Hacking (vWii) - Tri-Core Linux

[Ninja_Carver]

and that's eth0 not to be confused with echo correct? Just want to make sure thats not a typo XD

FYI thanks for all you do Ninja_Carver. Even though you're too busy to work on this project, your still keeping an eye on this thread to help me and others out

no problem, its still kind of fun.

and yes, it's eth0 (or possibly eth1) (eth = ethernet)

 

[TeamScriptKiddies]

no problem, its still kind of fun.

and yes, it's eth0 (or possibly eth1) (eth = ethernet)

Okay and thanks!

As much as I'd love to see Native homebrew running in the official Wii U OS etc (which is inevitable), I'm a huge fan of linux and furthermore, the "Trinux exploit" cannot be patched due to the fact that it was the result of epic design flaw in the hardware itself. Once we get Tri-core support for the Espresso processor built into linux it will provide us with a permanent backdoor and platform for running homebrew, that Nintendo can't simply patch closed with an update . The worst they can do to existing owners of the Wii U is block the Title ID for the Trinux launcher itself, but then all we have to do is change that ID again and BAM its up and running like nothing happened lol.

The only real thing Nintendo can do is actually physically change the hardware around to block this exploit, which won't affect anyone who already has a Wii U anyways, only people who buy the newer models lol.

Again, don't get me wrong, Native Homebrew will be amazing when its out there, but it will be a game of "cat and mouse" with Nintendo constantly releasing patches to stamp it out until the end of the consoles life cycle. Nonetheless, I still can't wait for native homebrew, but I choose to help out with the Trinux exploit instead because I think I'd be much more helpful with this project then trying to help out with some of the other exploits. My knowledge of microprocessors, ASM and linux/unix is greater than what I would need to know to help out with the Webkit exploit and ultimately Kernel Exploit. But anyways...I digress.... lol

 

[TeamScriptKiddies]

you also have to bring the interface 'up', if I recall correctly. once that's done you have to run dhclient to obtain an IP via DHCP.

try,

# ifconfig eth0 up
# ifconfig <--- do you now see eth0 listed?
# dhclient eth0

this will bring up the interface and run the dhcp client to configure your NIC.

if it can't find eth0, try # dmesg | grep ASIX or # dmesg | grep eth

This seems to have done the trick! I'm now assigned an IP address etc etc etc, Let's see what else I can do now....

UPDATE: The repo's that were already configured in this distro are successfully updating as we speak. Ninja_Carver for president! Thank you so much! I had assumed ethernet should have auto configured itself, it looks like that was a false assumption!

Yet Another Update: I just finished installing Mednafen Multi Console Emulator for Debian using the existing repos in this distro OH EM GEE. I will post back with my results on whether it runs or not.....

UPDATE 3: Okay so Mednafen does not play nicely with Whiite Linux evidently. I had a feeling this would happen lol. Its probably because it doesn't like the Wii hardware. Perhaps I should try out something much more basic....

Update 4: I got FCE-Ultra to install and run properly, but sadly there's no GUI lmao. Command line only, this is gonna be fun XD

 

[Ninja_Carver]

emulators and video players will likely not work well, since the video driver being used (if i recall correctly) is a simple framebuffer hack, or even worse, the gamecube video driver. this is where the fun starts.

EDIT: or where the fun ends, depending on if you're a glass half full/empty kind of guy.

 

[TeamScriptKiddies]

emulators and video players will likely not work well, since the video driver being used (if i recall correctly) is a simple framebuffer hack, or even worse, the gamecube video driver. this is where the fun starts.

EDIT: or where the fun ends, depending on if you're a glass half full/empty kind of guy.

Well I'm going to try launching an NES rom and see where that gets me. I'm sure graphics shouldn't be an issue there lol. I'm going to try to launch it with FCE-Ultra which appears to be installed and running correctly. I just need to test it with a rom.

