OpenElec - access its system partition (MyVideoNav.xml) from stretch

On a sunny day (Thu, 17 Jan 2019 14:19:28 +0100) it happened "R.Wieser" wrote in :

start: At this moment I do not have openelec running, but to find file on mounted partitions, proceed as follows open a terminal, and type updatedb wait untill that is finnished (takes a while)

then type locate MyVideoNav.xml

If it is on any mounted partition it should report the full pathfilename.

If not on any mounted partition, you can see partitions by typing fdisk /dev/mmcblk0 then type p when finished control C exits, WARNINg do not type anything else....

Example: # fdisk /dev/mmcblk0 Command (m for help): p Disk /dev/mmcblk0: 15.8 GB, 15811477504 bytes

4 heads, 16 sectors/track, 482528 cylinders, total 30881792 sectors Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes Disk identifier: 0x00014d34 Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System /dev/mmcblk0p1 8192 122879 57344 c W95 FAT32 (LBA) /dev/mmcblk0p2 122880 30881791 15379456 83 Linux

So 2 parrtitions here. If there is an other one, say /dev/mmcblk0p3, then mount it mkdir /mnt/something mount /dev/mmcblk0p3 /mnt/something then repeat the previous updatedb etc from the point 'start:' as described above.

If that does not find your file it may not exist?

Jan,

:-) To be able to search for the file I first need to access the correct partition (I googled some info mentioning a "~/kodi/..." path, but have not been able to find it on the other three partitions on that SD)

I see 5 partitions, two with the same type you mentioned (and I assume are my "stretch" SD). That leaves three. A count which matches with the number of partitions I'v alread seen being mounted/opened (automatically when I stuck the SD-to-USB dongle into the Pi). That still leaves one partition unaccounted for ...

Which, as no indication of it is present on the other ones, most likely holds the OS and configuration files. :-\

Regards, Rudy Wieser

Squashfs. The system "partition" is one compressed file which is read-only. Great for appliances, not so good if you want to hack.

Dave, Jan,

I just discovered that file, and after some googeling (to check my suspicion) came to the realization that that one, as you now confirm, would most likely hold the OS. Shows my novice status in regard to Linux I guess. I expected to see a standard (non-compressed) filesystem, and didn't realize that I was overlooking things.

:-) I thought that on Linux editing configuration files was quite common, and did in no way ammount to anything like hacking.

So, no possibility to change the configuration of LibreElec -> Kodi -> YouTube ? That would be .... odd. I'll create a new thread for that though.

Regards, Rudy Wieser

On Thu, 17 Jan 2019 17:32:16 +0100, "R.Wieser" declaimed the following:

Mount the "partition file" is likely the first step... cf:

You may then need to copy everything out to a RW media, make changes, and recreate the compressed file image.

--
	Wulfraed                 Dennis Lee Bieber         AF6VN 
	wlfraed@ix.netcom.com    HTTP://wlfraed.home.netcom.com/

Dennis,

Thanks. Will take a look and see what I can do with it.

Odd though, that the configuration of an add-on plugin (YouTube) might be stored into the RO compressed OS file, and not next to, or even on one of the other two partitions.

Regards, Rudy Wieser

Usually it is, but for systems that are designed as appliances it is common to put the OS and base configuration in a read only squashfs file both to save space and sometimes to restrict the possible changes (it is after all an appliance, preventing foot-shooting is good even at cost of flexibility). There usually has to be some read/write storage often overlaying the read-only filesystem but it can be RAM based so the changes vanish on reboot (great for security) or non-volatile which is handier.

I'd be surprised but it's been a long time since I looked at LibreELec and that wasn't terribly closely.

--
Steve O'Hara-Smith                          |   Directable Mirror Arrays 
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The computer obeys and wins.                |    licences available see 
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Ahem,

Although I see some wisdom at that (it crossed my mind as an explanation for it), using them as template files - copied to RW storage on install or when a "factory reset" is done - would have given the best of both worlds. A missed chance as far as I'm concerned.

Shucks. Trying to do something that, at first glance, should have been easy to do (and, if I may believe the google search results, was possible in the past), only to have to dive into uncharted territory (squashfs). And that at my level of knowledge of Linux in general. :-\ Oh well.

Regards, Rudy Wieser

On a sunny day (Thu, 17 Jan 2019 21:41:43 +0100) it happened "R.Wieser" wrote in :

I was thinking later, that third partition you have would not happen to be a 'swap' partition? If so should be listed as 'Linux swap' in fdisk. In that case ignore it.

Hello druck!

Friday January 18 2019 20:33, you wrote to Rob Morley:

Likewise with Debian O/S as it is difficult to repartition off the system device.. OK, v.dangerous.

On top of that there is no gui app to help so have to use fdisk etc which does not do repartitioning and resizing.

Vince

Welcome to the steep edge of the learning curve :) The deep end is scary but devoid of sharks.

--
Steve O'Hara-Smith                          |   Directable Mirror Arrays 
C:\>WIN                                     | A better way to focus the sun 
The computer obeys and wins.                |    licences available see 
You lose and Bill collects.                 |    http://www.sohara.org/

Didn't someone already write that LibreElec swap is a file rather than a partition?

On a sunny day (Fri, 18 Jan 2019 16:36:00 +0000) it happened Rob Morley wrote in :

This was more a general how to use fdisk to find partitions. I have openelec, and it works (played movies with it) for the rest I never use it, My Samsung TV can play dirctly from harddisk, I record to harddisk from satellite.

I find openelec a bit confusing, only plus seems to be it is faster. Youtube runs on the PC here.

ffmpeg ffplay mplayer xine is the right stuff.

No swap partition or file on a fresh install of LibraElec 8.2.5 I did on a Pi 2B a couple of months ago.

---druck

Have you tried the GNU partition editor, gparted?

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-TV

Hello Tauno!

Saturday January 19 2019 10:57, you wrote to me:

Just now and with parttionamanger, as myself, pi and root but it will not allow me to resize.

Root via sudo -s

Possibly it is the boot device.

On top of that Smartmon does not see the device as the USB bridge is not known.

Vince