Hacking Question Atmosphere and SXOS 11.0.0 dual Emunand boot - where do I start?

[LiborNX]

Hi there,

I have an NSW v1 unpatched with Atmosphere (latest FW) installed as EmuNAND (files) on the SD card (FAT 32). Is there a recommended approach to add a separate EmuNAND with SXOS 11.0.0 on the same SD card?

Must have: separate EmuNANDs due to SXOS being stuck at 11.0.0 for now; easily switch from one CFW to another with reboot to payload (or Tesla overlay) rather than physical SD card swap.
Nice to have: still allows for adding other systems (android, lakka...) in the future.

Cheers,
Libor

UPDATE - SOLVED

Required basics (I will not detail the steps to much for that):
- Installation of Atmosphere on EmuMMC (Partition) - there are multiple tutorials out there
- Installation of SXOS on EmuNAND (Files) - very straightforward once you boot the payload while pressing "+"

Here is the process I landed to have ATM and SXOS on the same SD card. Note they will have different firmware versions, games and saves won't be shared, homebrew apps will be shared. For noobs like me, note EmuMMC and EmuNAND are the same concept (i.e. a copy of SysNAND) but technically slightly different and respectively used by Hekate/Atmosphere and SXOS.

If your SysNAND is <= FW 11.0.0
This is basically just installing SXOS EmuNAND (Files) on the same SD card where you have an EmuMMC (Partition) for Atmosphere.
Tested: NO (should be straightforward)

Spoiler

### Skip steps 1,2,3 if you already have Atmosphere partition based ###
1. Hekate: set partitions. Allocate 29 Gb for the EmuMMC.
Optional (but you have to decide at this stage): allocate partitions for Android and Linux e.g. 32GB each, you'll be able to come back later and go Flash Android or Flash Linux (just remember how much space you allocated because it doesn't display when you come back to the partition menu).
2. Hekate: Generate an EmuMMC (partition)
3. Install the Atmosphere files on the SD Card
4. Drop SXOS boot.dat and license.dat at the root of your SD card -you should have from your previous SXOS installation or the Free SXOS script for file based EmuNAND by Reacher17 Le Grand (https://gbatemp.net/threads/hack-sxos.582831/page-63)
5. Edit hekate_ipl.ini adding these lines so that you only need to boot to Hekate then choose your CFW moving forward
[SX OS]
payload=bootloader/payloads/sxos.bin
6. Press "+" while launching for the first time to see the SXOS options (otherwise it will boot SXOS on your SysNAND) and follow the SXOS manual to create an EmuNAND (File based because they can't be two partition based EmuMMC/EmuNAND on the same SD card)
7. Boot to sxos via Hekate or direct, upgrade to FW 11.0.0 via Album>Homebrew>Daybreak

If your SysNAND is > FW 11.0.0
This involves setting one EmuMMC (Partition) for Atmosphere and another EmuMMC (Files) which you will downgrade to FW 11.0.0 with Atmosphere, then convert to an EmuNAND to be able to boot SXOS on it. Thanks Deejay87, you paved the way.
Tested: SUCCESS

Spoiler

### Skip steps 1,2,3 if you already have Atmosphere partition based ###
1. Hekate: set partitions. Allocate 29 Gb for the EmuMMC.
Optional (but you have to decide at this stage): allocate partitions for Android and Linux e.g. 32GB each, you'll be able to come back later and go Flash Android or Flash Linux (just remember how much space you allocated because it doesn't display when you come back to the partition menu).
2. Hekate: Generate an EmuMMC (partition)
3. Install the Atmosphere files on the SD Card
4. Hekate: Generate an EmuMMC (File based because they can't be two partition based EmuMMCs on the same SD card) - at this point Hekate will select the File based partition as the default EmuMMC location because it is the last created
5. Boot atmosphere, make sure you are on the EmuMMC, "E" at the end of the Firmware version, downgrade to FW 11.0.0 via Album>Daybreak
6. Hekate: Mount the SD card on your computer via Tools.
7. Open NxNandManager (https://github.com/eliboa/NxNandManager/releases) on your PC, open your File based EmuMMC, resize User to 9760Mb (Total: 12.5 Gb), export as File based EmuMMC (I tried to Save as SXOS EmuNAND but it fails at 99% - hence step 7 below instead)
8. Open Kenny's Emutool (https://gbatemp.net/threads/emutool...er-sd-switch-emu-type-on-sxos-and-more.550756). Convert your reduced File based EmuMMC (in EmuMMC\SD00 on your Sd card) to File based EMUNAND for SXOS (choose to root of your SD file as Target path, it will export to sd:/sxos/emunand). Delete the File based EmuMMC on your Sd card.
9. Drop SXOS boot.dat and license.dat at the root of your SD card -you should have from your previous SXOS installation or the Free SXOS script for file based EmuNAND by Reacher17 Le Fantastique (https://gbatemp.net/threads/hack-sxos.582831/page-63)
10. Hekate: let's fix the side effect of step 4. Redefine the partition based EmuMMC as the active one via EmuMMC tools > Migrate EmuMMC > Fix Raw
11. Edit hekate_ipl.ini adding these lines so that you only need to boot to Hekate then choose your CFW moving forward
[SX OS]
payload=bootloader/payloads/sxos.bin
12. Press "+" while launching for the first time to see the SXOS option and make sure the Emunand is active (i.e. not booting SXOS on Sysnand) which should be the case because SXOS will detect the existing File based Emunand if it was created correctly.

