Make fw

From iPodLinux

Jump to: navigation, search
The title of this article should be make_fw. The initial letter is capitalized due to technical limitations.

patch_fw, make_fw and make_fw2 are a lineage of programs to modify the firmware file(s) stored on the firmware partition.

It is a command line tool that you can use on Linux, OS X and Windows (provided you have a UNIX-like shell installed, such as MinGW or Cygwin).

It is rumored that there is also a pre-built version you can use in a Windows Command Prompt on the Rockbox installation page, called ipod_fw.exe, but I can't find it.

Contents

patch_fw (2002-2003)

Was originally written in 2002 by Bernard Leach, with big endian support added in 2003 by Steven Lucy.

Download

$ svn co https://ipodlinux.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/ipodlinux/legacy/patch_fw
$ cd patch_fw
$ make

Usage

Usage: patch_fw ipod_image new_program

Where ipod_image is an image of the iPod firmware
and new_program is a valid ARM executable

This program is used to patch a program into an image taken
From an iPod.  The the bootloader table will be updated and
the new program copied in.

make_fw (2003)

  • Copyright (C) 2002 Bernard Leach, 2003 Steven Lucy, 2003 Daniel Palffy
  • Author: Daniel Palffy
  • License:GPL 2+
  • Description: iPodLinux loader installer
  • Language: C

Based on Bernard Leach's patch_fw.c

Download

Usage

Basically, it has two modes of operation:

  1. Extract an image file from the firmware partition (backup) file
  2. Create a new firmware partition file from a set of separate image files

Here's the usage info it prints (note that while it says patch_fw, it really means make_fw): 

Usage: patch_fw [-h]
  patch_fw [-v] -o outfile -e img_no fw_file
  patch_fw [-v] -g gen [-r rev] -o outfile [-i img_from_-e]* [-l raw_img]* ldr_img

  -g:    set target ipod generation, valid options are: 1g, 2g, 3g
         4g, 5g, scroll, touch, dock, mini, photo, color, nano and video
  -e:    extract the image at img_no in boot table to outfile
         fw_file is an original firmware image
         the original firmware has the sw at 0, and a flash updater at 1
  -i|-l: create new image to outfile
         up to 5 images, any of -i or -l allowed
  -i:    image extracted with -e, load and entry address preserved
  -l:    raw image, loaded to 0x28000000, entry at 0x00000000
  -r:    set master revision to rev (for example 210 for 2.10)
         may be needed if newest -e img is not the same as the flash rev
         ldr_img is the iPodLinux loader binary.
         first image is loaded by default, 2., 3., 4. or 5. loaded if
         rew, menu, play or ff is hold while booting
  -v:    verbose

make_fw2 (2006)

Download

$ svn co https://ipodlinux.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/ipodlinux/apps/desktop/installer2
$ cd installer2
$ cc make_fw2.c -o make_fw

Usage

make_fw is a program used to create a bootable iPod image.
It can be used in any of the following modes; you must specify
exactly one mode.

This screen:
    make_fw [-h]
List images in a firmware dump:
    make_fw -t DUMPFILENAME
Extract an image from a firmware dump:
    make_fw -x IMAGENAME DUMPFILENAME
      The image will be extracted to IMAGENAME.fw, unless you
      specify -o.
Create a firmware dump:
    make_fw -c IMAGENAME[=IMAGEFILE] [IMAGENAME[=IMAGEFILE] [...]]
      IMAGEFILEs may be either files extracted with -x or raw
      binaries. The output will be written to ipodlinux.fw, unless
      you specify -o.

Options:
  -g <gen>   Specify the generation of iPod for which you're creating
             the firmware. This is REQUIRED. Valid values include:
                1g, 2g, 3g, 4g, 5g  (scroll, touch, dock, click, video)
                mini, photo, color, nano
             You may also specify a raw hw_ver number preceded by `x', or
             a raw firmware version number preceded by `v', if you know
             what you're doing.
  -1         For options where it matters, consider the image as using loader1.
  -2         Ditto, for loader2.
  -3         Equivalent to `-g v3', for compatibility reasons. (Creates an image
             compatible with iPods 4g/mini through 5g/video inclusive.)
  -A <file>  With -c, put [a]ll images from the dump <file> into the output.
  -a <file>  Like -A, but treat the osos image like -i does instead of keeping
             its name the same.
  -b <ldr>   For loader1, equivalent to `osos@=<ldr>'; for loader2, `osos=<ldr>'.
  -d <id>    Ignore the image with ID <id> when using -a, -A, -p, -P, -x, or -t.
             This may be specified multiple times.
  -i <file>  Equivalent to `ososN=<file>', where N starts from 0 and increases
  -l <file>  with each -i or -l option. Files given with -i are assumed to be
             Apple firmware, and with -l are assumed to be Linux kernels.
  -m         Load all inputs before writing any outputs. You must specify this
             option if input and output are the same file. Uses lots of memory.
  -n <1>=<2> Rename the image named <2> to <1>. For instance, -n aple=osos1.
             Must come after the <2> image has been loaded, or results will be
             unpredictable.
  -o <file>  Specifies where the output should go. If you don't specify this,
             a sensible default is used.
  -p <file>  Equivalent to -m -a <file> -o <file>; [p]atch the image in.
  -P <file>  Equivalent to -m -A <file> -o <file>.
  -r <rev>   Specify the revision number, in hex, to use for the top-level images.
             Use only if you know what you're doing.
  -v         Increase the verbosity (chattiness).
  -q         Decrease the verbosity.

The iPod's firmware partition is organized as a set of `images'; each has
a four-character ID, like `osos' or `aupd' or `rsrc'. Whenever an IMAGENAME
is specified above, it's looking for such an ID. If you put a number after
an ID, it refers to a subimage (Linux or the Apple firmware) used
by ipodloader1. If you put an @ sign after one, it refers to the loader
stub image. (See the examples.)

Examples:
  To create a firmware dump using ipodloader1:
    ./make_fw -1 -g <gen> -c -a ipod.fw -l linux.bin -b loader.bin
  The same, but the `long way':
    ./make_fw -g <gen> -c osos@=loader.bin osos0=ipod.fw:osos osos1=linux.bin
Retrieved from "http://ipodlinux.org/wiki/Make_fw"