[Xperia S][INFO][REF] All that u need to know before u begin

hello friends,

let me begin by introducing myself, i am an active developer for Xperia devices (X10, ARC, PLAY, etc.) and am member of Team FreeXperia, Lead Developer of Team UtterChaos & member of Team ICX... i have some experience in development for Xperia devices, specifically in kernels, rooting & recoveries and i have various how-to, reference threads which are very helpful to new & advanced users alike across various device communities... i hope even this thread will be useful to everyone... if you would like to know what things i have worked on before feel free to check some of the links in my signature below...

so some of u must be new to the SE/Sony Xperia family & even if u are not this should be useful... this thread should get u up to speed on what you need to know for this device...


i will try to cover some very basic things and try to touch upon some advanced topics...


i will be dividing this thread into various sections, and each section will point to an individual post...

following is the list of sections covered:

• Basics
  
• FlashTool
  
• Bootloader Unlocking & Relocking
  
• Rooting
  
• Recovery
  
• Flashing Custom Kernel
  
• Flashing Custom ROMs

for those who are interested in development are free to contact me via p.m.... BUT PLEASE do not ask generic questions, post all generic queries at the forums/threads...


regards,

DooMLoRD

Basics

[ various bootmodes ]

newest (2011 onwards) SEMC/SE/Sony devices have three boot modes... these bootmodes can be reached when device is powered off...

• Normal - just press power button and device starts booting
• Flashmode - this mode is used to flash stock OFFICIAL firmware using flashtool, denoted by GREEN LED (this is similar to DOWNLOAD/ODIN mode of the Samsung devices)
• Fastboot mode - this is a special mode, denoted by BLUE LED, used when we want to flash custom kernel, custom system images, for that we need to unlock bootloader, i will tell more details about this later...

[ various key combinations ]

this is most important part...

known key combinations so far:

while device is power OFF

Volume Up + USB cable connected to PC -> FASTBOOT MODE (BLUE LED will light up)

Volume Down + USB cable connected to PC -> FLASHMODE (GREEN LED will light up)


while device is power ON

Volume Up + POWER (for 10 seconds) -> resets the battery, its like removing the battery and putting it back in [device will vibrate once]

Volume Up + POWER (for additional 5 seconds, total 15 seconds) -> will power off hard, device will power down [device will vibrate thrice]





[ understanding About Phone ]






What it all means for u:

Kernel version:
Sony has released this device with 2.6.35 kernel. When custom kernels are released (they will surely be soon) this string will change.


Model number:
The Xperia S has model number as LT26 and has two models LT26i and LT26a. They differ in the spectrum of frequencies supported for 3G/WCDMA http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_s-4369.php
LT26i - HSDPA 900 / 2100
LT26a - HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100
(i am not 100% sure if there is a LT26a in the market... this info is derived from X10i/a & LT15i/a... please do not get confused...)


Android version: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)
S.E. officially launched this phone with android version 2.3 (aka GingerBread).
Though Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.x) should be released soon (DONT ASK ME WHEN, I DONT KNOW)


Baseband version: [linked to firmware version]
(Crudely) this is a software interface which communicates with radio -> gsm/wcdma (2g/3g), basically acts as a base for the main OS to ‘talk-to’ the hardware on the phone [I know this explanation isn’t precise even partly incorrect.. if someone can help me out I will update it]
This is similar to the "radio" image of the HTC devices.

Build number: [aka firmware version]
This is dependent on which firmware u flash on ur phone and is linked to the baseband version.
Btw some devs use this field to add their own ‘signature’ to the ROM so if u are using custom ROMs this field might be varying. Though the Baseband version for a particular firmware remains same.




what is firmware?

The firmware is a package containing all the official software for a particular build. It will contain system, kernel & baseband files. Generally the firmware is supplied (on forums) in form of FTF package (a container file ending with .ftf) which can be flashed via FlashTool.



what are the ways to update/repair firmware?

SEUS (Sony Ericsson Update Service) / PCC (PC Companion) / EMMA are all official ways to update to new or repair existing firmware on your device. SEUS/PCC are available to all users (consumers), EMMA is special and is only available to select individuals. This requires you to connect device to PC and then the software will check for updates and download them over the internet.