 

[wurstpistole]

Could add another partition-based Emunand on the same card. Wouldn't recommend though, way too much going on on one SD card. If it fails, that's going to be really annoying to re-setup.

 

[Shadow#1]

Hi there,

I have an NSW v1 unpatched with Atmosphere (latest FW) installed as Emunand (files) on the SD card (FAT 32). Is there a recommended approach to add a separate Emunand with SXOS 11.0.0 on the same SD card?

Must have: separate Emunands due to SXOS being stuck at 11.0.0 for now; easily switch from one CFW to another with reboot to payload (or Tesla overlay) rather than physical SD card swap.
Nice to have: still allows for adding other systems (android, lakka...) in the future.

Cheers,
Libor

Really highly not recommend to do file based emunand of any type because the very high chance of corruption so u should make the atmos emunand partition based

 

[LiborNX]

Hi

Really highly not recommend to do file based emunand of any type because the very high chance of corruption so u should make the atmos emunand partition based

I never had any corruption issue on at emunand file based (FAT32) but nothing against moving to partition . Is moving atm emunand to partition the first step you would recommend to achieve the dual emunand boot atm/sxos?

1. Set atmos emunand partition based via Hekate
2. Set sxos emunand via sxos payload: ¿¿¿partition based / file based???
...

Cheers

 

[Kallrkyle]

Don't think its possible to have 2 partition based emunand on same SD, but could be wrong
why use sxos payload, isen't it possible to boot sxos from hekate ?

 

[LiborNX]

That would be great to boot sxos from hekate if it is possible but setting the SXOS style Emunand is only possible from SXOS payload afaik. I wasn't sure whether it is possible to have 2 partition based emunands (sxos and atm) on one sd. If not, would you recommend the below approach?

### Draft ####
1. Set atmos emunand partition based via Hekate
2. Set sxos emunand: must be file based because two partition based emunands are not supported (???)
3. Add a config in hekate to launch sxos (how-to: ???)
...
###########


Sorry if I am asking the obvious. I tried to find other threads that might help before asking but...
...As my status say: "Newbie"

 

[Kallrkyle]

I have personaly always used file based emunand though some say partition based is a bit quicker, but i have never been abel to make patition based Atmos EmuMMC work on mine, before Atmos i was using SXOS, but that was also file based

Booting SXOS from Hekate you should put the SXOS payload.bin into the bootloader\payloads folder on sd card, then either use payload from Hekate or edit hekate_ipl.ini adding these lines
[SX OS]
payload=bootloader/payloads/sxos.bin

 

[Kallrkyle]

Btw: how do you inject the payload ?

 

[LiborNX]

Thanks for the ideas. Solved, just updated the original post.

 

[Maupiti]

Don't think its possible to have 2 partition based emunand on same SD, but could be wrong
why use sxos payload, isen't it possible to boot sxos from hekate ?

I

It’s working..,a bit WIP , but working, booting emunand (11.0.) Sxos from an hidden partition, and Atmosphere from another hidden partition .

Booting straight from my dongle ( RCM loader one, which is a hell of a good injector when fiddling with multiple payloads), need to finalise to configure Hekate, import my saves , and see if everything works as intended.

First hidden partition (8 go) Sxos , unallocated, second partition Fat32 , SD with all the « stuff », third partition (hidden, with a drive letter but system files other, roughly 29,2 g at the end.

Take note, that what I will explain worked for me , but could not for you, It’s not a tutorial.

I have many backups of all my emunand/EmuMMC , sysnand.. I wanted to start from a “scratch working configuration/sd”.

