Building CM7 for the NT

[CelticWebSolutions]

We have been discussing in another thread the possibility of getting a CM7 rom available for the NT.

Now that we have a functional recovery this should seriously help out with testing, if it goes wrong we can just restore to a working rom and start again debuging as we go.


***UPDATED 5TH Feb 2012***

I thought it was about time I updated this post with some up to date info on current state of development.

As many of you will know we got together last week and decided that we would like to build a CM7 rom for the Nook Tablet.

Goncezilla had already been making progress building firmware and a boot.img to get the thing booting up. Initially the system booted and you couldn't do a lot with it, but it prooved it could be done. Here's the vid showing the first boot:

After that it was down to work to make it useable. After a bit of investigation and a lot of man hours this is where we are at now


HARDWARE FUNCTIONS
Touchscreen FULLY WORKING
Orientation sensors FUNCTIONAL
Sound WORKING
SDCard WORKNING
WIFI Fully WORKING
Hardware video acceleration WORKING

SOFTWARE
Custom Kernel BUILT AND FUNCTIONING
Full tablet version on Cyanogen Mod WORKING
Root Access WORKING
Gapps WORKING
Sleep mode WORKING
Brightness control WORKING
BOOT FROM SD CARD SOLUTION AVAILABLE


and the one everyone seems to think is important
Angry Birds YES IT WORKS PERFECTLY lol

Another little video of current progress

Finally we have wifi working!

Sorry it's sideways, it's changing it now but it seems Google have slow computers!

So the main things we have left to fix are


1. Ermm... hmm... I'm sure we'll think of something

 

[Goncezilla]

Thanks to Celtic for taking on the OP of this forum!

EDIT 2/5/2012Here are the source files used to create the first CM7 beta:
Internal
1. Kernel built from source - http://www.mediafire.com/?tu5lm7q8t5pbqpf
2. Nook Color CM7 Ramdisk (the one we want to modify) - http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?epv9n97evhnuaoi
3. Stock Nook Tablet Ramdisk (the one we need to borrow from) - http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?xms3aeztgupkjco
4. Buawk's Internal Boot.img 2ndboot (this gets appended to the front of a boot.img to get around the locked bootloader) - http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?9l8uxx7rhbqzund
5. Modified CM7 /system partition files (should be good to go for NT) - http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?il5ky2l51q48e8h
6. Modified Ramdisk - http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?9l8uxx7rhbqzund
7. Wifi Driver files (built from Kindle Fire source) - http://www.mediafire.com/?vogxuygrf84xsoe
8. Kernel Config File (settings used to build kernel above) - http://www.mediafire.com/?7vjvqctmlnd4enw
9. GFX Drivers (put in /system/lib/modules and insmod) - http://www.mediafire.com/?5uw4wgytb60n485

SDCard
1. SDRamdisk - http://www.mediafire.com/?4p3wq0u4p9j9mtd
All other files are same as internal.


EDIT 2/4/2012
My Plan for success:
1. Build a boot.img from CM7 NookColor Rom - Done!
3. Get a booting rom working from SDcard to verify steps 1 and 2 - Done! SDcard working great!
4. Port to internal boot partition (CWM) -Done!
5. Tweak to get everything working - Ongoing....

All other ideas welcome here!

 

[LiuAnshan]

I'll flash and test things for you all.

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

 

[CelticWebSolutions]

I'll flash and test things for you all.

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

Thanks

Just to let anybody interested know in advance, this may or may not turn into a working rom, even if it does become a fully functional rom please remember that during testing if your tablet does a nose dive and you can't recover for some obscure reason, we take no responsibility for any damage caused.

Other than that, as and when we have something testers will efinately be needed

 

[Loglud]

Reserved.

Ill post my current working files here soon. Thanks to Celtic!

My Plan for success:
1. Build a boot.img from CM7 NookColor Rom - Kernel built, working on ramdisk
2. Port /system partition -Mostly done but untested
3. Get a booting rom working from SDcard to verify steps 1 and 2
4. Port to internal boot partition (CWM) -2ndboot.img built and waiting
5. Tweak to get everything working

All other ideas welcome here!

