Posts made by JJurgen

And this is what I like to read too!!! Multiboot different recoveries in EFIDroid

This is what I posted on Lukss12 thread and found this post too where Lukss12 says "It's necessary to analize the way Ubuntu mounts the partitions to create a proper ramdisk patching for ubuntu kernels....requests like booting non Android ROMs will be implemented!" Well that sounds like music in my ears.
I've been trying to get this Android method translated to UBports to get a view how UBports mounts partitions but my knowledge is insufficient. Does anybody know (a better way) how or where to get this information?

@oli-sax Hello to you too I didn't watch the Community update. Thanks for sharing this. They are talking about Canonical's Dualboot and that multi booting would need kernel patching. Correct me if I'm wrong. This 'kernel patching' must be a pain in the #ss for devs. I don't want any kernel patching either. Devs really have more important things to do and have their focus on Anbox. That's OK. They are doing good work.
But still I believe EFIDroid could become that desired Multiboot app. For me personally I prefer UBports (with Anbox would be fantastic) but its necessary for me to be familiar with Android. So there can be a difference in interpretation of what is necessary. That's OK too.
That comment of Martin Kozub is interesting. I think this is somehow familiar with how Canonical's Dualboot works. The manual in Martin Kozub's link is written specific for Meizu MX4 and many files come from https://iubuntu.cz and that makes me restrained. Gonna study on this some more to get a good understanding of the process.

@elastic No worries. We're doing this just for fun. Have a nice day tomorrow what ever your plans may be!

Just registered at XDA forum and posted in Lukss12 thread. Now hope for the best.

@elastic Did some experimenting on my Nexus 4. Installed UPports and then flashed TWRP as a new recovery. All functions well so TWRP and UBports go wel together once UBports is installed. But to install UBports and to update it UBports recovery is absolutely necessary. So if in EFIDroid UBports won't boot as you tried various times my guess its because of the boot.img. The question is not only to get support for UBports recovery in EFIDroid but also to for its boot.img. Did not have time to make an account on XDA forum. Needed to clean my laptop (Samsung N510 running Xubuntu 16.04) too. Restored a Clonezilla image from a month ago and updated the system. Now I have the NVIDEA driver and configuration back and plenty of free disk space. Tomorrow will be a busy day so it will be no sooner than after dinner to make an account on XDa forum.
You are driving a lot of kilometers for your work! I'm hoping for you that there are not to many traffic jams.
cheers to you too.

@elastic Will make an account on XDA forums tomorrow and kindly request Lukss12 to consider supporting UBports recovery in EFIDroid. He/she will probably wait until M11kkaa has completely rewritten the project. Shall we do this together? In the Netherlands we say 'two people know more than one'.

@elastic Indeed your method is easier. Lukss12 says on his page under Clarifications "EFIDroid properly patches TWRP ramdisk to affect the desire slot/ROM" so Lukss12 EFIDroid is only compatible with TWRP.
I've been playing around with EFIDroid on my Nexus 5 (had to flash stock rom and then install LineageOS to get a clean system - adb devices didn't list my device). Tried to install via option Fastboot in EFIDroid. According to Lukss12 page there should be only one entry, but there are two entries (CyanogenMod and UPport). So I thought maybe this way I can install UBports to its slot (being naïve), but this fastboot mode keeps waiting for a command and the terminal on my laptop keeps waiting for a device...
Then pushed the UBports recovery (renamed it to ubport_recovery.img) to /multiboot/data/media/0/ and then in EFIDroid activated the File Explorer and browsed to userdata/media/0/ and selected file ubport_recovery.img, pushed power button and UBports recovery starts and is functional. Could reboot, reboot into bootloader and power down. So that makes me think UBports recovery could work if EFIDroid properly patches UBports ramdisk to affect the desire slot/ROM. If UBports boot.img will work is still unknown.
Its worth a try to ask the dev of EFIDroid to consider support for UBports (if he/she isn't already doing so :)). That leaves the question do we ask this to Lukss12 (dev for hammerhead) or M11kkaa (dev EFIDroid).

@elastic Installed Canonicals dualboot again and tried to install Ubuntu Touch by sideloading. Files are downloaded and pushed to the Nexus 4 in /sdcard/ubuntu_release. After that the Dualboot app pops up but no install activity. So a not fully implemented feature. I think the that the update_command file that is being generated is not executable. I'm gonna try to make it executable and see what happens.

There's something else that is on my mind regarding EFIdroid. I would like to know how to install UBports from recovery, just like one can install a custom rom from TWRP. In TWRP the install starts after unpacking the zip from META-INF/com/google/android/update-binary. I can't find this path in the UPports tar files.
If you know which file is the update_binary in UBports then it could be started from recovery with a self made script (pathname META-INF/com/google/android/update-binary and zipped) together with the tar files in the right directory of TWRP. If that doesn't work it will return error messages. Not what I like to see but these messages can help us.
The problem with TWRP is that it doesn't support tar.gz archives (look here and scroll down to second dot under Issues/Hacks), and zip zip doesn't support every attribute needed for the rootfs. That's a hint why UBports has its own recovery.
So that would mean flashing UBports recovery to the slot (EFIDroid) and then installing UBports. Does that make any sense?

