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Installing Ubuntu Touch on your phone. Installing Linux on Android

Good day Dear users site! I recently tried to install Linux on my Android device. I used a smartphone called Explay Tornado as a guinea pig. I needed a computer with an Internet connection, USB cable, the smartphone itself. Before installing a new system on your smartphone, you need to make sure that your device has a Micro SD card installed and Root Rights. If you do not have Root rights, you need to get them! I used a computer program called Kingo Android ROOT. There are many other programs to obtain.

IN Google market need to download following programs: Complete Linux Installer ; Terminal Emulator for Android; VNCViewer

First of all, we will work with the application or program Complete Linux Installer. Once again we don't change Android system on Linux, we make one system work on another. When we first launch the application, the program prompts us to install additional components For further work, naturally we agree with them and begin the installation. Installation will take good internet no more than one minute. As shown in the figure, the application prompts you to install boot scripts; you are required to click on the OK button.

  • Next, the application will require you to have full access to the system, which is why you and I received Root rights. The next move is to allow the application to system functions your smartphone or tablet.
  • Next we go to next step, namely to the system installation manual. The program automatically starts checking your device for all the main factors for installing a new environment and will give you the results of the versions that you can install on your tablet or phone. In my case, the program selected these versions of the program.
  • As shown in the screenshot above, we are listed with options that our device can definitely reproduce. But as practice has shown, they work, but with crashes. Crashes may be due to the fact that my device is too weak, I don’t know exactly how it will work for you. Let's look at this with an example installing Ubuntu 13.10.
  • Click on the button labeled Ubuntu 13.10 and move on to the next point, which we will discuss in detail with you.

The program offers to download to a system image and there are 3 versions of them, large, small, and standard, how do they differ? First of all, they differ in the size (weight) of the files and, therefore, in functionality. Since everyone knows that my device does not have enough memory, I need to install a larger memory card and choose the system that takes up less space on the flash card. Click on download image and select the file you need. The sizes are very large, so I suggest downloading via torrent from a smartphone. Hurray, we've already put it on download and you can fulfill the remaining requirements of the program.

Without leaving the program, click download Terminal Emulator for Android; and the VNCViewer program will immediately transfer you to Google Play to the necessary pages with applications that need to be downloaded and installed. Have you downloaded everything and installed it? Now, while the system image is loading, we download ES-Explorer and after downloading, open it and go to the memory card. Through Explorer we create a folder with the name our system, which means that we create a folder with the name " Ubuntu"After downloading the image, we need to unpack the archive into new folder (Ubuntu).

  • After you unpack the file into a new folder, you should have two files in it. One of them has the extension .img. This file will start our system. We return to the very beginning and click the system selection and click the change button additional menu. In this menu we indicate the full path to the image itself, which will look something like the screenshot.
  • It seems like everything is with the settings. But when starting, you need to open the terminal and do not touch anything, the application itself should automatically background select the necessary data, but to perform text commands You will be required to confirm the completion of your actions through Root access. Here, naturally, we allow the application to continue working.
  • After this, your new system will start, and your smartphone can work like new, while all the features will be available to you new system, as in the terminal so a complete graphical environment. This is the first installation method Linux Ubuntu seems finished.

That’s probably all, if you have any questions, ask them in the comments under the material below, I will be happy to help in solving any problems that arise to the best of my ability and understanding of the situation.

In this article we will tell you in detail how to install Linux to an Android device. For installation and full-fledged work alternative system you will need: a smartphone or tablet, a software emulator, root rights and several gigabytes of free space.

1. Installation applications complete linux installer

Enter into the menu Google search Play the word “emulator” and get a list of several dozen approximately identical utilities. They are all good, but we focused on the Complete Linux Installer application. It is completely free, perfectly localized and equipped with detailed instructions for beginners.

The program can be downloaded from http://goo.gl/5C6Xa. The installation algorithm for Complete Linux Installer is no different from installing any other software, so we will not dwell on this point.

2. Working with the Complete Linux Installer application

Before starting to work with the program, I would like to emphasize once again: what we are describing in this article is not installing Linux instead Android, but emulation of the operation of one system in another.

So, launch the application and agree to install additional software components. It is working with these modules that will subsequently make it much easier for you to use the Linux operating system.

As mentioned earlier, Complete Linux Installer requires root rights, which the application will remind you of in a pop-up window. We provide the program full access to the system functions of the mobile device.

This completes the initial preparation of the emulator for work. The main application menu will open in front of you. Go to the sub-item “Installation Guide”.

The emulator will scan the hardware of your gadget and display a list of operating systems that are guaranteed to run on your mobile device. We choose Ubuntu 13.10 as an example.

