[Samsung Galaxy S8+ ROMs, Kernels, Recoveries, & Ot] nicholaschum:
Definition

Let me first define what I mean by Creator's Experience. This ROM is just as good as your stock ROM on KNOX 0x0. I am in no way taking credit for any of the development in this ROM, I'm just repackaging the stock Samsung ROM in Samsung's experience how they created it. But if you flashed stock ROM you may get a ton of KNOX warnings so selling the device or giving your device to someone else would make it more complicated and frustrating due to nagging popups that you have to disable by first setting up the device. I wanted to create something that you can restore your device to when you get bored of a custom ROM, or you just want to use the latest stock firmware again.

This ROM will never contain any tweaks or system addons, it is barebones stock with no KNOX and stubs so people can use it as a rescue/reference firmware.

Purpose

Being the owner of the Korean Samsung Galaxy S8+ 128GB/6GB (SM-G955N), there are only so many stock firmwares available from Updato or Sammobile. All listed firmwares contain all the CSCs located in the /system partition, and the CSC file toggles between them. This means that regardless of what CSC you flash on the device, you will activate all the applications that were disabled by the CSC (KT mobile apps should be disabled on the SKT CSC, and vice versa). So flashing a Canadian CSC will still have every single South Korean carrier bloat on your device, which sucks.

This is a strange situation with 955N users, where ALL THE BLOAT is stored in /system/priv-app, while the csc is just one small file that controls which applications are active/inactive on the device.

Process

So, what does this mean? I wanted the stock international 955F ROM on my device, really badly. But Odin refused to flash it due to a secure write/invalid magic string error. I have tried everything from modifying the PIT tables in the ROMs to flashing custom ROMs. As much as custom ROMs are great, I wanted something I could fall back to when sh*t hits the fan, as well as something that fit the stock lifestyle...since I would really have loved to keep KNOX 0x0 if the Korean firmware was not as bloated as I thought it would be.

So for those who were searching for the stock ROM that was created with stock in mind, I have repackaged the 955F stock using the kitchen by @SuperR., with removed KNOX + KNOX apps (Secure Folder, KNOX Settings 1 & 2, Samsung Pay, Samsung Pass, etc.), removed stub apps (Microsoft apps folder) and removed CSC (I will elaborate more below).

As it takes me from 3-6 minutes to download stock firmware, I will be keeping this up to date for people who will need a rescue zip.

Reproduction

The reason why I'm keeping this as clean as possible is because it functions the same way as the Odin package. The AP will be the ROM zip, while you have to flash your own custom kernel, and flash the CSC package by @Tkkg1994. Finally, to top everything off, Magisk will be flashed.

A flowchart of this process (clean flash) is listed below:

Flash CeX stock (this ROM)

Flash the CSC using the CSC utility tool by @Tkkg1994: https://xdaforums.com/galaxy-s8+/development/utility-flashable-csc-selection-v1-0-0-t3605264

Flash the kernel, I highly recommend @jesec's Jesse Kernel: https://xdaforums.com/galaxy-s8/samsung-galaxy-s8--s8-cross-device-development/kernel-jesse-s-kernel-galaxy-s8-exynos-t3603521

Flash Magisk v12+: https://xdaforums.com/apps/magisk/official-magisk-v7-universal-systemless-t3473445

A flowchart of this process (dirty flash) is listed below [dirty flash is supported on CeX, as long as you follow these steps]:

Use TWRP and wipe /system

Flash CeX stock (this ROM)

Flash the CSC using the CSC utility tool by @Tkkg1994: https://xdaforums.com/galaxy-s8+/development/utility-flashable-csc-selection-v1-0-0-t3605264

Flash the kernel, I highly recommend @jesec's Jesse Kernel: https://xdaforums.com/galaxy-s8/samsung-galaxy-s8--s8-cross-device-development/kernel-jesse-s-kernel-galaxy-s8-exynos-t3603521

Flash Magisk v12+: https://xdaforums.com/apps/magisk/official-magisk-v7-universal-systemless-t3473445

Anomalies

At the current stage, this is just the stock Samsung firmware. So any bugs found in the official bugs list of the current firmware revision would be present in this ROM. See the second bracketed codename in the title of this thread.

Do you use Netflix or Amazon Prime Video?

With their Widevine DRM Module, it bypasses anything Magisk Hide has to offer.

Using TWRP, remove /system/lib/liboemcrypto.so, then reboot to system.

If you ever want to restore stock, this is the AQEB binary: https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=961840155545569722

Screenshots

There really doesn't need to be any screenshots, unless you have never turned on your phone on stock ROM before...but here, I'll show you Settings.

SafetyNet?

This is a simple phenomenon solved by having both a custom kernel with KNOX 0x0 simulation, like Jesse's kernel, and Magisk v12 installed with Magisk Hide enabled. It is confirmed that CeX respects SafetyNet.

Programmatically Displayed Debloated Applications/Services/Libraries

system/app/Facebook_stub*
system/app/MSSkype_stub*
system/app/SecureFolderSetupPage*
system/priv-app/OneDrive_Samsung_v2*
system/priv-app/SecureFolder*
system/priv-app/SamsungPass_1.1*
system/priv-app/Excel_SamsungStub*
system/priv-app/PowerPoint_SamsungStub*
system/priv-app/Word_SamsungStub*
system/container*

system/app/BBCAgent*
system/app/Bridge*
system/app/ContainerAgent*
system/app/ContainerEventsRelayManager*
system/app/kioskdefault*
system/app/KLMSAgent*
system/app/Knox*
system/app/KNOX*
system/app/MyKNOX*
system/app/RCPComponents*
system/app/SecurityLogAgent*
system/app/SwitchKnoxI*
system/app/UniversalMDMClient*
system/container*
system/etc/secure_storage/com.sec.knox*
system/preloadedkiosk*
system/preloadedmdm*
system/preloadedsso*
system/priv-app/KLMSAgent*

Download Links

AndroidFileHost Folder (Autopushed builds): https://www.androidfilehost.com/?w=files&flid=185563

AQH3 builds (August):

FullRebaseOptions from last build:

https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=745425885120758691

Normal build:

https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=817550096634795846

AQF7 build (June): https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=673368273298964156

AQEB build (May): https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=817550096634773510

Credits & Thanks

@SuperR. for his kitchen

@jesec for him helping out when I was frustrated something isn't working, and pretty much his experience with his 955N

@fahadali2315 for refreshing my memory of messing with a Samsung device

Anyone I missed, just hit me up in private!

XDA:DevDB Information

CeX, ROM for the Samsung Galaxy S8+

Contributors

nicholaschum, fahadali2315

ROM OS Version: 7.x Nougat

Version Information

Status: Stable

Current Stable Version: AQH3

Stable Release Date: 2017-05-31

Created 2017-06-01

Last Updated 2017-08-29