Tutorial 

Wii Linux (XWhiite 0.2) with working WiFi tutorial

Requirements

- BootMii (either installed as boot2 or as IOS)
- SD(HC) card (at least 1GB, 2GB recommended)
- USB keyboard

Preparing the SD card

You have to create 2 partitions. One little FAT16/32 for BootMii, HBC and the kernel and one big ext3 for the filesystem ("userland"). You can do this for example with gParted in Ubuntu. If you don`t have Ubuntu installed, use the latest LiveCD. For this tutorial it is important to set the descriptions of the partitions.

- Backup your current BootMii folder
- 1. partition: At least 32 MB, FAT16/32, "kernel" as description
- 2. partition: Remaining free space, EXT3, "filesystem" as description
- Copy your BootMii folder to the first partition

Installing the kernel

The mike kernel must be booted via BootMii! If you boot it with the homebrew channel, wifi and other things won`t work.

There are two ways to boot the kernel:

1.)
The first one (and also the recommended one) is to copy the kernel to the first partition of your sd card, for example to the BootMii folder. To boot the kernel you can use the sd card explorer in BootMii and select the kernel. It could happen that it doesn`t work and return to the BootMii main menu. If this happens try to update to the newest BootMii version (beta4). If it also doesn`t work with beta4 then you have to use the second way.

2.)
With the second way you will have to replace the executable of the BootMii GUI with the kernel. This should always work, but the disadvantage is that the kernel will boot immediately after launching BootMii. So you won`t see the GUI of BootMii. If you need the BootMii GUI you may use a second sd card for Linux only.

- Rename the file "ppcboot.elf" in the BootMii folder to "ppcboot.elf.backup"
- Download the latest mike kernel (mikep5) with your appropriate TV mode:

- 480i PAL: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/...480i(PAL60).elf
- 576i PAL: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/...i.576i(PAL).elf
- 480p PAL: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/...i.480p(PAL).elf
- 480i NTSC: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/....480i(NTSC).elf
- 480p NTSC: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/....480p(NTSC).elf

- Rename the kernel to ppcboot.elf and copy it to your BootMii folder
- If you have BootMii beta1 or beta2 you need to download the latest armboot.bin to prevent an error with the mike kernel: http://downloads.sourceforge.net/gc-linux/mikep1-armboot.bin. Rename it to "armboot.bin" and replace it with the one in your new BootMii folder. If you are running BootMii beta3 or later you might skip this step, because it should already include a newer version of armboot.bin

Installing the filesystem

- Download XWhiite 0.2 to your Desktop: http://hbcapps.com/debian-etch-4.0+whiite-...ite-0.2.tar.bz2
- Open a terminal and login as root (sudo su)
- Change the directory to your Desktop:
Code: 
cd /home/yourusername/Desktop
- Extract the filesystem to your sd card:
Code: 
tar -C /media/filesystem/ -xjvf debian-etch-4.0+whiite-0.1+xwhiite-0.2.tar.bz2
- Backup your xorg.conf:
Code: 
cd /media/filesystem/etc/X11/
cp xorg.conf xorg.conf.backup
- Open your xorg.conf and set your TV mode (pal or ntsc):

Code: 
gedit /media/filesystem/etc/X11/xorg.conf
- Find the Subsection "Display" in the section "Screen"
- Replace "pal_50" with "ntsc_60" if you have a NTSC TV
- If you have the problem with the "small line" try to remove the lines with "HorizSync", "VertRefresh", "Modeline "pal_50"" and "Modeline "ntsc_60"" in the section "Monitor" and the whole subsection "Display"

- Now you can try to boot your Wii with Linux.

