel Image )

gives error that can't open /dev/block/mmcblk0p9 for read. Permission Denied.


Can you guys please help me to dump my Rom when it's not rooted? It will also make you guys upgrade it to the latest firmware. Although KE7 & KE8 are packaged on the same date and we seem to find not a single difference for now.

Update 1 :
Odia is having Samsung AnySVC access and he said he will try to put up a link to the KE8 System dump. He will also try to make an insecure KE8 kernel.

Update 2 :
For now we are trying to work on this idea as suggested by sgstwo
- Dump Rom with overwritten KE7 kernel ( We need it! )
- Extract Rooted factoryfs.img
- Flash factoryfs.img in another SGS2 with KE8 kernel
- Extract zImage
- Make a full rom dump from previous system.Img ( one we got from rooted KE7 Kernel Indian SGS2 ) and zImage from the other SGS2.

Hope this works out.
Anyone who has a Indian SGS2 and rooted with CF Root can post the whole system dump. We need it! Drop me a PM if you are unsure on how to dump your rom.

Update 3 :
XWKE8 Kernel : Download

Update 4 : So, now when we have the Full System Dump and it's also available in Samfirmware Repo.

Untouched Copy of KE8 firmware direct from Samsung Servers : Download KE8 Firmware Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Interchangeable Links on Uploaded.to
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3


Password : gadgets.apnafundaz.com

I'm also interested about what dev/block/xxx is for Kernel zImage.

Another question i tried to dump my system image by doing this procedure:

adb shell
rootsh
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p9 of=/sdcard/factoryfs.rfs bs=4096
tar -H ustar -c factoryfs.rfs > package_name.tar
md5sum -t package_name.tar >> package_name.tar
mv package_name.tar package_name.tar.md5

However i can't flash it through Odin because i got error while flashing. The Md5 check is ok, but i don't know what i am missing!

Thanks in advance!

Originally Posted by Ghostbustersin

Hi,
Is there any way to dump system image and then extract Kernel files(zimage) from the current rom running on my Indian version SGS2?( which Samsung is claiming to have put the NFC chip in, but none have found it/or a way to find it yet! ) I don't have root permission ( and i know i can root using CF root but that would overwrite the kernel! ) As, you might be knowing the Indian version of SGS2 came pre-installed with KE8 firmware and we don't have a kernel repository of it yet.

The HIDSWVER on my phone is
I9100XWKE8/I9100ODDKE2/I9100DDKE2/I9100XWKE8

& *#1234# gives me,
PDA-I9100XWKE8
Phone-I9100DDKE2
CSC-I9100DDKE2
Build Info - Wed May 18 13:55:45 KST 2011


I tried to pull the /system using adb but that is not much of a help i guess. I can't use "dd if=/dev/block/*** of=/sdcard/system bs=4096" unless m rooted and i don't know the location of kernel and system images in /dev/block/? either.

I can't run #cat /proc/mtd either.
Can you guys please help me to dump my Rom when it's not rooted? It will also make you guys upgrade it to the latest firmware. Although KE7 & KE8 are packaged on the same date and we seem to find not a single difference for now. You won't be able to find KE8 even in the Sam firmware collections.

$ cat /proc/partitions gives you a list of all partitions, $ mount should give you the system partition. I haven't found the recovery partition yet.

Originally Posted by Thijs96

$ cat /proc/partitions gives you a list of all partitions, $ mount should give you the system partition. I haven't found the recovery partition yet.

There is no recovery partition. It's in the kernel, which is /dev/block/mmcblk0p5

You can't get near it without root

Originally Posted by pulser_g2

There is no recovery partition. It's in the kernel, which is /dev/block/mmcblk0p5

You can't get near it without root

First of all thanks a lot for your prompt reply.

However, I can't create a Custom ODIN Images for Backup/Restore...

Here is what i did so far

dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p9 of=/sdcard/factoryfs.rfs bs=4096
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p5 of=/sdcard/zImage bs=4096
tar -H ustar -c factoryfs.rfs zImage > my_temp_package.tar
md5sum -t my_temp_package.tar >> my_temp_package.tar
mv my_temp_package.tar my_temp_package.tar.md5

At this point when i flash this through Odin by selecting my_temp_package.tar.md5 in PDA, it fail and i got the following output:

<OSM> Checking MD5 finished Sucessfully..
<OSM> Leave CS..
<ID:0/011> Odin v.3 engine (ID:11)..
<ID:0/011> File analysis..
<ID:0/011> SetupConnection..
<ID:0/011> Initialzation..
<ID:0/011> Get PIT for mapping..
<ID:0/011> Firmware update start..
<ID:0/011> factoryfs.rfs
<ID:0/011> NAND Write Start!! 
<ID:0/011> 
<ID:0/011> Complete(Write) operation failed.
<OSM> All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)

This is driving my crazy!!!

Any clues?

Originally Posted by LeoMar75

I'm also interested about what dev/block/xxx is for Kernel zImage.

Another question i tried to dump my system image by doing this procedure:

adb shell
rootsh
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p9 of=/sdcard/factoryfs.rfs bs=4096
tar -H ustar -c factoryfs.rfs > package_name.tar
md5sum -t package_name.tar >> package_name.tar
mv package_name.tar package_name.tar.md5

However i can't flash it through Odin because i got error while flashing. The Md5 check is ok, but i don't know what i am missing!

Thanks in advance!

Galaxy s II uses .img not .rfs i think

Originally Posted by coldflid

Galaxy s II uses .img not .rfs i think

Yep, but i even tried with .img and still it doesn't work

Originally Posted by pulser_g2

There is no recovery partition. It's in the kernel, which is /dev/block/mmcblk0p5

You can't get near it without root

I meant the kernel, it was a typo.
It doesn't matter which extension you give the output file, because dd transfers raw data. Heck, you could even make the output file an mp3 :P
If you're working with Linux, you should run the command 'file' on whateveryounamedit.img : 'file system.img' It will say: 'raw data' or something like that. What you could do as well (Again, you must be running Linux), is mount the file.
[code]
sudo bash
mkdir /media/sgs2
mount -t ext4 system.img /media/sgs2
[code]
If it says it isn't a block device, try adding '-o loop' after '-t ext4'

Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

You can't dump the kernel or any other partition from Android unless you have root access.

If you have access to two indian SGS2s (eg. another friend) with the same firmware, one of you could flash a rooted factoryfs.img and the other could flash an insecure zImage file. The 1st user dumps zImage, the 2nd user dumps /system.

Originally Posted by sgstwo

You can't dump the kernel or any other partition from Android unless you have root access.

If you have access to two indian SGS2s (eg. another friend) with the same firmware, one of you could flash a rooted factoryfs.img and the other could flash an insecure zImage file. The 1st user dumps zImage, the 2nd user dumps /system.

I have a rooted indian sgs2..

PDA : I9100XWKE8
PHONE : I9100ODDKE2
CSC : I9100ODDKE2

i can help in dumping system folder..
I dont know how to..
can I copy the whole system folder frm rootexplorer and upload it?
I am not good with commands and stuff..
plz help..