Hello, I have a mini PC ug 802, how can I install Linux on it? teltar

This is a very interesting topic for me, friends, since I professionally administer Linux servers. On servers it’s interesting, but for me it’s already everyday and ordinary. But installing Linux distributions on devices with ARM architecture is an order of magnitude more interesting.

What is the difference between a computer and a smartphone or tablet?

In fact, conceptually, the difference is small - both mobile and desktop devices, or even servers, are made according to the same principles. However, for mobile devices a different processor architecture is used. Desktop CPUs are designed on x86 or amd64 architectures. And most mobile devices have a processor based on ARM architecture. Historically, this is due to the fact that such processors have significantly lower power consumption, which is a vital necessity for mobile devices.

What OS can be installed on mobile devices?

So, all programs, including the operating system, must be developed specifically for this architecture in order to work on this hardware. Therefore, ordinary Linux versions, installed on desktops or servers are not suitable here. Fortunately, there are many distributions and versions for this architecture. Starting with the notorious Android, which most smartphones are equipped with, and ending with exotic distributions, like the specialized Backtrack (now Kali Linux). But of greater interest, of course, are some more well-known distributions.

What is Android?

Android is an operating system on Linux based , developed by Google for mobile devices. The world's most popular mobile operating system. It should be understood that in fact LInux is just the kernel of the operating system. And many operating systems are built on its basis, and Android is just one of them.

The kernel is the basic functionality that allows you to use all devices and options of the hardware platform - that is, drivers and device management. Also included in the core are some basic programs and utilities command line. The fact is that in the Linux family (this is the meaning most often meant - a family of operating systems based on this kernel, and not the kernel itself) - the graphical shell is separate part, your level of abstraction.

AND minimum configuration these OS - precisely without graphical shell, only text interface command line. This allows these OSes to be embedded into the most unusual places. For example, in network hardware, machine tools, computers and other complex devices, for example in airplanes and cars. Even in your washing machine Something similar can be installed in a microwave too :)

This is an Android device. Accordingly, Android should be installed by default. Which, in fact, is Linux. But with some serious restrictions. Installing some other Linux can significantly expand the capabilities of a mobile device. The possibilities of use become virtually limitless. Well, imagine using a mobile phone as a server! Many tools are becoming available. If it's a tablet, by connecting peripheral devices to it via an OTG cable, you can use it as a full-fledged computer! For what? That's another question. I hope our reader will share his ideas in the comments.

How to install Linux on an android device?

So, installation.

There are two options - you can do it full installation, as they say - on “hardware”. This is actually a flashing of the device. At the same time, we lose the native functionality of the device provided by the manufacturer. And this may not be at all what we wanted. For example, the UG 802 mini-computer, which our reader is interested in, is a device designed to expand the functionality of televisions. Because it can be inserted directly into the HDMI port of any TV, turning it into Smart.

Fortunately, there is a second way to install Linux - right inside the device's main operating system, in this case Android case. This allows you to run a so-called chroot environment inside Android. In this case, you will receive two related operating systems running in parallel on one core - Android. And you can switch between them.

This approach is convenient for smartphones and tablets, but may not be suitable for the UG 802. In this case, you may need to flash the required operating system. And this is already some risk that the device can be damaged.

Unfortunately, I have no experience with such experiments. But there is enough information on the Internet about this. Study, try to install.

Therefore, I will provide a few links from which you can begin your acquaintance with the world of mobile device hacking :)

Who are hackers?

