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==AsbestOS==
==AsbestOS==
Hacking advancements focused around recently discovered USB descriptor parsing vulnerability in 3.41 firmware allowed to run Linux kernel on 3.41 firmware <ref>{{Cite web | url=http://marcansoft.com/blog/2010/10/asbestos-running-linux-as-gameos/ | title="AsbestOS - running linux as gameos" | accessdate=2010-10-26}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web | url=http://lwn.net/Articles/410773/ | title="LWN - AsbestOS news entry" | accessdate=2010-10-26 }}</ref>. Current state of the project is the ability to load Linux kernel via TFTP and run it with access to all 7 SPE's (requires applying a small patch to the kernel, referenced under the link). The rest of the system can run off NFS share - hard disk access is currently not implemented, as well as some other features. The official website is said to be http://www.asbest-os.com
Cracking advancements focused around recently discovered USB descriptor parsing vulnerability in 3.41 firmware allowed to run Linux kernel on 3.41 firmware <ref>{{Cite web | url=http://marcansoft.com/blog/2010/10/asbestos-running-linux-as-gameos/ | title="AsbestOS - running linux as gameos" | accessdate=2010-10-26}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web | url=http://lwn.net/Articles/410773/ | title="LWN - AsbestOS news entry" | accessdate=2010-10-26 }}</ref>. Current state of the project is the ability to load Linux kernel via TFTP and run it with access to all 7 SPE's (requires applying a small patch to the kernel, referenced under the link). The rest of the system can run off NFS share - hard disk access is currently not implemented, as well as some other features. The official website is said to be http://www.asbest-os.com


Also, since the exploit runs the kernel with game privileges, graphics acceleration is now available, although it requires reworking of the nouveau driver code.
Also, since the exploit runs the kernel with game privileges, graphics acceleration is now available, although it requires reworking of the nouveau driver code.

Revision as of 16:17, 20 January 2011

Yellow Dog Linux booting up on a PS3

OtherOS was a feature available in the first versions of the PlayStation 3 video game console that allowed other operating systems, such as Linux or FreeBSD, to be installed on the system. This feature was made unavailable in newer models and removed from the oldest ones through a firmware update by Sony.

The PlayStation 3 Slim model removed the possibility to install Linux or any other operating systems that used the "Other OS" feature.[1] The "Other OS" feature is disabled by firmware version 3.21 but still runs on older consoles that have firmware 3.15 or lower.[2] However, on March 30, 2010 George Hotz (aka geohot) stated his intention to create a custom firmware for the PS3 to counter this move,[3][4] warning gamers not to update their systems until he finds a way to keep the Other OS option on the PlayStation 3. Geohot in July of 2010 left the Playstation 3 hacking and iPhone jailbreaking scene. He made his blog (both iPhone and PS3) invite-only and deleted his twitter account.[5] Additionally, a class action lawsuit has been filed against Sony for those who wish to pursue legal remedies (see PlayStation 3 system software).

Any Linux operating system had access to 6 of the 7 Synergistic Processing Elements;[6] Sony implemented a hypervisor restricting access from the RSX. IBM provided an introduction to programming parallel applications on the PlayStation 3.[7]

History

Since 2000, Sony has used the fact that the PlayStation 2 can run Linux in its marketing. They promoted the release of the PS2 Linux Kit, which included a Linux-based operating system, a USB keyboard and mouse, a VGA adapter, a PlayStation 2 Ethernet network adapter, and a 40 GB hard disk drive (HDD).

The PlayStation 3 does not have Linux pre-installed. However, Sony included an option in the XMB menu to install other operating systems such as Linux.[8] Sony stated, "It was fully intended that you, a PS3 owner, could play games, watch movies, view photos, listen to music, and run a full-featured Linux operating system that transforms your PS3 into a home computer."[9]

Soon after the PlayStation 3 launched, Sony released "Other OS" in a PlayStation 3 System Software firmware up-date that allowed booting into Linux from the hard drive or from a Live CD that the distributor's kernel would boot.

