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What is a kernel?

this might be a stupid question, but what is a kernel and how do u use them? i know what a rom is and how to install but not a kernel....

Wikipedia definition:
"In computing, the kernel is the central component of most computer operating systems; it is a bridge between applications and the actual data processing done at the hardware level. The kernel's responsibilities include managing the system's resources (the communication between hardware and software components).[1] Usually as a basic component of an operating system, a kernel can provide the lowest-level abstraction layer for the resources (especially processors and I/O devices) that application software must control to perform its function. It typically makes these facilities available to applicationprocesses through inter-process communication mechanisms and system calls."
Since Android is based on Linux: (don't know if this relevant)
"The Linux kernel is an operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating systems.[6] It is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software.[7]
The Linux kernel is released under the GNU General Public License version 2 (GPLv2),[4] (plus some firmware images with various licenses), and is developed by contributors worldwide. Day-to-day development takes place on the Linux kernel mailing list.
The Linux kernel was initially conceived and created by Finnish computer science student[8] Linus Torvalds in 1991. Linux rapidly accumulated developers and users who adopted code from other free software projects for use with the new operating system.[9] The Linux kernel has received contributions from thousands of programmers.[10] Many Linux distributions have been released based upon the Linux kernel."

I have a question too.
When I boot ubuntu 10.04, the kernel comes up as 2.6.32, I think this is the same number as a previous android kernel. So how close is the android kernel to the linux kernel, us it a fork? When the new linux kernel comes out, will the android kernel be updated to reflect that?

What the little brown things are in a popcorn bag before you pop it XD

I thought it would be better to ask here than start a new thread but i have never installed a kernal before and was wondering how, do you just flash it in recovery? I have the desire rom and would like for my speaker to be a bit louder.

With kernels, I usually do ADB command.

liam.lah said:
So how close is the android kernel to the linux kernel, us it a fork?
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It's the same with some Android and phone specific patches applied. A config file decides what architecture to build for and what drivers to include. That's what lets us bring in cutting edge features like compcache and BFS quickly.
Nice to think that your phone is running the exact same code that the world's fastest supercomputer is.

I5800 Drivers

Ok I admit that this might be a silly question, but here it goes:
In the froyo open source kernel from samsung open source release center, there is a file called 'drivers'. Are these the drivers from the phone's hardware? If that's the case then it is possible to compile the 2.3 kernel based on those drivers (provided that you download the 2.3 kernel from google).

[SCRIPT][NDK] agcc wrapper mod for latest Android NDK

Here is an update to 'agcc' wrapper originally written by Andrew Ross. You can find his original version here.
Modded/Updated agcc
Helps you to quickly compile native C code for ARM, MIPS or x86 targets. I updated 'agcc' to try out a few existing exploits on Android, in hope of finding a few more to open up root for my new phone.
I thought some of you may find this updated script useful for compiling native code. I have tested these changes only on a Windows machine using Android NDK r8b.

Reserved
[RESERVED]

Anyone have used this RK3066 development Board?

I just searched ebay for RK3066 Development Board, and found one there, I have played the Beagle board.
this one seem good for play with RK3066 firmware and debug rom.

wy6688 said:
I just searched ebay for RK3066 Development Board, and found one there, I have played the Beagle board.
this one seem good for play with RK3066 firmware and debug rom.
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Click to collapse
Not used that one, but I'd caution you away from the RK3066 in general, as I have used a device with RK3066 chipset...
Rockchip don't respect or follow the GPL and give sources with binaries included. This means you cannot compile entirely from source, and can be problematic. Some core drivers like the clock driver are blobbed.
There may be better development boards out there, the ODroid X2 is one I've heard good things about.

I have checked the Latest Linux Kernel source from Kernel.org, all their source code included, using new ARM DTS system (device tree source), so you can compile all your kernel directly from mainstream kernel, except some board level chip driver, which you need to customize from Driver fold, /linux/arch/arm/boot/dts/rk3066a.dtsi, rk3066a-clocks.dtsi

wy6688 said:
I have checked the Latest Linux Kernel source from Kernel.org, all their source code included, using new ARM DTS system (device tree source), so you can compile all your kernel directly from mainstream kernel, except some board level chip driver, which you need to customize from Driver fold, /linux/arch/arm/boot/dts/rk3066a.dtsi, rk3066a-clocks.dtsi
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Click to collapse
Have you got NAND drivers for the rk3066 nand? clock drivers, ddr drivers?
(see files with a .uu extension, it's a uuencoded .o binary)
https://github.com/AndrewDB/rk3066-kernel/tree/master/arch/arm/mach-rk30 (ddr.uu, ddr_freq.uu, clock_data.uu)
https://github.com/AndrewDB/rk3066-kernel/tree/master/drivers/video (fb.uu)
I believe there's also some missing drivers for the nand (https://github.com/AndrewDB/rk3066-kernel/tree/master/drivers/mtd/rknand)

I just got the development broad from ebay and checked the source code, it do missing these source file and although you can build the kernel without issue for 3.0.8.
I believe the latest 3.10.x kernel from kernel org, which included the RK3066 DTS files, can be used to build the generic kernel that can run on RK3066 board and should have no other source code needed.
I'm trying to build this kernel based on 3.10.x, anyone know detail steps that build the generic kernel based on RK3066 DTS?
Thank advance.

Original Samsung kernel sources for SM-T813

Hello,
For those interested in the original kernel source code for the SM-T813 :
As I am learning how to make ports for Android, I am trying to train on the original sources of the Linux kernel for the SM-T813.
After several weeks of research, I couldn't find the origin of the different kernel repositories.
Also on https://opensource.samsung.com, it was impossible to find the sources. So I contact them at the end of January to have an access to this sources...
... And they are now available !
You can download them on https://opensource.samsung.com (search SM-T813 at mobile phone on release center) or on my repository at https://github.com/Akipe/android_kernel_samsung_gts210vewifi_original_samsung
It is based on the T813XXS2BTK3 firmware with Android 7 Nougat.
I will see to ask for sources of similar tablets.

Will this help with porting new Adnoid version to these tablets?

Pawel_ said:
Will this help with porting new Adnoid version to these tablets?
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I don't think so,
Kernel sources for this tablet already exist, and are ported to newer versions.
It is more useful for those who want start from scratch, and want to inspect the unmodified source code.
But my goal would be to successfully create from scratch for the SM-T813 LineageOS 14.1 (Android 7); and then try to move to the latest versions.
Since I am a beginner, I still have a lot to learn, and I don't have much time, so we will see