Fixing permissions - Nook Color Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I have noticed that performance on the Nook after an update goes down unless you specifically fix permissions. What filesystem permissions/ownership are actually broken or wrong? Is it a matter of fixing the build process to make sure the correct permissions are stored?

Related

Insufficient Storage....

Yes, I've searched this forum, xda in general, and google.
I'm cooking up the next MatrixROM, and I have nearly everything the way I want it, but now when I download any app, it fails with an insufficient storage error.
Mainly the only things I've messed with are android.policy.jar and framework-res.apk as well as swapping some assorted apks in an out. Otherwise this is based on the latest DC. I've also got the rotary lockscreen stuck in there too. The only thing I've modified in the update script is a line to copy over the DATA folder for a few apks.
I have tried fixing apk uid mismatches and have also tried wiping and reinstalling. I'm guessing that this most likely has something to do with permissions, but I'm not too experienced with those sorts of issues..
Does anyone have an idea of what to try? I would have PM'd a dev, but I wasn't sure who was the best one to ask.
(going to sleep now, be back tomorrow) THANKS in advance!
SOLVED I don't want to bump the thread again, but I totally forgot that you need to apply permissions to the data/app folder
Code:
set_perm 1000 1000 0771 DATA:app
You try optimizing after zipping? The link to the script is somewhere in thus forum.
Edit: By optimize I mean deodex and zipalign the files.

Sounds crazy, but build.prop edits not persisting through hard reboot.

I know this will sound crazy, but when I edit the build.prop file with root explorer to change the LCD density, then after a hard reboot the nook reverts to default settings. As in, I change the LCD setting to ANYTHING, and after a hard reboot the nook ALWAYS boots to 161 LCD density.
Soft reboots will retain my build.prop edits.
My just flashed the most recent nightly, had the same problems on the previous nightly.
I tried copying the build.prop file to my SD-card, then editing it, then deleting the one in the system folder, then moving the new/edited build.prop file into the system folder. This did not work as well.
Frankly I'm stumped.
Anyone else have any ideas?
Make sure you mount /system/ r/w in root explorer... somtimes people forget and just mount / as r/w but that doesn't work.
DizzyDen said:
Make sure you mount /system/ r/w in root explorer... somtimes people forget and just mount / as r/w but that doesn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply, but I am only mounting /system/ as r/w. The file IS being changed, the actual change to the LCD density setting is there and persists. The nook just ignores it and loads 161.
EDIT:
I just tried adb pulling build.prop, changing the LCD density in notepad++, and adb pushing it back to /system. It still hard reboots to LCD density 161 no matter what I change it to.
EDIT2:
Here's an even crazier thing. When I adb pull the build.prop and open it, the LCD density setting says what I changed it to, but it's like the nook is disregarding that setting and defaulting to 161.
EDIT3:
Here's a link to my build.prop file and a logcat if anyone smarter than I can find anything wrong. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20309200/build.prop http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20309200/logcat.txt

