[Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dragon546:
NON DEV ISSUES AND QUESTIONS ABOUT KERNEL POST HERE. THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS THREAD

HISTORY

I have been given Permission by the Kernel's Author (Gokhanmoral) to create this thread. Please put your issues or questions you have with the Kernel in this thread. Also functional request should also be made here. The aim of this thread is to filter out excess questions regarding the use and experience from the development thread. The author of the kernel and many experience users\testers and primary dev contributors need to use the Development thread in order to help Gokhan to implement his kernel. Would also request the community to contribute in terms of info to compile a knowledge base if you will. Many Thanks Gokhan and future contributors.

THANKS:

Samsung, supercurio, hardcore, Hacre, RAvenGEr, tegrak, cattleprod, codeworkx, hellcat, creams, vitalij, arighi, ninpo,netarchy .. Any others that I missed.

SiyahKernel v2.6.12

FEATURES

Can be flashed on Samsung ROMs and AOSP Based ROMS. Currently all Samsung 2.3.4, 2.3.5, 2.3.6, 2.3.7 based ROMS, CM7 (CM9 or any other ICS based ROMs are not supported) and MIUI ROMS are supported.

Based on linux kernel 2.6.35.14 + drivers from Samsung sources

Auto-Rooting

Custom CWM compatible Redpill Recovery from af974 (For more info: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=21727136&postcount=9680 )

Custom boot animation support

Supports SetCPU (OC upto 1600MHz, UC downto 100MHz)

User customizable frequency steps. You can edit "freq_table" and use 25MHz as the lowest step and 1696MHz as the highest. You have 8 steps (it is fixed) but the frequencies can be set.

Supports undervolting (UV between 800 mV and 1500 mV)

Supports voltage control via SetCPU (thanks to netarchy, ninpo, hacre)

Stock voltages as default

smartassV2, lulzactiveV2 governors. and lots of other governors which are available as modules

Default governor is lulzactive (200-1200MHz)

Tweaked ondemand and conservative governors

no compiler optimization. it is just a myth.

Touchscreen fix (thanks to vitalij)

Increased touchscreen sensitivity

GPU clock (thanks to netarchy), voltage and scaling thresholds control interface.

I/O, scheduler, hotplug and vm tweaks

automatic battery calibration. (removed. thanks to Entropy512. we do not need battery calibration for SGS2)

Available I/O schedulers: noop, deadline, CFQ, BFQV3r1, V(R), SIO(default)

Available CPU governors: see this thread for the list of available governors and modules (thanks to droidphile)

/system/etc/init.d startup scripts support

Automatic backup of efs partition. You will have the files in your sdcard as well as /data/.siyah directory. copy them to a safe location in case you may need them later.

BLN (thanks to creams), liblights is autoinstalled if the existing one doesn't support BLN

supports advanced touch tune driver. thanks to vitalij Link. the control app from Web, from Mobile. Thanks to tegrak for the driver patch file download

2nd core application support (thanks to tegrak)

Automounting of NTFS volumes for USB sticks (ntfs on external card is not supported). although your rom says "clear storage", just check /mnt/usb folder. ntfs drives will be automatically mounted in read-only mode.

LZOP compression for the kernel to have very fast decompression. We have a VERY BIG kernel image because we have ntfs-3g, CWMManager and lots of other things both in initramfs and payload.

Integrated new&faster sha-1, crc32 slice-by-8, crc32c, jhash and rwsem algorithms

SCHED_MC enabled to have less power consumption.

Lower brightness levels for low-light conditions to save battery.

Brightness behaviour modification via setting min_bl, min_gamma and max_gamma values. you can control the lowest and hightest levels used in autobrightness.

Native BLN support for CM7 based roms.

Three GPU stepping (160-267-300) instead of two

optimized and configurable hotplug thresholds and rates.

Thunderbolt! script integrated (thanks to pikachu01)

Voodoo louder app support (thanks to supercurio)

Current Widget support while charging the device.

Charging the battery stops when the battery draws less than 100mA (stock value is 200mA).

