iLiad Quick way to read any file on the Iliad

[design256]

Dear All,

I received my Iliad yesterday and am already hooked. I guess you already have tried this trick - but just in case you haven't - if you create an HTML file with a local link in it and copy it to your Iliad, then the browser will happily display that file for you from the local tree.

eg:

<a href="/var/log/messages">messages</a>

<a href="/etc/passwd">password</a>

<a href="/proc/stat">stat</a>


Chris.

[doctorow]

Neat trick! I don't think it was mentioned here before.

[ali]

Originally Posted by design256

I received my Iliad yesterday and am already hooked. I guess you already have tried this trick - but just in case you haven't - if you create an HTML file with a local link in it and copy it to your Iliad, then the browser will happily display that file for you from the local tree.

BE CAREFUL when doing these things. b_k's and my Iliad were bricked (to the point of having to return it to iRex) by similar tricks.

In principle, the Iliad's software will move away a file when you open it, that is, opening a configuration file will make it dissappear. We made the browser open some file directly, with the result that the Iliad can't boot anymore. Apparently it doesn't do it when you follow links, but that may change. (Or design just opened stuff that's not needed till next reboot so far...)

[yokos]

This way we could browse internet before firmware 2.5!
As ali said, nothing new & dangerous.
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/ILiadwners Have a look at "firsts".

[design256]

Originally Posted by ali

BE CAREFUL when doing these things. b_k's and my Iliad were bricked (to the point of having to return it to iRex) by similar tricks.

In principle, the Iliad's software will move away a file when you open it, that is, opening a configuration file will make it dissappear. We made the browser open some file directly, with the result that the Iliad can't boot anymore. Apparently it doesn't do it when you follow links, but that may change. (Or design just opened stuff that's not needed till next reboot so far...)

Doing an update like this from a clicked link would require a major change to Minimo - something I very much doubt they'll do - and something that is easily checkable by browsing round a CF card.

And yes, all the suggestions here should carry a brick icon - if you're reading this forum, you should be aware of that. I've bricked countless machines in the past - from soldering homebrew hardware onto Atari STs to rendering one of the few Psion Netbook Pro Linux prototypes unusable. I already have my oscilloscope and logic probe ready to have a poke around the Iliad once I get a few minutes free from work :-)

[arivero]

Originally Posted by doctorow

Neat trick! I don't think it was mentioned here before.

It was the initial trick trible used to tell us about the internals when he received his machine. As now it is said, it could be more dangereous to use now if in some release of the software iRex decides to "manifest" every browsed document.

[doctorow]

After the upgraded filesystem has been downloaded via iDS, it is flashed to the iLiad like this:

gunzip -t /var/update.image.gz && zcat /var/update.image.gz | dd of=/dev/tffsa1 bs=1k

You can the upgrade procedure in /usr/bin/do_updates.sh.

So basically, with some kind of a prepared http link as described here, you might flash your iLiad with any file, right?

[ali]

Originally Posted by doctorow

So basically, with some kind of a prepared http link as described here, you might flash your iLiad with any file, right?

Nope. You have to write to /var, which isn't possible so far. Minimo will not let you save files. It needs more - like a JavaScript bug or something.

[doctorow]

Originally Posted by ali

Nope. You have to write to /var, which isn't possible so far. Minimo will not let you save files. It needs more - like a JavaScript bug or something.

True. But we do have the image file. So instead of pointing it to /var/update.image.gz we could point it to somewhere else where we have write access prior to running gunzip & zcat.

[DHer]

unfortunately the last month were quite slow on exploitable gecko bugs which do more then crash the browser.

Maybe waiting for the SDK isn't so bad, at all.

@design256:
in the hardware section in a thread "Travel Hub" is a wiring diagram - i believe you already saw it.
With your experience and your equipment - could you please have a go at the 4 unused pins, if there's something interesting? If they have a purpose i would put my money on a serial connector or jtag.

[b_k]

Originally Posted by DHer

@design256:
in the hardware section in a thread "Travel Hub" is a wiring diagram - i believe you already saw it.
With your experience and your equipment - could you please have a go at the 4 unused pins, if there's something interesting? If they have a purpose i would put my money on a serial connector or jtag.

actually there are 6 contacts unused in the connector, according to snoopy. I think the thing about 4 pins was my mis-reading of snoopy's wiring scheme.
BTW: i got a cheap Casio PPC USB cable, looks like the plugs are the same. (but i have to say I have no original plug to compare with. read my sig ;-) )