[TUT] Sous-Chef's Guide to Da_G's Ervius Visual Kitchen 9.7

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Version: 31/05/2009

Intro

Welcome; I wanted to offer a little "something" back to the XDA community in the hopes that it will benefit others and to show my appreciation to the folks that make XDA the great community that it is. Hopefully, this guide will help you work your way up the ranks to Chef … let’s begin!

There are many chefs that provide quality ROM's for you to use. However, if you've gotten excited about the idea of cooking your own ROM's, you've probably felt overwhelmed by the volume of Forum Threads and Wiki pages at your disposal to learn how to do this.

The sections are intended to be followed in sequence as the last section should provide you with a final product that can be flashed to your device – so you may want to read this guide once over before going through the motions … who am I kidding? You’re going to follow along aren’t you?

In case you're wondering ... I chose Sous-Chef because Commis or Chef De Partie just didn't have the same appeal


Applying Original/Cooked ROM's

You probably won't be able to apply an Original or Cooked ROM to your device as your Cellular Carrier has most certainly locked your device. You'll need to unlock your device before venturing into the world of ROM installation. These activities are beyond the scope of this guide; you can however, go to this Wiki page to learn more.

HTC Raphael
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index...me=HTC_Raphael


Original VS Cooked ROM's
HTC periodically releases Official Generic ROM's that you can apply to your device. You can find a list of Original Shipped WM6.1 ROM's at this Wiki page.

Original Shipped WM6.1 ROMS
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index...ael_WM6.1_ROMs


There are essentially two types of Cooked ROM's; those that another Chef makes available for you to use, and those that you cook yourself. You can find a list of Available Cooked WM6.1 ROM's at this Wiki page.

Available Cooked WM6.1 ROMS
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index...ked_WM6.1_ROMs


Outro

Lastly, this guide only covers the ROM cooking process; changing your device Startup Splash Screen and Radio or flashing a HardSPL are beyond the scope of this guide; you can however, go to these Wiki and/or Forum pages to learn more.

Radio
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index...actedRadioRoms
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=439566

Startup Splash Screen
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=431161

Hard SPL
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index...aphael_HardSPL


This guide is intended to help you learn how to cook your own ROM's; it will walk you through the process of extracting the contents of an Official ROM, adjusting the Page Pool, changing the Data Cache Size, and Patching the ROM to remove Certificate verification. The guide does not cover the steps required to add/remove ROM packages or port an XIP from a different ROM version or device ... not yet anyway

Now for the disclaimer bit; I take no responsibility and will not be held liable for any problems you encounter with your device before and after following this guide … flashing a ROM is done at your own risk. If you spot mistakes or inaccuracies in the guide however, please let me know so that I may correct them. Now, read on if you still feel that this is your choice career path

Oh, one last thing ... to the following folks for sharing their knowledge with the rest of us ... thank you!

Da_G
Ameet
Bepe
Cmonex
Ervius
JCEspi2005
JugglerLKR
mskip
Olipro
Aruppenthal
NRGZ28
Noonski

If I missed someone, it's purely accidental – send me a note and I will add your name to the list.

[TUT] Sous-Chef's Guide to Da_G's Ervius Visual Kitchen 9.7 ... continued

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Location, Location, Location

There are many fine Kitchens out there to use; Semi-Automated Kitchens (Raphael, Da_G), Automated Kitchens (Bepe), and Visual Kitchens (Ervius). This guide uses the Ervius Visual Kitchen to assist you in learning the basics of operating a Kitchen; which ultimately, allows you to produce your own ROM.

References

Ervius..: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=469420
Da_G....: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=471288
Raphael.: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?p=2453788
Bepe....: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=467488



Inspecting the Facility

It’s important to get acquainted with any new facility; last thing you want to find out is that you don’t know where to plug your utensils or appliances. Here’s a brief tour of the facilities to get you on your way.


EXT Folder

The External packages (EXT) folder is divided into Device Specific folders and a Shared folder. The Shared folder is typically used for files (packages) that can be installed on any device. Device Specific folders are typically used for files (packages) that should only be applied to a specific type of the device – for example, the Raphael device.

