Emergency Fstab Fixer (required to fix webOS 1.4.5 OTA update)

[rwhitby]

I've created an "Emergency Fstab Fixer" package which corrects this problem in the /etc/fstab file to make an OTA-updated webOS 1.4.5 device be the same as a webOS Doctored webOS 1.4.5 device

It is installable from Preware.

If you wish to donate to WebOS Internals for EFF, Preware, or any of our other applications, kernels or patch infrastructure, please use this link or PayPal to donations @ webos-internals.org - the servers that run the package feeds for Preware and the homebrew ecosystem are funded purely from your donations.

It has safeguards to ensure it will only do things on webOS 1.4.5 and not any later version (like 1.4.5.1 etc).

"Install this package on your webOS device immediately after updating to webOS 1.4.5 to fix a Palm OTA bug in the /etc/fstab file. See Forums webOS • View topic - 1.4.5 Jail Settings and OTA Updates and Forums webOS • View topic - Alert: 1.4.5 Bug with Writing to /media/internal for more details about the bug. This fix is only required when you OTA update to webOS 1.4.5 - if you use the webOS Doctor to install webOS 1.4.5 you are not affected."

In the interest of transparency and many-eyes-make-all-bugs-shallow, the code is here: http://git.webos-internals.org/?p=pr...fixer/postinst

-- Rod

[rlangley21]

Rod -

Once again you are the webOS savior. I shouldn't be surprised you already had the fix in store before the roll-out of 1.4.5. Palm owes you BIG TIME! You and the webosinternals team along with Jason have single-handedly kept many users on this platform.

You guys are absolutely amazing!

--Rob

[jhoff80]

Personally, I wouldn't say it's 100% required, but I'd say it's more like recommended.

Since Palm is urging developers to update their PDK apps to not use /media/internal/, once the app updates come (hopefully soon), it won't be as necessary. Though of course, as they've stated, they'll be making the same change in future versions of the OS.

But yeah, I agree that if it's something that a user is comfortable with, it's highly recommended.

[rwhitby]

Originally Posted by jhoff80

Personally, I wouldn't say it's 100% required, but I'd say it's more like recommended.

Since Palm is urging developers to update their PDK apps to not use /media/internal/, once the app updates come (hopefully soon), it won't be as necessary. Though of course, as they've stated, they'll be making the same change in future versions of the OS.

But yeah, I agree that if it's something that a user is comfortable with, it's highly recommended.

There are actually home-brew apps that will be affected by this bug too.

-- Rod

[rwhitby]

Originally Posted by rlangley21

I shouldn't be surprised you already had the fix in store before the roll-out of 1.4.5.

I was thinking about it on the way home from work yesterday, and then one of the other WebOS Internals guys suggested we do a patch for it about two hours ago.

So I finished my sandwich and whipped up a one-time-fix utility instead.

-- Rod

[johncc]

Should be a big donation coming from Palm to webOS Internals/Rod for this. And it certainly shows the benefit of their attitude to the homebrew scene. Without the environment which allows Rod to "save their bacon" this could have been very/much more embarassing.

[rwhitby]

Originally Posted by johncc

Should be a big donation coming from Palm to webOS Internals/Rod for this. And it certainly shows the benefit of their attitude to the homebrew scene. Without the environment which allows Rod to "save their bacon" this could have been very/much more embarassing.

Palm are handling this issue by having PDK app authors submit an update, so for the vast majority of webOS users it will not even be noticed.

So "save their bacon" is a little bit overstated

But we won't refuse any donations on those grounds. We've had to buy a bit of hardware to fix our server recently ... donations @ webos-internals.org is our PayPal address.

-- Rod

[johncc]

Originally Posted by rwhitby

...
So "save their bacon" is a little bit overstated
...

Maybe a bit theatrical, but can you imagine the hue and cry from the 'gamers' if no fix was available other than waiting for an update from developers.

[Hernie]

didn't palm put out a fix a while back in the app catalog? I vaguely remember that, don't remember what it was for though. Can't they just do that again?

