[MOD][Z5] MultiROM v33x

[Myself5]

MultiROM is a one-of-a-kind multi-boot mod. It can boot any Android ROM as well as other systems like Ubuntu Touch, once they are ported to that device. Besides booting from device's internal memory, MultiROM can boot from USB drive connected to the device via OTG cable. The main part of MultiROM is a boot manager, which appears every time your device starts and lets you choose ROM to boot. You can see how it looks on the left image below and in gallery. ROMs are installed and managed via modified TWRP recovery. You can use standard ZIP files to install secondary Android ROMs and MultiROM even has its own installer system, which can be used to ship other Linux-based systems.

Features:
* Multiboot any number of Android ROMs
* Restore nandroid backup as secondary ROM
* Boot from USB drive attached via OTG cable

You can also watch a video which shows it in action.​

WARNING

It is dangerous. This whole thing is basically one giant hack - none of these systems are made with multibooting in mind. It is no longer messing with data partition or boot sector, but it is possible that something goes wrong and you will have to flash factory images again. Make backups. Always.​

IMPORTANT

1. I'm not responsible for anything, you do all this on your own risk.
2. Once you have flashed and set up MultiROM, don't flash another boot.img using fastboot or normally. Always go to TheMultiROM Menu (3 bars in the top right corner) to flash ROMs/kernels or other mods.
3. If you want to uninstall MultiROM, just flash the MultiROM uninstaller.
4. Your device must not be encrypted.
5. When booting another ROM, you'll notice that in some cases, you can enter the recovery of the boot.img of the ROM. Please don't use it, flash everything using MultiROM TWRP.

INSTALLATION

1. Make sure you are on a Rom compatible with one of these kernels and flash it or use the non-kexec workaround. (See important Notices)
2. Reboot into MultiROM TWRP and flash the MultiROM installer
3. That's it. You can now go to TheMultiROM Menu (3 bars in the top right corner) to start flashing other ROMs.

Adding ROMs

Go to recovery, select TheMultiROM Menu (3 bars in the top right corner) -> Add ROM. Select the ROM's zip file and confirm.​

Using USB drive

During installation, recovery lets you select install location. Plug in the USB drive, wait a while and press "refresh" so that it shows partitions on the USB drive. You just select the location (extX, NTFS and FAT32 partitions are supported) and proceed with the installation.
If you wanna use other than default FAT32 partition, just format it in PC. If you don't know how/don't know where to find out how, you probably should not try installing MultiROM.
If you are installing to NTFS or FAT32 partition, recovery asks you to set image size for all the partitions - this cannot be easilly changed afterward, so choose carefully. FAT32 is limited to maximum of 4095MB per image - it is limitation of the filesystem, I can do nothing about that.
Installation to USB drives takes a bit longer, because the flash drive is (usually) slower and it needs to create the images, so installation of Ubuntu to 4Gb image on my pretty fast USB drive takes about 20 minutes.
Enumerating USB drive can take a while in MultiROM menu, so when you press the "USB" button in MultiROM, wait a while (max. 30-45s) until it searches the USB drive. It does it by itself, no need to press something, just wait.​

Updating/changing ROMs

1. Primary ROM (Internal)

• Flash ROM's ZIP file as usual, do factory reset if needed (it won't erase secondary ROMs)
• Go to TheMultiROM Menu (3 bars in the top right corner) in recovery and do Inject curr. boot sector.

2. Secondary Android ROMs
If you want to change the ROM, delete it and add new one. To update ROM, follow these steps:

• Go to TheMultiROM Menu (3 bars in the top right corner) -> List ROMs and select the ROM you want to update.
• Select "Flash ZIP" and flash ROM's ZIP file.

SOURCEs

MultiROM - https://github.com/XperiaMultiROM/multirom/ (branch master)
Modified TWRP - https://github.com/multirom-htc/Team-Win-Recovery-Project (branch android-6.0)
Kernel w/ kexec-hardboot patch - https://github.com/Myself5/kernel/ (branch aosp/LA.BF64.1.2.2_rb4.7)​

FAQs can be found here.



CREDITs

• Tasssadar
• Olivier
• nkk71
• Garcia98
• Thunder07
• skin1980
• Envious_Data
• [NUT]
• Panic Brothers

You might want to consider a Donation to Tasssadar, who is the Mastermind behind MultiROM


​

As well as a Donation to nkk71, who wrote the kexec-workaround and helped me a lot


​

Thanks a lot to those who have donated! The 2 really deserve it!​

XDA:DevDB Information
MultiROM for Sony Xperia Z5, Tool/Utility for the Sony Xperia Z5

Contributors
Myself5
Source Code: https://github.com/XperiaMultiROM/multirom/tree/master


Version Information
Status: Testing

Created 2016-05-08
Last Updated 2016-06-25

 

[Myself5]

Important Notice

This Posts includes Important Notices you need to read if you want to use MultiROM on your Z5.

