[Q] Technical explanation of recovery, rom manager, odin, etc. - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I've been trying to find some technical information on how Odin, recovery, ROM manager work and what exactly they do. I'm a kernel developer in the embedded field so I'm looking for some resources that describe how these things work under the hood. Any pointers would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Anyone, please?

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[Q] Idiot's guide to ROMs, Kernels, CWM, rooting etc

Hi there
Having spent most of yesterday evening trying to work out why my attempt to root my S2 failed whilst getting confused with rooting, roms, kernels etc, I spent the rest of the evening trying to find an idiot's guide to it all, I did not find one.
When I rooted my HTC Hero I find a very helpful idiot's guide that both guided me through the process of rooting, and explained, in layman's terms, how the different bits worked together; I would love to find such a guide for the S2.
I have found some semi-helpful guides to how to root, but these were still written in rather technical language. i.e."install the unsecure kernel then the CWM will update from the download screen; however if you update the ROM an unsecure is not needed because they include a kernel" add to this things like wiping the partition etc it seemed rather confusing, which I am sure it is not, I just need it explaining in layman terms so i can see how the jigsaw fits together.
Having probably been too screened out last night I could well have missed the idiot's guide, so apologies if I did; would you be able to point me in the right direction please?
Thanks
Andy
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1103399
Follow the "Instructions - ODIN (long)"
That is helpful, thanks.
Unfortunately it still does not make much sense
"This rooted kernel is for the "rooting beginners" and those who want to keep as close to stock as possible. CF-Root takes the kernel from an original Samsung firmware, and just adds root, busybox, and ClockWorkMod (CWM4/5) recovery
THIS IS NOT A ROM - it is only a modified kernel. You need to have the relevant firmware already on your device. You do NOT need to wipe anything for this patch. You DO need to read the instructions. PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE POST!"
I have no idea what this means. What is a kernel, firmware, CWM etc. What is the difference between this and a ROM (which it is not for some reason)?
I know these might be as simple as asking the difference between a letter and a number, but I have yet to come across a clear explanation.
AR2000Dwain said:
That is helpful, thanks.
Unfortunately it still does not make much sense
"This rooted kernel is for the "rooting beginners" and those who want to keep as close to stock as possible. CF-Root takes the kernel from an original Samsung firmware, and just adds root, busybox, and ClockWorkMod (CWM4/5) recovery
THIS IS NOT A ROM - it is only a modified kernel. You need to have the relevant firmware already on your device. You do NOT need to wipe anything for this patch. You DO need to read the instructions. PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE POST!"
I have no idea what this means. What is a kernel, firmware, CWM etc. What is the difference between this and a ROM (which it is not for some reason)?
I know these might be as simple as asking the difference between a letter and a number, but I have yet to come across a clear explanation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) what is a kernel?
A)The central module of an operating system. It is the part of the operating system that loads first, and it remains in main memory. Because it stays in memory, it is important for the kernel to be as small as possible while still providing all the essential services required by other parts of the operating system and applications. Typically, the kernel is responsible for memory management, process and task management, and disk management.
The definition of kernel is "the portion of an OS (Operating System) that is responsible for interacting with the hardware. It is the operating system software that runs in kernel mode on the computer's processor and which provides low-level intelligence for the operating system. In other words, the kernel is the "heart" of an operating system.
2) What is a Rom?
A) its a mobile operating system for ur phone, just like windows xp or windows 7 for ur computer.
3) what is CWM?
A) CWM- Clock Work Mod , its a custom recovery where u can choose to install custom roms,kernels,themes etc and also u can wipe data,format system etc
hope the above Info will be of some help 2 u
OK. Best bit of advice I can give you is to read the Stickies. Thoroughly. There are no shortcuts. Taking shortcuts leads to borked phones.
The answers to all your questions are in those threads. Yes, you have to do some reading/learning, but that's the way it is (refer to/read my comment above again re: borked phones).
How to install Xenon ROM - I am new
I am new in installing ROMs and rooting the phone.
I have a lot of info about different ROMs and methods how to install it.
I am interested in installing
[ROM][ICS 4.0.3] Xenon ROM v1.1 [18/6/12][Themed + Touchwiz][CF-Root][XWLPD]
I have rooted my phone using the following method:
[GUIDE] ROOT/UNROOT Stock ICS Firmware without flashing unsecure kernel
As per installation instruction of Xenon ROM, I have to Choose "install zip from sdcard", but instead of it, I have only "install zip from sdcard or external SD"- is it the same?
Please advise, if possible with links what should I do.
Thank you very much for your support and patience.
gersla said:
As per installation instruction of Xenon ROM, I have to Choose "install zip from sdcard", but instead of it, I have only "install zip from sdcard or external SD"- is it the same?
Please advise, if possible with links what should I do.
Thank you very much for your support and patience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, select that option. It will take u to the next screen where you have to select the zip file you have copied. Navigate to the path where the zip file is and install.
iamafrk said:
Yes, select that option. It will take u to the next screen where you have to select the zip file you have copied. Navigate to the path where the zip file is and install.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just tried, and got a message "E:signature verification failed",
Please advise,
gersla said:
Just tried, and got a message "E:signature verification failed",
Please advise,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because of the way you've rooted, you still have stock recovery. To achieve what you want, follow the first four steps of your link first.
oinkylicious said:
Because of the way you've rooted, you still have stock recovery. To achieve what you want, follow the first four steps of your link first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I understand correctly I have to flash Cf-Root or Clockworkmod- what is better and less risky?
I am using the following original ROM - see below.
Model: GT-I9100T
Android Version: 4.0.3
Baseband version: I9100TJILP9
Kernel version: [email protected]#3
Please advise,
To [Q] of AR2000.
Go through STICKY THREAD in the starting to clear most of your ideas.(you will find sticky thread as soon as you open Galaxy S2 General Forum in xda)
Also i found this thread pretty helpful during my root it has step by step explanation in simple language.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1126522
Also you are still in the root phase but when once you done with rooting BEFORE you move on to FLASHING check this tread out for sure
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1502526
gersla said:
If I understand correctly I have to flash Cf-Root or Clockworkmod- what is better and less risky?
I am using the following original ROM - see below.
Model: GT-I9100T
Android Version: 4.0.3
Baseband version: I9100TJILP9
Kernel version: [email protected]#3
Please advise,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Finally, I did it using:
1. [GUIDE] ROOT/UNROOT Stock ICS Firmware without flashing unsecure kernel
2. I installed ROM Manager from a marked, and CWM using this program.
3. Rebooted in to recovery mode.
4. Done
After it I changed at least 5 ROMs!!! now yellow triangle!
Stayed with ☆☆☆☆☆[ROM-ICS]-[--VK--™]-[-XWLPG-V5.1.2]-[Fast-Stable]-[Jkay Support]-[MultiLanguage]

