New kernel

[Aleksei]

root # cat /proc/mtd
dev: size erasesize name
mtd0: 00020000 00008000 "Bootloader"
mtd1: 000e0000 00020000 "Kernel"
mtd2: 00580000 00020000 "VFM_Filesystem"
mtd3: 00020000 00020000 "Logo"
mtd4: 018e0000 00020000 "RootFS"

Why erase size for bootloader and other parts of the flash is differrent? Can we change this parameter or its hardware specific one?

[CheshireCat]

128KiB pages flashed, but the phone was very slow to get to the startup animation, hung at the end of the animation, and shut itself off. I made a new image with 8KiB pages (twice the default). I also incorporated ezxlocal into the image, and made a MTD partition that combines the VFM_Filesystem and RootFS partitions, as they were adjacent, and removed all of the VFM stuff from the init scripts. It's working now, and has 5.5MiB free on the shared root/ezxlocal. I have to get to bed (as it is I have far too little time to sleep before my daughter wakes), but I will post my kernel patch and a summary of my methods when I find time, hopefully before Wednesday. If you don't dare mess with the VFM partition, making the filesystem with mkfs.jffs2 (which seems to be more space-efficient than copying a bunch of files to an empty filesystem) and using 8KiB pages should get the original root small enough to fit with some room to spare.

BTW, many thanks to Aleksei, who did all the digging in the kernel, so I knew exactly where to go to merge the partitions. I'd have taken much longer without you going first.

Also, did you have any keymap issues with your newly-built kernel? The buttons are pretty badly wrong on mine, so I'm limited to stylus control.

[Aleksei]

I have not any problems with buttons keymap. All works perfectly with default settings.

[CheshireCat]

I've uploaded my r/w big root patch and modified rwflash. The rwflash includes source and module, you'll need to build the kernel yourself. The kernel includes support for both r/w over the original root area as Alexsei described above, and support for a "big" r/w root which includes the space originally used for /ezxlocal. These are both supported in one kernel and one rwflash module, but you should only use one at a time. Check at least twice before you write to one of the roots, and make sure you use the one that you mean to use. If you use the bigroot, you will need to copy the contents of your vfm ezxlocal partition into the /ezxlocal directory in your new root image, and modify /etc/init.d/mountfs.sh not to attempt to mount the vfm filesystem. You mus talso set "root=1f05" in the kernel command line if you intend to use the bigroot partition. Again, mistakes made here will be very bad, so double-check or you'll end up reflashing your phone.

I recommend installing the mtd utils on your PC and creating a jffs2 image there. I tried running mkfs.jffs2 on my A780, with the intention of including a script that could build an rwroot or rw-bigroot image on your phone, but creating the filesystem image took far too long (I never let it actually finish running on the phone, and it took less than thirty seconds on my PC).

[CheshireCat]

Hrm, I was missing several files needed to build the kernel, including include/linux/ezx-button.h. I copied these from the older Motorola source release... perhaps this is the source of my button map problem?

[CheshireCat]

Updated r/w bigroot patch, this one supports both A780 and E680, and includes the setup partition as mtd6. I also figured out my keymap problem - it appears that the key table in the keypad driver for A780 is incorrect. I have uploaded another patch which fixes this problem (and should not affect E680 users).

I'm working on the M-Systems Disk-on-Chip next (language and diska are there), but I don't think the mtd in this kernel is recent enough to support jffs2 on these devices, and using the update-patch script that comes w/ the mtd distribution breaks the kernel (won't compile).

[kosta]

Some bad news:

2. Bluetooth cant switch on.

Does this also apply to cyphs bluez stack or does that one work?

Kosta

[blackhawk]

Have found how to activate usbnet before mounting rootfs. Mounting nfsroot is a good idea, we can make firmware modification without flashing. Very useful for firmware modder. Another idea is mounting rootfs on mmc.
My idea:
1. Try to mounting nfsroot, if failed
2. Try to mounting rootfs on mmc, if failed
3. Mounting default rootfs.

[akhaliq]

idea sounds kool... how about a practical implementation?

[f0x0r]

Should we put a bounty on this effort?