Knoppix To Xbox?

[BiggJeff74]

I've been reading about linux being ported to the xbox. So my question is can the xbox run knoppix?

[zentu]

yes and no, the Xbox requres all software to be signed with a 2048 bit key (RSA I do belive) inorder for the software to run, but if you mod your box, then yes, it could, but the software would have to be built with the XDK(no 100% necessary) to have full functionality. You would also lose the el Torro format of the disk, the bit that makes it bootable in a PC, since the Xbox uses a different idea, it would just have to be a default.xbe (the initial XBox Executable that is started with the systems), and since the xbox doesn't need a hardware ditection system, then the main selling point of Knoppix is redundant.

But, there is a port of Gentoo that is available for the xbox, GentooX. but inorder to use it you have to mod your box, with a chip(or by flashing the TSOP(onbord BIOS chip, but if you flash, it cannot be used on Xbox live, and the new version 1.6 doesn't have this ability) and the ability for USB must be added.

P.s. This is more of a question to ask on the Xbox-scene site, which is at http://www.x-scene.com/ in the forums.

[garyng]

a clarification, there is a software hack which effectively is an xbe program functioning as the boot loader on Xbox that can load vmlinuz/initrd and turns Xbox into basically a normal PC.

There is also a KNOPPIX like distro called Xebian that also runs from CD-R(well CD-RW) using the same concept of KNOPPIX, clooped block device(to squeeze more into the CD) and symlink stuff so it is again a boot and forget system, without touching the HD.

The site is http://xbox-linux.sf.net, xbox-scene is for generice xbox stuff(exploit, hacking etc.). You can find more information the software exploit there though.

[zentu]

But, if you have a brand new (bought within one week from today) then you may have a version 1.6 xbox, in which case you are currently SOL for your doing anything with the xbox. That is because you are unable to boot to anything except the default dashbord environment... no exception.. the box doesn't have a flashable chip, so you have to have a mod chip, because you are unable to downgrade the dash to one that works with any other of the current 'soft mods' (i.e. the Audio hack, and the Font hack). Since it doesn't have a flashrom you are also unable to replace the rom to the cromwell one that will boot linux. But like i said these are questions that are better asked in the xbox-scene forums, you will (no offince meant) find people smarter at geting the box to do the things you want it to do then you will here.

But if you are going to do anything on an older xbox, I reccomend the book by Andrew 'Bunnie' Huang called 'hacking the xbox'. It is very informative about modding the box, and on ideas on reverse engineering devices.

[garyng]

Noop. The software hack relies on the game(MechAssault), not the dashboard. So unless Microsoft change the kernel dramatically such that it prevent buffer overflow on behave of the application, the bug is there in MechAssault as it has been released(well a newer version fix it).

So the sequence would be :

1. use the MechAssault hack to boot linux, works in all version of Xbox so far, if the MechAssault version is right.

2. downgrade the Dashboard to the one with the bug(from an old Xbox)

Even you don't want (2), you can still use the MechAssault DVD as a boot media to boot load whatever linux on the HD.

BTW, you mean newer Xbox doesn't have flashable rom ? That is news to me. I thought that by default, it is write protected and needs to changed by opening it in order to flash cromwell onto it. At least that is what the old Xbox were. However, if I do need to open the box, I would rather just add the modchip as it has more flexbility.

Agree that this is way off-topic and better be asked on xbox-scene or xbox-linux.sf.net.

Would stop here.

[zentu]

Totally off Forum Topic:
Yea, you should go to xbox-scene's homepage, it has been on the front for the past 3 to 5 days, it is rather strange, they removed the possiblity to add more ram, put a hardwired chip (that can't be flashed in any similar way), and they (possibly) combined the audio and the video output chips. But not all of the info is 100%, so the scene is working on it as fast a posible. But I always thought that the MechAssult/007 and the font hacks required the old version of both the dash and the kern, which the new one has the newest ones of (go fig), which you had to downgrade to if you had accidently upgraded it (like you had connected to Xbox Live, or played a newer Xbox Live game and selected the connected to live option, but didn't necessiarly connect.