Alternative thoughts on preventing OTA update

I don't think I have seen any mention of this idea yet. Sorry if I missed it...
In a recent thread about the 6.2.2 update and people wanting to prevent it, I thought I read that someone saw the file show up in the update directory. I'm assuming this means the same 'kindleupdates' directory you could manually drop the update into -- but if not, the idea is the same. Why not just take some step to prevent access to this directory?
The exact step to take would depend on how smart the developers were about dealing with problems in the update process
The easiest step would be to chmod 555 it. But of course if the update process is running as root it is under no requirement to honor those permissions! (My experience in the unix world tells me that about half the time, programs running as root do honor the permissions even though technically root overrides them).
Another easy step would be to delete it altogether. But they probably thought of that (if it's /mnt/sdcard/kindleupdates where someone could easily accidentally delete it) and recreate it if it's missing.
One trick that is often done is to replace the directory with a file. Some programmers do not think to check this kind of condition - they see there is something there, but they get an error opening it as a directory, and they just declare it's an error.
A more subtle trick would be to replace the directory with a symlink that points to a read-only directory (such as /system). In this case, they could open it as a directory, and just fail to write there. The programmer probably would not have thought to check whether it's a link vs. a real directory. One possible gotcha is if you point to /system, and /system is r/w, then the update could screw something up under /system. So maybe mount /system r/w, mkdir /system/kindleupdates, remount /system r/o, then link the update dir to /system/kindleupdates.
And finally, I don't know if Android has any kind of loopback filesystem capability, but loopback-mounting something read/only on that directory would certainly fake the OS into thinking there was a directory there; it would definitely be read/only, and I don't think they would ever think to check whether there is actually some filesystem mounted there! (and if there was, all you need is an app that constantly accesses some file you put there, which would make it busy so that it couldn't be unmounted).
The first method won't work because the sdcard partition is fat32 and doesn't accept unix permissions.
it downloads to the /cache folder - this folder is also used for other things like market downloads, logs from twrp and i don't know what else
btw. there are a lot of threads about this from the 6.2.1 update
make a short search for "prevent ota update" - you'll have a lot to read ...
well, i just deregistered my kindle acount and i'm still in 6.2.1...
b63 said:
it downloads to the /cache folder - this folder is also used for other things like market downloads, logs from twrp and i don't know what else
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, that makes this less practical. Still, perhaps when the next update comes out I can try a variation on this but it requires the filename to be known.
If the update is downloaded as a single file to /cache, which is named the same as the file you can manually grab, then someone who hasn't gotten 6.2.2 (and is not averse to this failing) can try this in a root shell:
mkdir /cache/update-kindle-6.2.2_D01E_3205220.bin
mkdir /cache/update-kindle-6.2.2_D01E_3205220.bin/blah
The purpose here is to put something unremovable in the way of the file it wants to download. Most likely if the update sees something with the existing name there it would probably want to blow it away (after determining it's incomplete) - and since any update there would normally be a regular file, they probably would do nothing more complicated than a simple unlink syscall to delete it before re-downloading. However, since it's a directory with something in it, that unlink will fail. In actuality, making the subdirectory (second command above) should be unnecessary because the unlink should not work for directories; there's a special rmdir syscall for them.
btw. there are a lot of threads about this from the 6.2.1 update
make a short search for "prevent ota update" - you'll have a lot to read ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did read a lot of that last time and I don't think I actually saw a definitively successful method. If there is one it should be stickied
My interest in this is a little different from most of you guys - I have very limited satellite internet and I don't like these unscheduled 185-meg downloads so I want to be able to update only when I want mostly to control that. This kind of means looking for the least-intrusive way to accomplish this.
/cache/update-kindle-6.2.2_D01E_3205220.bin is exactly where it downloads
if you find a way to even prevent the download, that would be greatly appreciated
Unfortunately I already got the update so I can't try it this time.
at least you could try your method with a dummy file of an other name and try to overwrite it with adb - if you can't overwrite it there's a good chance
I think I'm about the only one who prevented 6.2.1. I did it by constantly checking the cache folder. Found the update by chance and deleted it before it updated. Waited over a week for it to come back. Never did. An app that watched the cache folder for the updates and then moved/deleted them would work fine
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda premium
jcase already work a way around this automatic OTA update, so when FIREMOD is ready to replace burrito I think we will have no more problem with this OTA issue. (you can find jcase announcement in the kindle developer section)
Heres what I have done to prevent this.
1) Droidwall (white list only the apps you want to allow internet access)
2) Removed "otacerts.zip" from /system/etc/security/otacerts.zip.
3) I removed "OTASilentInstall.apk" /system/app
4) Installed this 6.2.2 based Rom http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1439916
Hopefully this eliminates the OTA. I had my Fire rooted on 6.2.1 with twrp and it OTA'd on its own, broke root and twrp. So I rerooted with burritoroot2 and installed CWM based recovery.

[SOLVED] permission denied /vendor/scripts Initramfs

SOLVED: I feel dumb. Turns out the permission for initramfs/vendor/scripts/*.sh, just needed to be set in ubuntu(or linux), before compiling kernel. I thought they were! or I though they would be set in init.rc or perhaps during build.
Anyways first custom kernel built! woo hoo.
I hope this helps someone with a similar issue in the future.
Im building my first kernel, and it will be our first custom kernel for Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus (3G) GT-P6200.
I have 2 scripts in Initramfs/vendor/scripts/ 1.) bootanimation.sh, run-parts.sh
2 very common ones. I have been struggling to get them to work. I have done an adb logcat at boot and it says permission denied. in root explorer /vendor/ is the same as everyother folder on root rwxr-xr-x. /scripts/ folder is the same, but both scripts are rw-r--r--. I tried changing them manually as well as fixing permissions in recovery, no change of course, because it likely gets reset at reboot.
My question is how do I make these executable by init.rc? hopefully I can chmod them in init.rc? or chown? I dont want to do it just for my device, I would like to change this in the kernel build.
Thanks so much, if you could PM if you are sure of the answer it would be greatly appreciated. In the meantime I will continue my search.
cheers!