Yes, yes, don’t be surprised, this is exactly hacking - non-standard interference in the operation and design of systems and programs, changing them and expanding functionality. This is precisely the original meaning of this word. And a hacker is not a cracker or a virus writer, as most people are used to thinking. This is first and foremost a researcher. Yes, he breaks systems, reveals what was not intended to be opened, but he does this with the goal of learning, not harm.

https://xakep.ru/2012/10/22/android-tablet-linux-install/ - an article about installing Linux on smartphones in the oldest magazine, which is precisely a reflection of the essence of hacking.

https://habrahabr.ru/post/221543/ - Habr, an equally old and even more famous resource. And the article here is fresh, and describes in great detail the experience of installing Arch Linux on top of Android, in the form of a chroot environment.

https://geektimes.ru/post/44220/ - Giktimes - a site from the creators of Habr, and on it there was a detailed manual on installing Debian over Android on a smartphone. The article, although very old, touches on fundamental things that need to be understood before embarking on such an operation. Although this will not help you install, it will help you gain knowledge, without which it is impossible further development topics and problem solving. And after studying such articles, you will feel more confident and will be able to search for information on the topic more specifically, on specific issues that will need to be addressed during installation.

For example, these articles on the topic are probably not the only ones on the above-mentioned sites. You can always try to look for more articles about this on such specialized resources. I found and looked at a couple of topics about installing Linux on mobile devices on 4pda.ru like this, For example

That's all for today. But it may always happen that I want to continue the banquet of this topic :)

If problems arise (and they will arise with a 99% probability :)), you can also ask questions here, we will collect information, solve problems together, I am also very interested in this.

Today, two operating systems occupy leading niches in the mobile segment - iOS and Android. Many manufacturers are closely involved in creating their own mobile systems. Some attempts were successful. The result was, at best, a few devices that never achieved market success. Ubuntu Touch was announced in 2013.

Installed on phones mobile option Linux systems - Ubuntu Touch.

It had some interest from users. Ubuntu Touch, which can still be installed on a smartphone today, offers the user not only new interface. It will be of interest to enthusiasts, as well as all fans of the Linux OS. And just for those who are tired of the monotony of mobile platforms.

The Ubuntu Touch mobile platform appeared 4 years ago. She gained quite wide popularity - this was facilitated by the well-known desktop “mother” of the new mobile system. But Ubuntu did not become a popular version for phones. The reason for this was low stability, a large number of bugs Devices running this OS were often rebooted, and the shell did not represent the height of design thought.

The press has returned to the topic of this operating system many times. There were all sorts of rumors - both about the freezing of the platform and about a complete cessation of work on it. You can’t trust all of them, but as a fact, Ubuntu Touch appears quite rarely on smartphones. IN Lately information is being released about significant updates to the platform and this gives all fans of the mobile OS hope that Canonical has not forgotten about the promising product.

As part of the project mobile version Ubuntu has two separate global versions- for smartphones and tablets. They are called Phone and Tablet respectively. They are practically the same for the end user, and the differences are aimed, rather, at supporting the hardware platform.

Key Features

The desktop version of the OS uses the Unity graphical interface, which is loved by non-professionals Linux users. In the mobile phone, the manufacturer moved away slightly from it - only the side and top panels remained unchanged.

All basic actions in the new OS are performed using gestures. For example, if you drag between the edges of the screen, the multitasking menu will appear on it. For Android users, this solution will be somewhat inconvenient, but innovative and unusual.

In addition, Ubuntu has a Terminal on your smartphone! This is still an inferior version of it, and it is still far from the functionality of the desktop one. However, some functions are still there, and the techniques work.

How to install Ubuntu on Android?

To install Ubuntu on your phone instead of Android, you need to have basic skills in working with the Android system. The installation will not remove your “native” system; it will be performed on top of an existing distribution.

IMPORTANT. You perform all actions at your own peril and risk.

