[UBUNTU][Testing] How-to install it on the Prime

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SergeantWagner

SergeantWagner

Senior Member
Dec 17, 2010
70
43
Tallahassee
ubuntu touch?

Has anyone made an attempt to port ubuntu touch? I'm going to get started since it appears to work on the nexus 7 I don't think this will be impossible. If someone has made any attempts I'd like feedback before I start from scratch.
Thanks
 
feyerbrand

feyerbrand

Senior Member
Feb 2, 2011
228
54
SergeantWagner said:
Has anyone made an attempt to port ubuntu touch? I'm going to get started since it appears to work on the nexus 7 I don't think this will be impossible. If someone has made any attempts I'd like feedback before I start from scratch.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I have looked into this for ages, and it looks like the answer is no for the Prime. Now the TF300 has had work done and is included on the website

Link to official Site with TF300

Llink to XDA ROM thread for the TF300

Not sure if either of those would help, but I thought it was a good starting point. Thanks for working on it though! If you get anything working let me know I would be interested in Touch. I have been interested in Ubuntu but it scared me a bit trying it out haha.
 
McJesus15

McJesus15

Senior Member
Sep 12, 2012
693
285
SergeantWagner said:
Has anyone made an attempt to port ubuntu touch? I'm going to get started since it appears to work on the nexus 7 I don't think this will be impossible. If someone has made any attempts I'd like feedback before I start from scratch.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I can personally attest that the TF300 Ubuntu Touch will work on the TF201 while on the TF300 ANDROWOOK BOOT LOADER along with all the tf300 ROMs but I don't suggest average users go flash happy. It's not 100% functional as certain kernel changes are needed for WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.

"words have no power to intimidate the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality" - Poe
 
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badwolf.johnnyv

Member
May 1, 2012
17
0
Sydney
McJesus15 said:
I can personally attest that the TF300 Ubuntu Touch will work on the TF201 while on the TF300 ANDROWOOK BOOT LOADER along with all the tf300 ROMs but I don't suggest average users go flash happy. It's not 100% functional as certain kernel changes are needed for WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

By 'certain kernel changes' what exactly do you mean? Do we need to recompile the kernel or can we just add the appropriate modules? In a similar way to what is required by the lifeinarootshell howto?
 
SergeantWagner

SergeantWagner

Senior Member
Dec 17, 2010
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HB Bootloader??!?

Doh! I was not prepared to upgrade to the latest TF300 boot loader. I'd been using unofficial CM 11 builds on the slightly older JB bootloader. I'll have to proceed with care. I guess I can follow the steps to flash HB again. Once I get a compiled binary successfully flashed I'll let my build bot go to work. I think I can port the blobs for the TF201 in a similar way that was done for CM11. First things first, I need to get my tablet in a state where it boots.
 
J

jam_p

Member
Oct 18, 2010
19
1
Hi. I compile the kernel and get one error. How to get rid of it?
LD. Tmp_vmlinux1
arch / arm / mm / built-in.o: In function `flush_cache ':
: (. Text +0 x22e0): undefined reference to `v7_flush_kern_cache_all '
make: *** [. tmp_vmlinux1] Error 1
 
SergeantWagner

SergeantWagner

Senior Member
Dec 17, 2010
70
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Tallahassee
Epic Fail

tried the TF300 touch rom on 10.6.1.27 bootloader (the one hairy bean put on). Epic fail. I'll see if I can get the bootloader specified in the TF300 forum. I was able to sideload HB back on so at least I'm not bricked :).

I just want to find one that boots on my prime, then compile that exact one as is and see if my compiled version boots. THEN I will work on porting blobs for wifi n such. One step at a time.

Did anyone have better luck than me tell us what boot loader you used and what method you used for flashing?

edit: If I'm reading this right it looks like McJesus used the TF300 HB rom (not the TF201) and THAT bootloader. I'll give this a shot next.
 
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gargash

Senior Member
Nov 3, 2008
100
11
If you make some headway I'd love to try Touch on this. I had tried before but got little done as it seems not much prime dev anymore but the tf300 and above are getting a lot done, just sad that this isn't a popular device due to Asus not clearly thinking design of the primes better.

Sent from my EPAD using Tapatalk
 
SergeantWagner

SergeantWagner

Senior Member
Dec 17, 2010
70
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Tallahassee
it Boots!

it Boots! Turns out I just had to wait a bit longer :)
They said they removed the boot splash screen because it had problems so it looked like nothing was happening for 5 minutes :)
so the steps for me were to install androwook. then flash the 3 zips, reboot and wait.