(OUTDATED) Nook HD+ root, modified 2/15/13 RIP

THIS METHOD IS NO LONGER WORKS as of update version 2.0.5 and higher.
Please visit this thread instead for the current rooting method.
Posting in this thread will get you nowhere, let it RIP.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
If you have a new Nook HD/HD+ and want to root and get the GAPPS running, you should follow the guide at the All-in-One thread instead. That said, I won't copy all the information here to there, so you should continue to read on.
Let me start by saying that I didn't come up with the working root method. The original root instruction came from verygreen in this thread. And I am not a developer, I merely have a few linux background and even less so in the Android. I worked on this on my spare time by myself.
I merely take what was working, but unusable to make it usable. I found something that he is missed. This may actually be working on Nook HD (non-plus) also, but since I don't own one I can't say that it will.
Disclaimer:
If something gone wrong, it's all your fault. I take ZERO responsibility for what happen to your device, your life, your wife/husband, your kids, your unborn child and etc. You get the idea.
Background:
When I found out the root doesn't actually work past a reboot, I start looking what actually cause the Nook to be pissed and factory reset itself. Well, it seem that the /system and anything in there is basically coming from a /dev/block/mmcblk0p8 And if something got change, Nook get pissed and do a FULL FACTORY RESET(I'll explain in a moment). Well, at least I start investigated under that idea.
What I found:
What I found, or at least what I think I found is that, probably just adding file, or increase in the size(maybe there is a threshold for this), will cause it to do a full factory reset. What I also found is that there is a $PATH for /system/sbin but not pointing to anywhere. So I come up with the idea of making another ext4 file system in a file and loop mount it to /system/sbin I guess that work(very well). What I also found is that, there are two kind of factory resets. The one that you perform yourself, which is actually not a full factory reset and the one that Nook get pissed and do the full one.
A factory reset that you perform yourself, whether from the GUI or button combination will basically clean the partition /data while a full blown one will basically restore other partition such as /system
What is included:
basically a zip file, inside that zip file are 6 files.
boot_complete_hook.sh.bak this is basically a modified version of verygreen's
busybox & su are basically from his thread
superuser.apk well I found this one floating around and seem like a good idea to stick it in there (not even sure if it gonna work w/ Nook)
makeroot.bat this is basically what do most of the work. It's base on verygreen original rooting instruction.
sbin_mount This is basically an ext4 file system which have su and another version of busybox all setup nice and tidy for you all. This version of busybox is 1.20.2r2 which I grabbed from here.
Prerequisite:
ADB, it's your responsibility to have adb up and running, meaning not just have it install, but it can see your nook also.
leapinlar wrote a post to help you getting ADB to work here.
Now to get root:
all you have to do is unzip it and run makeroot.bat (obviously you run this in windows command prompt). Yub that's all. The batch file will do the rest, including reboot the nook and wait for it to reboot and stuff. Won't make a coffee for you though.
The manual and hard way:
well, I will only explain this in a summarize way. Basically this start with verygreen rooting method. It basically take advantage of the exploit and run /data/boot_complete_hook.sh which you adb push yourself(with correct permission) with root privilege. What you can run in there is basically up to your creativity. So obviously in this case, you mount the sbin_mount as an ext4 filesystem in the /system/sbin You can make this file yourself if you want to, in linux using dd and mkfs command. Basically using dd to create a file volume to the size you want and mkfs to format it to ext4. Mount it and start uploading stuff you want in there. You will have to correct all the file permission as well. Since all of this will be mounted to /system/sbin you should be aware what you gonna put in there. I guess I could make this thing 100MB, but for this specific purpose 10MB is enough. I my case, just the su and busybox and the symbolic links for the busybox. I'm doing this for the long term. I'm too lazy to point to busybox everytime I wanna do something.
What to do afterward:
Now that you have root, you can Enable Unknown Source to allow you to install app from within the device and install GAPPS. Follow the two guides below if you interested.
Enable Unknown Source: Again, I make an easy little tool for you here.
GAPPS: here.
Did I missed something:
Well, as I said I'm no coder so if I didn't do a clean job, you can refine it. If I didn't document or give proper credit, then I guess I missed that. Sorry about that, again I'm no coder and never done this. And finally:
If this thing work for you, feel free to hit that "THANKS" button. I spent many hours trying to come up with this solution.
FAQ:
Q: My so and so application when attempting to have root access get freeze up, or superuser doesn't work?
