Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

BackupMenu(nor any other software) can remove or break the flasher.
Just turn off the N900, open the keyboard, hold the U key then plug in the USB. It should work fine.

Also, Shadow, if you are talking about the Terminal mode of BackupMenu, yes, its glitched. amongst other things, the third row of keys is shifted one key to the left, and I haven't been able to fix it yet.

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

I'm experimenting with running from a bare-essentials chroot, which is a prereq if I want to more safely mess with the rootfs.

I made my ramdisk:
Worked fine.
I copied /bin/busybox, and created a simlink in the new directory:
Worked fine. Running "./sh" brought up a new shell; the program works.

But when I try to chroot into it:
"chroot /tmp/disk/"
I get:
"chroot: cannot execute /bin/sh: No such file or directory."

What did I do wrong?

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Busybox isn't statically linked on the N900, so you'll need to copy the necessary libraries over as well.

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Thanks.

But, erm, two questions:
Which are those/where can I find them, and why is it saying "can't find file X"? Shouldn't it say something like "missing X library.so"?

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Use ldd to find the required libraries for an application. For busybox, they're:

• /lib/libcrypt.so.1 (symlink to /lib/libcrypt-2.5.so)
• /lib/libc.so.6 (symlink to /lib/libc-2.5.so)
• /lib/ld-linux.so.3 (symlink to /lib/ld-2.5.so)

You'll probably also need to bind mount /dev, /proc and /sys under your chroot:
As for why you get the error message you get - it's a bit confusing, but actually correct. It cannot execute /bin/sh because the linked libraries don't exist.

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Perfect! It worked. Tomorrow I'll see about actually sticking it in my script, and hopefully in a day or two I'll have an alpha version for testing!

Stay tuned!

-Rob

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

I've been working on this solidly since my last post.
Curently, I have two files:
BackupMenuLauncher.item, which is in /etc/bootloader.d/ and runs when you start up your N900 with the keyboard open.
This file makes a ramdisk(and now, a tmpfs), loads all required files into it, and copies the second file, the actual program, from /opt/BackupMenu.item, then chroots into the ramdisk launching that file.
Code for each of these is pastebinned in the above links.

When I run this from the Maemo terminal as root, it works(as best I can see of it). I get errors on not being able to use udev(as its already running), but it actually seems to launch the script fine.

When I run it from the bootmenu-console, everything works fine until the launcher chroots, at which point it apparently dies and drops back to the bootmenu official menu.

Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?

P.S. How do I get /etc/mtab in my chroot? "mount" does this.


edit: Yea, still having the problem.

edit2:
Found it. The second file was in /opt/, which is its own partition... which isn't mounted deliberately. :\
Moved it to the root partition, worked great.

edit3:
Sooo... working away at it. I'm having trouble mounting the SD partition; getting "invalid argument". I'm sure its something simple(or maby not...)

Thanks,

-Rob

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Hm i put the lines in several positions in the /etc/bootmenu.d/BackupMenu.item

But no Keyboard lights!

Should follow line
echo 255 > /sys/class/leds/lp5523\:kb$3/brightness
work under xterm?
By me the line doesn't change the backlight off my N900

Greetz
Erazor


edit:

Hope you're not angry with me, when I change your file!
Only want to help you to fix/add this :)
*hide myself under the shirt*

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Its GPL licensed, so it doesn't matter. You can distribute, copy, edit, etc. without asking me, so long as you distribute your edits under the same license. At least, that's my interpretation of it.

Of course, even if I -have- to allow editing, I don't mind it anyway. I want to see some people messing with it; figure out better ways of doing things. I'm -not- an expert, after all...

Anyway, while I haven't tried it, but you will have to A, load the module first with "insmod /lib/modules/current/leds_lp5523.ko"(note: it may also be "modprobe" instead of insmod), then after that run the "for x in 1 2 3 4 5 6; do echo 255 > /sys/class/leds/lp5523\:kb$x/brightness; done" line.

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

ok :)
thx



i have already take this in the file with insmod and modprobe in different places.

but i dont get the keyboard lights running.
strange things

only for the archives!!!!
the line called
echo 255 > /sys/class/leds/lp5523\:kb$3/brightness
for example.

or

do echo 255 > /sys/class/leds/lp5523\:kb$3/brightness
done


???

i will test this and let you know, when it works :)

thx for the reply

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

It should be all one line, from the "for.." to the "...done".

