Custom Kernel development effort

[Guest joners]

Well I can offer help testing the ROM once its done on a proffesional level since I test software for a living if that helps? And I have the whole of December off work!

Hi,

Just wondered if there is anything that is outstanding thats needed for the kernel dev? Are we still awaiting the drivers for the wifi?

If you can let me know exactly what Im supposed to be looking for I can get on the hunt and write some letters!

Would love to see this phone's dev take off!

:D

thanks,

Jon

[Guest twe]

Hi,

Just wondered if there is anything that is outstanding thats needed for the kernel dev? Are we still awaiting the drivers for the wifi?

If you can let me know exactly what Im supposed to be looking for I can get on the hunt and write some letters!

Would love to see this phone's dev take off!

:D

thanks,

Jon

Need to be asking Paul or someone else who can develop for this... Hopefully one of them will come by soon and reply to you.

[Guest Paul]

Until such time as we can get the wireless built (which i've been unable to achieve), custom kernels are not an option... which is an issue, the Pulse really needs some kernel improvement!

P

[Guest joners]

Until such time as we can get the wireless built (which i've been unable to achieve), custom kernels are not an option... which is an issue, the Pulse really needs some kernel improvement!

P

Well ive been looking around seeing if i can well find anything! And well nothing really apart from this.

http://svn.openmoko.org/trunk/src/target/A...st/htc2/AR6000/

The problem is that I know that im looking for the source code for the ar6000.ko for the wifi module, only issue is i dont know what this looks like! Wish that i had learnt to code now so id have half a clue of what to look for! Mind you one thing i did wonder is, can we not just request the code from Atheros?

[Guest bas-r]

Well ive been looking around seeing if i can well find anything! And well nothing really apart from this.

http://svn.openmoko.org/trunk/src/target/A...st/htc2/AR6000/

The problem is that I know that im looking for the source code for the ar6000.ko for the wifi module, only issue is i dont know what this looks like! Wish that i had learnt to code now so id have half a clue of what to look for! Mind you one thing i did wonder is, can we not just request the code from Atheros?

Hello mate,

Here's a link for that open source AR6K driver for linux, http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Drivers/ar6k

Cheers.

[Guest Paul]

I've had a good play with this but with no luck unfortunately...

P

[Guest Timmmm]

I think I'm starting to see how to build android. When I've worked it out I shall document it so other people can have a go. Paul, can you correct me if I'm wrong about these observations:

1. If you follow the instructions here: http://source.android.com/download (i.e. download source, build) it builds all the userspace stuff, but not the kernel. The userspace stuff goes in system.img which can be flashed to your phone using adb.

2. You can build the kernel by getting the Huawei kernel source, copying the .config I gave previously into the folder and using the armeabi make command (which incidentally appears to have changed - the path now has a 'bin' in it).

3. You can use your built kernel by: a) Unzipping the boot.img in the huawei update, :D Replace the kernel with your own (zImage?), c) Create a new boot.img d) flash it to your device using adb. The boot.img unzipping/zipping process is described here: http://android-dls.com/wiki/index.php?titl...ack_Boot_Images

4. The huawei-something-update.zip used by nandroid contains boot.img and recovery.img, but the system.img is instead stored unpacked. Is there a reason they don't use system.img too?

Cheers. Btw, I managed to build the huawei kernel. Going to try it on my phone to confirm that wifi doesn't work...

[Guest martinbrook]

Not reporting any development in this post just asking for some pointers, hope that's OK.

I've downloaded android SDK, android source, android common kernel, pulse kernel source and superboot stuff from forum.

To get to know the tools I built a goldfish kernel which works OK on the emulator.

Installed recovery image and root on phone. adb shell gives # prompt.

Did a nandroid backup.

Used split_bootimage.pl on nandroid boot.img to create :-

boot.img-kernal and boot.img-ramdisk

Built pulse kernel. /arch/arm/boot/zImage

Used fastboot boot zImage boot.img-ramdisk

boot.img is created and downloaded to phone and it boots.

So far so good I think but when I check the kernel version on the About Phone menu from Settings it still says Kernel Version 2.6.27 huawei@AndroidDev # 1 and not my machine details. When I run my goldfish kernel on the emulator the kernel version has my machine details.

Any clues as to why my new kernel is not running? Do I have to flash the image?

Martin

Thanks for the update, I have followed a similar route but have not progressed from trying 'Used fastboot boot zImage boot.img-ramdisk' from the list above. Other posts seem to say that I should be able to boot a new kernel using this method but the kernel string did not update when I tried it on the phone.

Let me know how you get on with flashing to the device.

Martin

[Guest Timmmm]

Well, I managed to build a new boot.img with the kernel from the huawei source & flashed it to my phone. It does indeed give my machine details in the About Phone screen, (i.e. me@mycomputer), but alas wifi doesn't work for me either. Confuddling.

[Guest Timmmm]

Another thing that doesn't work: Holding down the back button to go home. Weird... Should be easier to fix, but I'm not sure why it doesn't work in the first place. Perhaps they've given us an early version of the code...

[Guest bas-r]

This all really sounds as if T-Mobile or Huawei have only hastily searched for some source code, at some point used for compiling the OS on the Pulse, and dumped that online. In the hope we wouldn't even notice.

In my opinion, all this Android stuff looks better than it is in reality: I might switch to Maemo.

[Guest Paul]

Ewwww, no thanks! ;-)

Maemo is nice, but I don't think Android is over-sold at all...

P

[Guest Timmmm]

More differences: the lock screen is gone, and the hangup button works as a home button. I actually think these are improvements though!