Each Device Specific folder is further divided into Operating System Build Version Specific folders and a Common folder. The Common folder is typically used for files (packages) that can be installed on any Operating System build version. Operating System Build Version Specific folders are typically used for files (packages) that should only be applied to a specific build (version) of Operating System – for example, build version 20764.

Operating System Build Version Specific folders, the Common folder, and the Shared folder can be further divided into sub-folders making file (package) management simpler – for example, .\Raphael\20764\Raphael_External_Packages.

Tip

• The EXT Build drop-down box in the Visual Kitchen permits selection of different Operating System Build Version Specific folders.

OEM Folder

The OEM folder can contain multiple Device Specific folders. Device Specific folders are typically used for files (packages) that should only be applied to a specific type of the device – for example, the Raphael device.

Each Device Specific folder is further divided into Locale Specific folders and a Common folder. The Common folder is typically used for files (packages) that can be installed in any locale – not specific to a language. Locale Specific folders are typically used for files (packages) that should only be applied to a specific locale – for example, 0409 (English).

Tip

• The Language drop-down box in the Visual Kitchen permits selection of different Locale Specific folders.

ROM Folder

The ROM folder is divided into Device Specific folders and a Shared folder. The Shared folder is typically used for kernel system files that are compatible amongst devices. Device Specific folders are typically used for kernel system files that should only be applied to a specific type of the device – for example, the Raphael device.

The Shared folder is further divided into Operating System Build Version Specific folders. Operating System Build Version Specific folders are typically used for kernel system files that should only be applied to a specific build (version) of Operating System – for example, build version 20764.

Each Device Specific folder is further divided into Operating System Build Version Specific folders. Operating System Build Version Specific folders are typically used for kernel system files that should only be applied to a specific build (version) of Operating System – for example, build version 20764.

Tip

• The XIP Build drop-down box in the Visual Kitchen permits selection of different Operating System Build Version Specific folders.
• Advanced OEMXipKernel and MSXipKernel operations can be performed using the XIPPORTEREX & ROM tool.

SYS Folder

The system (SYS) folder is divided into Operating System Build Version Specific folders. The Build Version Specific folders will often contain files (packages) specific to the device DPI (Dot Per Inch) and Horizontal/Vertical display size.

Each Operating System Build Version Specific folder is further divided into a ROM DPI, ROM Resolution, and Shared folder – providing a significant amount of flexibility during ROM compilation.

The ROM DPI, ROM Resolution, and Shared folders are further divided into Locale Specific folders and a Common folder. The Common folder is typically used for system files (packages) that can be installed in any locale – not specific to a language. Locale Specific folders are typically used for system files (packages) that should only be applied to a specific locale – for example, 0409 (English).

Tip

• The ROM DPI and ROM Resolution drop-down boxes in the Visual Kitchen permits selection of different Operating System Build Version Specific resolution and bit depth.

[TUT] Sous-Chef's Guide to Da_G's Ervius Visual Kitchen 9.7 ... continued

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Preparing Your Facility

Before you can begin to cook your own ROM, you need to equip your facility with some Kitchen utensils. Your Kitchen is going to require a good Unicode & UTF-8 text editor; I personally use ConTEXT & Notepad. Another handy utensil to have is a comparison utility for date/file/binary comparisons; I use WinDiff & BeyondCompare. Some other utensils that you're going to require are: Microsoft ActiveSync, .NET Framework 2.x/3.x. You will also need an archive extraction utensil; I use IZArc, WinRAR, and WinZIP. You’ll also need a good Hexadecimal calculator; I use Windows Calculator (Scientific Mode).

It's also a good idea to ensure that your Kitchen remains "pest" free; common pest control services include AVG, McAfee, and Symantec anti-Virus. You'll need to add the RaphaelWrapper tool to your list of anti-virus exclusions as it may be detected as a "Generic Dropper (Trojan)".

References

CustomRUU for Raphael
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=410761


To assist you in your apprenticeship, I have included a link to the Generic Visual Kitchen that I used to prepare this guide - the kitchen also includes a .DOC and .PDF format of this guide. The procedures were tested against a GSM Raphael device. I can’t confirm that these procedures will work on CDMA device ROM’s. Additionally, other device ROM’s may not be compatible with this kitchen format.

