Hi
i have the SDE for the Archos Gen9
I would like to install Plasma Active on this tablet

Have you the process ?

Yes indeed,

It was announced in news.kde.org and then nothing more : http://news.kde.org/2011/11/30/plasma-a ... -g9-tablet
Is it abandoned? Is there anyone working on it?



Cheers for your help.

I would recommend asking on the Plasma Active development list, active@kde.org regarding this. I know work continues on Plasma Active, on many types of devices.

There are some information here on how to install PA on Archos Gen9: http://markmail.org/message/mga6flsbp5d2s4mg

I have never done it myself and as far as I know the image is still a working in progress. Install it with care and also do a backup of the old installation in case something goes wrong.

New image for Archos G9: http://basyskom.com/news/138-archos-plasma-active.html

Hi,

lamarque wrote:New image for Archos G9: http://basyskom.com/news/138-archos-plasma-active.html

Thanks. Just to be sure. The instructions there: http://share.basyskom.com/plasma-active ... _gen9.html will erase the Android system or will Plasma Active installed in addition to Android? A few questions to be sure:

Boot the device while pressing 'volume down'
In the boot menu, enter 'Recovery System' (Vol +/- is Up/Down, the on/off switch selects entries)
Enter the 'Developer Edition Menu'
Select 'Remove Android Kernel' to delete the Android kernel, confirm with "I understand" if you do so
Go into the Developer Edition Menu again
Select 'Export Data Partition'
Mount the new block device on your machine (We'll assume it's mounted to /mnt/tablet)
Make a backup somewhere

When you delete the Kernel, which one is it? The one of the SDE or the main one?
When I mount, is it like a normal drive or is it with help of mtptools?

Code: Select all

mkfs.ext4 -Ldata /dev/

Where is it invoked from? The linux box? The tablet in mode recovery? So written will that not erase all? Shouldn't it be "dev/sdeX" (all my partitions are on sde...)

Recover back to android

Does it mean that it's Plasma or Android but not both (like Archos did with Ångström)? If well, is there a plan to do so when the image will be stabilised?

Just in case

Thanks for the help if someone can.

Well, I do not own an Archos Gen9 to test the procedure myself. I read on the instructions and I think the "delete Android kernel" options is just for allowing you to copying the data partition (the instructions are not clear about that though). By what I could understand you will have the opportunity to move the Android kernel to a different location and Plasma Active will be installed in the data partition. Android uses several partitions, the data partition is *not* where the Android OS is installed, so I guess you will still be able to restore the Android kernel and boot it as if Plasma Active was never installed. The instruction did not mention how to do that, that definitely should have been added to the instructions.

The kernel mentioned in the "delete the Android kernel" option is the original Android kernel from the device, but again, by what I could understand you will not delete the kernel, just move it to a different location so the bootloader loads the kernel for Plasma Active (the one you will download using wget).

I do not now if you will need mtptools to mount the device. Since this is a low level procedure I guess it will be a regular usb storage device (/dev/sdb or something like that). You can use dmesg to see what new device was added to the system. The line with "mkfs.ext4 -Ldata /dev/" should probably be "mkfs.ext4 -Ldata /dev/<device for the data partition>", the command should be invoked from Linux (or other OS that supports ext4 filesystem and mkfs.ext4 command). The tablet must be in recovery mode and with the data partition exported. The data in the data partition will be erased, but usually that partition is empty and used by Android to save non-critical user data (downloaded files usually).

Since the instructions mentions moving the original Android kernel to a different location you will not be able to do an easy dual boot. You will still be able to boot Android as long as you re-install the original kernel, which means putting the device in recovery mode again and flashing the original Android kernel back. I think the instructions need more details about how to flash the original Android kernel. I will ask for someone to update the instructions on our website.

Hi,

please read the technical support page of the Archos SDE carefully: http://www.archos.com/support/support_t ... us&lang=en
Your have to understand that your device will be 'watermarked' and you will not be able anymore to play DRM protected content on a restored android.

Djan-Djan wrote:Thanks. Just to be sure. The instructions there: http://share.basyskom.com/plasma-active ... _gen9.html will erase the Android system or will Plasma Active installed in addition to Android?