1. Android app required - Linux Deploy. You can find it on Play Market.
2. Launch the program and explore the on-screen help menu. You should see a suggested course of action.
3. If necessary, go to “Settings” and select Russian interface language.
4. Create new profile for accounting Linux entries. To do this, in the main screen of the program, click on the “Linux” line. It is located at the top.
5. Click OK. All that remains is to select the desired profile.
6. And now you need File manager. It's best to use ES File Explorer. Open it. IN root directory create Ubuntu folder. It is very important to write down the name on English language. The OS files will be installed in this folder.
7. Write down the folder path in a separate place. It will still come in handy.
8. Run Linux Deploy again. In the options, select “Distribution” - “Ubuntu”. After this, Ubuntu should start downloading to your smartphone.
9. When the installation is complete, click on the “Start” button. You will see service messages. They say that the OS deployment process is underway.
10. Download and install the VNCViewer application. You will need it to obtain additional data. The default account password is changeme.
11. That's all! You now have a fully functional copy of Ubuntu installed on your smartphone or tablet!

Installing Ubuntu Phone

We looked at installing a full-fledged Ubuntu on mobile device. Installing Ubuntu Mobile on a smartphone - more simple task. It can be performed from the desktop version of this operating system.

Linux Deploy. This is an open source application designed to automate the process of installing, configuring and running GNU/Linux distributions on the Android platform inside a chroot container. The application creates a disk image on a memory card or other media, mounts it and installs the selected Linux distribution there. Installation into a file, directly onto a memory card partition, into a directory with the ext2/ext3/ext4 file system and into RAM is supported. Applications from a Linux distribution run in a chroot environment, run in parallel with the main system and are comparable in speed. All changes made to the device are reversible, i.e. The application and the components it created can be completely uninstalled.

Installing Linux- distribution is carried out over the network from official mirrors on the Internet. Because the Linux work Deploy is based on system call Linux kernels, then only Linux distributions. Through the program interface you can control the installation process of the Linux distribution, and after installation you can start and stop services installed system(there is support for running your own scripts). The installation process is displayed as text reports in the main application window. During installation, the program itself configures the working environment, which includes the base system, SSH server, VNC server and a graphical environment to choose from. You can also manage parameters through the program interface SSH servers and VNC.

Installing a Linux distribution takes about 30 minutes. The recommended minimum size of a disk image without a GUI is 512 MB, and with graphical interface- 1024 MB (for LXDE). After the initial installation, the password for access via SSH and VNC is assigned as “changeme”, which can be changed using standard distribution tools, or through application settings.

Characteristics:

• Supported distributions: Debian, Ubuntu, Kali Linux, Arch Linux, Fedora, CentOS, Gentoo, openSUSE, Slackware, RootFS (tgz, tbz2, txz)
• Installation type: file, partition, RAM, directory
• Supported file systems: ext2, ext3, ext4
• Supported architectures: ARM, ARM64, x86, x86_64, architecture emulation mode (ARM<->x86)
• Methods of connecting to the container: CLI, SSH, VNC, X server, framebuffer
• Management interfaces (CLI): Android terminal (or adb), telnet, web interface (terminal via browser)
• Desktop environment: XTerm, LXDE, Xfce, MATE, other (manual setup)
• Supported languages: multi-language interface

ATTENTION!

This program comes WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, and the author is not responsible for any possible consequences its use. This is free software and you can redistribute it under the terms of the GPLv3 license.