A: Well, I'm not sure if this is dued to how the Nook side-loading work or not, but it seem for some reason superuser won't start by itself. So you have to start it manually the first time.
Q: I type in "adb root" and I can't get in as root, it doesn't work?
A: yes it does, it's just not working with adb root. You can get in via "adb shell" once you get in, type in "su" and you can see that you now should have root access.
Thank you so much! This works perfectly. Survives reboot.
here's the Linux version.
Thanks someone0 for getting this started.
Haven't fully tested the linux version, but it loads and starts up, so should work.
extract, and open up terminal and navigate to the dir you extracted to, and type
./makeroot.sh and then enter.
This sounds like a good idea initially.
It is true that the B&N does not just check for /system/xbin/su directly like they did in the past.
This time they check for something else and I just had no time to look into it more deeply to find out what is it they are actually checking for. I plan to figure this out on Friday when I am back home.
Also wanted to tell you that having Linux background is a great thing when tinkering with Android (at a low level, anyway). I don't have much Android background to speak of as well.
This works really well, and thanks to Someone (and mad props too) for getting persistent root working on this.
I may be being very naive, but my suspicion on the reboot is around the manifest file that's present at root.
It seems to be generated by the boot process and it might provide a quick and dirty list of what's permitted on the device to check. With persistent root, lots of investigation becomes a lot less painful. I expect that by end of day we'll have install unsigned running.
Early in my experimenting with the HD+, I noted:
- some versions of the Google Services Framework can be installed via adb
- when I launched the native calendar app after installing gsf, it wanted to sync to a google account, and was able to add the google account
- one version of the Play store installed and launched as far as throwing the 'you must accept the terms of service' before crashing
What BN most likely does is calculating the hash value (or digest, if you prefer) of certain system files that they think shouldn't be tampered with, then during reboot, the values of these files must match, or they will do a factory reset.
The key point is to find out where they do these checks and fool the check.
This sound simple but it depends on how they implement it. If they use binary decisions (like if the hash_value == calculated), then it is easy to get around. If not (e.g. using white box algorithm to hide keys), then it get more complicated.
excellent and very elegant solution. Kudos!
I'm heading out to work, and if you think your theory is right, try poking around with it. Now that your have root, you can try to dd those bootloading partitions out to user area and upload them out to PC and inspect them.
looking at the vold.fstab
Code:
xloader -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p1
bootloader -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p2
recovery -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p3
boot -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p4
rom -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p5
bootdata -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p6
factory -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p7
system -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p8
cache -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p9
userdata -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p10
Be extra careful when touching those partition if you not sure, don't touch them. But making a block copy of them and taking them out should be relatively easy and safe. Obviously you gonna need a Linux box to do this. I setup a VM on one of my PC last night because I need to get a ext4 partition and put all the goodies in there.
krylon360 said:
here's the Linux version.
Thanks someone0 for getting this started.
Haven't fully tested the linux version, but it loads and starts up, so should work.
extract, and open up terminal and navigate to the dir you extracted to, and type
./makeroot.sh and then enter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just wonder why do use a zip file for the linux version? Wouldn't this kinda messup the permission when compress/uncompress? meaning, makeroot.sh may not have the proper permission when unzip. Please double check.
someone0 said:
Just wonder why do use a zip file for the linux version? Wouldn't this kinda messup the permission when compress/uncompress? meaning, makeroot.sh may not have the proper permission when unzip. Please double check.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
works just fine.
I chmod a+x'd the script before putting it into the zip.
heh, yeah, it works. Forgot I had my touchpad pluged in and it rebooted it....
whoops.
thanks for posting the location of the /recovery partition. I want to put a copy of htat on ice to prevent BN from undoing any of my work in a future update - I may want some of the fixes they have, but I want to be able to roll them back if needed.
