newbie monte

[mandreko]

I am a newbie to tivo hacking. I have been reading this site and others for the last few weeks, while i was considering buying my tivo, and waiting for it to be delivered.

However i didn't notice that everyone suggested using a series 1 tivo if you were going to hack it, and i bought a series 2. I have the 40 hour standalone series 2 tivo.

I have seen how to do the monte at http://www.superhero.org/tivo/ and was just wondering about it.

I have seen all the files needed at tivostuff.com and everywhere else. However my question concerns the service. I will be starting my subscription soon, but don't have it yet. If i do this monte thing, will i still be able to make my subscription work ok, or will it not work with Tivo's subscription service? To my understanding, the guide is using an older version to hack, then upgrade it to the newest, is that correct? And lastly, are there any repurcussions for hacking it this way? Will i be able to use the tivo just as they had meant it, plus having more abilities (ie, can i still use the home media option so that i can schedule recordings from other locations)?

Will all the hacks i've been seeing work if i do this monte hack? I just don't want to spend all the time working on it, and end up breaking my brand new tivo, or getting banned from tivo's service for having a hacked box like Microsoft did with modded xboxes and their xbox live service.

I'd appreciate any info. If any of this was covered in another thread that i overlooked, please point me to that thread. I tried searching but didn't find much information.

[Sleeper]

Currently, there is no way that tivo can tell if your tivo is hacked unless you are running the wrong software version.

Before running monte make sure that you have the latest software running.

Even if they did find out, what are they going to do, cut off their nose despite their face? Bite the hand that feeds them? If your are not stealing service then they tend to look the other way. You are not doing anything illegal.

[mandreko]

thanks for the reply.

Since I have not yet subscribed (awaiting ideas on this before I do), I am running the older 3.x version. Should i image this as my 3.x image from the first step of the monte, then pay the subscription (i figured i'd do the $300 for lifetime) and have it upgrade to 4.x, then do a backup of that as well. Would i be able to use those 2 images to do it, and in that order, or should i go ahead and subscribe to tivo's service, then try hacking it?

I seem very impressed by tivo's device, and I'm betting the new version is even better, i can't wait. However being that I'm a linux dork, I kinda want to play around with the tivo as well, but don't want to violate any ToS or plain out break it.

[Sleeper]

No harm in having a backup of each.

[mandreko]

well i woke up this morning, and my tivo apparently upgraded while i was sleeping. So now i guess i'll have to use the backup 3.0 image at tivostuff.com. Should i get the subscription first, or hack the tivo first?

[Sleeper]

If your tivo is not hacked, just backup the current upgraded version and do your hacks. You may want to clear and delete everything first. You probably don't want to backup/restore recordings.

[mandreko]

I was reading through this guide again, and can i ask what the U5 image is? I've not found a good explaination yet. Is it a Direct TV tivo thing only? I have a series2 40 hour so didn't know if it applied to me or not.

[Sleeper]

That question has been answered but it is not always clear.

The U5 kernel/fs was either an original or beta release kernel + file system (fs) for the series 2 tivos. It has a security hole in it that allows you to run BASH shell. Once you can run BASH you can essentially open other doors inside the tivo and gain control of it.

Since Tivo has moved past that version of software, they closed the door and BASH can not be run on newer versions.

So what you do is install the U5 kernel and minimal root fs. As soon as it boots you start BASH. Then BASH calls some special program that boots your latest kernel/software. The "special" program does not check your latest software like the prom does to see if it is signed by Tivo. So you blow out your initrd in your latest kernel and your Tivo is fully opened up.

This method is called monte.

The initrd portion of you kernel image checks the fs to make sure that there aren't any files that don't belong there or any modified files. So removing the initrd allows you to have freedom to do what you want.

[mandreko]

I hate to sound so stupid, but this is so new to me, even though i work on linux machines all the time. There are 2 links on superhero.org/tivo that are for the 3.0 kernel and fs, are these the U5 images, or do i need to find them elsewhere?

[NutKase]

Originally posted by mandreko
I hate to sound so stupid, but this is so new to me, even though i work on linux machines all the time. There are 2 links on superhero.org/tivo that are for the 3.0 kernel and fs, are these the U5 images, or do i need to find them elsewhere?

Print needo'd guide from superhero. Don't use it alone, it has several errors and was copied from d0's guide. A lot of stuff doesn't apply. Print it anyway, then print/read my corrections and addidtional info in (Page 6, I think) of the Standalone Series 2 People Out of Luck (http://www.dealdatabase.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=118185#post118185) thread. It has links to all the files you need and much more information on what's going on.

You DO NOT need the U5 image of kernel. Besides it won't work anyway.

NutKase

[Sleeper]

Originally posted by NutKase
You DO NOT need the U5 image of kernel. Besides it won't work anyway.

I'm glad that you pointed this out. Many newbies think that they need the U5 image when all they need is the U5 kernel and minimal fs. The U5 kernel and minimal fs that I use on the ISO are less than 6 megs total. The U5 image is several hundred megs - and you don't need it.

[mandreko]

i'm still a bit unsure, are the 2 files (fs and kernel) on superhero.org/tivo the U5, or 3.x alone?

[Sleeper]

I don't know about that but you can get them off my ISO. They are under the tivoutils/kernel directory.