• You need to a kexec-hardboot supporting kernel or the non-kexec workaround as described perfectly by @nkk71 here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=64248526&postcount=4 (Be sure to leave him a like!)
• Recovery Notice: The Recovery is working with init_sony. If your Kernel is using a older way to load recoverys, then it wont work. Talk to your Kernel dev about using init_sony.
• MOST IMPORTANT: When installing MultiROM on Stock, USB Connections will be broken (Charging is fine). It's caused by MultiROM screwing up the permissions of a init file which is responsible for USB. There are Kernels where USB is fixed already. A list of them is in post 3. For intrested Devs, this is how to fix it:
  Just add

  chmod 750 /init.usbmode.sh

  to the on init step inside of init.sony.usb.rc. It will fixup the permissions MultiROM screwes up.

 

[Myself5]

CHANGELOGs

General MultiROM Changelog can be found here:
Changelog

XperiaMultiROM Specific Changelog is here:
Recovery Changelog
MultiROM Changelog

DOWNLOAD

https://dl.myself5.de
The recovery.img is Tassadars modified TWRP to flash secondary Roms. It is needed to flash the secondary Roms.

SUPPORTED KERNELs

Basically you can use any Kernel you want, if you can live without Touch Support in MultiROM and use the no-kexec workaround.

However, if you want Touch Support as well as fixed USB and kexec-hardboot, use one of these kernels:
OM5Z Kernel
AndroPlus Kernel (not sure if AP Kernel has fixed USB)

If you want your favorite kernel to support kexec or at least working touch and USB, tell the dev to merge my commits.

 

[nkk71]

Nice work mate :good::good:

Though every effort has been made to ensure some form of safeguards and redundancy, MultiROM has always been a "hack", and the no-kexec-workaround is as well.

The no-kexec-workaround is working nicely on HTCs (well at least M7, M8, and M9) and I've seen some other devices using it successfully as well.

As always, have your backups safely tucked away somewhere fully safe.

Happy testing, and feel free to mention me (easiest way for me to get notified), if you think there's an issue to be addressed with the workaround.... I've personally only used it on HTC M7, M8 and M9, so there may be device specific issues, which I cannot account for.


Special thanks to @Captain_Throwback , @ljjehl and @MassStash for all the help and encouragement

And a very special thanks to @z31s1g not only for the official TWRP theme, but all the help he provided bringing it to MultiROM in a very quick way, thanks :good:

 

[zate27]

Wow this is so nice I was waiting for this! I still have a few questions tho:

-Will this work with stock 6.0 with the modified stock kernel (DM-Verity disabled/ Sony RIC disabled / DRM-FIX) ? I'm worried if it will brick my device since you wrote you have a hard time with stock.
-What is no-kexec? Why do I need it?
-About the USB connection bug on stock so if I install your dirty fix everything will work as before? If I uninstall multiROM I assume the USB bug will go away right?

Thank you for your time sorry I'm a noob

 

[Myself5]

Wow this is so nice I was waiting for this! I still have a few questions tho:

-Will this work with stock 6.0 with the modified stock kernel (DM-Verity disabled/ Sony RIC disabled / DRM-FIX) ? I'm worried if it will brick my device since you wrote you have a hard time with stock.
-What is no-kexec? Why do I need it?
-About the USB connection bug on stock so if I install your dirty fix everything will work as before? If I uninstall multiROM I assume the USB bug will go away right?

Thank you for your time sorry I'm a noob

1. Yes, it will work (You just won't have touch in the MultiROM menu (don't worry, you can setup the kexec workaround to work automatically in TWRP, as well as navigate with the volume buttons inside the MRom Menu). The hard time I get is with porting kexec to the stock kernel.

2. The No-kexec workaround is a (ha, who tought that ) workaround to not use kexec-hardboot. Kexec hardboot is a technology to load a kernel into the RAM using an other kernel. This is how MultiROM usually works. Read more about that here if you're intrested: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2104706 . Now, the no-kexec workaround is doing it on a rather dirty (but nicely working) way. It flashes the secondary ROMs boot.img to your boot partition, and then modifies the mount points to link to the ROM files in your internal/external storage (whereever you installed your secondary ROMs). It is needed, because of (1.), and because stock will probably not able to load a AOSP Kernel once kexec is working (so stock can only load stock, and AOSP can only load AOSP. For everything else, you need the no-kexec workaround).