What doesnt work:
soft keyboard on logon (had to use guest account because I couldnt log on to other users) ---i have no dock just a bt keyboard that I cant configure because I cant log on :(
Wireless
Sound
Volume rocker (assuming because there is no sound)

What does work:
Guest account
opening apps and swiping around and stuff.


Looks like fun, now to compile the current working rom to see if my development environment works, then we start porting blobs :)

Note:
supposedly you can backup your /boot partition and just restore it to get back to android. I think I goofed this part up as I had HB backed up but when I restored I've been watching the CM 10 boot animation(which is soooo much more awesome than the cm 11 boot animation) for the last 10 minutes or so.
 
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feyerbrand

feyerbrand

Senior Member
Feb 2, 2011
228
54
SergeantWagner said:
it Boots! Turns out I just had to wait a bit longer :)
They said they removed the boot splash screen because it had problems so it looked like nothing was happening for 5 minutes :)
so the steps for me were to install androwook. then flash the 3 zips, reboot and wait.

What doesnt work:
soft keyboard on logon (had to use guest account because I couldnt log on to other users) ---i have no dock just a bt keyboard that I cant configure because I cant log on :(
Wireless
Sound
Volume rocker (assuming because there is no sound)

What does work:
Guest account
opening apps and swiping around and stuff.


Looks like fun, now to compile the current working rom to see if my development environment works, then we start porting blobs :)

Note:
supposedly you can backup your /boot partition and just restore it to get back to android. I think I goofed this part up as I had HB backed up but when I restored I've been watching the CM 10 boot animation(which is soooo much more awesome than the cm 11 boot animation) for the last 10 minutes or so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

New MIR 8 was just released in a video, so having a test build ready for the Prime on the 4.2 bootloader really interests me =]

Here is the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4wtaDdzkGw&amp
 
SergeantWagner

SergeantWagner

Senior Member
Dec 17, 2010
70
43
Tallahassee
phablet-tools

My connection to the repo that has phablet-tools is slooooooow. Not sure if it is me or the server that is struggling. I'll try when I get home from work to see if I have problems there too.

It may be some time before my build environment is up. If the TF300 folks put up a new image it will probably boot on the TF201 unless they change something drastic.
 
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k33py

Member
Oct 3, 2010
40
1
I'm looking to dual boot Ubuntu on my tf201 just upgraded twrp to latest version and put the hairybean bootloader on. Tip use USB 2.0 not USB 3.0 for fastboot adb push.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
 
SergeantWagner

SergeantWagner

Senior Member
Dec 17, 2010
70
43
Tallahassee
Dual boot

I don't think dual boot will be too difficult to pull off. It looks like restoring the /boot partition gets you back to android with no data loss.

I'm kinda stuck right now trying to compile the tf300t version. the breakfast command doesn't like my manifest and I haven't figured out why.
 
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k33py

Member
Oct 3, 2010
40
1
Nearly there

I have my dual boot options and can boot into android but when I try to boot into ubuntu it starts to boot then switches back to android, only this time android is displayed in the centre along the left hand side of the screen before it boots into android. How do I change the anything.bin file that I downloaded from tux_minds site into a zImage file ?

Seems I can't boot off the microSD but can get it running from the USB drive. Is /dev/block/mmcblk1p1 the microSD mount point or not ?
 
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SergeantWagner

SergeantWagner

Senior Member
Dec 17, 2010
70
43
Tallahassee
Yay it compiled!

So it compiled with no errors. Yaaay!
Now I have to figure out this rootfs stuff and I think we'll be in business.

From what I understand the rootfs is like a bottled up ubuntu image with users n' stuff all packaged in it. They modify the udev rules for specific devices and supposedly I can do the same for the tf201 but I'm getting clarification from the ubuntu devs now.

I think all the compiling did was create boot, recovery, and system images that create lxc containers for hardware drivers in android and it uses the rootfs for the OS.
Hopefully I'll have a booted system soon but I won't have a product that is as simple as flashing a couple zip files :(

edit:
I thought I was bricked for a while there. I had the ubuntu recovery installed and I wanted to go back to android and call it a night. for some reason ubuntu recovery could not mount internal sdcard so I flashed twrp. TWRP was asking for a password. Uh oh...
flashed an older version of twrp, same deal. google search told me you have to try booting to the system once and that will unlock the sdcard. This worked! even though I didn't have a system to boot to, attempting to boot unlocked the drive and then TWRP was able to flash android back on. Woo! This was probably why I wasn't making any progress with ubuntu, I'll try again some more tomorrow.

Edit2:
Looks like I've been using the HB bootloader from the TF300t and I compiled for the TF201 which may be expecting the older boot loader. I'll try downgrading and see if I can get this thing working, have to proceed cautiously though.
 
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sopidos

sopidos

Senior Member
Mar 21, 2012
96
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Are there any size limitations for the physical microSD in this? I have a 64GB card that I'd like to use.
 