From this moment on, the program begins to “guide” you through the stages of installing the operating system, accompanying each necessary action detailed instructions. For example, after reading the emulator requirements in the first step, be sure to install “Terminal” and “VNCViewer” in the second. Only after this select “Download image”.

Read the description of the differences between distributions of the Linux operating system and choose the one you need.

Create at the root external storage gadget folder with the name future system. This will make the search much easier for the program. necessary files. In our case, we create the “ubuntu” directory. Unpack the downloaded archive into this folder.

As a result, two files should appear in the “ubuntu” directory. One of them is with the .img extension. This is the image of the Linux system being launched.

After completing these steps, go to the “Launch” sub-item of the main menu of Complete Linux Installer and click the auxiliary menu “Settings” in the right top corner window. By selecting the “Edit” option, provide the application with the full path to executable file systems. Confirm your choice by clicking on the “Save Changes” button.

This completes the next stage of installing an alternative operating system into the memory of your gadget. You can safely select the “Run Linux” option.

The application in the background will launch a terminal to execute test commands and will ask for root access to the system functions of the device. We allow it.

Now your smartphone or tablet will be able to work as an emulator of the Linux operating system and you will have access to all the capabilities of the operating system with a penguin on the logo - from executing simple commands in the terminal to installing a full-fledged graphical environment. Installing Linux on Android is complete.

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 operating system, must be designed specifically for this architecture in order to work on this equipment. Therefore, regular versions Linux installed on desktops or servers will not work 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 point is that in Linux family(it is in this meaning that it is most often meant - a family of operating systems on this kernel, and not the kernel itself) - the graphical shell is a separate part, its own 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, connect it to peripherals 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 in this case Android. 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 I found it on it detailed manual By 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.

  • Smartphones,
  • Crowdsourcing

    • "Do electric sheep dream of Linux on their phone?"


    To tell the truth, after the failure with Ubuntu Phone and the epic bullshit that is happening with SailfishOS, I was a little depressed. I don't know about you, but I've long been frustrated by the situation where I can't fully control the device I use most of the time.


    I can't install banner cutting at the system level or raise dnscrypt. Drive part of the traffic via wifi, and part via the mobile network. Get the very file I need, accessible only from root. And when you open the bootloader, the warranty expires and stops working contactless payment and all those “improvers” for the camera from the manufacturer. I can’t write install via ssh and in a couple of seconds receive an application with all the necessary patches.


    And when I see those dozens of uninstallable applications installed by the manufacturer that take up space, eat up the battery, constantly spam notifications and collect analytics - I feel completely sad. This is the present we have arrived at. WITH closed firmware for hardware and looking at the user only as a source of profit.


    I recently came across a project that might be able to change something...


    UPDATE: The i.MX8M and FullHD screen will almost certainly be used. Hooray!
    UPDATE2: In 5 days the missing 500k out of $1.5M were collected. $300k of which are corporate orders. There are still 2 weeks left until the end of the campaign. A good answer to those who said “no need”.



    FOR UFO (can be removed): the article is primarily about the problems and difficult decisions that developers of free devices sometimes have to make in modern market closed iron. + some information about this particular project that is not available in open access. I have removed all mentions of the fundraiser (and the link to it). As a reference - which lives well on geektimes (there is a link to a crowdfunding company there, by the way).

    What is this?

    Librem 5 is a Linux smartphone that will be built on the most open hardware and software, with respect for security and privacy. It doesn’t exist yet, but there is already a plan more or less worked out over 1.5 years, and active development will begin in less than a month.

    Who?

    The Purism team has successfully released a series of laptops with the most free hardware (as far as possible now), open source BIOS and their Linux distribution, which they are developing. Now the company has switched its attention to smartphones.

    Iron

    What does any reasonable person do when opening an article about a new device? Of course, he scrolls through the entire marketing bulletin to describe the characteristics of the piece of hardware. Next there will be a list with the office. site. I will explain below why he is so short.


    Characteristics

    • 5″ touchscreen
    • i.MX6/i.MX8 CPU
    • Vivante GPU (Etnaviv free software accelerated driver)
    • Separate mobile baseband
    • 3GB LPDDR3
    • 32GB eMMC
    • MicroSD slot
    • Camera (front and back)
    • Flash
    • Headphone and Microphone Jack (3.5mm)
    • Microphone
    • Speaker
    • Power Button
    • Volume Controls
    • SIM Slot
    • WiFi 802.11
    • Bluetooth 4
    • Debugging interface (internal)
    • USB Host
    • USB Type-C
    • Battery
    • Sensors:
      • Accelerometer
      • Gyroscope
      • Compass
      • Ambient Light
      • Proximity
    • Hardware kill switches for:
      • Camera
      • Microphone
      • Baseband
      • WiFi/Bluetooth

    Separate mobile communication chip

    Let's start with an unexpected point. But he influenced many subsequent decisions.