3. Yes. USB is not working, because a script (which is responsible to start the USB Service) has the wrong permissions after booting from the MultiROM Menu (I was not able to include a proper fix for it inside the MultiROM code itself, maybe I will be some day). My App just fixes the permissions and executes the script (which else would be done by the system automatically) (It's basically just executing these 2 commands when pressing the button (or at boot when you turn the autofix on) https://github.com/Myself5/andoid_p...ava/de/myself5/stockusbfix/FixIt.java#L31-L34). Once you remove MultiROM, the script will get its proper permissions back as its a ramdisk file, inside the ramdisk it actually has its proper permissions, it just doesnt when getting extracted from the ramdisk at boot and MultiROM follows (MultiROM messes up the permissions).

I hope that answers your questions, if not, feel free to ask again

P.S. Be sure to read nkk71s Info about how to enable the kexec-workaround in the post I linked in the important notices post, it might shed some more light on what is the non-kexec workaround.

 

[zate27]

SNIP

Thank you very much for your quick answer!
So if I understood this right the detailed instructions would be:

• Flash TWRP-Multirom-20160507-00-sumire.img or the recovery.img or both(?) with fastboot(?) to get the modified TWRP w/ MultiROM support
• Now with this Modded TWRP I need to enable that no-kexec workaround in the settings?
• Flash the actual multiROM: multirom-20160507-v33x-UNOFFICIAL-sumire.zip in TWRP
• Flash e.g. CM13 (Finally ) from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z5/development/rom-cyanogenmod-13-sony-xperia-z5-t3356163" via the MultiROM menu.
• Install the usbfix.

Does the CM13 Rom need to be modified to work with MultiROM or will it work as it is?

Thank you in advance

 

[Myself5]

Thank you very much for your quick answer!
So if I understood this right the detailed instructions would be:

• Flash TWRP-Multirom-20160507-00-sumire.img or the recovery.img or both(?) with fastboot(?) to get the modified TWRP w/ MultiROM support
• Now with this Modded TWRP I need to enable that no-kexec workaround in the settings?
• Flash the actual multiROM: multirom-20160507-v33x-UNOFFICIAL-sumire.zip in TWRP
• Flash e.g. CM13 (Finally ) from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z5/development/rom-cyanogenmod-13-sony-xperia-z5-t3356163" via the MultiROM menu.
• Install the usbfix.
  Does the CM13 Rom need to be modified to work with MultiROM or will it work as it is?
  
  Thank you in advance

1. TWRP-Multirom-Stock-20160507-00-sumire.img is the recovery you need. Flash it via

fastboot flash recovery TWRP-Multirom-Stock-20160507-00-sumire.img

(If the Stock is not working, use the other one, I don't know which of the 2 existing recovery loading tools your kernel is using).
2. First flash multirom, then enable it in the MultiROM Settings Tab inside TWRP (see important notices on how to do that, nkk71 describes it in the thread)
3. yes.
4. Exactly.
5. Yes, only needed for stock roms, don't forget that. Oh, and it requires root, so depending if you have root already, you also need to install SuperSU (use 2.71 beta, it worked fine for me)
6. No, the secondary Roms don't need any changes at all.

BTW, your questions seem to be common, do you mind if I copy them together with my answers to a little FAQ in post 2?

 

[zate27]

1. TWRP-Multirom-Stock-20160507-00-sumire.img is the recovery you need. Flash it via

fastboot flash recovery TWRP-Multirom-Stock-20160507-00-sumire.img

(If the Stock is not working, use the other one, I don't know which of the 2 existing recovery loading tools your kernel is using).
2. First flash multirom, then enable it in the MultiROM Settings Tab inside TWRP (see important notices on how to do that, nkk71 describes it in the thread)
3. yes.
4. Exactly.
5. Yes, only needed for stock roms, don't forget that. Oh, and it requires root, so depending if you have root already, you also need to install SuperSU (use 2.71 beta, it worked fine for me)
6. No, the secondary Roms don't need any changes at all.

BTW, your questions seem to be common, do you mind if I copy them together with my answers to a little FAQ in post 2?

Thanks for answering all my questions. That should have cleared it up for noobs like me
The instructions seem a bit summarily written so your answers help a lot.

Yes sure go ahead FAQ is always nice

 

[bongo1]

noob flasher here not quite got this fully working with a secondary rom yet still trying, but one scenario I can't get my head around.

If your primary rom is stock no root. How can you install the usbfix? Is this scenario possible?