UPDATE: IT WORKS!!!! OH EM GEE! Graphics are absolutely horrific but the game launches!!!! I'm going to make a quick youtube video for proof

UPDATE 2: Will make and post the video later, life happens lol

 

[rumblpak]

While AMD's open source drivers are notoriously bad, is there any chance that a crappy port of the AMD OSS graphics package could be done? I know we're working at baby steps but I'm wondering if anyone is looking into it. From what I've read its a custom part based heavily on the 4770. (I don't actually have my Wii U yet so I can't do testing just yet)

 

[TeamScriptKiddies]

While AMD's open source drivers are notoriously bad, is there any chance that a crappy port of the AMD OSS graphics package could be done? I know we're working at baby steps but I'm wondering if anyone is looking into it. From what I've read its a custom part based heavily on the 4770. (I don't actually have my Wii U yet so I can't do testing just yet)

I like your thinking! This might be worth looking into. Another possibility is "borrowing" the graphics drivers from Easy Wii Linux, as the gui itself certainly looks far superior to what I'm getting now with Whiite Linux (when I'm in an app). We might even be able to use some generic drivers from Ubuntu too as Ninja_Carver mentioned previously that he managed to get Ubuntu 12.04 LTS running with a lot of tweaking

 

[rednekcowboy]

Redhat has support for amd drivers, maybe look at either porting redhat or porting the redhat drivers:

http://support.amd.com/en-us/download/desktop/legacy?product=Legacy2&os=Linux x86_64
http://gofedora.com/how-to-install-ati-catalyst-fglrx-98-drivers-fedora-11/

 

[rumblpak]

fglrx is a closed source proprietary driver, which won't help us.
this however, is worth looking into: http://xorg.freedesktop.org/wiki/RadeonFeature

[edit] I'd also like to note that basic vesa drivers or a framebuff hack like we have right now (to my knowledge) will be useless for pretty much any game you would want to play. Getting a working graphics driver is important for homebrew linux.

 

[TeamScriptKiddies]

Hey guys, Just to let you all know, I'm downloading the Gnome Desktop onto my Wii U right now. Here's to hoping nothing blows up when I go to launch the gui trololololol. This is most likely a waste of time without a decent graphics driver, but hey, why not? lol

UPDATE: Well I accidentally unplugged my router with my foot while it was downloading, So I guess I can go back to making that youtube video again XD. I'll try redownloading/installing gnome later.

 

[TeamScriptKiddies]

Here's that video I promised earlier of FCE-Ultra for Debian running on Trinux/Whiite Linux on my Wii U! Very proof of concept but still awesome!

 

[TeamScriptKiddies]

I just found out that when I attempted to install gnome, and literally kicked myself off the internet, I accidentally corrupted the apt-get functionality on my sd card. Now I gotta reformat and do the whole thing over *hits head against wall*

EDIT: I'm going to need to be making periodic images of my sd card to prevent things like this from happening in the future trololololol

 

[rumblpak]

apt-get probably wasn't corrupted, it was probably just still running and locked. you could have just removed the lock file or killall apt-get. if it still won't work, just use apt-get -f install blah.

[edit] you may also want to run: dpkg --configure --pending
before running apt-get -f install to finish installing previously installed but non-configured applications.

 

[TeamScriptKiddies]

apt-get probably wasn't corrupted, it was probably just still running and locked. you could have just removed the lock file or killall apt-get. if it still won't work, just use apt-get -f install blah.

Thanks, I'll use that tip in the future. Its too late now, I already reformatted and rewrote the trinux image to my card

EDIT: I have everything restored to the way it was before phew! Everything works, goodnight folks, I got work in the morning.

 

[Ninja_Carver]

I just found out that when I attempted to install gnome, and literally kicked myself off the internet, I accidentally corrupted the apt-get functionality on my sd card. Now I gotta reformat and do the whole thing over *hits head against wall*

EDIT: I'm going to need to be making periodic images of my sd card to prevent things like this from happening in the future trololololol

Installing gnome is a bad choice. It is probably one of the heaviest GUI front-ends available to the linux platform. I strongly suggest looking into LXDE.

If you were able to get use apt-get to install 'openssh-server', set up port forwarding on your router to pass TCP port 22 to your Wii's IP, and give me an account, I may be able to help with some of this.

To find your Wii's IP type 'ifconfig eth0'

You would obviously need to leave it on for a while

 

[rumblpak]

Personally I prefer xfce, but its essentially the same thing as lxde (being based on gtk2).

 

[TeamScriptKiddies]

Installing gnome is a bad choice. It is probably one of the heaviest GUI front-ends available to the linux platform. I strongly suggest looking into LXDE.

If you were able to get use apt-get to install 'openssh-server', set up port forwarding on your router to pass TCP port 22 to your Wii's IP, and give me an account, I may be able to help with some of this.