GNU/LINUX INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

1. Connect WiFi or another network with Internet access. Installation is carried out over a network and will not work without Internet access.
2. Make sure your device has received superuser rights (root). Install the latest version of Linux Deploy and run it.
3. When you first launch the application, the update of the working environment is automatically launched, which is a directory containing all the necessary scripts, settings and container profiles. Working environment settings can be viewed in the " Settings -> Working environment". The environment directory should not be changed unless there is a reason to do so. It is useful to leave the option " enabled. Settings -> Keep the screen on" ("Settings -> Screen Lock"), while the application is active, the screen, WiFi and processor will not go into sleep mode.
4. The program supports working with several profiles, where the parameters of each GNU/Linux instance are stored. You can quickly switch between instances through the profile management window (opens by clicking on the icon in the main window header). By default, a profile is created with the name "linux". Go to the settings of the current profile (the far right button) and configure the necessary options for installing and running the GNU/Linux distribution ( see parameter description).
5. Linux Deploy 2.x does not require installation on the BusyBox system, but in rare cases you may need to use the system BusyBox. To do this, install ®BusyBox compatible. In the BusyBox parameters, before installation, you must select the option " Replace applets". Then in the worker settings Linux environment Deploy you need to specify the path to the system BusyBox in the "field" Settings -> PATH variable" ("Settings -> PATH variable"), For example, /system/xbin, and start updating the working environment" Settings -> Update environment" ("Settings -> Update ENV").
6. Run the installation of the selected distribution: " Menu -> Install" ("Menu -> Install"). The installation log is displayed in the main window of the application. Installation takes about 30 minutes on average. The image creation stage for a size greater than 2 GB may take long time(about 15 min.).
7. If the installation is completed without errors, you can start the Linux system with the " START" ("START"). This will launch the services specified in the parameters - SSH, VNC and others.
8. To access the console of a Linux system via SSH, you should install ConnectBot (or another SSH client). To access the Linux desktop, you must install an X server, such as XServer XSDL. In the settings you should specify the IP of the device to connect, for the same device - 127.0.0.1. The password for SSH and VNC is specified in the container parameters. Change password current user You can use the passwd command from the console. To run programs as root user use sudo command(eg sudo synaptic). By default, the root user (unless specified as a username in the settings) does not have a password, but you can set a password for it with the command sudo passwd root.
9. To stop the Linux system, all services running under it and unmount the disks, just press the button " STOP" ("STOP").
10. Linux Deploy allows you to manage containers via CLI (Command Line Interface). To access the CLI, you can use telnet or a web browser, having previously activated the appropriate management interfaces in the settings.
11. To reduce installation time basic system or in case of problems with installing the system from official repositories, you can import the container from a pre-prepared archive. For this purpose, there is a repository of containers created using Linux Deploy and accessible through the application interface in the " Repository" ("Repository"). Just select the desired container in the repository interface and click the " Import" ("Import"). After this, a new profile will be created in the application, the parameters of which can be changed if necessary. Then you just need to run the installation " Menu -> Install" ("Menu -> Install"), the installation path will be prepared (an image for the container will be created), the container archive will be downloaded, unpacked and configured. After completing the procedure, you can start the container with the " button START" ("START").

PROGRAM UPDATE

After updating the program, the working environment is automatically updated. If necessary, the update can be started manually: " Settings -> Update environment" ("Settings -> Update ENV"). Program (environment) updates do not affect an already installed GNU/Linux system, i.e. the installed system cannot be damaged or changed in any way due to an update.
To change the settings of an already installed system or to return the settings to the original ones, you need to perform the configuration: " Menu -> Configure" ("Menu -> Configure"). If some components are selected in the parameters, then the configuration will install packages for the selected components.

UNINSTALLING A PROGRAM

Before uninstalling the program, you need to stop the GNU/Linux distribution using the button STOP, if you cannot stop the distribution, it is recommended to reboot the device. After that, run the command " Settings -> Delete environment" ("Settings -> Remove ENV"). After this, you can delete the application. Deleting an application with an unmounted container is dangerous; deleting an application version lower than 1.5.3 also deletes all data from all partitions mounted in the container! There may also be .img files that are created on the memory card when installing distributions , such files can be deleted manually through any file manager.

Download the application to install Linux on Android - Linux Deploy on Android you can follow the link below.

November 12, 2011 at 03:17

Transmigration of the soul: linux on android tablet

• *nix

Good day everyone.

My story begins with reading, after which I decided to purchase a miracle of Chinese tablet manufacturing: a superpad. This tablet was taken as a toy for “digging a little”, part-time, a reader, a game for pairs and a watch on a long journey... I’ll immediately note that I have two USB hard drives of 500 GB and 1TB, on which everything that is most important for a fun life is stored , and they are split into ntfs and ext4. And, naturally, the tablet does not see them.