Getting WiFi to work

- Download the necessary debian packages and put them to /media/filesystem/home/wii/:

- nano: http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/pool/main/...ch1_powerpc.deb
- wpasupplicant: http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/pool/main/...5-2_powerpc.deb
- wireless-tools: http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/pool/main/...f.1_powerpc.deb
- udev: http://security.debian.org/debian-security...ch1_powerpc.deb
- libiw28: http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/pool/main/...f.1_powerpc.deb
- libvolume: http://security.debian.org/debian-security...ch1_powerpc.deb
- wifi firmware: http://sourceforge.net/projects/gc-linux/f...tar.gz/download

- Boot your Wii Linux
- Open a terminal and login as root (pwd is "whiite")
- Install the packages:
Code: 
cd /home/wii/
dpkg -i *.deb
- Extract the wifi firmware:
Code: 
cd /
tar -xzvf /home/wii/openfwwf-5.2-bin.tar.gz
- Edit the wifi settings:

Code: 
nano /etc/network/interfaces
- For WPA 1/2 add this:

Code: 
auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-ssid YOUR_SSID_GOES_HERE
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-psk YOUR_SECRET_GOES_HERE
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-key-mgmt WPA-PSK
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-pairwise TKIP CCMP
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-group TKIP CCMP
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-proto WPA RSN
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-ap-scan 1
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwpa-scan-ssid 1
- For WEP (ASCII string key) add this:

Code: 
auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwireless-essid YOUR_SSID_GOES_HERE
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwireless-key YOUR_ASCII_SECRET_GOES_HERE

- For WEP (binary key) add this:

Code: 
auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwireless-essid YOUR_SSID_GOES_HERE
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂwireless-key s:0123-4567-89


- Test your wifi connection:
Code: 
ifup wlan0
ping www.google.com
- If you get responses: CONGRATULATIONS! Now your Wii will automatically connect your wifi on every boot

And what now?

- Now you can update your system (as root!):
Code: 
apt-get update
apt-get upgrade
- You can also install a "normal" desktop environment like XFCE4. It`s more comfortable to use, but will use more RAM and will run slower. But it`s quite usable.
Code: 
apt-get install xfce4
- Install whatever you want! Have fun!

Problems and their solutions

Problem: No sound
Solution: CODEusermod -G audio


by elmurato
revision 5


PS: If something isn`t clear feel free to ask so that I can improve this tutorial. Thanks!

Sources

http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/WL:whiite-linux
http://www.tehskeen.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9777
http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/MINI:KernelPreviewThree
http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/WL:Wifi_Configuration
 
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M

maurimauri29

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Hi all,
thanks to the tutorial at the beginning of the thread and the useful informations provided here I have Linux running nicely on my Wii, with Xfce4, wi fi working well.
So I was wondering...can I install samba to connect to my networked computers (one linux and one windows box) and stream my mp3 collection across my WiFi network?
Secondly...I tried to play some MP3s directly from the SD card and, no matter which media player I use (I tried Mplayer, XMMS and even the console-based mpg123) I get a crackling sound. The music files are fine as I played them on my computer and there is no crackles to be heard. Any idea what may be causing this and what could I do to fix it?
Is there any way to access the volume and sound settings? I mean not those of the media player but the Linux ones?
Thanks in advance for your help
Mauri
 
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rant

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sge said:
I get those speeds too. Strange, before I re-installed whiite-linux, I used to be able to SSH at decent speeds but now there is lots of lag when typing commands. Switching between my regular WEP-binary (64bit Hexadecimal key) key and a completely open access point makes no difference.

I thought it was only me (I had to factory reset my router earlier). I get heaps of wireless dropouts via Whiite-Linux, but IOS/Wii System Menu works fine (regular speed/reliability).

I have problems even authenticating/associating to the router (lots of time outs). But it eventually manages to establish a connection.
Click to expand...

Exactly the same behavior, associating sometimes takes like maybe 15 seconds but it will eventually associate. I see the typing lag in SSH window as well. Wifi in other homebrew apps works correctly as well. My setup mikep5 and etch/XWhiite 0.2 (exactly according to the tutorial on first post). Distance from the router does not make any difference.

edit: Tried with mikep4 kernel --> the same behavior
 
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lkrea

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Hi everyone,

I have some problems with flash/gnash setup. Anyone can tell me how to setup correctly?

