Hi! I have ported the u-boot bootloader to Samsung Galaxy S2.
What's this for
This is for allowing true multi-boot on our device. Since Samsung combined boot and recovery partitions into a single one, it is impossible to use different kernels for boot and recovery, thus it is impossible to, say, dual-boot android and ubuntu with different kernels without reflashing.
Is it safe?
Should be not more dangerous than flashing a new kernel. We're not overwriting the original Secondary Bootloader (SBL), we're chainloading from it.
Mind that currently only european galaxy s2 (with max8997 pmic and wvga screen) is supported.
How to install and test
Download the precompiled u-boot.bin http://www.mediafire.com/?ovd6asa90de4ifn
Download the uImage (3.0.30 cm9 image) http://www.mediafire.com/?y3g1e463rzas9vm
flash the uboot with heimdall
we abuse the unused-by-default recovery partition for keeping the linux kernel
You may put a custom uImage and u-boot boot script to the emmc ums partition (the 12G one). Put them to
accordingly. vmlinux.uimg is just a renamed uImage. Take care - for this 'custom' kernel the cmdline is different from android one, it tells the kernel to boot off microsd partition 2. If you want to use custom kernels, please hardcode the command line in kernel config when compiling. To boot the 'custom' kernel you need to hold the home key while turning on the device.
A practical example - booting Siyah kernel from emmc
Get boot.scr.uimg http://www.mediafire.com/?k4s2ldudk8g9u4e
Get siyah uImage http://www.mediafire.com/?w57aqn7jig4ij5k
copy them to the device
For devs - How to compile
Grab u-boot source @ my gitorious, branch is i9100_tracking
https://gitorious.org/i9100-proper-linux/i9100-uboot
for compiling uboot:
export PATH, CROSS_COMPILE and ARCH variables and do sth like this
for compiling uImage either add uboot/tools to PATH and use "make uImage" target in kernel. Or, wrap the existing zImage into uImage
for compiling boot script, use the following command. Please remember that you need to use a different loadaddr not to overwrite the boto script
Here is an example boot script
TODO
Add lcd and board revision detection to build a proper command line
Add support for other galaxy s2 and Note revisions - depending on the user feedback and testing volunteers
Fix MTYPE (linux kernel machine type). Samsung uses the same mtype for all boards which is clearly wrong. In my linaro-based kernel I'm using a new mtype which I registered for I9100. Since CM9 kernels enable more than one board, booting will fail if mtype is wrong. So, for now, uboot is using samsung's mtype, and I want to find a way to switch it in runtime.
Add galaxys2 modem support to fsogsmd or ofono, install Mer or ubuntu and get rid of the java-ridden crapware named Android
What's this for
This is for allowing true multi-boot on our device. Since Samsung combined boot and recovery partitions into a single one, it is impossible to use different kernels for boot and recovery, thus it is impossible to, say, dual-boot android and ubuntu with different kernels without reflashing.
Is it safe?
Should be not more dangerous than flashing a new kernel. We're not overwriting the original Secondary Bootloader (SBL), we're chainloading from it.
Mind that currently only european galaxy s2 (with max8997 pmic and wvga screen) is supported.
How to install and test
Download the precompiled u-boot.bin http://www.mediafire.com/?ovd6asa90de4ifn
Download the uImage (3.0.30 cm9 image) http://www.mediafire.com/?y3g1e463rzas9vm
flash the uboot with heimdall
Code:
heimdall flash --kernel u-boot.bin
Code:
heimdall flash --recovery uImageYou may put a custom uImage and u-boot boot script to the emmc ums partition (the 12G one). Put them to
Code:
boot/vmlinux.uimg
boot/boot.scr.uimgA practical example - booting Siyah kernel from emmc
Get boot.scr.uimg http://www.mediafire.com/?k4s2ldudk8g9u4e
Get siyah uImage http://www.mediafire.com/?w57aqn7jig4ij5k
copy them to the device
Code:
adb shell mkdir /sdcard/boot
adb push boot.scr.uimg /sdcard/boot
mv uImage android.uimg
adb push android.uimg /sdcard/bootFor devs - How to compile
Grab u-boot source @ my gitorious, branch is i9100_tracking
https://gitorious.org/i9100-proper-linux/i9100-uboot
for compiling uboot:
export PATH, CROSS_COMPILE and ARCH variables and do sth like this
Code:
make galaxys2_config
make -j6 galaxys2for compiling uImage either add uboot/tools to PATH and use "make uImage" target in kernel. Or, wrap the existing zImage into uImage
Code:
u-boot/tools/mkimage -A arm -O linux -T kernel -C none -a 0x40008000 -e 0x40008000 -n Linux-android-sucks -d cm9_kernel/arch/arm/boot/zImage uImagefor compiling boot script, use the following command. Please remember that you need to use a different loadaddr not to overwrite the boto script
Code:
mkimage -A arm -O linux -T script -C none -a 0 -e 0 -n "android" -d boot.cmd boot.scr.uimgHere is an example boot script
Code:
setenv android_cmd loglevel=4 console=ram sec_debug.enable=0 sec_debug.enable_user=0 sec_log=0x100000@0x4d900000 s3cfb.bootloaderfb=0x5ec00000 ld9040.get_lcdtype=0x2 consoleblank=0 lpj=3981312 vmalloc=144m;
if test $sgs2_bootmode_val -eq 1; then
setenv android_cmd ${android_cmd} bootmode=2;
fi
setenv bootargs ${android_cmd}
setenv devtype mmc
setenv devnum 0
setenv kernel_part 0xb
setenv kernel_name /boot/android.uimg
setenv loadaddr 0x4EF08000
echo Load Address:${loadaddr};
echo Cmdline:${bootargs};
if fatload ${devtype} ${devnum}:${kernel_part} ${loadaddr} ${kernel_name}; then
bootm ${loadaddr};
exit 0;
elif ext2load ${devtype} ${devnum}:${kernel_part} ${loadaddr} ${kernel_name}; then
bootm ${loadaddr};
exit 0;
else
echo failed to boot custom image;
fiAdd lcd and board revision detection to build a proper command line
Add support for other galaxy s2 and Note revisions - depending on the user feedback and testing volunteers
Fix MTYPE (linux kernel machine type). Samsung uses the same mtype for all boards which is clearly wrong. In my linaro-based kernel I'm using a new mtype which I registered for I9100. Since CM9 kernels enable more than one board, booting will fail if mtype is wrong. So, for now, uboot is using samsung's mtype, and I want to find a way to switch it in runtime.
Add galaxys2 modem support to fsogsmd or ofono, install Mer or ubuntu and get rid of the java-ridden crapware named Android
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