And do as much “less consuming time” and “switching sd” from the switch as possible.

1. My switch (with my 400 go sd card fully functional with dual boot Emunands Sxos 11.0.(8 go sd files based, 32 go Atmosphere 12.0.1 on hidden partition), connected to my PC (running windows 10 X64,) via usb under Hekate/Tools.

2. I created a specific folder on my desktop for all the backups/downloadings following.

3. I did a full dump of Sxos emunand files based ( 8 go) via NxNandManager ( and therefore converted in a full raw nand backup), and save it on my desktop on a folder specific folder.

4. I converted my Atmosphere hidden partition to sd files using emutool and saved it on my PC to a specific folder.

5. I inserted the card I wanted to use for the tests on my PC Card reader.
I created an Sxos emunand partition based using NxNandManager with my backup (therefore wiping everything and cleaning).

6. I used mini partition wizard tool free to modify sd partition once NxNandManager finished .
I resized the fat32 partition to leave 29,2 go at the end of the sd.

7. I copied under mini partition wizard the hidden and working partition related to atmosphere on my current 400 go sd (remember? connected to Pc via Hekate ums) to the new created partition on the test sd card.

8. Ended up with a few 48 mo unallocated space at the end but doesn’t matter.

9. I copied latest Hekate (from GitHub) on the sd, atmosphere 19.5 (as it was the version of my EmuMMC and didn’t want to change loaders on my injector), bootdat, licence.dat.

10. I inserted my test sd card (note that’s the first physical move of the sd on the switch), launched Hekate, migrate emunand (atmosphere) to create the right EmuMMC.ini , checked values with partition wizard.

Tried both CFW on emunands using my injector, and they both work.

Need to adjust some settings, but I think it should be alright.

To be mentioned, the hidden partition of atmosphere i copied (from my 400 go sd to my test sd was initially created by tegraExplorer payload). But to be sure , and didn’t mentioned, after the copy of this partition, I flashed back using emutool the backup of my EmuMMC on this partition. What is relevant for this atmosphere hidden partition is the start in hex of the first sector.

But I would say, it’s more because I wanted to know if possible, than a real “benefit “.

 

[Lutfi]

Hey, did it work on MARIKO patched mod chip?

 

[Draxzelex]

Hey, did it work on MARIKO patched mod chip?

Both SX OS and Atmosphere support Mariko.

 

[DevilzCY]

Dual boot with SX OS meaning I won't be able to play online booting to OFW is it correct?

 

[mikefor20]

There's actually a lot of misinformation in this thread.

I do not recommend a file-based emunand. They are volatile. Anyone who hasn't had any problems just hasn't had any problems yet. If we're talking for the long term definitely you want partition based only.

Contrary to popular belief you can go online using emunand. SciresM will even tell you. The way to avoid the ban is to not do anything that involves stealing or altering Nintendo code in any way on your online nand. You need a stock backup from before you modified anything but after you last went online. Nintendo keeps a record of everything you do while you're connected. So that has to match. If you backed everything up from the get-go you can use that back up to restore and create a new emunand. You can go online in that emunand but you cannot use any kind of NSP or XCI. No altered saves. No sig patches. no bull. Only legit stuff. I have been doing this for a couple years now.

Remember there's always a ban risk however in my honest opinion, staying offline is a self-inflicted ban.

As far as creating your emunand goes you can either have separate SD cards for atmosphere and SX OS or two hidden partitions on the same SD card. The switch has a very fragile MicroSD slot so swapping back and forth is a liability. I created a tutorial to make dual hidden partition emunands. It is in the tutorial section. It is the cleanest solution IMHO. Doing one file-based expect to lose those saves eventually. The switch doesn't really handle FAT32 very well. Which is a shame because it's all they can handle. The fact that you're file-based means you're at the mercy of that limitation. Sooner or later you will probably corrupt. When it does you will lose all of your save files.

Hope that clarifies a few things. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions.

 

[Draxzelex]

Dual boot with SX OS meaning I won't be able to play online booting to OFW is it correct?

No, assuming you're not trying to load SX OS on your sysMMC.

 

[Nadrew]

I have hidden partición for Atm and other partición in file for sx os, when update in Atm to 13.1, sx os don't work, how is the structure hekatepls.ini for sx os work whit emunand file, thanks for your answer

 

[Draxzelex]

I have hidden partición for Atm and other partición in file for sx os, when update in Atm to 13.1, sx os don't work, how is the structure hekatepls.ini for sx os work whit emunand file, thanks for your answer

You can download one from DeepSea.