Running Linux on Android

gist.md

Running Linux on Android

Early notes about setting up a Debian environment under Android with GNURoot

Note: Seems there are some setuid/getuid issues, so far unable to launch an xterm :(

Note: xeyes and xclock work fine :)

Core

• GNURoot
• GNURoot WheezyX

Keyboards

• Hackers Keyboard - Emulate a real keyboard
• Remote Keyboard - Use a real keyboard

Steps

• install GNURoot and the GNURoot WheezyX packages
• install keyboard(s) if desired
• run GNURoot
• create and launch (as Fake Root) a wheezyx rootfs

Base

Note: needs user-related fixes; by default, whoami returns "root" (when launched as Fake Root), ${USER} is not set and ~ / ${HOME) is /home (?)

Note: when launched without Fake Root, whoami replies "cannot find name for user ID nnnnn" (where nnnnn is your uid). The shell represents this with the prompt "I have no name!@localhost:/$"

echo 'export PATH="/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:${PATH}"' >> /home/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
apt-get update
apt-get install build-essential git-core

X

Note: needs additional security configuration

Note: make sure you're zoomed all the way out, touch-based input is usable but a bit buggy

Note: default window manager is twm, currently unable to launch apps from menus so launch x apps from terminal instead

Install a vnc viewer such as RealVNC Viewer

After starting GNURoot WheezyX, if DISPLAY is on localhost:1 connect your vnc viewer to address localhost:5901 with default password "password"

May need to export the display; use whatever is displayed in the terminal on startup

export DISPLAY="localhost:1"
export VNCDISPLAY=${DISPLAY}

and to persist (depending on your usage, you may not want to do this)

echo 'export DISPLAY="localhost:1"' >> /home/.bashrc
echo 'export VNCDISPLAY=${DISPLAY}' >> /home/.bashrc

Optional

apt-get install x11-apps
xeyes

Broken

Currently unable to run; both return "/usr/bin/xterm: unable to reset uid"

• xterm
• x-terminal-emulator -geometery 80x24+10+10 -ls -title "${VNCDISPLAY} Desktop" &

Note: x-terminal-emulatar command via /home/.vnc/xstartup

Node.js

echo "deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian wheezy-backports main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list
apt-get update
apt-get install nodejs nodejs-legacy

Note: This should install npm but fails due to (setuid?) permission errors

apt-get install curl
curl --insecure https://www.npmjs.org/install.sh | bash

npm.js install script dumps:

Error: EACCES, Permission denied
    at /tmp/npm.20161/package.node_modules/uid-number/uid-number.js:44:16
    at ... <snip>

and then, oddly

It worked

though npm doesn't appear anywhere on the path (installation failure is assumed)

Other

• building node.js v0.10.33 from git fails (check build & compiler settings)
• opening additional gnuroot terminal windows looks like android sh (not wheezy sh/dash/bash)
• many commands (notably xterms) fail due to "unable to reset uid"

Regular messages from apt-get install:

• /usr/bin/mandb: can't set effective uid: Permission denied
• Cannot write log, openpty() failed (/dev/pts not mounted?)