L

LpBv

Member
Sep 28, 2008
21
0
Paris
SergeantWagner said:
No good news, I let it die for a while and started over from scratch. I think I still want to downgrade my bootloader and compile for the tf201 JB bootloader. I'll get some work on it done today
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thanks for the update. Thanks for your work :good:

Hope you could go on a little bit further. Please say us if you require any help>

Regards,
 
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    etienne51
    -----------
    HOW-TO: Ubuntu on Asus Transformer Prime TF201

    Port by lilstevie (thank you for your hard work)
    --------

    DISCLAIMER:
    I wrote this how-to from my experience installing successfully Ubuntu on my Prime.
    I am in no way responsible for what you do with your Prime, even when you are following my instructions.
    There is always the risk of making it worse, hardbricking your device, and this risk is completely down to you !
    This is not a final version. This port is currently very unstable !
    Install Ubuntu on your TF201 for testing purposes only !


    HOW-TO Unbrick your Prime (or not...):
    http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1514088

    --------

    VERSION:
    v0.1: First version of the tutorial

    ABOUT:
    - Working:
    Wifi – Same patch as for the TF101
    Keyboard (if you have a dock)
    USB Host (if you have a dock)

    - Partially working:
    Graphics Acceleration (only 2D at this point)
    Touchscreen (it works but every few touches are off target by 1/2 the screen)

    - Not working:
    Bluetooth
    Trackpad
    Sound
    Sensors (ALS, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, GPS, magnetometer)
    Shutdown, Reboot, Suspend

    --------

    Links:
    Bootimage http://173.244.200.139/ports/prime-sdlinux.blob
    RootFS http://173.244.200.139/ports/ubuntu-prime.img.gz
    Fastboot http://alpharev.nl/wintools.zip

    MD5:
    9625d336062b2ff7eb9530dd5e48fb9e prime-sdlinux.blob
    1a59e7918c199a85f805cb62ca130dae ubuntu.img
    81238957a42b207213442cba7eeff684 wintools.zip

    --------

    Hardware:
    Asus Transformer Prime TF201 (bootloader unlocked & with data/charge cable)
    A computer with Linux installed
    MicroSD card of at least 4GB (a fast card is better)

    --------

    Pre-requisities:
    1. You need to have an already unlocked Prime.
    To unlock it, use the official Asus Bootloader Unlock Tool APK on Android.

    2. You need to have the latest ClockWorkMod (CWM) Recovery installed to easily backup & restore your device.
    To install it, you can use the Android tool 'ROM Manager' from Play Store if you system is already rooted.
    Otherwise, you can use the 'Fastboot' tool along with this tutorial (BE CAREFUL!):
    HOW-TO 1: http://www.theandroidsoul.com/install-cwm-5-8-2-0-on-transformer-prime/
    HOW-TO 2: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1576937

    (You can also install the Touch version of CWM to avoid destroying your volume buttons while navigating :D)
    CLASSIC : http://download.clockworkmod.com/recoveries/recovery-clockwork-5.8.2.0-tf201.img
    TOUCH : http://download.clockworkmod.com/recoveries/recovery-clockwork-touch-5.8.1.8-tf201.img

    3. Before trying to do anything with your device, make a full nandroid backup of the current WORKING Android system.

    To do that:
    - Reboot on CWM (see the sticky, at the end)
    - Navigate to 'backup and restore', then 'backup'
    - Wait until the full backup is done...

    --------

    - INSTALL Ubuntu -

    Introduction:
    To have a working Ubuntu system on the Prime, you have to:
    - Extract the root file system on your MicroSD card
    - Flash the bootimage right on the device

    While installing Ubuntu, the only thing you modify about Android, is the bootimage. You leave the system intact,
    so you'll be able to do a pseudo-dualboot between Ubuntu, and Android (we'll see that later).

    HOW-TO:
    Extraction of the root filesystem:
    - Connect your MicroSD card on the computer running linux (ex: /dev/sdc)
    - Umount all current partitions from the card
    - Using fdisk, fully erase it, rebuild partition table, and create one partition (ex: /dev/sdc1)
    - Format it in 'ext4' (ex: $ mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdc1)
    - Using 'dd' command, extract the 'ubuntu.img' filesystem to the recently created partition
    (ex: $ dd if=ubuntu.img of=/dev/sdc1)
    - Wait until extraction completes... (It takes a while...)
    - Mount the partition to verify that the extraction completes successfully (ex: $ mount /dev/sdc1 folder)
    - Umount it, eject the card and put it on the Prime (ex: $ umount /dev/sdc1)
    - Your Ubuntu filesystem is ready to use !