    Mobile networks are not secure. And the problem is not at all in the implementation of the software or incorrect setting equipment (although this happens all the time) - the problem is much deeper and is related to the network architecture itself. Dozens of different attack vectors: ranging from well-known (“SS7 backdoor”, 2G interception, 3G/4G encryption errors) to specific hardware attacks on specific equipment.

    The situation is complicated by the fact that most mobile chips use binary firmware without source codes. And when this goodness is also physically located in the SoC, working with the camera and microphone... A paranoid’s nightmare.

    But the phone is without mobile networks- not a telephone. Therefore, the best solution for a secure smartphone would be to keep the mobile network chip as isolated as possible from everything else. Librem 5 uses a separate chip from the processor mobile communications. Even more: there will be a physical switch for it. I don’t know what exactly the developers are going to turn off, but, for good measure, you need to cut off the power, antenna and connection with the main processor.

    By the way, stop using SMS for authentication and authorization. I'm serious. It is not safe.

    CPU & GPU

    So, the processor should not have wireless communication. What else? Fully open drivers with good OS support. If you believe the Librem 5 developers, from what is currently on the market, they were approached by a whole (!) SoC line - i.MX6 from NXP. Just agony of choice. The modern reality of open hardware.

    What will we get from this line of processors? 2 cores 32-bit Cortex-A9 1.0 GHz, Vivante GC880 GPU, DDR3 and USB 2.0. A sort of average guy from 5 years ago. Not a lot, of course, but for normal use should be enough.
    But we want the world to be reassembled on our gentoo in a couple of hours, and not in a week, and the server that we will definitely launch on this smartphone may not be able to squeeze out 10k RPS, but at least it could serve a couple of dozen users? ;)

    Fortunately, at the beginning of the year, NXP presented a new line of i.MX8 processors, which may even bear the proud title of this year's mid-rangers. 4 cores of 64-bit Cortex-A53, Vivante GC7000Lite GPU with Vulkan support, 4kp60, h.265 and VP9, ​​DDR4, USB 3.0-C - you can already live with this, not exist. You can’t mine crypto, of course, but that’s not what we’re there for, is it? The GPU should be able to handle medium-heavy 3D - it would just launch :)

    Why in the characteristics of i.MX6/i.MX8? Unfortunately, the i.MX8 is not yet available. There are rumors that everything is ready for production there, and by the end of the year new line will come out. Some customers received prototypes in the summer. And the Librem 5 developers are even willing to wait 2-3 extra months, if necessary. But for now, the i.MX6 is an insurance policy.

    Screen

    5 inches, minimum HD. We plan to install FullHD, if possible. As it turned out, it is difficult to agree 100% in advance on such a small batch. When the fundraising campaign is completed, a the best option and a contract has been concluded with the supplier. I’ll add on my own that for 5 inches even HD is not so bad.

    Memory

    3GB LPDDR3 for i.MX6, and possibly more LPDDR4 for i.MX8-M. 32 GB eMMC and microSD slot.

    Wireless

    Separate Wifi/Bluetooth chip, physical switch - same reasons as for mobile networks.

    Camera, navigation, accelerometer, etc.

    Everything is standard. There are two cameras - and that's good. The only thing worth paying attention to is that the cameras and microphone will also have physical switches. Those who like to use electrical tape are indignant.

    Battery

    Removable, no more information.

    Frame

    Metal, easy access to all internals and debug ports.

    NFC and wireless charging

    Surely not. At least not for the first version. The amount of work is already very large.

    Fingerprint scanner, facial recognition, retinal recognition and “Smooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooofew"

    In principle, no. Biometrics is something that can be used without your desire, and is difficult to change once compromised. Unlike passwords, which are only in your head. “The Beginning” is still only fantasy (I hope).
    However, you can implement recognition by the performance of an unknown track from the title yourself - after all, you will have full control over the phone.

    Software

    OS

    Linux, by default there will be a homemade PureOS (based on Debian), which is used in the company's laptops. They promise the ability to use any distribution that supports ARM. With a file, of course. It looks quite realistic, considering that the bootloader is open and all drivers will be available.

    Will there be a sandbox for applications? PureOS already has a kernel with GrSecurity, so surely such a mechanism will be implemented. Well, SELinux with AppArmor again. In general, everything that is available for Linux can be used to suit your specific level of paranoia.

