[LINUX] Apple TV Crystalbuntu (Ubuntu Linux and Crystal HD) Disk Image for Apple TV

missingastring Wrote:Sorry to bump my own post, but is this doable?

If the partitioned space I'd like to use was visible in OSX Disk Utility as disk2s10, could I then do a dd install like so--

sudo dd if=crystalbuntu.img of=disk2s10 bs=4096

Sorry if that's a painfully stupid question...

I'd really like to get this to work off the same USB disk.

Stop, do NOT do that. crystalbuntu.img is a disk image and not a partition image. You WILL bork that disk.

davilla Wrote:Stop, do NOT do that. crystalbuntu.img is a disk image and not a partition image. You WILL bork that disk.

I'm not smart in the ways of linux, but I am smart enough to wait for someone to answer.

Thanks. I'll abandon this and just install to the internal atv HD following the how-to's.

I have pin's image running on a USB thumb drive! SNAPPY INTERFACE!!!

How do I mount the internal disk for viewing files from it?

newsilentsilver Wrote:Can you post all shell commands you use under ubuntu live to make that? :o

Below is a compilation of several guides that worked for me. Goal is to make full use of all the space on your patchstick. Assumes you have a fully working patchstick with Pin's image on it.

2. Download Ubuntu (http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/download) and create an Ubuntu Live CD. Boot off the Ubuntu CD but don't install it to your HD. This will allow you to get Linux running on your PC.

3. Plug in your USB stick into the PC. Determine which drive it is (/dev/sda, /dev/sdb, etc). You can check the drive by either running gparted (system >> administration >> gparted) and clicking through the drives to see how the drive letters are assigned or open up a shell and use the “mount” command to get a readout of mounted drives.

Open a shell
sudo swapoff –a (turns off the linux swap file so you can remove it)
sudo parted /dev/sdb/ ( in this example, the usb stick is sdb. Let parted fix any errors it finds)
unit s (convert to parted to sectors)
print (see output below for my particular drive)

[INDENT] (parted) unit s
(parted) p
Model: Lexar USB Flash Drive (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 15663104s
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: gpt

Number Start End Size File system Name Flags
1 40s 409639s 409600s fat32 EFI System Partition boot
2 409640s 460639s 51000s hfs+ Recovery atvrecv
3 460640s 5343452s 4882813s ext3
4 5343453s 6343453s 1000001s linux-swap
[/INDENT]
Note, in this example my usb stick is /dev/sdb. Disk size is 15663104 sectors. The drive has 4 partitions (sdb1, sdb2, sdb3, sdb4). The fourth partition (linux-swap) ends at sector 6343453. That means that anything beyond partition #4 is unused space. Print your version of this table out. You will need to refer to it for your specific drive

Next Steps: remove the linux-swap partition (sdb4), re-add the linux partition at the end of the drive (freeing up space between partition sdb3 and partition sdb4), change partition sdb3 from ext3 file system to to ext2, resize the ext2, change the ext2 back to ext3

Rm 4 (delete linux-swap)

Now, time for some math. In the example above, the linux-swap is 1000001 sectors long. Drive ends at sector 15663104. To put the linux-swap at the end of the usb drive we need to calc the new start and end sectors:
New Start Sector = 14663103 (15663104 (end of drive from example above) – 1000001 (original length of linux-swap))
New End Sector = 15663104 (end of drive)

In practice, the last usable sector on my drive was off by 34 sectors (found this out by trial and error…decrementing the end sector until parted was happy). So I ended up using:
Start Sector = 14663069
End Sector = 15663070

parted /dev/sdb mkpartfs primary linux-swap (re-add the linux-swap at the end of the drive. Parted will ask you to input the new start and end sectors. Use what you calc’d from example above)
quit (quit parted. The linux-swap should now be at the end of your drive)

sudo fsck -n /dev/sdb3 (check for no filesystem errors on sdb3)
sudo tune2fs -O ^has_journal /dev/sdb3 (convert sdb3 into ext2 filesystem)

Back to the ubuntu desktop
You now need to umount partition #3 from your usb drive (/dev/sdb3). I couldn’t figure out how to do it using the command line, so I fired up gparted. From the ubuntu desktop (system >> administration >> gparted). Select your usb drive (refresh if necessary). Right click on partition #3 (sdb3) and select “unmount”.

Back to the terminal
sudo parted /dev/sdb
unit s (convert units to sectors)
print (print out partition table once again. Write down start sector of partition #3)
rm 3 (remove partition #3, we will add in next step)
parted /dev/sdb mkpart primary (re-add partition #3 with larger partition. Start sector is what you wrote down from previous step. End sector = partition #4 (linux-swap) start sector - 1 = (15663070 – 1) = 15663069
quit (quit parted)
sudo e2fsck -f /dev/sdb3 (force fs check)
sudo resize2fs /dev/sdb3 (resize the ext2)
sudo tune2fs -j /dev/sdb3 (change back to ext3)

Took me a looong time to figure everything out (I’m a linux noob). Hope this works for you.

You don't have to use sectors with parted. Just makes it more complicated.

You can just specify the start/end in K or M or G

like shown @ http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?p=6...post600463

or @ http://code.google.com/p/atv-bootloader/...oningLinux

Ok, I got everything working...

Now, can anyone tell me the most stable version of xbmc and drivers for 1080p playback?

I'm on 33324 w/ r156 and it plays 1080 better without the crystalhd acceleration.

m_lopez_h Wrote:Below is a compilation of several guides that worked for me.

Awesome! That worked wonders. Thanks man.

m_lopez_h Wrote:Took me a looong time to figure everything out (I’m a linux noob). Hope this works for you.

Yes, it worked perfect (to me). Thank you so much for your step by step guide!

I'm not sure if it's a placebo effect or maybe dependent on better internet connection at this time of night, but after increasing the size of the partition to fully use my stick XBMC seems to be running a lot snappier! Thumbs and fanarts load with much less fuss. Can very much recommend it to anyone else running on an 8+ GB stick.

Edit: Just set the useddsfanart setting in advancedsettings.xml as explained in:
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=59115

And now even the interface is snappy fast, even with huge fanarts! I just need to figure out how to dds the backgrounds in Confluence and I think I can just keep running from the Crystalbuntu stick for the near future. This has definitely given the poor aTV a boost - am seriously reconsidering pre-ordering a Boxee Box now that this is working so fine. That money could go towards an iPhone4 or iPad

missingastring Wrote:I have pin's image running on a USB thumb drive! SNAPPY INTERFACE!!!

How do I mount the internal disk for viewing files from it?

Use nano to edit /etc/fstab and add the ATV's internal drive (usually /dev/sda4) as hfsplus type.