So i'd thought id put in my two cents here...

First off, whom ever is testing this will want to have 2 sd cards, one of which is the update_acclaim boot disk, so they can "unbrick" their device. This device is nearly unbrickable, and whom ever ends up testing it, can make sure that they can always return it to stock.

Second off, I would HIGHLY recommend using the stock kernel, with the security keys stripped off. This would eliminate any problems that you would encounter with the kernel not causing a boot. I can get you guys a copy of the stock if you want, as it is easiest to just take the first 288 bytes off of the existing kernel, and ramdisk. I don't have an NC, but i'm not sure that the partitions are the same, I would think about building the ramdisk by combining the two ramdisks.

Lastly if someone has the inclination, they COULD eliminate the useless partitions, DO NOT TOUCH THE X-LOADER OR UBOOT PARTITIONS, MODIFYING THEM WILL BRICK YOUR DEVICE. However there is the useless BN and rom partitions that could be consolidated.

Ill be checking in from time to time, I would recommend that you join the CM7 IRC channel and make a new one so that you will not be bothered.

 

[darthvince]

I've done little more than keep the port of miui updated for the Samsung infuse, but I'd be willing to help where I can. I'll probably only be useful for testing, but I'm more than willing to soft brick several times (or risk a hard brick )

 

[Indirect]

Don't modify the rom partition, it forces a wipe of the device and without a proper recovery for that (stock) you're **** out of luck.

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda premium

 

[Goncezilla]

Second off, I would HIGHLY recommend using the stock kernel, with the security keys stripped off. This would eliminate any problems that you would encounter with the kernel not causing a boot. I can get you guys a copy of the stock if you want, as it is easiest to just take the first 288 bytes off of the existing kernel, and ramdisk. I don't have an NC, but i'm not sure that the partitions are the same, I would think about building the ramdisk by combining the two ramdisks.

Interesting about the first 288 bytes. Any specific reason for stripping them? Is this the kernel header or is it for the ramdisk too? The kernel Im using was built from the BN source.

The ramdisk Im putting together is a combo of the NC and NT. Im working on porting the .rc files and build.prop. There is a lot to look at and any help is appriciated. Ill post the files when I get home this weekend.

Lastly if someone has the inclination, they COULD eliminate the useless partitions, DO NOT TOUCH THE X-LOADER OR UBOOT PARTITIONS, MODIFYING THEM WILL BRICK YOUR DEVICE. However there is the useless BN and rom partitions that could be consolidated.

Good call here. I was thinking about mounting the 15GB B&N partition as rw and leaving it at that. If we get brave we can try and merge the partitions.

Thanks for the input.

---------- Post added at 08:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:29 PM ----------

Don't modify the rom partition, it forces a wipe of the device and without a proper recovery for that (stock) you're **** out of luck.

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda premium

Maybe this is the issue Im seeing. Does this mean we have to use 2ndboot to point to another partition? Is there a mdsum check being done at boot that triggers this?

EDIT: Nevermind was thinking boot partition instead of rom. Rookie mistake No plans to touch rom partition.

 

[Indirect]

Guys, we won't need testers. We all have NT's. You all will get a build once it's in alpha.

 

[CelticWebSolutions]

Like Indirect said, as far as startup is concerned we'll be able to do the testing, we won't really need external testing until we have something semi stable.

Thanks for all your offers though. I'm sure when we get to alpha/beta stage you'll all get a shot at it

 

[O_G]

As agreed with OP i am going to move this to general. As soon as development is posted, it will be moved back to Development.

Thanks to the OP for his co-operation, He is a gentleman and exactly the type of member we want at XDA Developers!

Peace!

 

[Rafael863]

clock work mod

thanks to Albert I am beginning to understand the early stages of getting things like CM7 or 9 functional for the NT and his his recent video on youtube gives a good idea on the developments going on for the NT. I am trying to understand the possible uses of CWM for the nook other than it being a framework for installing custom roms. .. Thanks

 

[dodgepot]

thanks to Albert I am beginning to understand the early stages of getting things like CM7 or 9 functional for the NT and his his recent video on youtube gives a good idea on the developments going on for the NT. I am trying to understand the possible uses of CWM for the nook other than it being a framework for installing custom roms. .. Thanks

Link to the video, per chance? Thanks in advance!