    Interface and standard applications

    The developers have already agreed on support from the Gnome and KDE communities. What will happen by default has not yet been decided. There are plans to port a “gentleman’s set” of applications optimized for touchscreens. When this work is completed, it will be time for more complex things.

    Matrix

    Default as decentralized in a safe way communications will be used

    Postmarket OS is optimized for touch screens Alpine Linux. One of the main features of Alpine Linux is its unpretentiousness to hardware, which makes it possible to install and comfortable use very weak devices. For ordinary Android users this means it's time to take that old Android 2.2 tablet out of the closet and bring it back to life with the new Postmarket OS!

    What is Postmarket OS

    The developers of the new operating system Postmarket OS have set themselves a very unusual goal - to support the device for 10 years. Each manufacturer Android devices supports its products for 2 years, after which updates stop coming, which deprives end user new functions, and also makes the system less secure.

    No such problems are expected with the new OS. This operating system is based on a complete Linux distribution, which has no reason to stop supporting weak devices, because it was created specifically for them. All that is required from the user is minimal knowledge about working in Linux system, without this you won’t even be able to install the system on a tablet or smartphone.

    Postmarket OS interface

    The developers pay Special attention interface of the new operating system, because users should enjoy using their smartphone or tablet. In this regard, Postmarket is doing well, at this moment There are 6 working user interfaces, let's take a closer look at them.

    Postmarket OS interface video

    Hildon

    The Hildon interface was originally developed for mobile devices, so the entire interface is optimized for the touch screen; you can do without a stylus. Can only work in a horizontal position.

    LuneOS UI

    LuneOS is an operating system being developed as a port of WebOS for smartphones and tablets. The interface involves the use of taps, swipes and virtual keyboard. The developers have successfully transferred appearance LuneOS for use in Postmarket.

    MATE

    The MATE interface is good because it works on almost any device and copes with its tasks perfectly even without a hardware video accelerator. After installation you will get a black screen for 20-30 seconds, don't be alarmed, this is normal.

    Plasma Mobile

    As the name suggests, the interface is designed specifically for mobile devices, works great on devices with hardware video acceleration and can run on a software video accelerator, but much slower. The interface looks great and is not much different from other mobile operating systems.

    Weston

    This is a demo interface in which you can run several preset tests and see how everything works.

    XFCE4

    A complete interface for working with a stylus. It is similar to the MATE interface in that it looks like a full-fledged Linux PC rather than an old tablet or smartphone. The interface supports work in both portrait and horizontal positions.

    Choose an interface based on support hardware acceleration your device. Some interfaces will be very slow on software acceleration. Also on the device support page they often indicate which interface works best.

    How to install Linux on your phone

    The first thing you need to do is find out if there is ready assembly for your device, you can find out on this page. If there is, good, you can safely assemble the firmware and install it. If not, you can port Postmarket yourself like this.

    To install Postmarket, open a terminal, make sure you have the password to use the “sudo” command and follow the commands in the Postmarket manual one by one. Upon completion of the assembly, copy the archive to the device memory and install it as custom Android-based firmware.

    Why Postmarket OS is better than Android and other mobile OS

    1. Postmarket is full Linux no limits. You can use your tablet or smartphone as full-fledged computer with running PC versions of programs, provided that they run on Linux
    2. Long-term support. According to the authors, one of the main goals of the project is to support the device for 10 years, without software slowing down the device’s performance.
    3. The choice of interface allows you to build a very small firmware, about 130 MB
    4. You can port Postmarket to your device yourself using the manual on the project website

    Cons of Postmarket OS

    1. The OS is not suitable for most users, as it is in very early stages of development, there are bugs, reboots and other delights earlier versions OS
    2. Complicated installation. All custom firmware for Android devices are distributed in the form of ready-made zip packages for installation via recovery, and Postmarket still needs to be compiled through a terminal in Linux OS, which will alienate many users
    3. While there is no app store, all programs must be ported from another Linux distribution yourself

    Conclusions about Postmarket OS

    This is a very promising system that will allow you to change mobile devices less often, without sacrificing performance and comfort. Many programs are already fully functional and allow you to use your old device 100%. However, while the project will only be of interest to enthusiasts, it is quite difficult to use Postmarket as the main system.

    If you have long wanted Linux on your phone, with the ability to run full-fledged PC versions of programs, install Postmarket as an additional OS on your smartphone or tablet, and do not forget to regularly monitor updates, because the system is becoming more stable every day.

    Answers on questions

    Error when installing Postmarket OS in TWRP

    Go to the “Mounting” section and uncheck System, reinstall Postmarket.