Here is the thread that has the download links:

http://www.dealdatabase.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28921

[NutKase]

Originally posted by mandreko
i'm still a bit unsure, are the 2 files (fs and kernel) on superhero.org/tivo the U5, or 3.x alone?

I can't say anything about Sleeper's iso, BUT, if you have a SA S2 tivo the 3.0 kernel and 3.0fs linked to in needo's guide and my 'corrections' to it will work fine for any SA S2.

I tried U5 for 3 months with NO success. Don't use them if you're hacking/monte'ing yourself (which BTW I recommend you do - see my posts for reasons)

As I posted, print/read needo's 'copied' guide... I didn't want to write another guide but you NEED to read my post linked above to find out the errors in needo's guide that don't apply to SA S2 tivos.

The short answer:
1. Print needo's guide (it saved me from typing 3 more pages)
2. Print my corrections and additional info
3. Get your files from my links (the files are graciously provided by needo) and you'll be good to go.


NutKase

[Sleeper]

Originally posted by NutKase
I can't say anything about Sleeper's iso, BUT, if you have a SA S2 tivo the 3.0 kernel and 3.0fs linked to in needo's guide and my 'corrections' to it will work fine for any SA S2.

A few comments:

1.) I have not been around that long but from everything that I have read the 3.1U5 kernel was the only one that allows exploiting the BASH_ENV hack which is the key to opening up the box. Either the 3.0 kernel also is BASH_ENV exploitable or this is the same kernel as the 3.1U5. It does not matter. What matters is the BASH_ENV hole.

2.) Your kernel image should be cut down to 2 megs. When your image was created, someone just dd'd the partition which was 4 megs. You can safely cut this image down to 2 megs. That is the largest that a kernel will ever be.

3.) You file system should be cut down to under 4 megs. You do not need the whole several hundred meg file system. You only need the files necessary to boot the kernel and to run monte.

Again there is no need to use more that 6M for the kernel and fs. Thats why my entire ISO is only ~20 megs.

[mrblack51]

Originally posted by Sleeper
A few comments:

1.) I have not been around that long but from everything that I have read the 3.1U5 kernel was the only one that allows exploiting the BASH_ENV hack which is the key to opening up the box. Either the 3.0 kernel also is BASH_ENV exploitable or this is the same kernel as the 3.1U5. It does not matter. What matters is the BASH_ENV hole.

for those of you who actually read this stuff, anything prior to 3.1.0 on either of sa or dtivo is bash_env'able. however, its just as easy to use the 3.1.u5 stuff on either the sa or the dtivo, since it works on both and does the job. along with that, it should be noted that the 3.1.u5 kernel is actually the same as the 3.1.0 kernel, but the initrd image that goes along with it changed to do the bash_env check.

[Sleeper]

mrblack51

Thanks for clearing that up.

[NutKase]

Originally posted by Sleeper
A few comments:

Originally posted by Sleeper
1.) I have not been around that long but from everything that I have read the 3.1U5 kernel was the only one that allows exploiting the BASH_ENV hack

Not true. Also for mrblack51's sake: You 're right BUT U5 never worked for me and I won't recommend it to other SA users.

Originally posted by Sleeper
2.) Your kernel image

It's not mine, I just used it and I know they're big but with broadband I don't care.

Originally posted by Sleeper
3.) Your file system

Not mine and who're you teaching here?

NutKase

[mrblack51]

Originally posted by NutKase
1.) I have not been around that long but from everything that I have read the 3.1U5 kernel was the only one that allows exploiting the BASH_ENV hack

Not true. Also for mrblack51's sake: You 're right BUT U5 never worked for me and I won't recommend it to other SA users.

it works fine, as i have done monte on an SA unit using it. evidently you must have been doing something wrong. i have also used sleeper's iso to monte a drive going into an SA unit, with the main difference being that i skipped the restore stuff and i had to go in and turn off tivoweb and such (till i could do the proper edits)

[Sleeper]

Originally posted by NutKase
[It's not mine, I just used it and I know they're big but with broadband I don't care.

Why use an atom bomb when all you need is a hand grenade?

[NutKase]

Originally posted by Sleeper
Why use an atom bomb when all you need is a hand grenade?
You're right.

NutKase

[mandreko]

i don't care how i do it, i just want the end result. i'm interested in how it works, but not as much that i want to have to play with it forever. i do like playing with linux, i have it on my servers, my laptop, etc, but i bought the tivo so i wouldn't have to do much work.

in the end result, all i want is to have a cool toy, as well as be able to get the shows off my tivo so that i can burn them to dvds so i can watch them later, and at my friends' houses when they want to see the shows as well.

I will be using all the instructions i have seen so far to try this. hopefully i don't screw it up too bad. i'm trying to see if i can afford another hard drive, so i can keep the original as a "i messed up" backup drive.

i just did my subscription to tivo yesterday. once my tivo realizes that, and i get some time (and hopefully another hard drive) i will be going at this hacking.

out of curiosity, does anyone know how big the hard drive in the 40hour SA is? i at least want that big. i was considering a 120 or 250GB hard drive i saw at best buy from western digital with an 8MB cache and 7200RPM. both were priced quite nicely (around $1/GB) will there be any problems with either of these? is there a max size hard drive i can use as well?