Here's my volunteer

This is the first reason to dig deeper. After viewing 200 forum pages on xda-developers.com, certain

On at this stage all attempts to open this tablet were delayed long box. Until the glorious time for the student - the session. And since during the session students do absolutely everything, as long as they are not in the subject, the fun night gatherings on the Internet on obviously bourgeois sites have resumed. And the brilliant idea came to put on this tablet Orthodox linux, in my case – ubuntu.
What came out of this, see below.

It’s clear that you can’t just pick it up and install it... well, where did ours go...

We will need:

Let's look at the main stages android downloads and linux

1. Power on and boot ROM code execution	Power on and boot ROM code execution
2. The boot loader	The boot loader
3. The Linux kernel	The Linux kernel
4. The init process	The init process
5. Zygote and Dalvik	console(bash, zsh...) / wm(kde, gnome...)
6. The system server	Boot completed
7. Boot completed

As you can see, the differences start from the init execution stage.
It's the easiest thing to change.

I’ll write honestly, I thought that you could only use the Android init and that it was tightly screwed to the kernel. And even after receiving an example of a working ramdisk from another tablet, I didn’t think it would start...

ramdiska contents

bin dev etc home init init.rc lib linuxrc mnt newroot opt ​​proc root sbin sys tmp usr var
In /bin there is busybox, in /sbin there is switch_root with a link to it.
Init code from ramdisk from zt-180

#!/bin/sh echo Starting from initram image. Echo Waiting for SD-CARD wake up... sleep 3 echo "Mounting new rootfs" mount -t ext2 /dev/mmcblk0p2 /newroot && echo OK echo Hold on, switching root... exec switch_root /newroot /sbin/init echo hrm, have a shell instead exec /bin/ash

All that remains is to flash the ramdisk into memory (I used burntool under xp) and - voila, the boot stage. Yes, I flashed it instead of recovery, so for launch Linux You have to hold down the keys when starting.

So, the loading stage has been completed and you should be patient, since the console shows no signs of life, and everything loads quite slowly.

Setting up autologin for the first console

In /etc/init/tty1.conf replace the last line with exec /bin/login -f Yor_Login< /dev/tty1 >/dev/tty1 2>&1 then in your ~/.bashrc you can write commands that will start during automatic login.

We are fighting the X-server

For me it definitely didn’t work well with the touchscreen, xorg.conf and xterm... I removed the synaptic driver and put the following in ~/.xinitrc:
#!/bin/bash # $Xorg: xinitrc.cpp,v 1.3 2000/08/17 19:54:30 cpqbld Exp $ # /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc # # global xinitrc file, used by all X sessions started by xinit (startx) # invoke global X session script #. /etc/X11/Xsession xclock -geometry 50x50-1+1 & exec xterm -geometry 80x66+0+0 -name login

Fighting the work environment

I wanted to install kde because I really like the graphics rendering with the qt library. I’ll say right away: yes, it installed and started, but HOW...
First, I immediately set up autologin:
in /etc/kde4/kdm/kdmrc we find and change the following to suit ourselves
AutoLoginEnable=true # If true, auto-login after logout. If false, auto-login is performed only # when a display session starts up. # Default is false #AutoLoginAgain=true # The delay in seconds before automatic login kicks in. # Default is 0 AutoLoginDelay=3 # The user to log in automatically. NEVER specify root! # Default is "" AutoLoginUser=Login # The password for the user to log in automatically. This is NOT required # unless the user is logged into a NIS or Kerberos domain. If you use this # option, you should "chmod 600 kdmrc" for obvious reasons. # Default is "" AutoLoginPass=Password
and, as written, we do chmod 600 kdmrc in the console under root so that bad people don’t spy on our password.
Secondly, at the entrance the screen saver hung for a suspiciously long time, and I, having doubts, called startkde from the console. After a long and tedious display of all sorts of errors, the plasma finally loaded in netbook mode. Graphic effects turned off, since we are sitting under a framebuffer, and in some places there are wild slowdowns, but still this is kde and it has loaded!