You will get a Plasma Active only system.

Djan-Djan wrote:When you delete the Kernel, which one is it? The one of the SDE or the main one?

You will delete Android kernel inside NAND flash.

Djan-Djan wrote:When I mount, is it like a normal drive or is it with help of mtptools?

After the SDE firmware update is flashed and you are in recovery mode, please choose on device 'Developer Edition Menu' --> 'Flash Kernel and Initramfs' to replace the kernel. The kernel will be stored in a tmpfs created by the SDE and it looks on your host PC as a common USB mass storage device. After uploading the SDE takes care on writing the kernel and initramfs.cpio.lzo into NAND flash. The kernel needed for Plasma Active is stored inside the BasysKom image tarball (boot/zImage) and you can take a fake 'initramfs.cpio.lzo' file by using touch.

Please choose the 'Developer Edition Menu' --> 'Export data partition' to export the device data partition to your host PC. The data partition of your device will be exported by the SDE as mass storage too. You should mount and create a backup before further steps. Otherwise you cannot restore your unique Wifi MAC identifier anymore.

Djan-Djan wrote:Where is it invoked from? The linux box? The tablet in mode recovery? So written will that not erase all? Shouldn't it be "dev/sdeX" (all my partitions are on sde...)

You have to create a new filesystem by your host PC and via USB-host-device connected device in 'recovery mode'.
root@hostPC# mkfs.ext4 /dev/<exported and not mounted archos gen9 device>



If you are unsure how to find out the correct <exported and not mounted archos gen9 device>:

1. Please plug-off the USB Cable
2. Call following command on your host device and note the output:
cat /proc/partitions

Code: Select all

major minor  #blocks  name
     8     0    3000000  sda
     8     1    2999998  sda1


3. Please plug-in the USB Cable again
4. Call following command on your host device and note the output again:
cat /proc/partitions

Code: Select all

    major minor  #blocks  name
     8     0    30000000 sda
     8     1    29999998 sda1
     8     16    3872256 sdb

Delaferte, thanks for the explanations. It's far clearer now.

My problem is that I'd like to test it but I don't want (yet) to remove the Android system.
Do you think it might be possible to install that image from Basyskom as it on a chrooted environment with the App "Complete Linux Installer"?

Well, the performances will be rather much slower but Android will remain usable.

Do you think it might worth the try?

Hi Djan-Djan,

Djan-Djan wrote:Do you think it might be possible to install that image from Basyskom as it on a chrooted environment with the App "Complete Linux Installer"?

I don't think Plasma Active is runable in a Android chroot environment. One reason is Plasma Active depends on a Kernel with X-Org driver support and in this chroot environment the native Android Kernel is missing this support.

Here a short description how to get a Android & Plasma Active dual boot system running:

Preparations:
Mirco SD card (minimal 2 gigabyte) and a reader working on your Linux Host system.
Download a Plasma Active root filesystem tarball from http://share.basyskom.com/plasma-active ... _gen9.html
Download the related kernel (please see viewtopic.php?f=211&t=102315&p=245611#p246488)

First you need to unpack the 'zImage' from the downloaded kernel rpm file. You can easily do this on a Linux Host system with
midnight commander (package 'mc') like below:

user@host# mc

--> choose the <rpm file> and press enter
--> choose 'CONTENTS.cpio' and press enter
--> copy /boot /etc /lib of 'CONTENTS.cpio' into your local directory

Please note, this zImage contain a different kernel default bootcmd. The root filesystem of this zImage will
be expected on a micro SD Card pluged into the reader of the tablet.

Now you have to prepare the mirco SD Card by creating a single primary partition with ext4 filesystem. For this I
use the tools 'fdisk' and 'mkfs.ext4' as root on a Linux host system.

Until now you can follow the 'Installation Howto' on http://share.basyskom.com/plasma-active ... _gen9.html and
use the micro SD card instead of <exported Archos device> in the 'Create a new filesystem on the data partition'
section. Please note, after this you have to copy over all previous unpacked files from the downloaded kernel rpm
into the device root filesystem. Also do not delete the Android kernel like described in the Howto.