CIFS, SLUB, FUSE, NTFS, cgroup_timer_slack, autogroup,... and lots of other mambojambo that I forgot...

TO FLASH ZIP:

Use CWM Recovery and install zip file. Wiping cache&dalvik cache is recommended for those who use BLN.

if you lose root after flashing the kernel (unlikely), flash http://goo-inside.me/superuser/su-2.3.6.3-efgh-signed.zip in CWM.

FAQ (WIP)

General

Q: Does this kernel support latest i9100 ROM which is based on android 2.3.5 -2.3.7?

A: Yes, it does.

Q: Can I use this kernel on I9100G?

A: No, you cannot. Only International i9100 and Canadian (Bell Mobility) models are supported (Chinese or AT&T T-Mobile US are not supported). Also, I compile ntt-docomo version for each release but beta versions do not support gps and digital tv on ntt-docomo devices.

Q: Does this kernel support CM7 or any other AOSP based roms?

A: Yes, but it only support CM7 or MIUI based roms for now from 2.0 and above. If you are using another AOSP based Rom tell me and I will support it.

Q. What is the latest version of the Kernel?

2.6.3 is the latest and can be found here:

SiyahKernel Edition v2.6.12 (Please ensure you choose the right one for your phone)

Q. I have an International i9100 can I flash NTT version?

A. Important Notice: the one with "ntt" in the filename is NTT DoCoMo SC-02C version. do not flash it if you have EU version

Q. Where can I get the latest Kernel Source for this Kernel?

A. It can be Found Here: Kernel Source

Q.Are there any Variants based on this Kernel?

A. Yes there is DK SIYAH KERNEL

Q: Can I use app protectors with this kernel?

A: Yes, you can. But you have to flash EnableLogger.zip using CWM after flashing the kernel.

TO ENABLE ANDROID LOGGER USE THIS:

ENABLE LOGGER

TO DISABLE ANDROID LOGGER USE THIS:

DISABLE LOGGER IF IT IS INSTALLED

Battery & Performance Factors

Q: What is battery life like on this kernel?

A: Some have said the battery life has improved. Others said not as good as others, this however maybe down to rogue apps creating wakelocks. Could be the rom is does not take advantage of the kernels features or could be a bad battery. Let's just say your Mileage may vary...

Q. I keep hearing about AOS having a factor on performance, whats all this about?

A. The Android OS using quite a lot of resources. AndreiLux wrote and in depth reference post about this which you can find here: [REF][Rewrite 26/10] What the Android OS usage is and what it's not

Q: What can I do to improve battery life?

A: put your phone into airplane mode or do not use packet data when you are not using it. Check for Rogue Apps and also check for unnecessary wakelocks and close them.

Q: I get random reboots or freezes. What should I do?

A: Make sure you boot in Recovery wipe cache and dalvik, then reflash the kernel. Although the kernel will do this if you apply the CWM.zip of the Kernel. It can still leave data behind.

If you are undervolting revert back to stock values. Then start reducing voltage by.25 and test. If that does not work make a note of:

1. When did it happen?

2. Which rom are you using, can you reproduce it

3. do you have any custom init scripts which changes kernel parameters such as freq voltage or anything else?

Post in this thread and we will try and help you.

Q: My phone doesn't go into deep sleep. What is wrong?

A: Make sure that you have cleared cache and dalvik-cache after you install the kernel. Also, reboot once more after the flashing. the phone doesn't go into deep sleep if it is connected to a charger or to a computer. There may be an application running in the background which is preventing deep sleep. In that case you can check which app causing the problem with "BetterBatteryStats" application (search in Google).

Q: do I need to recalibrate the battery?

A: You don't need to calibrate battery for SGS2. Thanks to Entropy512 to pointing out that our device uses MAX17042 which is specifically designed not to require calibration.

OC/UV and init Scripts

Q. What tools can be used to manipulate the clock speeds of this kernel?

SetCpu : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9Sn4Uz4pkM Just an overview

Voltage Control: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkhBFVUKBTQ Just an overview

No-frills cpu: More Info here about the tool

And Initialization Scripts

Tegrak Overclocking app is currently NOT SUPPORTED by this kernel

Q: What is an init.d script?

