[Upgrading, Modifying and Unlocking] Zacpod:
Important:

For all general posts, please use the forums at OpenEtna.com. PLEASE leave this thread clear for developers.

-Please try to keep this thread clear for discussions of the ongoing effort to get the 2.6.29 kernel + Android 2.0 working on this device. For all general questions please use the dedicated forums at AndroidNetwork.org. Thanks.

Update 13:

Oct 12th 2010

Froyo is running on the Eve! Polytheus modded the kernel enough so that it would run, and the OpenEtna project has been started at Google code. Please check there for all updates! Great work everyone!!!

Update 12:

Feb 4th 2010

Yahoo! LG is making 1.6 for the Eve - which will include kernel 2.6.29 - which will make it 1000x easier to port AOSP on to this beasty! Waiting patiently for 1.6 to be released this spring sometime. :D

Update 11:

Jan 30th 2010

CyrilLD located the GW620's serial port. I've soldered a lead on to it and am trying to find it's device name so we can have the kernel output debug messages to it at bootup. Hopefully this will let us see why the kernel isn't booting.

Enkoopa request for the source for RILD (the radio deamon) from LG was denied. They can't give it out as it would violate their NDA with Qualcomm.

Update 10:

Jan 14th 2010

After days of hard work a few of us managed to get the LG changes folded in to various flavours of the 2.6.29 kernel. I folded them in to the stock Android kernel, and CyrilLD folded them in to the CodeAura tree. Sadly, it doesn't want to boot right now. It just hangs at "Booting Linux..." and we're all frustrated.

Enkoopa has requested the source for RILD (the radio deamon) from LG, or at least a version of rild and libril compiled against 2.6.29

Update 9:

Jan 6th 2010

Happy New Year!!!

We now have the GW620's GPL source code in hand!

We can now move forward trying to get the kernel upgraded and running properly against Android 2.0. We're still going to have some fun getting the radio to work as the LG mods to the rild source is under the apache licence and therefore hasn't been released to us. We'll have to do some magic to get the existing rild working on whatever build we end up with. Any volunteer magicians?

I've made an Apps2SD image that seems to be fit for general consumption. You can read details about it waaay down in the posts here (somewhere around page 55) or at www.zacpod.com. It's pre-rooted and has some nifty features - including storing your apps on the sd card if you create an ext2 partition on it.

It's going to be an exciting few months as we work towards getting 2.0 running fully!

Update 8:

Dec 29th 2009

The Wiki is growing nicely - has a lot more info in it now.

We've heard from LG and have gained access to their commercial collaboration site, but we still don't have access to the req'd kernel source

Progress has been slow over the holidays. The new year should bring some good things though - especially if LG comes thru with the source. :)

Update 7:

Dec 20th 2009

We have a modified Nandroid for Eve that's working for backup/restore. See post 394 for the req'd files and instructions.

Radio in 2.0 is still failing, but Routehero is making progress

I'm trying to get the Audio subsystem and/or wifi running under 2.0

No word yet from LG about releasing the kernel sources as req'd under the GPL

Update 6:

We're still working away at getting 2.0 working on this device.

Routehero is making steady progress getting 2.0 to boot on the stock kernel.

A few folks are communicating with LG with the hopes of getting LG to release their kernel changes for this device to Android Trunk

I'm working on getting a functional backup process in place so we don't have to keep reflashing to factory

enkoopa got a process sorted to install all the various drivers for windows

The wiki page is growing, though it doesn't yet contain all the juicy goodness from this thread.

Update 5:

Success! Routehero figure out a way to root without reflashing anything! See the end of page 6 - Post #60 for the key (Thanks Routehero!!!) or my post near the top of page 11 for a step by step guide.

Update 4:

The exploit path is closed for now, until a new 'sploit comes along to try. Meanwhile, we're working on breaking in the the boot image's ramdisk. If we can get in to that, make some changes, and then flash the resulting firmware to the phone we'll be in business. We're having some issues decompressing the ramdisk though - it seems LG didn't use glip to compress the ramdisk. We need to figure out how it's compressed if we want to break this baby open this way.

Update 3:

I got the PoC code compiling, but it looks like the Eve's kernel is protected against this exploit. :(

Update 2:

Looks like my original idea is a dead end. I can't easily extract the yaffs2 filesystem from the MBN file, so I can't work on it to give default root. Even if I could, it turns out that production android devices require the firmware image to be signed - something I wouldn't be able to do without LGs keys. Soooo, I'm heading down a different alley in to exploit territory. It looks like kernel exploit CVE-2009-3547 was discovered after the Eve's default firmware was released. I'm currently working on trying to get the proof-of-concept code for it compiling for Android. If I can get it running, and it works, then we'll have a root hack similar to the "Asroot2" program for the Dream.

Update:

I have a flash file extracted, and am working on getting it mounted so I can mod it for root access. Once that's done, I'll need to repack the files and get the resulting file flashed on to the phone. I'll keep updating this as I progress. Eventually, and ideally, I'd like to have a rooted Android 2.0 running on this device.

Original message:

Hiya Folks,

I'm looking for some advice about where to start trying to root this phone.

I've been trying to get in to recovery mode, but am not having much luck. I've tried powering on with home, back, menu, volume up, volume down, and camera keys held down. Menu booted me in to safe mode, but nothing else seems to have any effect.

I'm VERY computer literate, and am comfortable compiling a custom firmware. I've played with OpenWRT extensively on my routers at home, but have never hacked around on phones before.

I'd love to root this beasty, and hopefully get 'droid 2.0 on to it, but am beginning to think that I might be stuck with 1.5.

I'm still within the first 15 days of my contract, so I'm not afraid of bricking this thing as I can get it replaced easily.

Thanks in advance for any advice.