[StoneRyno]

Is there a list of homebrew apps effected by whatever this addresses? If this is a functional change in the OS it would be wise to update those apps just as the PDK apps that were requested updates from. This is ok as a temporary measure for anyone who is running any of the effected apps but the permanent solution should be updating the apps.

[rwhitby]

Originally Posted by StoneRyno

Is there a list of homebrew apps effected by whatever this addresses? If this is a functional change in the OS it would be wise to update those apps just as the PDK apps that were requested updates from. This is ok as a temporary measure for anyone who is running any of the effected apps but the permanent solution should be updating the apps.

For some homebrew apps (e.g. Navit) that is not possible. Navit requires users to be able to modify the configuration files that that app uses, and the app has to be able to write into that same directory. That is not possible with the work-around that Palm is suggesting to PDK Game developers (who don't provide any user modification ability).

If you read the links on the Palm developer forum, you will see that this tool does exactly what is done if you use the webOS Doctor to install webOS 1.4.5, and exactly what Palm have said will be in the next version of webOS after 1.4.5.

-- Rod

[rwhitby]

Originally Posted by Hernie

didn't palm put out a fix a while back in the app catalog? I vaguely remember that, don't remember what it was for though. Can't they just do that again?

Palm are hereby welcome to use the package I have created for this purpose if they wish.

-- Rod

[StoneRyno]

Originally Posted by rwhitby

If you read the links on the Palm developer forum, you will see that this tool does exactly what is done if you use the webOS Doctor to install webOS 1.4.5, and exactly what Palm have said will be in the next version of webOS after 1.4.5.

-- Rod

Ah yes I misunderstood the issue I thought they made some intended to be permanent change to how something worked. I now see looking at the info more closely it was an oversight. So this just makes the change that oversight thing would have or something like that. So in other words this should be provided as the solution rather than making devs alter their apps. Since I now have the impression that the apps in the long term do not need the change that is needed to address what this does?

[johncc]

Unfortunately, without involving carriers, Palm can't just put out a small update to fix it. But isn't it great that the homebrew system can.

[JohnnyPre]

Rod,


If this fix is applied, and the game has been 'fixed' as per Palm's request, will this patch unfix the developer's fix?

By this, I mean, after developers (game) modify their code...??

Thanks,

- John

[THL]

No, this will not be the case. The patch enables PDK apps, that have saved data on the USB partition to continue writing there. 1.4.5 disabled this. The workaround developers are encouraged to save data at a different, fully patch-unaffected location and will continue to do so there. Hence patch and fixed apps cannot conflict, because two different methods are incorporated.

[guejoe]

Hi, I cannot install your emergency-fstab-fixer. It Quickinstall says "mount: mounting/dev/mapper/store-root on/failed: Device or resource busy"
I have restart the phone before but had no luck. Do you know where the problem is?

Oh! Never mind! I found your patch in Preware. that worked! thanx alot! :-)

[rwhitby]

Originally Posted by guejoe

Hi, I cannot install your emergency-fstab-fixer. It Quickinstall says "mount: mounting/dev/mapper/store-root on/failed: Device or resource busy"
I have restart the phone before but had no luck. Do you know where the problem is?

Oh! Never mind! I found your patch in Preware. that worked! thanx alot! :-)

The instructions in the first post say "It should be installable with Preware 1.1.x (look in the testing feed), Preware 1.2.0 (using the new Install Package functionality to install it directly from that URL), or palm-install."

-- Rod

[rot]

Originally Posted by rwhitby

The instructions in the first post say "It should be installable with Preware 1.1.x (look in the testing feed), Preware 1.2.0 (using the new Install Package functionality to install it directly from that URL), or palm-install."

-- Rod

that would be ok, if I could see it in Preware (or could see preware 1.2 at all...), in which category do I have to search? just to be sure it's not my fault not finding it...

//edit:
omg, my fault - testing feed

[Jason Black]

I wish i could give Ruby a call and get him to throw loads of cash your way!..I believe Webos development will move a lot faster if the Webos Internals team was fully invovled.