Thanks in advance
 
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sge

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rant said:
sge said:
I get those speeds too. Strange, before I re-installed whiite-linux, I used to be able to SSH at decent speeds but now there is lots of lag when typing commands. Switching between my regular WEP-binary (64bit Hexadecimal key) key and a completely open access point makes no difference.

I thought it was only me (I had to factory reset my router earlier). I get heaps of wireless dropouts via Whiite-Linux, but IOS/Wii System Menu works fine (regular speed/reliability).

I have problems even authenticating/associating to the router (lots of time outs). But it eventually manages to establish a connection.
Click to expand...

Exactly the same behavior, associating sometimes takes like maybe 15 seconds but it will eventually associate. I see the typing lag in SSH window as well. Wifi in other homebrew apps works correctly as well. My setup mikep5 and etch/XWhiite 0.2 (exactly according to the tutorial on first post). Distance from the router does not make any difference.

edit: Tried with mikep4 kernel --> the same behavior
Click to expand...

I installed whiite 1.10 (based on debian lenny 5.0) and launch with MIKEp5 on a separate SD card and moved my Wii to the kitchen TV (a few meters from the router).

The wifi connection is much more stable. Seems that it was just really sensitive to interference I guess. Interestingly, if I move the Wii from the spacious table it is sitting on to the (relatively) cramped TV's shelf (about 30 cm away) the wifi connection drops out, and I can't re-establish a connection.

But now atleast I got a nice ssh+screen/rtorrent setup going (also scheduling downloads to take advantage of offpeak quota
biggrin.gif
).
 
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Rockout

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Thanks for putting all this together, elmurato. xwhiite0.2 is awesome, especially with the wifi working properly.
I also tried tinkering with it to get lenny working and encountered the same problem with the display drivers not working.

Have there been any fixes or patches made to correct the false rgb framebuffer yet? Or is it possible to get it working by tailoring the modelines in the xorg.conf file? Is there anything that can be changed to correct the vertical overscan or the horizontal underscan?

* XFCE4 users *
--although the overscan (the top and bottom edges getting cut off the screen) can be a nuisance, there is a setting to help compensate for it. If I remember it was the last option on the settings manager page. It's something like Borders and Workspaces. Open that, then I forget if you need to click on the next tab or not, but find where the margin settings are for the edges of the screen are. If memory serves well, 10 pixels on the top and 28 pixels on the bottom worked well on my tv, but you can play with it and see what works best. To explain all the guesswork here, I actually went back to using fluxbox.
--another thing, if you have trouble with something being too big to fit on your screen, hold down the "alt" key and click and hold the mouse anywhere on the offending panel to slide it around to your liking. This works without XFCE4.

Has anyone gotten a WBFS manager, like wiithon, working in xwhiite? If so, can it be done without cross-compiling?

I hope everyone has enjoyed xwhiite as much as I have, and thank you to all who made this greatness happen.
 
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hojnikb

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I'm gonna install debian 4 on my wii and i want to know:
(i already installed debian 5 with this tut. and running off my USB stick (hex edited kernel image) )

is ntfs supported by this kernel ? (does it support writting)
would jvm windows manager work ?
is it "safe" to use swamp space on my 4gb flash disk ( i've used a 256mb swamp) my guess its not very safe ;(
how much memory is available to it (i heard that this kernel supports around78MB of ram)
whats the fastest speed that can wifi card handle (i heard its about 200KB/s)
what settings should i use to minimize writes to flash disk

Thx for all replys !

BTW i'm a newbie here ! Hello to all !
 