By now you are able to boot into Plasma Active by choosing 'Developer Edition' inside recory mode menu.
Please note, booting from micro sd card takes a bit longer as from internal SSD (especially at first boot).

Have fun

There are many different hardware revisions of the Archos Gen 9 in the wild.
At some devices the touch does not work on Plasma Active because the related
module is not loaded automatically or is missing.

The easiest way to get your touchscreen running is to add some files to your
Archos root filesystem. For this you have to mount the Archos data partition
via the ARCHOS SDE or the external mirco SD Card by using a dual boot system
and copy over the files stored inside the kernel rpm. On following repository
URL you will find several kernel rpm's:


For Testing Image - without hardware acceleration (omapfb) also known as
basyskom-plasma-active-archos-gen9-tablet-mer-testing-120413-1745 you should
download the latest from http://repo.pub.meego.com/Project:/KDE: ... 7l/armv7l/:

- kernel-adaptation-archos-gen9-3.0.8+git<timestamp>.rpm

Please take for dual boot (rootfs on micro SD Card) the kernel below

- kernel-adaptation-archos-gen9-omapfb-mmc+git<timestamp>.rpm

For Testing Image - with hardware acceleration (pvr) also known as
basyskom-plasma-active-archos-gen9-tablet-mer-testing-120531-1816 you should
download the latest from http://repo.pub.meego.com/Project:/KDE: ... 7l/armv7l/:

- kernel-adaptation-archos-gen9-pvr-3.0.8+git<timestamp>.rpm

Please take for dual boot (rootfs on micro SD Card) the kernel below

- kernel-adaptation-archos-gen9-pvr-mmc-3.0.8+git<timestamp>.rpm

You can easily unpack this rpm on a Linux Host system with midnight commander
(package 'mc') like below:

user@host# mc

--> choose the <rpm file> and press enter
--> choose 'CONTENTS.cpio' and press enter
--> copy /boot /etc /lib of 'CONTENTS.cpio' into the mounted data partition of
your Archos Gen 9 device.

Please note, to update the Plasma Active Linux Kernel you have to use the SDE
(should not be needed to get the touch running).

Hi, great !

delaferte wrote:Until now you can follow the 'Installation Howto' on http://share.basyskom.com/plasma-active ... _gen9.html and
use the micro SD card instead of <exported Archos device> in the 'Create a new filesystem on the data partition'
section. Please note, you have to take the zImage unpacked from rpm package instead the one discribed in section
'Save a copy of th linux kernel'.

Do you mean that we still have to remove Android kernel as said in the Howto?

Select 'Remove Android Kernel' to delete the Android kernel, confirm with "I understand" if you do so

Want this is still unclear for me...

delaferte wrote:Djan-Djan wrote:When you delete the Kernel, which one is it? The one of the SDE or the main one?


You will overwrite the Android kernel inside NAND flash.

The new kernel taken from the RPM will erase the main Android Kernel and be used for both Android and Mer? Or will it only be on the external SD card?

Sorry if these are silly questions but I try to understand first and doing then...

Hi,

Do you mean that we still have to remove Android kernel as said in the Howto?

No, in case you like to setup a dual boot system you will need the Android kernel. The Howto was written for a Plasma Active only system installed on the tablet data partition.

Want this is still unclear for me...

When you delete the Kernel, which one is it? The one of the SDE or the main one?

You will overwrite the Android kernel inside NAND flash.

Sorry for confusion, my answer was not correct and I like to clarify that the Archos SDE is able to handle two kernels.

The new kernel taken from the RPM will erase the main Android Kernel and be used for both Android and Mer? Or will it only be on the external SD card?

So far I understand, there is a additional area inside the NAND flash for a second kernel and initramfs. By the SDE are you able to write a kernel into this space. The device will boot per default the original Android kernel. Via recovery menu you are able to choose the 'Developer Edition' boot option. Only in case you select 'Remove Android Kernel' the Development System will boot per default.

You will find a working link to a dual boot kernel in the viewtopic.php?f=211&t=102315#p246488 section. Great thanks for your feedback and I hope this will help.

Weekly development/testing images with and without hardware acceleration and dual boot kernel images are published on
basysKom download center.