Generic Visual Kitchen, 17 MB (mirror)


You’re going to need a RUU_SIGNED.NBH file; I used the following HTC Official Generic ROM – you’ll need to extract the contents of the .EXE and .RAR/.ZIP using an archive utensil.

[ROM] [WWE] Raphael HTC 5.05.405.1 Radio Signed (52.58.25.3 0,1.11.25.01)
http://rapidshare.com/files/19396608...25.01_Ship.rar
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0F50UM5K


For the purpose of this guide, I will assume that you have added the C:\XDA\ folder, sub-folder, and files to your anti-virus exclusion list – at the very least RaphaelWrapper.exe – and that the contents of the Generic Visual Kitchen were extracted to the following folder.

C:\XDA\MY_VISUAL_KITCHEN


The guide is divided into the following sections:

Extracting the RUU_SIGNED.NBH Contents ....... 4
Reducing the .PAYLOAD File ................... 5
Extracting the XIP.BIN Contents .............. 6
Increasing the Data Cache .................... 7
Unlocking the Paging Pool .................... 8
Disabling Certificate Checking ............... 9
Reducing the Update Loader (ULDR) Partition .. 10
Changing the Unsigned CAB Policies ........... 11
Changing the Unsigned Themes Policies ........ 12
Changing the Remote API (RAPI) Policies ...... 13
Compiling the New RUU_SIGNED.NBH File ........ 14
Flashing the RUU_SIGNED.NBH File ............. 15

Advanced Topic: XIP Porting .................. 16

Sous-Chef's TIPs ............................. 17



I will attempt to provide an overview, the list of tools required, and the process to follow in each section. As you become more comfortable (and familiar) with the activities, you will find that you can consolidate (or skip) certain outlined steps. Incidentally, you'll probably want to keep these web links open in case you need to lookup some of the terms or concepts in the guide.

Acronyms
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index...ename=Acronyms

Glossary
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index...ename=Glossary

Development Resources for Windows Mobile
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=445396

Extracting the RUU_SIGNED.NBH Contents

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An .NBH is a signed group of modules or packages; they are typically comprised of .NB files. An .NBH can contain any combination of .NB files. An .NB file is a block of code that can be a Radio ROM, Operating System packages (XIP and IMGFS), Startup Splash Screen (or SPL).

The file we will be working with is the OS.NB file; it contains the ULDR, XIP, and IMGFS (OEM, SYS). To extract the contents of an .NBH file, we initiate the Ervius NBH/NB/PAYLOAD Dumper tool from within the Generic Visual Kitchen.

Upon completion, the following files will have been extracted: OS.nb, OS.nb.payload. Additionally, the Ervius NBH/NB/PAYLOAD Dumper tool creates a DUMP folder that contains all the files required.


Tools Required:

The following Ervius Visual Kitchen tool will be used for the RUU_SIGNED.NBH extraction activities.

Dump NBH/NB/PAYLOAD



Procedure

The following procedure initiates the ROM extraction activity via the Ervius NBH/NB/PAYLOAD Dumper tool built into the Generic Visual Kitchen. The extraction process can take a significant amount of time to complete.

1. Copy the RUU_SIGNED.NBH file to the C:\XDA\My_Visual_Kitchen\BaseROM\ folder.
   
   
2. Navigate to the C:\XDA\My_Visual_Kitchen\ folder.
3. Launch ErviusKitchen.exe.
4. At the multiple warning messages, click OK.
   
   Warnings that may appear include:
   
   Folder Not Found
   Could Not Find A Part Of The Path
   You Need To Specify … First
   
   
5. Click the Dump NBH/NB/PAYLOAD button.
6. Navigate to the C:\XDA\MY_VISUAL_KITCHEN\BaseROM\ folder.
7. Select the RUU_signed.nbh file and then click Open.
8. At the All Done... Nbh/nb/payload Dumped and ''Kitchen'' created Successfull!!! message, close the Ervius Visual Kitchen application.
9. Navigate to the C:\XDA\MY_VISUAL_KITCHEN\DUMP\ folder.
   