However, while those files exist, I just tried it as root... it works(it changes the values), but doesn't seem to do anything. Unless you try with the keyboard half closed(with the lights by default off), then it blinks.
Makes me think that something else is controlling those lights by default, at least in Maemo.

In Bootloader mode, it should work.



edit:
Ok, question for you all:
I'm going to be splitting up my massive shell script into smaller "includes", and I'll have 6-12 smaller sh files.
Where should I put them? - Whats the "appropriate" place to put them, on the rootfs?

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

hm ok
i try to find all files to let the keyboard shine and write a pm to MohammadAG.
Perhaps he can help us a little

Greetz
Erazor

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Great works Robbie :eek:

I'll suggest to put them in a simple new directory called beckupmenu in the main root :p
Or maybe in a directory in /usr/share .. where there are the directory of a lot of programs :)

By the way ... we all are waiting for your gorgeous work :cool:
In my small community i'm continuing to record
cases of successes and failures due to errors, seemingly always related to bad sectors ..

It seems that restoration is successfull on 50% of devices.

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Yea, the /usr/share/ is probably the best option, but I don't know much about where you are "supposed" to stick such files, though that looks like it.
Hm, that's interesting.

But I -am- rebuilding it, with new, better methods. I actually got it to backup once, but now I have to figure out why tar stopped backing up with a read-error. *sigh*.

-Rob

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

ps: is there a way to fix the problem of the "version" of the system.. ?
Flashing with the fiasco, the system informations (firmware pr ecc ecc )
..
Flashing with a custom image it doesn't .. :/
There shopuld be a file somewhere in some other partition ...
That fu.cked chip has 1 thousand partitions -.-'''
The one for the root ... the one for the kernel ... some other one per these informations.. 2 balls -.-

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Wait, what exactly are you talking about?
The firmware version?
Have you tried installing a new kernel(or reinstalling the current one) to see if that fixes it?

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

The same with every kernel :/

Even flashing with a clean root image created with backupmenu... no informations in the menu /settings/informations (i don't know the exactly english traduction in maemo ... but you have already understood me) .

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

So a device at PR1.1, when flashed with a PR1.2 image doesn't have information in some info screens...?

If so, this isn't an issue. PR1.1 and PR1.2 are different; PR1.2 updates the firmware of several pieces of hardware in the N900 like the GSM chip.
You would probably want to flash PR1.2, then load the image.

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Flashing with the fiasco yes, the informations appear.
But flashing with a custom root made by backupmenu (even if this "custom root" isn't really customized, but only cleaned) , with no variations of kernel .. the informations don't appear ..

It seems that something more is flashed with the fiasco ...
Some files put somewhere in the chip .. but not in the common partition that we call root..
Like it happens with the kernel (but it isn't the same of the kernel because even not touching it, the problem remains)

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Wait. Can you tell me the exact steps needed to reproduce this issue? Like "install this", "copy this", "go to settings > x > y"?

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

1) Flash with a fiasco.

2) Turn on the system

3) Add devil and testing repo and Install backupmenu.

4) Turn off the system and create a root image with backupmenu.

5) Turn on the device and copy the root image in your hard disk on you PC.

6) Turn off the device and put it in flasher mode pressing U and plugging the USB cable

7) Flash the "customized" root image created by backupmenu. Even if this is identical to the original (exept for backupmenu).

8) Turn on the system and go to the settings/informations.

In practice.. Every image created by backupmenu, even the simplier with no flashing of the kernel, doesn't show the informations about the version of the system ..
Because this informations seem to stay in another "place" ... not in the root.

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Huh, thats odd.
I mean, when I go to Settings > About Product, I see "Nokia N900, Maemo 5, Version: 10.2010.19-1.002, then the wifi mac, bluetooth and IMEI numbers...
Yours doesn't after a restore?

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Just an update: I've got a beta of BackupMenu nearly done; I've run into issue after issue with getting it working.
First, it was getting all the required files and permissions for the chroot. Then, busybox-tar decides to crash if a read error happens. Then, busybox-tar also won't add files to archives, only create archives.

I ended up using gnu-tar and gnu-ls, as the busybox equivalents wouldn't do. After finding the actual files, and their dependencies(and realizing gnu-ls resides on /opt/, so it had to be copied to the rootfs first...), I finally have it more or or less working.

Now, just some more fixes, and I'll have something better than before. Hopefully.