Someone0 are you around can you pm me, Your root works, I installed nook color tools ver .02 in system/app folder and was able to see it in my sideloaded launcher, was able to uncheck/check install non market apps which sets the setting for US to be able to install .apk files from the nook itself, ONLY ISSUE is since I put that file in the system/app folder and the nook didnt like it I got stuck in a bootloop and get to start this process all over again! (nook resetted to ground zero)
maybe we temporary can leave it there get us the permission to install non market apps then remove the file and we will be ok or maybe stuck in another bootloop.
---------- Post added at 09:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:52 PM ----------
GOT IT WORKING NOW:
1. Once rooted, get a file manager with root support and enable read/write permission to /system
2. temporary copy nook tools ver .02 .apk to the system/app folder
3. have a sideloaded launcher and check the app drawer youll see nook tools, run it, first screen uncheck and check the install non market apps box couple of times make sure its checked afterwards
4. have a test .apk to run the BN installer on and see you can now install .apks from the NOOK HD and HD+
5. remove the nook tools.apk file from the system/app folder and quit your file explorer which should reset everything for the system folder back to the way it orginally is!
6. reboot, if you reboot successfully with no boot loop 8 times, your GOLDEN FOR NOW! once again load up a file manager go select an .apk file and see you can now install it! Next step is trying to get amazon market working! then google somehow, but for google you need files in system/app folder permanently!
7. YOU CAN NOW SUCCESSFULLY DOWNLOAD .APK FILES through web, email, any other app and install through the NOOK HD or HD+ BN installer for .apk files. Watch what you install, if it gets put into /system or /system/app folder DREADED BOOT LOOP which resets everything! AMAZON MARKET WORKS!!!! and apps from there install fine to the BUILT IN MEMORY.
** Hopefully amazon market dont install stuff to the system/app folder and if it does hopefully you do not get the dreaded boot loops where you got to start this whole process over again so be forwarned!!! you will loose all data on NOOK HD and HD+ if u get stuck in the bootloops! BACKUP STUFF before messing with root and this kind of thing! DEVELOPMENT!
Aside from moving the actual apk to /system/app/ temporary (since you only do it once), putting a symbolic link there may work also without creating a reset loop. But can't you just side load the apk and run it in other folder?
someone0 said:
Aside from moving the actual apk to /system/app/ temporary (since you only do it once), putting a symbolic link there may work also without creating a reset loop. But can't you just side load the apk and run it in other folder?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when you sidelaod it OR install or have it installed to another folder or ran from another folder it cant modify the setting to allow non market apps to install!!
has to be in the /system/app folder THEN RAN from app drawer then you can set the setting uncheck and check box quit program and for now YOU HAVE to remove the .apk from the system/app folder and then you can reboot and the setting sticks! I GOT AMAZON MARKET INSTALLED right now installing apps! NOW WE GOT A KINDLE ladys and gentleman!
Amazon apk installs in internal memory. Apps downloaded from Amazon get installed in internal memory. You can then move them to SD card or leave them in internal memory. System apps are provided in the ROMs by the developers or vendors. ALWAYS back up before making system changes.. Now rooted - use Titanium Backup. System/app should be static throughout ROM lifecycle unless modified by user.
skyhawk21 said:
7. YOU CAN NOW SUCCESSFULLY DOWNLOAD .APK FILES through web, email, any other app and install through the NOOK HD or HD+ BN installer for .apk files. Watch what you install, if it gets put into /system or /system/app folder DREADED BOOT LOOP which resets everything! AMAZON MARKET WORKS!!!! and apps from there install fine to the BUILT IN MEMORY.
** Hopefully amazon market dont install stuff to the system/app folder and if it does hopefully you do not get the dreaded boot loops where you got to start this whole process over again so be forwarned!!! you will loose all data on NOOK HD and HD+ if u get stuck in the bootloops! BACKUP STUFF before messing with root and this kind of thing! DEVELOPMENT!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is why I put the /system back to ro, at least that is what I think I did.
Amazon Store working on ROOTED Nook HD
Proof of Concept:
http://youtu.be/wCyd730L74Y
skyhawk21 said:
Proof of Concept:
http://youtu.be/wCyd730L74Y
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, your internet is slow. Could have cut the video time by 1/2 if not 2/3 if you switch to faster ISP.
skyhawk21 said:
Someone0 are you around can you pm me, Your root works, I installed nook color tools ver .02 in system/app folder
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What exactly did you install? I cannot find "nook color tools" in Google Play or on APKTOP. Thanks for your hard work!
NEVERMIND! I found the thread that has the link for the app: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=868366 Thanks again.
does this root method work on Nook HD+2.0.2?
if not how I can downgrade to 2.0.0?

Categories

Resources