Fine-tuning everything to suit you

Each has its own, I haven’t done any optimization yet, but there’s a lot to be done: speed up loading, optimize the workspace. I’m looking towards a more lightweight wm – e16 – but haven’t made it the main one yet. You also need to calibrate the touchscreen, fortunately there is already a virtual keyboard in kde.
I'm looking towards openbox +

Ubuntu Touch - also known as Ubuntu for Android devices or Ubuntu Phone - is a mobile operating system that is currently in beta. However, if you have a supported Android device, you can install Ubuntu on Android right now.

You can see the list of supported Android devices for installing Ubuntu at this link.

Preparation

First of all, this guide is not for novice users. You need to know how to use the Ubuntu command line. You should also be prepared to use beta software, which does not guarantee stable operation.

While installing Ubuntu on Android, inner memory your device will be cleaned. Thus, you will lose applications, photos, contacts and other files.

Secondly, we will use the desktop version of Ubuntu to install Ubuntu mobile on Android. Therefore, you will need a laptop or PC running Ubuntu.

How to Install Ubuntu on Android

Step 1:

Make sure that you have added it on your Ubuntu computer. repositoryUniverse. This is software that is probably commented out. You need to remove the # at the beginning of the lines in the following file : /etc/apt/sources.list. More details at this link.

Step 2:(you can skip this step if you are running on 14.04 since the tools are already included).

You will need Phablet Tools PPA in order to install Ubuntu for Android.

1. Click Ctrl + Alt + T on your computer to open a terminal (command prompt).
2. Add Phablet Tools PPA by typing next command: sudo add- apt- repository ppa: phablet- team/ tools
3. On Ubuntu 12.04, add the Ubuntu SDK Release PPA by typing the following command: sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-sdk-team/ppa
4. Update your system to use latest versions packages. To update use the following command: sudo apt-get update
5. Install the ubuntu-device-flash package by typing the following command: sudo apt- get install ubuntu- device- flash
6. For help with the ubuntu-device-flash tool, use the following command: man ubuntu- device- flash
7. Write the letter q, to leave.

Step 3:

1. Install phablet-tools by typing the command: sudo apt-get install phablet-tools
2. Sort the tools by typing the command: dpkg -L phablet-tools | grep bin

Step 4:

Next, you need to enable developer mode on your Android device. To do this, go to Settings – About phone, then tap on the “Build number” line seven times. You will see a pop-up message that you have become a developer.

Now you have new section in the settings called "For Developers". Go to this section and activate the option “ Debugging byUSB».

USB debugging allows you to send commands to mobile device from the command line on your computer via a USB cable.

Step 5:

Connect your Android device with via USB cable to a computer running Ubuntu. In order to check the connection with your smartphone, write in the command line: adbdevices

Your device should appear on the screen with a series of numbers and letters. If the device is not displayed, try typing: adb kill- server

Step 6:

To install Ubuntu on Android, you need to unlock the bootloader.

Step 8:

1. Turn off your device using the Power button.
2. Reboot into Bootloader mode using the combination physical buttons. For example, a combination for Nexus 5: Volume Down button, Volume Up button and Power button. Search the Internet for the button combination for your device.
3. Install Ubuntu by typing the following command: ubuntu-device-flash —channel=devel —bootstrap
4. The installation should happen automatically without any action on your part. It will take some time.
5. After rebooting, your mobile device will be running on the Ubuntu operating system.

Step 9:

After installing Ubuntu on Android, you can go to Settings > Updates and choose whether updates will be installed automatically or manually.

As you can see, installing Ubuntu on Android is not that difficult, but it requires some knowledge and a computer running Ubuntu.