Develop Bugs

SenseUI and MotoBlur on Galaxy S

I got myself a Galaxy S to play with now, and so far the good part is the nice screen...
ive done some porting to motorola milestone which i will start looking into on this phone...
As i understand Kernel can be customized and we can pretty easily install mods using update.zip ?
is updating ramdisk "easy"? if you can handle linux quite well? anyone with instructions on building the initrd image?
secondly building an image? should it be tar'd using odin? or using update.zip?
problems on milestone has been "usb" steeling battery as the native support on htc is different so handling it required a scripting workaround..
with senseui the biggest problem will be porting Bluetooth as it is very different from standard google practice...
anyways i hope to be able to contribute with a SenseUI and MotoBlur port to SGS soon, when i get time to research handling on this model.

i'd really like to help you, but i'm not able... this morning i studied some tutorial such as http://pdk.android.com http://android.git.kernel.org http://d.android.com, but i'm new with linux and i can't understand anything... however i was asking myself the same questions...

Quick catch-up:
Dexter_nlb said:
As i understand Kernel can be customized and we can pretty easily install mods using update.zip ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check, Possible: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=767431
Dexter_nlb said:
is updating ramdisk "easy"? if you can handle linux quite well? anyone with instructions on building the initrd image?
secondly building an image? should it be tar'd using odin? or using update.zip?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, IDK if this easy, but manageable. Both odin (easier) and update.zip (more stable) options available.
Dexter_nlb said:
problems on milestone has been "usb" steeling battery as the native support on htc is different so handling it required a scripting workaround..
with senseui the biggest problem will be porting Bluetooth as it is very different from standard google practice...
anyways i hope to be able to contribute with a SenseUI and MotoBlur port to SGS soon, when i get time to research handling on this model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could contact people at #project-voodoo to get more detailed information.
Best of luck.

Dexter_nlb said:
I got myself a Galaxy S to play with now, and so far the good part is the nice screen...
ive done some porting to motorola milestone which i will start looking into on this phone...
As i understand Kernel can be customized and we can pretty easily install mods using update.zip ?
is updating ramdisk "easy"? if you can handle linux quite well? anyone with instructions on building the initrd image?
secondly building an image? should it be tar'd using odin? or using update.zip?
problems on milestone has been "usb" steeling battery as the native support on htc is different so handling it required a scripting workaround..
with senseui the biggest problem will be porting Bluetooth as it is very different from standard google practice...
anyways i hope to be able to contribute with a SenseUI and MotoBlur port to SGS soon, when i get time to research handling on this model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung is using a zImage. Compressed Kernel + Initramfs.
Since for 2.2 is no Sourcecode available till now, it's very hard to modify anything.
2.1 Source is available at opensource.samsung.com.
You can pack the zImage with tar under linux and flash with odin or you can flash the Image directly using redbend_ua (OTA Update) through an update.zip.

Aery said:
Samsung is using a zImage. Compressed Kernel + Initramfs.
Since for 2.2 is no Sourcecode available till now, it's very hard to modify anything.
2.1 Source is available at opensource.samsung.com.
You can pack the zImage with tar under linux and flash with odin or you can flash the Image directly using redbend_ua (OTA Update) through an update.zip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks , very usefull.. so the .md5 extension on odin files are related to?
anyways i have made zImage for other platforms so changing the ramfs should be straight forward...

Finally a person who knows their stuff is attempting at a sense ui port.
Hope you succeed

I really hope you succeed - I have time but no knowledge - if you need help pm me

DesireHD rom? YES PLEASE!!!

I'll happily donate if you create a Bounty Thread here, if you do get down and serious about it.

MAMBO04 said:
I'll happily donate if you create a Bounty Thread here, if you do get down and serious about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here.

MAMBO04 said:
I'll happily donate if you create a Bounty Thread here, if you do get down and serious about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks, im primarily persuing this as a personal challenge, but of course if ppl likes my work its great.
one note is, as written earlier, more experienced guys will be required to finish the bluetooth adaption, its alot more complex than the remaining parts.
and im told even on older htc phones it was hard to port drivers for bt.
my 2.1 sense mod on milestone was ok, except milestone only had 256MB, which resulted in many reloads of senseui.. here i think we can stabilize, even with a modified kernel to add swap if needed (if the 512MB utilization becomes a problem)

I would be very interested in a Desire HD rom for the SGS .
If it is completely functional for all the functions I use (I use no Bluetooth for example), I would be willing to donate too.
xan said:
You could contact people at #project-voodoo to get more detailed information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1.
It's on the Freenode IRC servers. There's a bunch of talented developers working on improvements for the SGS there, so be sure to drop by.