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hojnikb

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Ok, now i managed to boot xwhiite with xfce4.It seems to work fine and its great to use wiimote as mouse
wink.gif


Now i've noticed some pink spots on some areas (eg when certain color is ).Also is it possible to set resolution higher that 640x480 ?

tommorow ill test network speed and put some torrents on..
smile.gif
 
fishears

fishears

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I've just installed xwhiite 0.2 and upgraded the dist to lenny. Got the X cube driver working now so I have what looks to me like a proper copy of whiite lenny with xwhiite (basic setup with fluxbox). Gnash installs so flash should work... Can anyone tell me what to do to take a copy of this filesystem so that I can have a "vanilla" backup?
 
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fishears said:
I've just installed xwhiite 0.2 and upgraded the dist to lenny. Got the X cube driver working now so I have what looks to me like a proper copy of whiite lenny with xwhiite (basic setup with fluxbox). Gnash installs so flash should work... Can anyone tell me what to do to take a copy of this filesystem so that I can have a "vanilla" backup?
Click to expand...

Mount the partition with Linux
Copy the contents of the entire filesystem to an external hard drive/whatever.
(Compress them as tar if you want)
done.
smile.gif
 
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mpg187 said:
This uses a PowerPC version I assume?
Click to expand...
Everything you see on screen is running on the PowerPC. The difference is what runs on the ARM coprocessor:

IOS is Nintendo's own operating system. It's possible to run Linux on IOS, but some drivers are missing, for example the WiFi driver or the DVD unit driver.

MINI is Team Twiizers replacement for IOS, it's completely open source. If you run Linux on MINI (possible with BootMii), you get WiFi, DVD support, and more nice things like USB 2.0 Support and 11MB more RAM. It's absolutely awesome.
 
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Anyone tried to run some benchmarks to see how fast is that proc ?
Also when running AS MINI, can the ARM chip be used somehow by linux ?

Posts merged

...and anyone knows how to fix that pink spots or do i only have theese problems (running this on crt tv with stock cables...
 
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Here's the "cube" driver compiled for Lenny if anyone wants it. Just extract to /usr/lib/xorg/modules/ after you've upgraded X but before you startx
wink.gif


I've not done a full dist image yet because I forgot to remove all the build stuff so it's massive.... Gnash plugin confirmed working with Iceweasel in Lenny
If anyone wants a basic dist image of this then I might pursue it, otherwise I'm going to get on with putting the apps I want on there.
 
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maurimauri29

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Good to see people making progress with this.
I am still having issues with crackling sound when playing mp3s (no matter which player I use) and also I do not seem to be able to mount samba shares. I installed smbclient, smbfs and linneighborhood. In lineighborhood I can see the shares on other computers but when i try to mount them I get the message that smbfs filesystem is not supported by the kernel. I tried modprobe smbfs but I get the message saying that the modules.dep cannot be found (even though it is there).
Any idea how to sort this out?
Cheers
 
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assuming you're using kernel 2.6.32:
under /lib/modules/ you'll see /2.6.27b-isobel-wii/ - rename this to /2.6.32-isobel-wii/ to match the current kernel
then go into /2.6.32-isobel-wii/ and edit the contents of modules.dep, replacing all references to "2.6.27b" with "2.6.32"
restart linux
 
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maurimauri29

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fishears said:
assuming you're using kernel 2.6.32:
under /lib/modules/ you'll see /2.6.27b-isobel-wii/ - rename this to /2.6.32-isobel-wii/ to match the current kernel
then go into /2.6.32-isobel-wii/ and edit the contents of modules.dep, replacing all references to "2.6.27b" with "2.6.32"
restart linux
Click to expand...
thanks fishears,
now that was a bit daft of me. I did not notice that the folders names were different
hate2.gif

however, now that has been corrected but I still cannot mount samba shares and now if I modprobe smbfs I get and invalide module format error.
Also, am I really the only one who is getting crackling sound when playing mp3s??
Cheers
Mauri
 
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my turn to be a bit daft
wink.gif

the modules will need to be recompiled from source for 2.6.32 kernel

regarding crackling mp3 - I haven't played any but you could try installing different mp3 decoder...
 

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