Sony removed support for the "Other OS" install option in the PS3 Slim, announced in August 2009.[10] In March 2010 Sony announced that the "Other OS" capability of the original PS3 models would be removed due to security concerns in PS3 Firmware 3.21 on April 1 2010.[11]

Several methods of bypassing the updating and retaining the ability to sign into PSN have been discovered, most involve using third party DNS servers.[12]

Geohot claims to have created custom firmware for the PS3 called 3.21OO that re-enables OtherOS and has published a video of his Custom Firmware as proof.[13]Despite the release of a youtube video which apparently demonstrates the use of his custom firmware the length of time it has taken for a release date to be announced has convinced some in the online community that this custom firmware was in fact a hoax. On July 14th 2010, Geohot announced that he would not bring out his custom firmware to the PlayStation 3. [14]

On April 27, 2010 a class action lawsuit was filed in California. The lawsuit claimed that the removal of the OtherOS feature was "unfair and deceptive" and a "breach of good faith".[15] Most of the filing relates to violation of various consumer protection laws relating to the removal. Several other lawsuits were also filed and are somewhat similar in nature but are filed by other individuals.[16]

Linux kernel

Linux supported PlayStation 3 with version 2.6.21. No patches or modifications are required.[17] A simple Linux add-on CD for the PS3 includes support for Fedora 8 and other operating systems that already claim to install natively on the PS3.[18] However, there is currently an issue with the latest kboot[clarification needed] boot loader provided by kernel.org. Once the user selects the default action, the USB ports are de-registered on some systems. A work-around is available at PSUbuntu.[citation needed]

Distributions

Debian, Fedora 8, Gentoo, OpenSUSE (10.3 to 11.1) , and Ubuntu run on the PlayStation 3.[19][20][21][22][23] Yellow Dog Linux for the PlayStation 3 was first released in late 2006.[24]

Ubuntu

Some versions of Ubuntu up to the release 10.10 have been ported to the PS3 platform.[25] The installer cannot run in Live mode when running in 480i or 480p video resolutions, but it offers a text-based installer that installs fully functional Ubuntu. It is possible to mount an external USB hard drive as the home folder during install.

The LTS release 8.04 (Hardy Heron) of Ubuntu is incompatible with the PS3. However the 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) release was ported to the PS3 on the same release date as the official main Ubuntu release.[26]

Yellow Dog Linux

Yellow Dog Linux 5.0 was one of the first Linux distributions to run on Sony's PlayStation 3 platform.[27] It is designed specifically for HDTV so users with SDTV will have to use the commands 'installtext' and 'ydl480i' to install and run.[28]

Yellow Dog Linux is based on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux/CentOS core and relies on the RPM package manager. Digital audio has been verified to function properly, however, the Nvidia graphics card is not supported beyond framebuffer mode. In addition, some other hardware components will not function properly without modifications to the kernel. WiFi functionality via the Network Manager is also not fully supported and must be entered manually via the Network Configuration tool, or in some cases, through the command shell.[29] A workaround is available to enable wireless to be configured via the Network Manager.[30]

OpenSUSE

OpenSUSE 10.3 was the first version of OpenSUSE to run on the Sony PlayStation 3 platform. OpenSUSE is a free version of SUSE Linux, which is owned by Novell. There are PlayStation 3 specific installation instructions available for OpenSUSE.[31]

Starting with OpenSUSE 11.2, support for the PowerPC (and therefore the PlayStation 3) has been dropped.[32]

Fedora

Fedora also ran on the PlayStation 3. On a CECHExx PS3 with firmware 2.01, Fedora 7 works on a USB external hard disk but fails to detect the internal disk, Fedora9 detects the internal disk but not the USB disk, Fedora8 will not work due to video "card" detection problems. Fedora 10 installs on the internal hard disk without any issues and works fine without having to change any settings.

Fedora 12 only installs on the PlayStation 3 when running the 64 bit kernel and only when English is the chosen language.[33]

RSX Homebrew

Linux on the PlayStation 3 allows for a range of homebrew programs to be developed. Although the Cell's performance is more than enough to handle most media requirements or render complex 3D graphics, it does lack the teraflops performance of a contemporary GPU's texture fetching hardware. For this reason many complex games aren't possible on the PlayStation 3 through Linux, as access to hardware acceleration in the RSX is restricted by a hypervisor.

There have been developments in enabling access to the RSX through the Linux kernel and the X Window System.[34] It's possible to use the RSX memory as swap space. A trick to access some 3D functions was blocked with firmware 2.10.