jjwa said:
I would be very interested in a Desire HD rom for the SGS .
If it is completely functional for all the functions I use (I use no Bluetooth for example), I would be willing to donate too.
+1.
It's on the Freenode IRC servers. There's a bunch of talented developers working on improvements for the SGS there, so be sure to drop by.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=8254744#post8254744
A thread for bounty to devs porting for SGS succeed
-Fraction

Aery said:
Samsung is using a zImage. Compressed Kernel + Initramfs.
Since for 2.2 is no Sourcecode available till now, it's very hard to modify anything.
2.1 Source is available at opensource.samsung.com.
You can pack the zImage with tar under linux and flash with odin or you can flash the Image directly using redbend_ua (OTA Update) through an update.zip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wasn't the JPM source leaked for a little while about a week back? Is that the source code to which you're referring?
Edit: Sorry forgot to check the post date, so at the time you posted that, the source code had not been leaked

[DEV][DEV-ONLY] Honeycomb Progress

[This is not the place to say "this is awesome" or "thanks!"]
[DEVS ONLY]
I want to start this thread to keep up the progress on the port.
the bad news is that the SDK is incomplete for now, so (like other devices)
we will have to write our own code for the OS, the nook community
has done a wonderful job writing their own libraries and stuffs, so we will have to do the same.
Instead of pursuing different goals, let's focus on one thing at a time.
since GSM and CDMA versions are already out, it seems we suffer the same bugs, so for now let's unite strength and knowledge to overcome these.
I propose that the first goal to fix is the SurfaceFlinger, so we could at least see the apps, the buttons and the notifications.
it is currently throwing this:
04-06 22:01:35.495: ERROR/Surface(2960): dequeueBuffer failed (Out of memory)
this could lead us that it might coudln't start because of some malloc malfunction or something.
also that pvrsrvinit bugs me a lot.
update:
8/APR/2011
since DiP7 could fix SurfaceFlinger and other things using a different build from the GSM kernel, we have to dig deeper
======================================
CURRENT GOAL
Rebuild Kernel
======================================​
Current approaches:
*none
Post any finding, guessing or anything, and please, please don't be afraid to ask anything you have a doubt, as a Dev you should not know everything, so we can help us each other
------------------------------------------
Google Easter egg:
while searching some info about the android.mk file , I put it on the chrome bar to search for that term, but instead I went to
http://android.mk
an easter egg web page from google lol

******TOOLS*********
How to send text and Keystrokes via ADB
http://bradchow.blogspot.com/2011/02/send-intent-and-key-event-by-adb.html
use DroidExplorer to easily access your device from your computer and makes changes from it
http://de.codeplex.com/
The Android Boot Process
http://www.androidenea.com/2009/06/android-boot-process-from-power-on.html
---Kernel Tools----
CPU Datasheet
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=745877
Samsung GIT
http://android.git.kernel.org/?p=kernel/samsung.git;a=summary
PowerVR SDK
http://www.imgtec.com/powervr/insider/powervr-sdk.asp
Source code of samsung firmwares(keep and eye on this)
http://opensource.samsung.com/
Asus pad honeycomb Kernel Source
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1026528

ellokomen said:
======================================
CURRENT GOAL
Find why SurfaceFlinger is not working
======================================​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mmmk.. Let me tell you a story.
A long time ago in a galaxy far away... No, that will take too long. In a nutshell, one third of the answer is here, another third is here and the rest is here. I'm not trying to be intentionally vague, I just haven't figured out how these three fit together yet.
Of course, there could also be some bit of code that I missed... some telling line in a debug log that I overlooked or some driver or library that I could have decompiled to sift through its juicy secrets. There could easily be a fix that would take seconds to add and make the whole thing fall in line...
Or we might have to work it from the ground up.
Either way it will happen. It's just a matter of whether it will happen next week, or next month.
(Watch it be a misplaced semi-colon, or a bad symlink... that's how these things go.)