[Q] Looking for a place to start

Development on the phone I have has gotten as far as rooting stock (SCH-I110, Samsung Illusion). As I've toyed around with my Nook, I like the idea of cutting edge software still running on older hardware. Yes, yes, I realize that this is a "cheap phone" and not "in demand" and "why don't you just go and get a S2 or S3", but isn't the whole idea of open source the ability for people to learn? I've loved reaping the benefits of others' hard work, but it's time to get my own hands dirty...
Basically it comes down to this: I need to be pointed in the right place to learn how to build recovery for my device (ie CWM).
It's currently rooted, running stock and busybox, but that's as far as I have gotten. The source code HAS been released already, so it's out there. I've tried to read up about Odin in order to figure out how to pull a recovery image and start building, but just about every tutorial I've come across teaches people how to cook their own ROMs after CWM or TWRP is already installed. I'm not quite there yet.
So if anyone has a good place that contains information on building recovery, thank you for your help in advance. I just need a little direction.
Ok, so I pulled a boot.img off the phone as well as a system.tar. I used the boot.img on builder.cyanogenmod.com and have the following output files:
android_device_unknown_unknown.zip
inputrecovery.img
manifest.xml
recovery.img
The recovery image can be found here: http://builder.clockworkmod.com/redirect/5dbb87a058d1bb5fcd0bcbeca347c45b.img
I did see on the console output that it was building for CM10.1. Is this going to be an issue?
Thanks for helping an Android Noobie.
Would this be any help: http://www.koushikdutta.com/2010/10/porting-clockwork-recovery-to-new.html
XyanumX said:
Would this be any help: http://www.koushikdutta.com/2010/10/porting-clockwork-recovery-to-new.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that was one source I was reading. I saw his note about initramfs, though. I believe the Illusion uses it as opposed to the standard boot image format, so his guide doesn't work. Thanks for suggesting it, though!