A:init.d scripts are the scripts which are executed during the boot time. actually, they are meant to initialize and deinitialize system daemons and manage some startup/shutdown tasks. but in android world they are just "autoexec.bat"s. so, it is a mix of rc.d and init.d directories in linux distros. everything in /system/etc/init.d are executed during the booting process. since it is not standard in every android device,some developers choose to execute files starting with "S" and some execute everything. in this kernel, everything in /system/etc/init.d is executed. you can create a script to change, lets say, voltages, schedulers, apply tweaks, run overclocking daemon or run anything else you can imagine.

Q. Okay how do I start to create my own Init.d Script for the kernel?

A: KWERDENKER has written a reference guide to help you get started. You can find his excellent Guide on POST #2 of this thread.

example of Kwerdenker scripts are also in Post 2.

DROIDPHILE'S NOOBS SCRIPTING GUIDE:

http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=19519757&postcount=10699

Here are other examples of init.d scripts supplied by Fenomeno83:

Another couple of nice init.d scripts created by fenomeno83

Q: where is the interface to change GPU clock and voltage?

A:There is now a GUI to change GPU voltage and Charging current it's voltage control and probably one by Gokhanmoral soon

For Undervolting your GPU use this Script from AndreiLux as a Reference:

Example CWM-flashable /system/etc/init.d/99gpuv script

Q: Which governor is the best? Which I/O scheduler is the best?

A: You have to try them and select the one you like. There is a very good explanation about governors and i/o schedulers here:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1242323

HERE IS DROIDPHILE CONCISE GUIDE TO GOVERNORS

http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=19339524&postcount=10023

More info might help those you get a better understanding for schedulers:

https://github.com/CyanogenMod/cm-k...m-2.6.37/Documentation/cpu-freq/governors.txt Source: Cyanogenmod Githubs

Info about Lulzactive Governor.

http://tegrak2x.blogspot.com/2011/07/lulzactive-governor.html

Q: What is smartassV2 governor?

A: It is a governor to control CPU frequency. This governor has a built-in "profile" similar to SetCPU but the profile has no upper frequency limit. It tends to stay on lower frequencies when the screen is off and scale up very slowly, so screen off will use lower clock rate thus conserve more battery, but it also has a fast wake up feature so that user interaction will not see the lag when switching from Sleep to Wake state.... (So SetCPU Profiles are sorta redundant when using this governor, you can still use SetCPU to OC to higher than default Clock frequency).

Q: What is the best UV settings?

A: There is nothing as best UV settings. You have to find the best settings for your device for yourself. Start by decreasing 25mV on each freq and decrease it every day until your device becomes unstable.

Q. I notice one of the features is the ability of customizing Voltages for Charging?

A. Gokhan has written a script which he converted to be applied using CWM recovery (PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN APPLYING THIS, IF YOU ARE UNSURE PLEASE ASK IN THIS THREAD BEFORE DOING IT)

Set AC and MISC charging current to 1000mA - CWM flashable (keeps USB charging current at 450mA)

Q. I read that different frequencies would assist in better battery performance do you have any examples of this so I can use it my script?

A. Bene2K11 Created some scripts which allows you modify the bus frequencies when using this kernel, they can be found here:

3 flashable zips for the lowest, mid and highest bus frequencies

MISCELLANEOUS

Q: Which version is the best?

A: supposedly, the latest version is the best. But if the latest version is beta there may be unstable code in it. testing the beta version and reporting bugs will help me. but it's your choice... try and see... maybe this kernel is not stable for your device at all, who knows... I will not answer any "what is the best?" questions and I kindly ask you not to ask that kind of questions since there is no answer to that.

My Thanks for their contribution to this thread to Gokhanmoral, AndreiLux, ChadouMing, Nilste, Matriak31,Ger5,Kwerdenker,Fenomeno83, Bene2k11,Droidphile

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Reproduce with permission from Gokhan by Dragon546