updated approaches and new tools have been added

spacemoose1 said:
Mmmk.. Let me tell you a story.
A long time ago in a galaxy far away... No, that will take too long. In a nutshell, one third of the answer is here, another third is here and the rest is here. I'm not trying to be intentionally vague, I just haven't figured out how these three fit together yet.
Of course, there could also be some bit of code that I missed... some telling line in a debug log that I overlooked or some driver or library that I could have decompiled to sift through its juicy secrets. There could easily be a fix that would take seconds to add and make the whole thing fall in line...
Or we might have to work it from the ground up.
Either way it will happen. It's just a matter of whether it will happen next week, or next month.
(Watch it be a misplaced semi-colon, or a bad symlink... that's how these things go.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The kernel source that you have linked to is 2.6.35.7 for the Nexus S gingerbread and is not fully maintained by samsung but rather by google.
However I do not think you are wrong that there is a problem somewhere in the kernel. The kernel that has been released for the galaxy tab is a mess of horrid code, I have had to re-write parts of kernel drivers just to get them to work under linux, I would not be surprised if similar patches are needed for honeycomb

lilstevie said:
The kernel source that you have linked to is 2.6.35.7 for the Nexus S gingerbread and is not fully maintained by samsung but rather by google.
However I do not think you are wrong that there is a problem somewhere in the kernel. The kernel that has been released for the galaxy tab is a mess of horrid code, I have had to re-write parts of kernel drivers just to get them to work under linux, I would not be surprised if similar patches are needed for honeycomb
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you mean that you made a port of a Linux Distro into the tab?

ellokomen said:
you mean that you made a port of a Linux Distro into the tab?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes click here for the thread on the port of ubuntu

Current kernel source
Do you guys have another link to the current spacemoose kernel source? The download link seems to be corrupted and won't untar. I want to get in on the fun

noobporter said:
Do you guys have another link to the current spacemoose kernel source? The download link seems to be corrupted and won't untar. I want to get in on the fun
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
here it is, bear in mind that this is for CDMA devices

Unfortunatey, we have 4 other honeycomb threads.
Not trying to be rude but spacemoose updates us in the cdma forums AND we have russian rom updates in the gsm forums.
I really dislike the idea of this thread, there is enough clutter amongst the other threads. Do we really need one more place to browse..
The first posts in the roms thread are kept updated by devs.. Is this not enough??

daml said:
Unfortunatey, we have 4 other honeycomb threads.
Not trying to be rude but spacemoose updates us in the cdma forums AND we have russian rom updates in the gsm forums.
I really dislike the idea of this thread, there is enough clutter amongst the other threads. Do we really need one more place to browse..
The first posts in the roms thread are kept updated by devs.. Is this not enough??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah but we need a place for the other devs to share their milestones, here is a place for technical discussion amongst us, to share the knowledge etc...
the other threads are flooded from non devs messages, so it´s kind of difficult to read 14 pages of information when the 80% is people complaining not making it boot

lilstevie said:
The kernel source that you have linked to is 2.6.35.7 for the Nexus S gingerbread and is not fully maintained by samsung but rather by google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, and it contains some support for our device (s5pc110), and some more that can be added (pvr) and the architecture necessary to fully support HC without patching the build itself. If we work only towards patching the system build to communicate with the hardware, we won't be able to run AOSP hc versions when the source drops without going through the same painstaking process of hacking the system to function (while creating numerous faults causing FCs in the process). If we build a new kernel, we can get the hardware to communicate in the way future android versions want it to and we can then do what we want with ease.

noobporter said:
Do you guys have another link to the current spacemoose kernel source? The download link seems to be corrupted and won't untar. I want to get in on the fun
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
D'oh! Nobody told me, LOL... I'll get another copy up.

spacemoose1 said:
D'oh! Nobody told me, LOL... I'll get another copy up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1026528
hey spacemoose! the first portion of honeycomb source... The kernel source of the Asus EEE Pad Transformer... maybe it helps you with a few kernel issues, even if it's for another device... It's honeycomb!

Flokey said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1026528
hey spacemoose! the first portion of honeycomb source... The kernel source of the Asus EEE Pad Transformer... maybe it helps you with a few kernel issues, even if it's for another device... It's honeycomb!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Digging through it now.

spacemoose1 said:
Yes, and it contains some support for our device (s5pc110), and some more that can be added (pvr) and the architecture necessary to fully support HC without patching the build itself. If we work only towards patching the system build to communicate with the hardware, we won't be able to run AOSP hc versions when the source drops without going through the same painstaking process of hacking the system to function (while creating numerous faults causing FCs in the process). If we build a new kernel, we can get the hardware to communicate in the way future android versions want it to and we can then do what we want with ease.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not enough really, PVR kernel module sources have been released from samsung for our device, and is available in update1 zip.
The kernel panics and we have no framebuffer from the nexus s, believe me that is the kernel I want to be running for my project, it is cleaner nicer and things are implemented overall better. unless you know of a solution for kernel debuging over usb

lilstevie said:
Not enough really, PVR kernel module sources have been released from samsung for our device, and is available in update1 zip.
The kernel panics and we have no framebuffer from the nexus s, believe me that is the kernel I want to be running for my project, it is cleaner nicer and things are implemented overall better. unless you know of a solution for kernel debuging over usb
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kernel debugging over USB = adb shell cat /proc/kmsg
You can make any kernel work for any device as long as you add the **** it needs. Just takes time. Working on it now.