To find your Wii's IP type 'ifconfig eth0'

You would obviously need to leave it on for a while

What would you need an account on my console for? what would you be helping with exactly? No offense, but I don't just hand out my IP address to anyone (well unless you count webpages etc logging it lol).

Look, you seem totally harmless and seem like a really nice guy (you're even nice enough to let me join this effort and help me along the way), but nothing personal, but I'm not so sure I want to just hand that over.

I'm an IT person, so I know a redflag when I see one. You're probably legitimately offering a helping hand, but where we've never even met in person, I can't be 100% sure about that. Again, nothing personal, I think your awesome and I appreciate all that you do, I'm just playing it safe.

 

[gudenau]

What would you need an account on my console for? what would you be helping with exactly? No offense, but I don't just hand out my IP address to anyone (well unless you count webpages etc logging it lol).

Look, you seem totally harmless and seem like a really nice guy (you're even nice enough to let me join this effort and help me along the way), but nothing personal, but I'm not so sure I want to just hand that over.

I'm an IT person, so I know a redflag when I see one. You're probably legitimately offering a helping hand, but where we've never even met in person, I can't be 100% sure about that. Again, nothing personal, I think your awesome and I appreciate all that you do, I'm just playing it safe.

Yah, one foot in the door with such access equals game over for the lan, easy to get persistence then you are there for good.

 

[TeamScriptKiddies]

Installing gnome is a bad choice. It is probably one of the heaviest GUI front-ends available to the linux platform. I strongly suggest looking into LXDE.

If you were able to get use apt-get to install 'openssh-server', set up port forwarding on your router to pass TCP port 22 to your Wii's IP, and give me an account, I may be able to help with some of this.

To find your Wii's IP type 'ifconfig eth0'

You would obviously need to leave it on for a while

I'm currently downloading and installing LXDE per your suggestion using the apt-get command. Hopefully nothing blows up

rumblpak the killall apt-get function works beautifully . How did I not know about this before?

UPDATE: LXDE failed during the installation, gave me a repo error, so I tried updating my repo's and I've been locked out again lmao. Killall and the other commands rumblpak gave me didn't bail me out this time. I'm rebooting, lets try this again lol

Yet Another Update: Everything was unlocked upon reboot, phew! I was able to update my repo's again. Now I'm trying to install LXDE one last time before I hit the hay

UPDATE 3: Okay guys, so I got LXDE installed. It did give quite a few I/O errors during installation, but it did finish. FCE-Ultra did the same thing to me, but we all know that works fine. When I try to use the Startx command to launch the GUI i'm left with this error:



Does anyone think this is salvageable? My guess is the I/O errors were a result of the installer not knowing exactly how to deal with the wii/wii u hardware, hence why FCE-Ultra also did this. It seems to me that as a result of not knowing how to work with some of the hardware, these I/O errors are popping up, and in this case it left me with a corrupt installation of LXDE. I mean the GUI does attempt to launch, but gives directory errors when trying, then fails. One could assume from that, that the installation went fwonky.

So that being said, does anybody here think there's a way I could "patch this up" to make it work. Perhaps correct whatever directory issues there are and hope for the best?

I'm heading to bed right now, but I will be keeping an eye on this thread for ideas. Any input at all would be greatly appreciated. . Goodnight GBATempers....

 

[Ninja_Carver]

What would you need an account on my console for? what would you be helping with exactly? No offense, but I don't just hand out my IP address to anyone (well unless you count webpages etc logging it lol).

Look, you seem totally harmless and seem like a really nice guy (you're even nice enough to let me join this effort and help me along the way), but nothing personal, but I'm not so sure I want to just hand that over.

I'm an IT person, so I know a redflag when I see one. You're probably legitimately offering a helping hand, but where we've never even met in person, I can't be 100% sure about that. Again, nothing personal, I think your awesome and I appreciate all that you do, I'm just playing it safe.

Suit yourself, I was simply offering to assist you with building a working GUI on your Wii since I don't have access to a Wii/U. A shell account on your Wii would allow me to log in to your Linux shell (like any other remote linux server) and get this running for you on the actual hardware its intended for rather than trying to do it on my PC, with which I'd have no way to test. From there we would collaborate on packaging it up nicely for consumers to play with.

Even with root access, the worst I could do to your Wii is destroy the Linux installation, then you just re-image the card and you're back in business, lol. Its not like I could trash your Wii hardware after its been sandboxed and booted into linux.

But, if your reluctance is getting the better of you, then by all means, GL HF!