AsbestOS

Cracking advancements focused around recently discovered USB descriptor parsing vulnerability in 3.41 firmware allowed to run Linux kernel on 3.41 firmware [35] [36]. Current state of the project is the ability to load Linux kernel via TFTP and run it with access to all 7 SPE's (requires applying a small patch to the kernel, referenced under the link). The rest of the system can run off NFS share - hard disk access is currently not implemented, as well as some other features. The official website is said to be http://www.asbest-os.com

Also, since the exploit runs the kernel with game privileges, graphics acceleration is now available, although it requires reworking of the nouveau driver code.

There are reports of AsbestOS booting Linux correctly on ps3 slim units as well.

Programmable USB microcontroller (e.g. atmel, atmega, avr) with at least ~40kb of storage is required to use AsbestOS. There are also news of AsbestOS modification that lowers the requirement down to 16kb, and loads the rest of the code off USB flash drive. [37]

FreeBSD

Support for PlayStation 3 was added to FreeBSD 9.0 in summer 2010. This support is limited only to network-booting the machine on machines with firmware version 3.21 and OtherOS functionality still intact.

References

  1. ^ "Sony answers our questions about the new PlayStation 3". Ars Technica. August 18, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
  2. ^ Patrick Seybold (28 March 2010). "PS3 Firmware (v3.21) Update". PlayStation.Blog. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
  3. ^ George Hotz. "On the Playstation 3: Don't Update". Retrieved 30 March 2010.
  4. ^ Ben Kuchera (30 March 2010). "Hacker vows to fight Sony PS3 update, restore Linux support". ArsTechnica. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
  5. ^ "Geohot Closes Twitter Account and Blog". iHackintosh. 13 July 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
  6. ^ SPE Access
  7. ^ IBM's introduction to programming parallel applications
  8. ^ PlayStation Manual (How to)
  9. ^ "Yellow Dog Linux launches for PS3". Retrieved 2007-08-29.
  10. ^ "SCEE PS3 Slim press release". Retrieved 2009-08-18.
  11. ^ "PS3 Firmware 3.21 Coming April 1st". Retrieved 2010-03-29.
  12. ^ [1]
  13. ^ "OtherOS Supported on "3.21OO"". Retrieved 2010-05-23.
  14. ^ "Geohot Bids Farewell; No 3.21OO For You!". Retrieved 2010-07-23.
  15. ^ http://ia331218.us.archive.org/2/items/gov.uscourts.cand.226894/gov.uscourts.cand.226894.1.0.pdf
  16. ^ "Sony Sued Again For Removing PS3 Linux Feature". IGN = 2010-05-07.
  17. ^ The latest source for the PS3 kernel[clarification needed]
  18. ^ Linux add-on CD for PS3[clarification needed]
  19. ^ "Debian". Retrieved 2007-03-04. {{cite web}}: Text "Live for PS3" ignored (help)
  20. ^ "PlayStation 3 Spin". Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  21. ^ Gentoo
  22. ^ Ubuntu
  23. ^ How to Install another OS (w/voice over)
  24. ^ Boyes, Emma (2006-11-27). "Yellow Dog Linux launches for PlayStation 3". gamespot. Retrieved 2006-11-30.
  25. ^ help.ubuntu.com
  26. ^ "Intrepid Ibex released". PsUbuntu. 2008-10-30. Retrieved 2008-10-30. [dead link]
  27. ^ IGN: Yellow Dog Linux 5.0 Hands-on
  28. ^ terrasoftsolutions.com
  29. ^ Yellow Dog Linux 6.x Hardware Support Page
  30. ^ http://www.yellowdog-board.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=4416#p22368
  31. ^ en.opensuse.org
  32. ^ en.opensuse.org
  33. ^ "Installing FC12 on an 80GB PlayStation 3".
  34. ^ ps3:rsx wiki.ps2dev.org
  35. ^ ""AsbestOS - running linux as gameos"". Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  36. ^ ""LWN - AsbestOS news entry"". Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  37. ^ {{Cite web | url=http://psx-scene.com/forums/570113-post9.html | title="forum post explaining modified AsbestOS" | accessdate=2010-10-26 }
The Wikibook Linux Guide has a page on the topic of: PlayStation 3
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