Goal and tools updated*

spacemoose1 said:
Kernel debugging over USB = adb shell cat /proc/kmsg
You can make any kernel work for any device as long as you add the **** it needs. Just takes time. Working on it now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't know what a kernel panic is do you?

lilstevie said:
You don't know what a kernel panic is do you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought that linux throws a dump log when it makes a kernel panic specifying the memory address and the cause of crash

[How To] [GSM] Getting started with porting

Ok, so after having a million questions I thought I'd write up a quick little 'how to' with regards to porting.
And now the warning
Read and learn first, doing this could cause serious issues with your tab or even brick it. The tab is really tough, and hard to brick if you do everthing right but it could still happen. I'm not responsible if it does.
Where to start
Get good at reading, google searching and searching XDA. Lots of porting discussion regarding other phones can apply to the tab.
Learn to use Heimdell
Have a linux distro available, either by virtual box, or natively.
Technomancer where it all began
I've said it before and I'll say it again, without techs work miui wouldn't have been possible.
Reference technomancers thread here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=931857 on how to download the cm7 + sgt source, you're also going to want to follow the kernel making part, cause most likely you'll need to make adjustments to the init.rc which is inside the initramfs and requires building the kernel again.
porting x build
Get X build onto your computer and extract the update.zip for it.
Copy the boot.img into your linux environment and extract it using splitbootimg.pl script (note: Google it, plus this doesn't work with samsung builds). Compare the init.rc to your init.rc (from the sgt cm7 kernel source root folder). Specifically the most important part here is the PATH, LD_LIBRARY_PATH statement and BOOTCLASSPATH lines.
Build your kernel with the updated init.rc and flash with heimdell, it should still boot your cm7/miui build (if you were running it before) albeit with errors.
The system
Now following the awesome list of proprietary files (either from your source folder or technomancers github link) check the galaxytab-common-vendor-blobs.mk for the GT-P1000. It lists every file you need that's propreitary to the tab and where to put it.
Also you'll probably need the debuggerd from /system/bin on the cm7 build.
Compare the /system/build.prop of the cm7 build to your port, make sure the ril info is the same as well as the ro; model, brand, device, board, and platform lines.
Create an update.zip (or whatever you want to call it.zip) and try it.
It's not booting
Logcat is great, but I really suggest using the ddms from the android sdk tools. It's color coded, and gives a much nicer view of what's happening.
Using winmerge in windows or a linux file compare program start checking what other bin files may be missing that you require. Special notice to the xbin folder.
It works! I want to post it!
Ok, first up, make sure you have permission if this is someone elses custom build you've ported. Most people/groups are really good about it assuming you ask first and give them credit in your post.
Also credit everyone who helped, answered a question or sent you in the right direction. (it's just polite)
Second your going to want to make sure your update.zip flashes the kernel, read the update_script from the cm7 build to understand how it works.
So that's it for a start. roll up your sleves, gather your courage and get to it!
Please if you have other tips, add them to the thread, what's better 1 or 2 'developers/porters' or 100?

Thanks. This is very useful for me.

Thanks,
Following this method, with slight alterations to adjust, I was able to port an i9000 phone build to the tab in about 10 minutes, it's really not terribly that difficult once you have the right steps.
The first couple times are usually frustrating but after that you get the hang of it

Hi mssmison Thank you for your guide,it will be very useful in the future! I have only one request,how can I contact you? I have a proposal for you about a dev team (regarding an old think tank)

Thanks for the guide...
Is there any ROM left to port by the way?
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA Premium App

[Q] Kernel Development for The Sprint Note 2

Hello Guys,
I am a developer of windows apps and I also do some web development stuff. I have also for the last couple of weeks been playing around with the android SDK and building apps for my phone. I have wanted to get into kernel development for my device, but I have had trouble finding a good place to start. I know I can follow the google directions and build a kernel, but that may not be specific to my device.
I was first wondering is there a kernel (Perferably AOSP like Cyanogenmod) that i can compile just get used to the build process. I belive I have already found that, it being this kernel right here:
https://github.com/CyanogenMod/android_kernel_samsung_smdk4412"]https://github.com/CyanogenMod/android_kernel_samsung_smdk4412
(Sorry, Im under ten posts.)
But this is where the confusion starts for me. I see this as a base of a lot of kernels for the note 2, but I notice the kernel is for the Galaxy S3. So in short, is there a good way to start learning how to build and modify android kernels for my Note 2? If so, do you have any recommendations on what kernel to base of of, or any tips or tricks, or etc?
PS: I am a "Newbie" by the forum standards so i can't post in the dev section.