    Flashing the bootimage (BE CAREFUL!):
    - Reboot in fastboot mode (see the sticky, at the end)
    - Connect the Prime to the computer, and be sure the drivers are correctly installed
    You can find the drivers here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1426502
    - Extract the fastboot archive 'wintools.zip' and move the file 'prime-sdlinux.blob' in the same folder
    - Execute the command: fastboot -i 0x0b05 flash boot prime-sdlinux.blob
    (WARNING! This command will overwrite the bootimage of your Prime! Be sure you know what you're doing!)
    - Wait until the flash completes... (it generally takes a few seconds...)
    - When the blue progress bar is full, on the Prime, hold the Power switch to reboot the device
    - Be sure that the MicroSD card is in the Prime
    - Your Prime is now booting on Ubuntu, you should see some text displaying on the screen
    - Wait until the system initializes... (It takes a while for the first boot...)
    You should see kernel verbose booting, displaying something saying the system is resizing a partition
    on the MicroSD card...
    - Your Ubuntu system is installed ! You can do the graphical basic setup, then do a hard reboot of the device !
    - Good luck with your freshly installed Ubuntu on your awsome Asus Transformer Prime !

    --------

    - RESTORE Android -

    Introduction:
    After installing Ubuntu, to have Android back on the Prime, you have to:
    - (OPTIONAL: Do a full nandroid backup to be able to restore the Ubuntu bootimage directly from the CWM later)
    - Simply restore the Android bootimage from the nandroid backup made before the installation of Ubuntu

    HOW-TO:
    To do that:
    - Reboot on CWM (see the sticky, at the end)
    - Go to 'backup and restore', then 'advanced restore'
    - Choose the Android backup made before installing Ubuntu
    - Choose 'Restore boot' option
    - Wait until the restore is done...
    - Choose 'reboot system now' to boot in Android

    --------

    - DUALBOOT Android/Ubuntu -

    Introduction:
    We can note that the both systems are installed on two different storage devices.
    Android is directly on the device and Ubuntu is on the MicroSD.
    The only thing that changes between the two systems is the bootimage.
    If you have a nandroid backup of each WORKING systems, you can do an advanced restore of the boot 'boot.img'
    of Ubuntu to boot it from the MicroSD card, or restore the boot of the Android backup to boot on Android !

    HOW-TO:
    To do that:
    - Reboot on CWM (see the sticky, at the end)
    - Go to 'backup and restore', then 'advanced restore'
    - Choose the correct backup (the Android one, or the Ubuntu one)
    - Choose 'Restore boot' option
    - Wait until the restore is done...

    --------

    STICKY:
    - Booting the Prime on recovery mode (CWM):
    1. Power off the device (using Android, or by a long press of the power switch)
    2. Power it on, by keeping simultaneously pressed the power switch and the volume down button
    3. When text displays on top of the screen, release all, and press the volume up button
    4. Wait a few seconds and CWM will appear on the Prime...

    - Booting the prime in fastboot mode:
    1. Power off the device (using Android, or by a long press of the power switch)
    2. Power it on, by keeping simultaneously pressed the power switch and the volume down button
    3. Wait until the message saying 'OS will coldboot in 10 seconds' etc... then release all buttons
    4. Use the volume down button to select the USB icon
    5. Validate with volume up
    6. You can connect your device to a computer to send fastboot commands...
    View
    17
    lilstevie
    lilstevie
    Here is a video of the current status.


    There is a blog post coming soon.
    View
    10
    lilstevie
    lilstevie
    Emblema said:
    You have pubblished new files ?
    We are anxiously awaiting :D
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    there is a major bug with the 3.1 kernel which is holding things up at the moment, there is a race condition which means the boot needs to be broken out into an initrd shell and resumed to work
    View
    10
    T
    tux_mind
    Emblema said:
    Can You write on How-to for install one distro complete ?
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    no, and the reason will make you happy!
    just now i've got kexec works! :laugh:

    PLEASE STOP TESTING ROOT_CHOOSER v5.
    configuration files syntax will change for support external kernel loading.

    so, let me make root_chooser v6 and a custom kernel for boot everything.
    i'll update you soon!

    Cheers!
    View
    9
    T
    tux_mind
    i did it!
    the touchpad WORKS!
    ensure to have xf86-input-synaptics package installed ( on ubuntu should be 'xserver-xorg-input-synaptics' ).

    as usually you can find everything here: https://github.com/tux-mind/tf201-dev
    for update your TF201 follow this guide: http://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Asus_Transformer_Prime#INSTALLING_THE_KERNEL

    we ALWAYS provide the source code, for now all our kernel changes are in the JB15.patch file.
    if you want to contribute i'll add you to the repository collaborators.

    cheers!
    View

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