 

[Myself5]

noob flasher here not quite got this fully working with a secondary rom yet still trying, but one scenario I can't get my head around.

If your primary rom is stock no root. How can you install the usbfix? Is this scenario possible?

Nope. USB Fix needs root to work. I am still working on a different workaround for it (maybe inside MultiROM), but thats lower priority.

Sent from my Xperia Z3 using Tapatalk

 

[Ashray_Vk]

@Myself5 , hey.
Could you extend support to the z5 premium too maybe ?
Thanks
Regards
AVK

 

[Myself5]

@Myself5 , hey.
Could you extend support to the z5 premium too maybe ?
Thanks
Regards
AVK

I don't develop for devices I don't own, as I then can't guarantee that everything does work nor that it won't break someones device. If there is a developer working on satsuki who wants to port it and comes across problems, I'll gladly help, but I'm not going to blind-port it on my own, I hope you understand that

 

[zate27]

Hey I have the E6653 and I'm getting error 7 while flashing multirom. Recovery flashing was successful tho. Why am I getting the error the codename of my phone should be "sumire" or is there something I've missed?

 

[Myself5]

Hey I have the E6653 and I'm getting error 7 while flashing multirom. Recovery flashing was successful tho. Why am I getting the error the codename of my phone should be "sumire" or is there something I've missed?

hum, 6653 is what I have too. What did you flash it on? Which recovery did you use? The Stock or the other one?

Sent from my Xperia Z3 using Tapatalk

 

[zate27]

Damn man you answer fast
I flashed it via TWRP, TWRP 3.0.2-0 (wrong I guess), I tried to flash the stock recovery one
Here is my fastboot output:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>fastboot flash recovery C:\Users
\Pein\Downloads\TWRP-Multirom-Stock-20160507-00-sumire.img
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'recovery' (33988 KB)...
OKAY [ 1.118s]
writing 'recovery'...
OKAY [ 0.464s]
finished. total time: 1.584s

Seems like it wasn't successfull because TWRP seems like the same as before :/ Should I try the other recovery? (Without stock)

 

[Myself5]

Damn man you answer fast [emoji14]
I flashed it via TWRP, TWRP 3.0.2-0 (wrong I guess), I tried to flash the stock recovery one
Here is my fastboot output:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>fastboot flash recovery C:\Users
\Pein\Downloads\TWRP-Multirom-Stock-20160507-00-sumire.img
target reported max download size of 536870912 bytes
sending 'recovery' (33988 KB)...
OKAY [ 1.118s]
writing 'recovery'...
OKAY [ 0.464s]
finished. total time: 1.584s

Seems like it wasn't successfull because TWRP seems like the same as before :/ Should I try the other recovery? (Without stock)

which kernel are you using?

BTW: MROM TWRP looks pretty similiar to the default TWRP, it just has 3 bars in the upper right corner which opens the Mrom Menu.

Sent from my Xperia Z3 using Tapatalk

 

[Myself5]

kexec and Stock!

All right. I finally managed to get kexec-hardboot working on stock. I ported it to @AndroPlus Kernel at a first, because it seems to be the kernel you people use. I also uploaded a flashable zip (I used AndroPlus' flashable zip as a base), you can find it here:

Boot.img: http://dl.myself5.de/sumire/MultiROM/boot_E6653_M5_AP.img
Flashable ZIP: http://dl.myself5.de/sumire/MultiROM/Z5_AndroPlusKernel_M5_ModZ_Edit_Permissive_v27.zip

Source for it would be here: https://github.com/Myself5/android_kernel_sony_msm8994_kitakami_r2
I also send a PR for it to @AndroPlus (https://github.com/AndroPlus-org/android_kernel_sony_msm8994_kitakami_r2/pull/3)
(Ramdisk is from AndroPlus Kernel v27, with the fix below)
Oh, and because I am badass, I also fixed up USB on Stock with that Kernel.
For every Stock Kernel Developer who's intrested how I did that (looking at you @AndroPlus and @zacharias.maladroit), I simply adjusted the USB files permissions in the ramdisk.
Just add

chmod 750 /init.usbmode.sh

to the on init step inside of init.sony.usb.rc. I know it's dirty.. but hey. It surely is less dirty than my hacky App (which therefore is no longer needed BTW).

 

[killedbyghost58]

Will suzuran devices work

 

[Myself5]

Will suzuran devices work

No.
Regarding porting requests its the same as for Z5 Premium. If I don't own the device, I'm not going to port Mrom to it.
HOWEVER: For suzuran specifically, @oshmoun is working on porting MultiROM to it, based on my device trees which means MultiROM for Z5C is coming in the nearish future.