R3liant said:
Hello Guys,
I am a developer of windows apps and I also do some web development stuff. I have also for the last couple of weeks been playing around with the android SDK and building apps for my phone. I have wanted to get into kernel development for my device, but I have had trouble finding a good place to start. I know I can follow the google directions and build a kernel, but that may not be specific to my device.
I was first wondering is there a kernel (Perferably AOSP like Cyanogenmod) that i can compile just get used to the build process. I belive I have already found that, it being this kernel right here:
https://github.com/CyanogenMod/android_kernel_samsung_smdk4412"]https://github.com/CyanogenMod/android_kernel_samsung_smdk4412
(Sorry, Im under ten posts.)
But this is where the confusion starts for me. I see this as a base of a lot of kernels for the note 2, but I notice the kernel is for the Galaxy S3. So in short, is there a good way to start learning how to build and modify android kernels for my Note 2? If so, do you have any recommendations on what kernel to base of of, or any tips or tricks, or etc?
PS: I am a "Newbie" by the forum standards so i can't post in the dev section.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might want to start here http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1896
Check the Matrix thread, devil kernel and Garwyn's experimental kernel thread. These might give you some ideas

davidh59 said:
You might want to start here http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1896
Check the Matrix thread, devil kernel and Garwyn's experimental kernel thread. These might give you some ideas
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I have been testing around, but two problems have come up,
I have searched multiple threads and got as many dependencies as I could, but I still needed the toolchain. I got the android NDK, and used this guide:
http://xda-university.com/as-a-developer/getting-started-building-a-kernel-from-source
I used the arm-linux-androideabi- toolchain, is that ok? Even if it is, is there a better or recommended tool chain?
Another problem I had is when compiling the source I got a "error unknown pseudo-op .arch_extension" when it was compiling the devices section of the kernel.
Any thoughts and help would be appreciated.
Cheers,
R3liant

boot image

Can somebody explain me the proper way to build the boot image? I'm able to build a pure kernel image but i'ts now what i need to flash into boot partition.

Eh that's a bit complicated, the kindled booting is a uniqueish format. Hashcode made a custom make setup in cm's build system to put it together since it not only has a weird signature but a second bootloader added onto the beginning of it as well. Are you compiling a rom or just trying to rebuild the bootimg?
Sent from my LG-P769 using Tapatalk

Yeah, I've tried to figure out from the CM port how it's built. I've found some code here:
https://github.com/KFire-Android/android_device_amazon_jem/blob/cm-11.0/boot.mk
But I can't figure out how to attach a kernel image, ramdisk, what else.
I'm not building rom, just want to change some features in the stock kernel.

I could attempt to throw one together for you, I think my current setup doesn't bother to check the intramfs as long as it exists in the out directory, I'd just have to replace the kernel and initramfs and attempt a build. O wait I'm in the 8.9" section, I don't have a working build of b2g going for that yet, probably wouldn't be the best idea, would probably work but Idk. You could just build cm from source and pull the bootimg out of the zip it makes. Maybe I can slap together some instructions, I kinda see in the makefile how it works but makefile scripting isn't my forte, its similar to bash but different enough i can get confused at points.
Sent from my Amazon Tate using Tapatalk

Building the whole cm is a bit overhead. I don't need the complete build script but it would be great if you point out some makefiles, or places to look in the source tree, i'll try to fugure out how to use it.

So anyone?

ipipipipip said:
So anyone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ah sorry i have been at work most of the week and passing out once i get home (thank you low stamina). Anyways i thought i had posted something on here about where to look but it seems i didnt, look at this file: https://github.com/KFire-Android/android_device_amazon_jem/blob/cm-11.0/boot.mk#L27
That area (line27ish) should give you the hints you need.
Edit: wait this is a 8.9, wrong link, that would be a nice brick if that was used... Fixed!
most of that file makes sense, the only thing i am unfamiliar with is [email protected] $ usually means a variable or something else i'm trying to rember involving a program, probably storing output from a program as the variable. As to the @ symbol i have heard it means array, not very sure at all about how it works.