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

No :( i see unknown version T_T

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

OK, alpha test version!

http://robbiethe1st.afraid.org/Backu...0100919.tar.gz
This is an alpha version, and -will not- restore!
Mainly because there's a glitch in the restore-file-selection code, but...

Anyway, instructions for install are as follows:
1. copy the above file to your MyDocs directory
2. Open up a terminal, sudo gainroot, then type: tar xvzf /home/user/MyDocs/backupmenu-20100919.tar.gz /
3. After it extracts, type:
cp /opt/maemo/usr/bin/gnu/tar /usr/share/backupmenu/
4. If you have the regular version of backupmenu installed, disable it:
mv /etc/bootmenu.d/BackupMenu.item /etc/bootmenu.d/BackupMenu.item.bak


To disable this new version:
mv /etc/bootmenu.d/BackupMenuLauncher.item /etc/bootmenu.d/BackupMenuLauncher.item.bak
And reinstate the old one:
mv /etc/bootmenu.d/BackupMenu.item.bak /etc/bootmenu.d/BackupMenu.item


Note that this version uses tar archives of the files instead of an image. Thus the resulting images cannot be flashed with the maemo flasher.
I may end up releasing a "bootstrap" image that allows you to flash it, then run BackupMenu and restore your files.

Anyway, I'd like the fearless among you to try this out, make backups of your root and optfs's.
Also of note is a file inside the resulting tar archive: "tarstatus". This file has any errors that Tar encounters, and I'd like you to post yours here(if it contains anything). If it doesn't exist... Let me know that also.

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Ok, I'm done.
Here's the first beta of the above version. It should backup and restore properly, and hopefully work on -any- N900.
http://robbiethe1st.afraid.org/Backu...0100923.tar.gz
Remember: backup your files before testing this; There may be a glitch or two in it. Once you know it works for you, it should be safe.
Also, even if it -does- screw up, the backups -are- known to be good and should be fine. Also, being tar archives, its possible to fix errors in it(say a missing or corrupt file), then restore it, which wasn't possible with the old version.


Anyway, instructions for install are as follows:
1. copy the above file to your MyDocs directory
2. Open up a terminal, sudo gainroot, then type: tar xvzf /home/user/MyDocs/backupmenu-20100919.tar.gz /
3. After it extracts, type:
cp /opt/maemo/usr/bin/gnu/tar /usr/share/backupmenu/
4. If you have the regular version of backupmenu installed, disable it:
mv /etc/bootmenu.d/BackupMenu.item /etc/bootmenu.d/BackupMenu.item.bak


To disable this new version:
mv /etc/bootmenu.d/BackupMenuLauncher.item /etc/bootmenu.d/BackupMenuLauncher.item.bak
And reinstate the old one:
mv /etc/bootmenu.d/BackupMenu.item.bak /etc/bootmenu.d/BackupMenu.item


Go ahead and try it; I want to know if it works or not!
Note that the only three features to be testing and working are FSCK mode, Backup mode and Restore mode. Everything else... who knows.

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

You say now the backups are vanilla tar files. This means it's not possible any more to restore the rootfs backup through the flasher, right?

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Yup. In order to do that you'd have to make a virtual UBIFS filesystem, load the files into it, image that with tar, and then restore that. All in all, painful and probably not worth it.

I did it this way because some people get errors with the img files - due to flash media errors. I may end up providing that functionality -also-, but only if this method ends up not being foolproof.
I probably -will- have to release a single flashable image that lets you get to BackupMenu, for if you completely screw things up.

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

mmmm ...

Nokia-N900:~# tar xvzf /home/user/MyDocs/backupmenu-20100919.tar.gz /
tar: /home/user/MyDocs/backupmenu-20100919.tar.gz: funzione "open" non riuscita: No such file or directory
tar: Errore irrimediabile: uscita immediata
tar: Child returned status 2
tar: /: non trovato nell'archivio
tar: Uscita con stato di fallimento in base agli errori precedenti
Nokia-N900:~#

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

@Dany-69: It installs if you start from / and untar without the last slash.

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

o.O ... my english isn't good enought to understand T_T
What shiuld i do?

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

@Robbiethe1st:I guess its gnu-tar. I have a package which delivers it as /usr/bin/tar/gnu
Maybe I need another one?

