Ubuntu touch on bq Aquarius
Ubuntu touch revisited - on BQ Aquarius 5
Even though development now is completed (Feb 2016) still do not expect this to be a fully functional operating system comparable in functionality, stability and availability of apps to current builds of IOS or Android.
References
- https://wiki.ubuntuusers.de/Ubuntu_Touch/
- old
- Main source: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Touch/DualBootInstallation
- General information: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Touch/ReleaseNotes
State overview
Working features
- WiFi
- Phone
- SMS
- Browser
- Camera (still photography as well as video)
- Contacts
- Calendar
- Music app
- Bluetooth works (but not completely reliable - e.g. not working with a car system - Ford 2009)
- remote access via ssh (after enabling ssh server and copying pub key across)
- Dekko mail client (imaps/smtps)
- flight mode
Existing problems - still deciding whether to use Ubuntu Touch on bq Aquarius 5 as primary phone
- mutlitasking deficiencies
- Various apps (e.g. CuteSpotify) stop working when screen blanks
- ActiveSync client missing (needed for sync with Exchange/zarafa)
Not tested yet
- owncloud syncronisation
- How to import contacts, events (calendar)
- How to sync contacts, events (calendar)
- Backup/restore data
Installing Ubuntu Touch
This step is obviously not needed since the phone comes with Ubuntu pre-installed. Just needs an update from 14.10 to 15.04 (just give it some time after the update to come up again).
After that (status from 2016-02-13) with Ubuntu Touch 15.04.
phablet@ubuntu-phablet:~$ uname -a Linux ubuntu-phablet 3.4.67 #1 SMP PREEMPT Fri Jan 8 11:59:19 UTC 2016 efc96d8 armv7l armv7l armv7l GNU/Linux phablet@ubuntu-phablet:~$ cat /etc/ubuntu-build 9 phablet@ubuntu-phablet:~$
Using Ubuntu touch
connecting to phone via ssh
This is good news - no need for usb connections - just a simple network ssh/sftp/scp session will do (taken from http://askubuntu.com/questions/348714/how-can-i-access-my-ubuntu-phone-over-ssh/601972#601972)
- install the Terminal app on the phone from the App Store.
- Open a Terminal and type (this is easier with the phone in a landscape orientation, the last command will hang; this is expected):
sudo setprop persist.service.ssh true mkdir -pm700 ~/.ssh ip addr nc -l 1234 > ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
- Look for your phone's IP address in the Terminal as returned by the ip addr command above.
- On your computer, type (replacing 192.0.2.1 with your phone's IP address from above):
nc 192.0.2.1 1234 < ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
- If successful, the last command on your phone's Terminal will now succeed.
- On your computer, type (again replacing 192.0.2.1 with your phone's IP address from above):
ssh phablet@192.0.2.1
Checking installed version
phablet@ubuntu-phablet:~$ system-image-cli --info current build number: 9 device name: vegetahd channel: ubuntu-touch/stable/bq-aquaris.en last update: 2016-01-21 16:15:55 version version: 9 version ubuntu: 20160123.1 version tag: OTA-9 version device: 20160108-efc96d8 version custom: 20160111-926-36--vivid phablet@ubuntu-phablet:~$
Copying files to device
scp localfile touch:path-on-device
Sample script to copy media across to external card:
scp -r $1 phablet@ubu:/media/phablet/FD71-883A/$2
Changing password
Remount root fs rw (for update to /etc/shadow):
mount -o remount,rw /
Run passwd command
passwd phablet
Problem with this: dualboot app in touch does not work any more since the password seems to be hard-coded.
Getting sshd to work
mkdir /var/run/sshd chmod 755 /var/run/sshd service ssh start cd /home/phablet mkdir .ssh chmod 700 .ssh
Add your pub key to authorized keys:
vi .ssh/authorized_keys
Change acl:
chmod 400 .ssh/authorized_keys chown -R phablet:phablet .ssh
ssh as phablet now works:
macantha:.ssh tim$ ssh phablet@touch Welcome to Ubuntu Trusty Tahr (development branch) (GNU/Linux 3.4.0-3-mako armv7l) * Documentation: https://help.ubuntu.com/ Last login: Sun Jan 19 11:29:41 2014 from macantha.fritz.box phablet@ubuntu-phablet:~$
Problem - this does not seem to be boot-resistant. The directory /var/run/sshd vanishes. So the following commands need to be added to the boot process:
Remount root fs rw:
mount -o remount,rw /
Add the following lines to /etc/rc.local (before exit cmd)
mkdir /var/run/sshd chmod 755 /var/run/sshd service ssh start
How to become root / use sudo?
- as phablet user simply use "sudo su -"
- Whenever you're asked for a password, it's phablet.
Various useful commands on Ubuntu touch
dpkg -l - lists all installed packages click list - lists installed click packages pkcon install xxx - installs click package pkcon search name xxx - searches for package containing xxx
root@ubuntu-phablet:~# pkcon install thunderbird
Installing [=========================]
Waiting in queue [=========================]
Starting [=========================]
Loading cache [=========================]
Querying [=========================]
Running [=========================]
Loading cache [=========================]
Installing packages [ ] (0%)
The following packages have to be installed:
libstartup-notification0-0.12-3ubuntu1.armhf library for program launch feedback (shared library)
thunderbird-1:24.2.0+build1-0ubuntu1.armhf Email, RSS and newsgroup client with integrated spam filter
Proceed with changes? [N/y] y
[=========================]
Installing [=========================]
Waiting in queue [ == ] The daemon crashed mid-transaction!
root@ubuntu-phablet:~#
Updating Ubuntu Touch
Because Dual Boot is a special set-up the standard update method for Ubuntu currently does not work (see Feature Roadmap).
To update Ubuntu to a newer version, On the android Ubuntu dual boot application, select "Uninstall Ubuntu" from the menu options. Next you will be asked if you want to keep the user data from Ubuntu. If you do not select "Delete user data", the next installation of Ubuntu will preserve your contacts, installed applications, pictures, background settings, ...
Once Ubuntu has been uninstalled, follow the same installation step to download a newer version of Ubuntu.