Updates can also be sent as FOTA (Firmware over-the-air)/OTA (over-the-air) updates where in you can download and install the updates without the need to connect to PC/any software.

FlashTool is an unofficial user-created tool, but the best way to flash official firmwares. Generally the firmware is supplied in form of FTF package (a container file ending with .ftf) which can be flashed via FlashTool. Thus FlashTool is the easiest way to do offline updates, just download the FTF file, it keep on PC and flash ur device when ever you want to.

FlashTool

Flashtool is one of the MOST IMPORTANT piece of software for ur phone, it is an unofficial, but the best way to flash official firmwares. Generally the firmware is supplied in form of FTF package (a container file ending with .ftf) which can be flashed via FlashTool. Thus FlashTool is the easiest way to do offline updates, just download the FTF and keep on PC and flash ur device when ever you want to. One can also flash select partitions using FlashTool, say you want to flash baseband(radio) from newer/older firmware but want to keep the main system the same u can do that using newest FlashTool! FlashTool also supports fastboot modes! so if you are not very comfortable with command line then u can use the FastBoot Toolbox inbuilt into FlashTool to fastboot the kernels!


For all flashtool informations (download links, release notes, FAQ) go to the Flashtool Homepage

Flashtool is on github : FlashTool GitHub repo

Flashtool thread specifically for Xperia S:
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1588586


[FLASHTOOL GUIDE] HOW TO for n00bies (excellent guide for new users, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! The info for Rooting, Recovery & Bootloader UNlock in that thread is for older Xperia devices...)

i will try n get more links for FlashTool and post it here

Flashing Custom Kernel

[ requirements ]

1. bootloader of the device is UNLOCKED
2. fastboot drivers installed
3. fastboot binaries

Instructions for flashing custom kernels

1. reboot device into fastboot mode
   
   Code:

   adb reboot bootloader

   OR
   power off device and with VOL UP button pressed connect USB cable
   
   BLUE LED should come up
2. go to the folder where u have downloaded the fastboot binaries
   with SHIFT key do a RIGHT click of the mouse and then select "Open Command Prompt here"
   
   
3. now you will get windows Command Prompt
   
   
4. type the following command to check if device is connected
   
   Code:

   fastboot devices

5. it should return something like:
   
   Code:

   PSDN:XXXXXXXXXXXXX     fastboot

6. this verifies that device is correctly connected
   
   
7. now flash the kernel (it can be a boot.img OR a kernel.elf OR kernel.sin)
   
   Code:

   fastboot flash boot boot.img

   OR
   
   Code:

   fastboot flash boot kernel.elf

   OR
   
   Code:

   fastboot flash boot kernel.sin

8. you will get output like:
   
   Code:

   sending 'boot' (4804 KB)...
   (bootloader) USB download speed was 15923kB/s
   OKAY [  0.326s]
   writing 'boot'...
   (bootloader) Flash of partition 'boot' requested
   (bootloader) S1 partID 0x00000003, block 0x00002000-0x0000bfff
   (bootloader) Erase operation complete, [I][B]0 bad blocks encountered[/B][/I]
   (bootloader) Flashing...
   (bootloader) Flash operation complete
   [I][B]OKAY[/B][/I] [  0.940s]
   finished. total time: 1.266s

9. keep an eye if you get any "bad blocks" and that finally u get "OKAY"
   
   
10. thats it kernel is now flashed
    
    
11. now reboot from fastboot mode
    
    Code:

    fastboot reboot

12. the device should start booting

this same procedure can be used to flash STOCK kernels also

just extract the kernel.sin from the firmware FTF (open the FTF using 7zip)
and flash with above instructions

Rooting

Currently (April 17, 2012) there is no exploit which works on Xperia S firmware... so the only way to root is to unlock bootloader and then flash a prerooted system.img OR flash an auto-rooting kernel...


Bin4ry has posted a pre-rooted image here


OR


list of firmwares and prerooted system.img


OR


you can flash any auto-rooting kernel... some kernels feature auto-root which basically means that once u flash that kernel and boot the device, the kernel will perform necessary actions to root your device!!!

auto-rooting kernels available:

• DooMKernel

any queries regarding how to use either of these should be posted in corresponding thread...