Quick Kindle 3 root shell via USB

[911jason]

Guess I'll hold off on my letter to Bezos requesting custom screensaver support.

[yifanlu]

Great news! Weird it took this long to find it, lol. Anyways, as I said before, I REALLY want a copy of Kindle 3's root fs.

If you have a Kindle 3 and would like to help a fellow member, type this in:

~exec dd if=/dev/mmcblk0p1 of=/mnt/us/rootfsbackup.bin bs=1024

Then plug your kindle into the PC and send me rootfsbackup.bin. If the file is too big (it should be ~256MB), just upload it to my public folder (please): https://public.me.com/yifanlu (Password: yifanlu)

I want to start Kindle 3 hacking before I get a Kindle 3 (don't have the money right now).

Thank you SO MUCH!

[porkupan]

Originally Posted by yifanlu

If you have a Kindle 3 and would like to help a fellow member, type this in:
<...>
Then plug your kindle into the PC and send me root.tar.gz.

This dump would give you more than just rootfs, itwould give you all the private user info as well. Not a good idea to spread those around. The security certificates are kept in /var. You may want to ask people for a copy of the /dev/mmcblk0p1:

dd if=/dev/mmcblk0p1 of=/mnt/us/rootfsbackup.bin bs=1024

It is going to end up being a rather huge file though. Won't pass through any email systems.

[meem]

What I need to activate that commands started by "~" ?

I think the others usbNetwork hacks are more easier and effective,
Can you make an update package like them ?

[yifanlu]

Originally Posted by porkupan

This dump would give you more than just rootfs, itwould give you all the private user info as well. Not a good idea to spread those around. The security certificates are kept in /var. You may want to ask people for a copy of the /dev/mmcblk0p1:

dd if=/dev/mmcblk0p1 of=/mnt/us/rootfsbackup.bin bs=1024

It is going to end up being a rather huge file though. Won't pass through any email systems.

Oops, didn't think about certs, just books in /mnt/us. Changing my post.

[filerand]

Originally Posted by Ged_uk

I can't get my UK K3 to go into usb network, always comes up as disc mode
Probably missed something silly or UK K3 are different?
G

I'm in the US, and I'm having the same trouble. I reboot the kindle via Settings->Menu->Reboot, type ;debugOn, confirm that's working with ~help, and then type ~usbNetwork, and plug it in, and I get disk mode. I'm using MacOS -- I wouldn't expect this would affect things (as I don't see a USB ethernet device listed in System Profiler) and the Kindle 2 USB Ethernet seemed to work fine on Macs. I will give it a try on Windows or Linux though.

[spacemonkey]

I also can't get my desktop (windows 7) to recognise the usbnetwork mode, I've done the mobile device center install.

So I decided I'd try to just run up nk and use it over wifi, however I can't get nk to run either, or at least after the ~exec command my kindle stays responsive and telnet doesn't work.

Is there one of those linux ownership type things to make nk executable that I need to do, like a chmod or whatever (I'm a linux bluffer so can do stuff but never remember the commands)

SM

[ecostin]

Originally Posted by spacemonkey

I also can't get my desktop (windows 7) to recognise the usbnetwork mode, I've done the mobile device center install.

So I decided I'd try to just run up nk and use it over wifi, however I can't get nk to run either, or at least after the ~exec command my kindle stays responsive and telnet doesn't work.

Is there one of those linux ownership type things to make nk executable that I need to do, like a chmod or whatever (I'm a linux bluffer so can do stuff but never remember the commands)

SM

Before launching nk, run "~exec iptables -P INPUT ACCEPT", then it will also work via wifi. Your K3 firewall is blocking incoming connections.

[Dibblah]

I can confirm that ~exec does not appear to work on a UK Kindle 3G. Everything else appears to work OK, but not exec.

Cheers,

Allan.

[Ged_uk]

Perhaps there are different software version out there?
I'm having no luck getting it working on mine, ;debugOn & ~help work fine but no response for ~usbNetwork or trying ~exec nk

I have a UK Kindle 3 3G serial beginning B00A System software ver: 094-shashta-051546.

G

[ecostin]

Originally Posted by Dibblah

I can confirm that ~exec does not appear to work on a UK Kindle 3G. Everything else appears to work OK, but not exec.

Cheers,

Allan.

Try somening simple, like "~exec ls", this should indicate if it works or not.

[Ged_uk]

~exec ls does nothing on mine.
G

[porkupan]

Well, I think you are just lucky somehow that you got one of the early test Kindles, which for some reason have the test mode scripts enabled. I have tested with a U.S. WiFi K3, and the ~usbNetwork appears to produce absolutely no result, nor does the ~exec command. The Kindle accepts these commands and nothing happens. So, unless you know how to enable the test mode on the Kindle, your method of initiating a connect probably doesn't work for the regular case.

Maybe some important piece is missing from ecostin's instructions, but thus far I wonder if anyone can confirm a working ~exec command?

[spacemonkey]

I'm guessing this is my primary issue. Out of interest what should I get from an ~exec ls, should I get a popup or something showing the results? If so mine is definitely not working.

I've played around extensively and due to lack of kindle experience assumed that ~exec calls were blind, but none of them have been giving me much joy.

Hopefully there's some magic step that the original instructions missed. Of course, even if that's the case, I'm sure Amazon will shut it down in their next firmware build.

Oh, also, mines a UK K3 Wifi from the second set of deliveries. serial B008A... software 515460094.

[ecostin]

Originally Posted by spacemonkey

I'm guessing this is my primary issue. Out of interest what should I get from an ~exec ls, should I get a popup or something showing the results? If so mine is definitely not working.

I've played around extensively and due to lack of kindle experience assumed that ~exec calls were blind, but none of them have been giving me much joy.

Hopefully there's some magic step that the original instructions missed. Of course, even if that's the case, I'm sure Amazon will shut it down in their next firmware build.

Oh, also, mines a UK K3 Wifi from the second set of deliveries. serial B008A... software 515460094.

My K3 is an international version, s/n B006A.., sw 515460094
On the above device, after ";debugOn", entering "~exec ls" shows a pop-up, with the root / listing, smth like:

Command = ls
==== stdout ====
bin
dev
......
usr
var
==== stderr ====
Exit code = 0

~exec uname -a

Linux kindle 2.2.26-rt-lab126 #5 PREEMPT RT Sat Jul 31 01:09:00 PTD 2010 armv6l unknown

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