@elastic Been very busy with other matters and had no time to experiment last days. I have cleaned my Nexus 4 of remnants of Multirom, Dualboot and EFIdroid to get a fresh start in experimenting with Canonicals Dualboot. It took me 2 evenings and had to flash stock rom twice. ADB devices didn't recognize it. Now that is done and have LineageOS running again.
I'm no fan of Multirom either. Its outdated and indeed to much of a hustle.
"maybe it's time to ask the UBports team for support" you wrote three days ago. This is always an option. I think it's good to have a concrete question of what our goal is (by example editing Canonicals Dualboot apk to alter the server url to UBports url) and what is not to extensive to answer. What do you think?
In my opinion we're not yet at a point of no solution.

@oli-sax @elastic I posted this before in category support link text, edited the dualboot script to get images from ubport instead of ubuntu and then sideloaded the ubport files. Release 13 of channel RC (not the latest release) got downloaded but no installation is started. I guess it lacks a installation script or binary. My other guess is that this feature is not fully implemented just as the option to customize the pull server.
I'm gonna try to sideload Canonicals ubuntu files and see it that leads to a install procedure.
I will post some more details of my experiments later.

@oli-sax Thank you for this additional and crucial info. We will keep this in mind in our experiment.

@elastic Thank you for your explanation. I think I'm beginning to understand this but still find it a bit confusing.
Reflashed UBports recovery on my Nexus 5 and rebooted from power down directly in boot loader and into recovery. Ubports recovery show up apparently fully functional. Then I choose 'reboot system'. Now EFIDroid bootloader shows up and I can select TWRP recovery. Selected it an pushed power button to confirm. TWRP starts apparently fully functional. So now I'm having two recoveries and just one OS (LineageOS).
This I find confusing. Didn't expect this to happen. Does this mean that in this case UBports recovery is in 1st stage boot loader and TWRP in second stage boot loader (EFIDroid)?
I don't think this is of additional value to get UPports working in EFIdroid but just worth mentioning.

@elastic Well that's a pity UBports won't boot while other custom roms do. There must be something we are overlooking here.
I tried replacing TWRP recovery with UBports recovery. First on my Nexus 4 mako with only LineageOS installed. No problems. LineageOS boots and UBports recovery shows up nicely after booting into recovery. I thought this could be a step forward.
So replaced TWRP recovery on my Nexus 5 with UBports recovery from Version 3 and started LineageOS and EFIDroid. Chose install/update in the menu of EFIDroid. It showed a big Repair button. Tapped it and it reported that the recovery only has an ESP backup. Repair completed and then i tried to reboot into recovery. That gave an error: 'Previous boot failed' and another error: 'init returned'. Played around a bit in EFI bootloader but it keeps loping back to EFIdroid bootloader just as in your method.
Reinstalled TWRP and I'm back to where started.
Maybe I have to try this from a clean install (without replacing TWRP) and also as a comparison trying to multiboot Canonicals Ubuntu Touch.
My guess is that UBports needs its own recovery and there is something special with the boot process.

@elastic Is your drainage pump working again?
That's a clever attempt and thanks for posting. My wild guess is that the process could work in a situation where you have UBports installed as a second OS in Multirom. A few months ago I found a Multirom version for the Nexus 4 mako that can do this: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=72455220&postcount=2140
It works pretty well but uses an old recovery and there is no maintenance so i dropped it. I couldn't find a similar Multirom version for Nexus 5 hammerhead. Maybe other readers may know if it exists and where to find it.
Just to see if we can get UBports working in EFIDroid.
I'm looking into the UBport tar-files trying to get a view and understanding how the flow of the proces of installing UBport might be.
Updated LineageOS to latest version today. All went well. Had to reinstall Supersu (of course, duhh).

@elastic Installed Beta EFIDroid on lineage on Nexus 5 to and indeed it installs flawlessly. Added a new slot in the EFIDroid Manager app for UBports. Next step is to intall a custom rom by rebooting and when EFIDroid comes up select TWRP, then select the newly created slot.
Go to the "Wipe > Advanced Wipe" menu. Select "System", then swipe to wipe.
Finally you can install all the zips you want on that slot. TWRP needs install zipfiles.
The UBports server does not provide these zip files. That's were the process stalls.
Maybe there is a way to manually create this install zip file for UBPorts?
Any leads are appreciated. I'm no programmer or developer. Just trying by guessing and trail and error.

@elastic So you already experimenting! That's great. Thank you for your reporting your results sofar! Take it easy. To be able to shower without floding your bathroom is more important.

@Bastos and @Ingo. Looking for more information of EFIdroid it made me glad to find this page where m11kkaa mentions (17 december 2017) he is completely rewriting the project. So the project is still going and hopefully this leads to new and more ports.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software-hacking/efidroid-t3447466/page37

@elastic Same here. I own a Nexus 5 too as a daily driver looking for the right moment to give the Beta EFIdroid a try (to many ideas, to much to do and a lack of energy). If I can find the time I will post the results here,

Hi Bastos,
Dual / Multibooting also made me a linux user in the end. I also think it could gain more smart phone users to try UBports. There's already a Beta EFIDroid for Nexus 5 hammerhead:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/development/multiboot-efidroid-nexus-5-t3580493
In the FAQ on the site of UBPorts is mentioned that multibooting may change with Halium project, but that’s not carved in stone yet and they won’t make any promises.
Good to know that the Fairphone community is having their thoughts on this. Is it correct that you are already experimenting on this? It looks very promising.
So I do hope some day the UBports community will also come to a point of thinking of multibooting someway.