PS3 Dual Boot GameOS / Linux Custom Firmware (CFW) Arrives

107w ago - Today PlayStation 3 hacker Geoffrey Levand (or at least someone using his name) has released a PS3 Dual Boot GameOS / Linux Custom Firmware (CFW) which allows the dual-booting of both GameOS and OtherOS.

PS3 Custom Firmware Downloads: (Updated file links HERE!)

• PS3 Dual Boot GameOS/Linux CFW 3.30 (md5 9142d8c1707a3257b21c29d6f266c6c6)
• PS3 Dual Boot GameOS/Linux CFW 3.41 (md5 9b439b04c4c0b841ae50c3af18bb584d)
• PS3 Dual Boot GameOS/Linux CFW 3.50 (md5 74b4291615ceb394e0d64078d775a93d)
• PS3 Dual Boot GameOS/Linux CFW 3.55 (md5 fac423010dc8e20030f28145a42627fb)

PS3 Custom Firmware Download Mirrors:

• PS3 Dual Boot GameOS/Linux CFW 3.30 (md5 9142d8c1707a3257b21c29d6f266c6c6)
• PS3 Dual Boot GameOS/Linux CFW 3.41 (md5 9b439b04c4c0b841ae50c3af18bb584d)
• PS3 Dual Boot GameOS/Linux CFW 3.50 (md5 74b4291615ceb394e0d64078d775a93d)
• PS3 Dual Boot GameOS/Linux CFW 3.55 (md5 fac423010dc8e20030f28145a42627fb)

PS3 CFW Tools:

• create_vflash5.pkg (md5 d76700a04cd58b29970d752b73dc6a0d)
• create_vflash6.pkg (md5 4ccea493c87299c3fe75ec3b093091f8)
• create_vflash7.pkg (md5 78e432917ed972c415b3a0a703f4acaf)
• delete_vflash5.pkg (md5 83f32c6fdf9d532c2a8203bce3852e86)
• delete_vflash6.pkg (md5 573b587f04d21d40837688c39c8587bd)
• delete_vflash7.pkg (md5 8366318a4fafbd769bc9df0b6e528ea1)
• resize_vflash.pkg (md5 9a5cb0bcd819788749d2926111df6870)
• install_otheros.pkg (md5 9e5e79fa0450e34071223c40c34a8e8a)
• boot_gameos.pkg (md5 7377d1c89f4f67957cafe18a2e58d006)
• boot_otheros.pkg (md5 bf425926d3d55ab59828d5b6c2a2c333)
• reboot.pkg (md5 450fba966321445ec50360b21b9fa99b)
• dtbImage.ps3.bin (md5 761faa303c97d1801a9ecceb472321d0)
• boot_linux.sh (md5 6d00a46cd5586042c59c51f1f98e31f9)
• dtbImage.ps3.bin (md5 8df950e8033ca5f58149ab009b998ce4) (Updated 05/09/11)
• initimg.sh (md5 1897ce58cd06690f4ae2c9c23c558bce) (Added 05/07/11)

PS3 Dual Boot GameOS / Linux CFW

Note: Currently to start OtherOS. boot_otheros.pkg then reboot.pkg and that will load petitboot. Slim users (Version 1.0-r0) you must unload the slim usb drivers in order to boot.

ps3mfw/tasks/patch_profile.tcl is to be considered unstable and should not be used at this time.

All tools beep twice if they succeed !!!

Source code for all tools and patches is freely available. Create your own dual boot. git.gitbrew.org/ps3/

Features:

• Into HV integrated OtherOS bootloader loader (compatible with OtherOS bootloader on 3.15)
• OtherOS bootloader is booted directly from HV, no GameOS is involved.
• Process of booting OtherOS bootloader loader is very similar to 3.15 method
• Booting Linux from HDD/USB/BD/Network
• Linux with GameOS rights
• Full access to all HV SS services (Dispatcher Manager) from GameOS or Linux
• Full access to all System Manager services
• Ability to create/modify/remove repository nodes in LPAR 1 (e.g. with ps3dm-utils or ps3hvc-utils). This ability gives you much power over the whole system because many layers of PS3 use repository nodes to exchange information.
• Enabled QA mode in Update Manager
• Downgrading without USB dongle or Service Mode
• Ability to deactivate/activate HDD/VFLASH encryption (e.g. with ps3stor-utils)
• Suuport for ps3-utils. You can flash new OtherOS bootloader from Linux e.g.

Notes:

• Tested 3.41 and 3.55 on PS3 Slim with Gentoo and Debian Squeeze but should work on PS3 Fat without problems
• Bug reports are welcome, send it please to geoffrey.levand@mail.ru

Work in progress:

• Creating OtherOS partitions directly on HDD (not VFLASH)
• Permanently disabling HDD/VFLASH encryption
• Mapping of HTAB with R/W permission
• SYSCON access from LPAR 2
• FreeBSD support

Installing OtherOS bootloader

• Tested ONLY on PS3 models with VFLASH
• During deleting of VFLASH regions GameOS will ask you to reinstall firmware, don't do it, just press PS3 button and continue
• I use petitboot as OtherOS bootloader. You could use a different one.
• The following order of steps is important
• Delete VFLASH region 6
• Delete VFLASH region 5
• Create VFLASH region 5
• Create VFLASH region 6
• Install OtherOS bootloader on VFLASH with "Install OtherOS"

Booting OtherOS bootloader

• Run "Boot OtherOS"
• Reboot GameOS with "Reboot"

Creating a VFLASH partition for Linux

Notes:

• Works ONLY on PS3 models with VFLASH
• Warning: All your HDD data will be lost, so make a backup
• I'm currently working on a solution for PS3 models with NAND flash
• Resize VFLASH (creates a 40GB free space on VFLASH, if you need more then feel free to recompile it)
• Reboot GameOS
• Create VFLASH region 7

Installing Linux with petitboot

Installing Gentoo GNU/Linux from a Unix/Linux System
http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-ppc.xml

Partitioning with fdisk
http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Partition/fdisk_partitioning.html

Notes:

• I used petitboot to install Debian and Gentoo on VFLASH
• I used fdisk to partition ps3vflashh
• Make sure you create a swap partition
• Creating a ready to use Linux distribution images is a work in progress

Booting Linux with petitboot

Notes:

• USB driver in petitboot has problems on PS3 Slim. The problem lies in Linux USB driver.
• Currently i'm trying to fix this problem in Linux kernel
• I temporarily use my boot_linux.sh script to boot a Linux installed on VFLASH from petitboot