[Guest Hermg]

Hmm, according to a moderator on the Dutch T-Mobile Forums, the Pulse is getting an update to 2.0.

He wasnt sure if we directly get the source code or not.

Proof (as the Dutch T-Mobile Forums are only viewable if you have a Dutch T-Mobile Contract):

[Guest twe]

That would be great if it does occur, don't want to fall backwards already when the phone is so new....

[Guest mapero]

Hmm, according to a moderator on the Dutch T-Mobile Forums, the Pulse is getting an update to 2.0.

He wasnt sure if we directly get the source code or not.

Proof (as the Dutch T-Mobile Forums are only viewable if you have a Dutch T-Mobile Contract):

Sounds nice! He said date? I dont understand dutch :D

Anybody has a good guide or pages for starting with custom kernel build for android?

[Guest Hermg]

Sounds nice! He said date? I dont understand dutch :D

Anybody has a good guide or pages for starting with custom kernel build for android?

He first said 1st quarter 2010 (same thread, not on this screenshot), and a few days later half December after he got more information (first post of this screenshot). But offcourse mentions that it might be subject to change.

[Guest bas-r]

Great news about the upgrade to 2.0! This really is the bargain of the century if you're into Android!

/edit:

So what you're saying there is that in Half December we can expect to upgrade to 2.0??

That would be great!

Edited November 26, 2009 by bas-r

[Guest rss2k]

Also saw the message from the moderator. This is really good news. Hopefully a complete sourcerelease

will be available as well, including the wifi module.

Edited November 26, 2009 by rss2k

[Guest klutsh]

And I got this from Huawei forums:

Sorry to tell you that currently, U8220 do not support android 1.6,however, we have work out plans to upgrade to android 1.6 on our next products.

Source: http://www.huaweidevice.com/community/thre...&orderStr=9

I suspect it's a marketing play from T-Mobile, get people on PAYG interested in Android, but force them to take out a contract if they want to have a Rom with all the nicer features.

[Guest helikopter]

And I got this from Huawei forums:

Source: http://www.huaweidevice.com/community/thre...&orderStr=9

I suspect it's a marketing play from T-Mobile, get people on PAYG interested in Android, but force them to take out a contract if they want to have a Rom with all the nicer features.

hmmm... he first says that the device is currently not supporting 1.6. what does it mean "not supporting"? the hardware is definitely capable of running any android versions. i hope that it's not the official answer from huawei, as the comment comes from a guy also called forum-guest. it would be strange if that was the name of an official or admin of huawei in their own forums.

i trust more in t-mobile. in one german support forum for the pulse they said the same as in the dutch: update in december. let's see if it's true.

and i really hope that if 2.0 comes out it will tempt more devs to be interested in the pulse and more custom roms and hacks and updates will get released. as paul left we seem to be left here withouth any of them.

Edited November 27, 2009 by helikopter

[Guest Paul]

I'm still watching though and if the situation changes (we get the wifi on custom kernel working, a generic ROM leaks or whatever) i'll be tempted to get a Pulse again... I love the 3.5" screen :D

P

[Guest mapero]

Just wanna play arround with the give kernel source. I am quite new to this.

I tried to compile the source, but it allways fails with:

jochen@Linux:~/android-sdk-linux/kernel/kernel$ make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-eabi-

CHK include/linux/version.h

make[1]: »include/asm-arm/mach-types.h« ist bereits aktualisiert.

CHK include/linux/utsrelease.h

CALL scripts/checksyscalls.sh

<stdin>:1097:2: warning: #warning syscall fadvise64 not implemented

<stdin>:1265:2: warning: #warning syscall migrate_pages not implemented

<stdin>:1321:2: warning: #warning syscall pselect6 not implemented

<stdin>:1325:2: warning: #warning syscall ppoll not implemented

<stdin>:1365:2: warning: #warning syscall epoll_pwait not implemented

CHK include/linux/compile.h

GEN usr/initramfs_data.cpio.gz

make[1]: *** [usr/initramfs_data.cpio.gz] Fehler 1

make: *** [usr] Fehler 2

Google Search says to set >CONFIG_INITRAMFS_SOURCE=""<, but thats allready in my .config.

Thanks,

Jochen

[Guest rss2k]

<snip>

I suspect it's a marketing play from T-Mobile, get people on PAYG interested in Android, but force them to take out a contract if they want to have a Rom with all the nicer features.

It was mentioned on a T-Mobile only forum, so I do not buy into this reasoning. I guess we have to hold our breath. Maybe try to verify this with T-Mobile UK? so far there's some kind of confirmation from The Netherlands and Germany. I am still very surprised that the Pulse is not making more buzz in the market. This device should really be able to open the Android to a wider range of public at this price.

[Guest joners]

It was mentioned on a T-Mobile only forum, so I do not buy into this reasoning. I guess we have to hold our breath. Maybe try to verify this with T-Mobile UK? so far there's some kind of confirmation from The Netherlands and Germany. I am still very surprised that the Pulse is not making more buzz in the market. This device should really be able to open the Android to a wider range of public at this price.

I know what you saying. Ive seen several posts from Tmobile mods saying that dont turn out to be true. Such as one saying that the G1 would never get a 1.5update. Its now running 1.6!

Think that the pulse hit the shops at the wrong time to not make more of a splash, the US market was getting hyped up over the Droid (aka Milestone) and a whole host of android devices have all come along at once. Think the fact that its been left on 1.5, and isnt available in the US (yet.. as far as im aware).