[Q] Super beginner, have some questions

So there's a few threads here that offer pieces of information on how to install a ROM, CWM, etc ... but almost none of them really explain to me what exactly an nvflash is, what 1.2 means, what the 250m or 350m (or whatever they are) are for ... or how to detect whether or not I need those? Each of the rom threads just say "hey you need this," but I can't seem to find how to find out what I have, what I need, where to get it, etc. Can anyone offer some advice trying to flash this thing for a friend?
Thanks.

Making firmware only Odin files?

Hello
I was wondering if anyone can help me.
I am trying to learn how to make Odin flashable files from stock firmware.
I found a guide on how to do it with Linux and looks like it will work with the version of redhat that I am running.
Does anyone have a guide for this device or know the flashing order for this specific phone?
The guide I found only has flashing orders for older phones that are missing some of the partitions especially relating to the bootloader.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Figured it out. Ran the tar to extract it in verbose mode and it gave the list there.

TWRP, Rooting and Custom Rom Help SM-T510 Tablet Tab A 10.1

Hey guys, this is my first post. I just bought a Samsung SM-T510 and would like to unlock all the features. I'm currently trying to follow multiple guides on how to do so. To my understanding, my best bet is lineageOs 16. I've been following https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-a/development/rom-lineageos-16-0-t3987317 alongside with https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-a/how-to/guide-unlock-twrp-root-odin-howto-t3989361 and I'm pretty confused on the method order i need to follow. What I mean is do I install rom first, TWRP, Magisk etc.?
More guides ive been following:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-a/development/recovery-twrp-3-3-1-2019-galaxy-tab-10-1-t3934805
https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/official-magisk-v7-universal-systemless-t3473445
https://topjohnwu.github.io/Magisk/install.html#samsung-system-as-root
I see posts saying I need and don't need Multidisabler so I'm confused on what I actually need: https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-a/development/sm-t510-t515-multidisabler-encryption-t3963020
Another one: https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s10/samsung-galaxy-s10--s10--s10-5g-cross-device-development-exynos/g97xf-multi-disabler-encryption-t3919714
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s10/development/magisk-root-galaxy-s10-series-t3918699
I have so many tabs open currently; I know I'm missing a few important ones.
So given all that info, i think i have all the software to do this between kernels, rom, twrp, odin, magisk, multi disabler? and i think thats all.
My sm-t510 build number is T510XXU2ASK5, looking through the lineage rom guide, I click the link https://samfrew.com/model/SM-T510/ and i see different versions. I'm honestly completely confused about this file and how I'm going to use it. I understand it to be the stock rom? as in factory software? With TWRP too, the numbers don't match my current build number leaving me very confused.
Do I need to downgrade my build number (i don't know if it's even a thing just asking)?
I think i can do everything relatively easy once I have an understanding of what to do first (order of things) and the specific files for the specific steps. When I'm reading these guides, I honestly have no idea which download goes for what. For ex. going back to https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-a/development/rom-lineageos-16-0-t3987317 like what do I need to download, the build number listed in notes regarding kernel or go to the download section right below and use that? Or both and if both, how do I use them separately for there a specific purpose? I cannot find anything that makes me feel comfortable rooting/custom rom on my device. Not comfortable in terms of I don't know what I'm doing exactly. I have put days of reading into this and still, I cannot figure out how to do this. I would really appreciate it if someone could help me. This is stressing me out and I would like to get this done before Monday due to me having some serious surgery. The reason being; I won't be as fresh on everything I've read recently.
I'm sorry if this post is choppy and all over the place. I'm just exhausted and clueless at this point. If I left any info out in order for someone to help me please let me know so I can provide it.
EDIT: The TWRP file ends in build number SK1, the file lineage-16.0-20191019-UNOFFICIAL-T510XXU2ASI4.tar.md5 doesn't match the TWRP file as well as my current build number; which ends in SK5. So nothing is matching the 3 last characters in my build number across all guides besides the samfrew link.
Also, I keep seeing i need a .tar TWRP file for recovery (?) but when I unzip both files are .img (named boot/recovery)

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