   
10. Move the sub-folders (and content) to the C:\XDA\MY_VISUAL_KITCHEN\ folder.
    
    
11. At the Confirm Folder Replace message, click Yes To All.
12. At the Confirm File Move message, click Yes To All.

Tip

• The C:\XDA\MY_VISUAL_KITCHEN\BaseROM\Dump\ folder should be empty at this point – and can be removed.

Reducing the .PAYLOAD File

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At this point, the Ervius NBH/NB/PAYLOAD Dumper tool has removed the contents of the IMGFS (OEM, SYS) from the .PAYLOAD file in preparation for changes to the ULDR and XIP. Removing the IMGFS (OEM, SYS) contents from the .PAYLOAD file reduces the size of the .PAYLOAD file making it easier to work with.

The Ervius NBH/NB/PAYLOAD Dumper tool has placed a copy of the reduced .PAYLOAD file in the C:\XDA\My_Visual_Kitchen\ROM\Raphael\ folder.


Tip

• Advanced .PAYLOAD file operations can be performed using the XIPPORTEREX & ROM tool.

References

[TUT] Manual Full XIP Porting (& MANY MORE TUTORIALS)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=438676

Extracting the XIP.BIN Contents

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The Execute-in-place (XIP) region is an area where an application can execute code directly from ROM rather than loading it from RAM. It is possible to use the XIP.BIN contents from a newer version of a ROM from a different device or a newer operating system. This is typically done by chefs who are looking for the most recent versions of system files from a specific device or version of an operating system – you'll eventually do the same.

At this point, the Ervius NBH/NB/PAYLOAD Dumper tool has extracted the contents of the XIP.BIN and placed a copy of the file in the C:\XDA\My_Visual_Kitchen\ROM\Raphael\ folder.
For the purposes of this guide, we will be using the same version of the system files.


Tip

• Advanced XIP.BIN file operations can be performed using the XIPPORTEREX & ROM tool.
• You can change the ROM Date/Version using the XIPPORTEREX & ROM tool.

References

[TUT] Manual Full XIP Porting (& MANY MORE TUTORIALS)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=438676

XIP Porting Guide
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=379598

Increasing the Data Cache

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File caching improves performance and also improves power management; when an application accesses physical storage, the storage device uses much more power. The less often physical storage is accessed, the longer storage devices spend in a low-power state.

By increasing the DataCacheSize registry value, you effectively improve the performance of applications that are file system intensive such as database and mapping applications – which results in lower physical storage access requirements. Drastically increasing the DataCacheSize however, may have adverse effects and slow the device down as a result of longer auto-compaction processing.

For the purposes of this guide, we are going to increase the current DataCacheSize value from 4MB to 8MB.


Tools Required

The following tools are required to adjust the DataCacheSize value.

Unicode Text Editor
Hexadecimal Calculator



Procedure

The following procedure will change the current DataCacheSize value of 4MB to 8MB.

1. Navigate to the C:\XDA\MY_VISUAL_KITCHEN\ROM\Raphael\20764\OEMXipK ernel\ folder.
2. Launch a text editor and open the BOOT.RGU file.
3. Search for the following registry key entry:
   
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\StorageManager\Profiles\ FLASHDRV\FATFS]
   
   
4. Locate the following registry value underneath the key:
   
   "DataCacheSize"=dword:00000800 ;2048 sectors(2048*2048=4MB)
   
   
5. Change the registry value to the following:
   
   "DataCacheSize"=dword:00001000 ;4096 sectors(4096*2048=8MB)
   
   
6. Save the BOOT.RGU file.
7. Exit the text editor.

Tip

• Make a backup copy of the BOOT.RGU file before editing; delete the backup file when done.

Unlocking the Paging Pool

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The Paging Pool serves as a limit on the amount of memory that can be consumed by pageable data. It includes an algorithm for choosing the order in which to remove pageable data from memory. Pool behaviour is typically determined by the OEM – Microsoft sets a default value for the paging pool, but the OEM can change that value. Applications do not have the ability to set the behaviour for their own executables or memory-mapped files.

For the purposes of this guide, we are going to apply a change to the kitchen_build_rom.bat to set the Paging Pool size (initially set to 6MB) to a new size of 8MB.