 

[Goncezilla]

Just a quick update before I call it a night.

I've been having a lot of trouble getting a working boot.img built. When I cat the 2ndboot to my boot.img I see the flash screen on bootup but quickly get a black screen followed by a reboot of the system.

I can't even get the stock boot.img to boot after appending the 2ndboot.img file. I was, however, able to boot into CWM from the boot partition by attaching the 2ndboot.img. This tells me that the 2ndboot is working properly.

I'm continuing to deep dive on the boot.img files, but if any other devs want to play around with cat 2ndboot to a boot.img it might help.

All I've been doing to this point is taking the boot.img from a CWM recovery, adding the 2ndboot.img to the front of it, placing the modified boot.img back into a new CWM recovery folder (and rebuilding nandroid.md5), then flashing the boot back on using CWM Advance Recovery.

 

[Goncezilla]

Well, I can report some partial success!

I was finally able to unpack a stock boot.img, modify the ramdisk (nothing major just a small tweak to test results), repack with another unsigned kernel, flash the new boot.img and get a good boot. I did this by using the kernel extracted from nemith's CWM image and not the custom kernel I've posted, so it seems like there is an issue with that kernel for now.

Anyway, I'll try and post some more files later but in the mean time I'm moving on with trying to get a CM7 ramdisk to boot.

 

[O_G]

I think this is now at a stage that it can be moved back to development.

Good work Guys!

 

[CelticWebSolutions]

Well, I can report some partial success!

I was finally able to unpack a stock boot.img, modify the ramdisk (nothing major just a small tweak to test results), repack with another unsigned kernel, flash the new boot.img and get a good boot. I did this by using the kernel extracted from nemith's CWM image and not the custom kernel I've posted, so it seems like there is an issue with that kernel for now.

Anyway, I'll try and post some more files later but in the mean time I'm moving on with trying to get a CM7 ramdisk to boot.

Great to see you've made some decent progress. Sorry for my total lack of input, you're a good few steps ahead of me in developing. I'm still on a serious learning curve!

I'm getting there hopefully in time I catch up with you and give some decent worthwhile input!

 

[Goncezilla]

Great to see you've made some decent progress. Sorry for my total lack of input, you're a good few steps ahead of me in developing. I'm still on a serious learning curve!

I'm getting there hopefully in time I catch up with you and give some decent worthwhile input!

Hey if you have any questions throw them out there. I'm learning some things as I go along but don't have all the answers either. Hoping we can start combining efforts to move forward.

---------- Post added at 10:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:31 PM ----------

EDIT:More progress!

Was able to get the stock ramdisk to boot using the compiled kernel I posted. I think the issues were with my compilers. No guarantees they are fixed but we are getting close I can feel it!

I'm not sure but I think this kernel can be overclocked, so if nothing else this should allow you to overclock a rooted stock device for now. I'll do some testing and get back....

EDIT 2:
Well it looks like this kernel should be capable of overclocking, but there are a few other bugs with it (could not turn on wifi) that still need to be worked out so I am moving on for now. I will post the boot.img if anyone else wants to play around with the custom kernel on stock firmware in the meantime.

 

[Goncezilla]

They had issue with wifi in the cm9 thread which they've now fixed. Perhaps some help from there thread will be available?[/QUOTE]

Good call, maybe we can leverage from them. I think I'm just missing a configuation setting in my kernel build but everything else seemed to be working so I'm not too worried about fixing it right away. Would rather get CM7 to boot

EDIT:

Well more progress to report this morning! I've finally got a CM7 boot screen! I'm stuck in a bootloop but we are really close now!

Turns out my permissions were all jacked up on my system partition and it was refusing to allow the kernel to load divers. I've jacked with files so trying to get a good boot that I'm not even sure what I have right now, so I'll go back to square one and hopefully see a full boot

 

[Indirect]

Whenever you get a boot loop, I suggest that you get a logcat so you know what to look at.

Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda premium