EDIT: nevermind. I forgot copying the gtar binary. My shame. :(

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Installati il package tar-gnu e poi, come root

Questo ti scompatta il tar di Robbie a partire da /

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Ahhhh ecco ! XD è vero bisogna porsi nella directory di destinazione :eek:
Sto bruciato perdonami xD Felice di trovare un altro italiano (almeno cosi sembra :) )

PS: Robbie you should add a " cd / " on your post xD

EDIT: ernesto ... the same problem ..

Nokia-N900:~# cd /
Nokia-N900:/# apt-get install tar-gnu
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
tar-gnu is already the newest version.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 2 not upgraded.
Nokia-N900:/# /usr/bin/gnu/tar xvzf /home/user/MyDocs/backupmenu-20100919.tar.gz/usr/bin/gnu/tar: /home/user/MyDocs/backupmenu-20100919.tar.gz: funzione "open" non riuscita: No such file or directory
/usr/bin/gnu/tar: Errore irrimediabile: uscita immediata
/usr/bin/gnu/tar: Child returned status 2
/usr/bin/gnu/tar: Uscita con stato di fallimento in base agli errori precedenti
Nokia-N900:/# tar xvzf /home/user/MyDocs/backupmenu-20100919.tar.gz /
tar: /home/user/MyDocs/backupmenu-20100919.tar.gz: funzione "open" non riuscita: No such file or directory
tar: Errore irrimediabile: uscita immediata
tar: Child returned status 2
tar: /: non trovato nell'archivio
tar: Uscita con stato di fallimento in base agli errori precedenti
Nokia-N900:/#

EDIT2: the name of the file is wrong .. Robbie you have written backupmenu-20100919.tar.gz ... but the files downloaded has the name : backupmenu-20100923.tar.gz

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

@Dany: Robbie made a mistake. The file name is not that of 19th... See the name of the file you downloaded... it's backupmenu-20100923.tar.gz ! So correct it in the corresponding xterm command. I used the tab completion so it was correct.

Robbie ha sbagliato. Il nome del file non è quello del 19 settembre... controlla il nome del file che hai scaricato. E' backupmenu-20100923.tar.gz! Correggi il comando e funzionerà... Io avevo usato il tab per completare il comando e quindi l'aveva fatto automaticamente.

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

@RobbieThe1st:

When tarring the rootfs I get some errors like the following:
What's all about? I'm scared to try to restore the rootfs now :eek:
(I made a full backup with the previous version before, but I'd prefer to avoid complications...)

EDIT: OK I have learned that it means that the filesystem was (at least partially) corrupted. I have simply done an apt-get install --reinstall for the packages involved (in my case it was only binutils) and now tar gives no errors. Fine. But...

I have a request.

I think you should modify your (extremely useful) program so that when making a backup of the rootfs, you're able to make either a tar (present version) or an img file (previous version). Or both at the same time.

The reason is that if your rootfs is seriously borked, and you aren't able to boot (e.g. you're in a reboot loop or your device seems bricked) the img file can be quickly reflashed through an external computer - and you can't do that as easily with the tar file. On the contrary, if your rootfs is only mildly corrupted and you can still boot and run backupmenu, you're much more quickly done by untarring the tar file.

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

ahahahah ernesto l'ho capito solo dopo anche io xD

By the way .. just made a full backup with the new script... now the restoring ... Pray for me ... i don't want to reinstall everything T_T

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

or if You run the command like this instead:
-C / means change to / before extracting... :)

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

Good... i've bricked T_T
Robbie the phone doesn't boot... no error restoring the images... But after exiting from backupmenu only the white led.. and then shut down...

By the way ... backupmenu still starts booting with the keyboard opened.
But maemo has dead ...

Re: [Announce] BackupMenu - Backup & restore OS images(+ other features)
 

First off:
Everyone calm down. I made a couple mistakes in my instructions(in addition to just copy-pasting it from my previous post; hence the wrong date) - It was 4AM!


Second, I suggest no one else restore until I figure out what went wrong with Dany's restore.

No need to shout!
I actually talked about that in my previous post; I guess I might as well.


First, can you open up your rootfs backup file and copy out the "tarstatus" file for me? If its not empty, post the contents here.

This is incredibly troubling. Here's why:
When you do a restore, I have it rm -rf the entire rootfs first.
If BackupMenu still starts, that means that (most) of the files -were- restored, and its able to boot off the RootFS.
If maemo -won't- boot though, the question is why not?

I'm going to go check on my own; keep your fingers crossed.