Tools Required

The following tools are required for the Paging Pool unlock activities.

Unicode Text Editor



Procedure

The following procedure will change the kitchen_build_rom.bat to set the Paging Pool size during ROM compilation.

1. Launch a text editor.
2. Navigate to the C:\XDA\MY_VISUAL_KITCHEN\Tools\ folder and open the kitchen_build_rom.bat file.
3. In the Find (Search) box, type:
   
   implantxip
   
   
4. Add the following implantxip command line option:
   
   -PP 8
   
   
5. Select the Save option in your text editor.
6. Select the Exit option in your text editor.

Tip

• Spaces are usually required between command line options; the command line option should only appear once.
• You can add output logging to file by adding the following command instructions to the end of a command line:
  
  | ..\tools\mtee /+ ..\%LOG_FILE%
  
  
• Newer versions of Ervius Visual Kitchen provide built-in logging and an Option button to set the Paging Pool size.

Disabling Certificate Checking

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During the startup process of your device, the operating system verifies that each system file against an internal certificate store to ensure that each file is signed with a trusted certificate; if the system file is not signed, the file is ignored.

To allow execution of non-signed system files, we need to disable the internal certificate store verification. Once disabled, the operating system will trust all code installed regardless of its signature. This provides more control over the code that gets installed on the device – you no longer need to load and manually sign additional certificates such as those from the sdkcerts.cab into the device root certificate store.

For the purposes of this guide, we are going to apply a change to the kernel binary file which will disable the internal certificate store verification.


Tools Required

The following tools are required to disable the internal certificate store verification.

Unicode Text Editor



Procedure

The following procedure will change the kitchen_build_rom.bat disable the internal certificate store verification.

1. Launch a text editor.
2. Navigate to the C:\XDA\MY_VISUAL_KITCHEN\Tools\ folder and open the kitchen_build_rom.bat file.
3. In the Find (Search) box, type:
   
   implantxip
   
   
4. Add the following implantxip command line option:
   
   -NoCert
   
   
5. Select the Save option in your text editor.
6. Select the Exit option in your text editor.

Tip

• Spaces are usually required between command line options; the command line option should only appear once.
• You can add output logging to file by adding the following command instructions to the end of a command line:
  
  | ..\tools\mtee /+ ..\%LOG_FILE%
  
  
• Newer versions of Ervius Visual Kitchen provide built-in logging and an Option button to disable the Certificate Store verification.

Reducing the Update Loader (ULDR) Partition

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The boot loader can accommodate multiple execute-in-place (XIP) regions where individual modules can be updated after the initial operating system image file has been written to the device – the ULDR is an example of this use. The Update Loader (ULDR) provides Flash-Over-The-Air (FOTA) capabilities permitting your carrier to issue changes such as Hotfixes over the cellular network – generally, most carriers avoid this practice.

As this is generally undesirable in a cooked ROM, since we are making modifications that a carrier Hotfix might roll back, we will reduce the partition. This will cause the device to report insufficient ULDR space to the carrier FOTA request … and the freed up space becomes available for our uses.

For the purposes of this guide, we are going to apply a change to the kitchen_build_rom.bat to reduce the ULDR – effectively providing approximately 3 MB of space.


Tools Required

The following tools are required to disable the internal certificate store verification.

Unicode Text Editor



Procedure

The following procedure will change the kitchen_build_rom.bat disable the internal certificate store verification.

1. Launch a text editor.
2. Navigate to the C:\XDA\MY_VISUAL_KITCHEN\Tools\ folder and open the kitchen_build_rom.bat file.
3. In the Find (Search) box, type:
   
   implantxip
   
   
4. Add the following implantxip command line option:
   
   -uldr
   
   
5. Select the Save option in your text editor.
6. Select the Exit option in your text editor.

Tip

• Spaces are usually required between command line options; the command line option should only appear once.
• You can add output logging to file by adding the following command instructions to the end of a command line:
  
  | ..\tools\mtee /+ ..\%LOG_FILE%
  
  
• Newer versions of Ervius Visual Kitchen provide built-in logging and an Option button to enable or disable ULDR reduction.