MatshitaFlasher new version or source code?

connections · **Joined:** Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:18 pm **Posts:** 9

Hi,

it seems that MatshitaFlasher 2.01 does not work with Mac OS 10.6.6 I get,
like many others, the error message below.

Is there a new version coming up that will work or is the source code
for the flasher available so I could have a go at making it work?

br JN

/RegionFree/MatshitaFlasher.app/Contents/Resources/call_simple_flash ; exit;

calling simple_flash with firmware file /RegionFree/KB19_rpc1.dat

simple_flash V 2.01 compiled at Feb 4 2010 00:22:16
Selected firmware: MATSHITADVD-R UJ-868 KB19
fatal: Selected drive (null) does not appear to be a matshita device

logout

[Process completed]

franton · **Joined:** Thu Oct 27, 2005 11:44 pm **Posts:** 54

It's documented elsewhere on this forum the problem is OS 10.6.6 "breaking" plSCSI which the flash program needs to work. Unless the maintainers of plSCSI find some way to fix the issue, this isn't getting fixed any time soon.

Puma · **Posted:** Thu Mar 17, 2011 2:32 pm

Quote:

it seems that MatshitaFlasher 2.01 does not work with Mac OS 10.6.6 I get,
like many others, the error message below

we know the issue. as stated many times. if any fix becomes available, we will post it within the dedicated thread.

connections · **Joined:** Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:18 pm **Posts:** 9

Thanks Puma/franton,

but my real questio was where it the source code so I can have a shot
at fixing it?

Franton stated that this is an issue with 'plSCSI'. Without disputing that
I had a look at inside the MatshitaFlasher.app and saw that it is simple
BSD drop script than embeds the simple_flash tool.

I tried to look for the simple_flash tool and found this:

http://rapidshare.com/#!download|164l32 ... h.zip|3086

but this does not appear to be the correct version (don't know if it
is the correct software either) and I do not see it using plSCSI.

So if I could have look at the code my self I would appreciate it.

Liggy · **Posted:** Fri Mar 18, 2011 11:54 am

connections wrote:

So if I could have look at the code my self I would appreciate it.

You can find the sourcecode of fplscsi (that's the fork everyone's using here) on Nil's site.

A routine to enumerate drives could be something like this one:

Code:

   Scsi* scsi;
   char device[256];
   char buffer[0x80];
   char cdb[16];

   scsi=newScsi();
   if (!scsi)
      return false;

   scsiSetErr(scsi, "/dev/null");
   while (scsiReadName(scsi, device, 255) >= 0)
   {
      printf("Trying to open device %s\n",device);
      if (!scsiOpen(scsi,device))
      {
         scsiLimitSense(scsi,0x0e);
         scsiLimitSeconds(scsi,20,0);

         memset(cdb,0,16);
         memset(buffer,0,0x80);

         cdb[0]=0x12;cdb[4]=0x60;
         if (scsiSay(scsi, cdb,6, buffer,0x60,X1_DATA_IN)>=0)
            printf("%s - %s\n",device,buffer);
         else
            printf("Could not enumerate %s\n",device);

         scsiClose(scsi);
      }
      else
         printf("Could not open %s\n",device);
   }
   scsiSetErr(scsi, stderr);

Make sure to #include "plscsi.h" at the beginning. As I copied and adapted that code it may still contain some minor errors, but nothing that's not easy to fix.

The problem probably lies either in scsiOpen or in scsiSay.

franton · **Joined:** Thu Oct 27, 2005 11:44 pm **Posts:** 54

According to the original author of plSCSI, most of the issues are coming from the fact that Mac OS X doesn't allow SCSI commands to be readily passed through to devices unless they're already implemented in the OS supplied drivers.

To quote Pat LaVarre:

Quote:

In all other op sys that I've tried, root privilege includes SCSI Pass Through privilege. Mac OS X thinks differently, to no apparent benefit, as if implementing a defeated copy-restriction. Mac OS X gives root SCSI Pass Through privilege only to DVD/CD devices and only when no disc mounted.

See http://home.comcast.net/~plavarre/plscsi/mac/

There may be some light at the end of the tunnel. Pat links to someone who suggests it may be possible to write a Mac OS X kernel extension that will do the scsi command pass through with the appropriate kernel level privileges.

This is all way beyond what i'm capable of coding, or i'd do it myself. I hope this helps, good luck!

connections · **Joined:** Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:18 pm **Posts:** 9

@franton

Thank, I've talked to Pat and it seems that he might be tempted to fix this and I've promised to
help testing.

@liggy

Got it thanks.

That is the source code for fplsci which I need but how about MatshitaFlasher.app source code?

Inside that there is simple_flasher and I would like to see it's guts too.

franton · **Joined:** Thu Oct 27, 2005 11:44 pm **Posts:** 54

Have a look at Ben11's original posts. He's the one who originally programmed the flash routine that ala42 adapted into the simpleflash app.

I'm going to duck out here: this is so far over my expertise it's not funny.

connections · **Joined:** Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:18 pm **Posts:** 9

Here is a thought:

Install Knoppix on USB-stick, boot the Mac from there, do the region free magic there and reboot back to Mac OS X?!

Sounds like this could work!

devilsclaw · **Joined:** Sat Jan 12, 2002 6:08 am **Posts:** 331

I adapted bens source code to use my backend before it was really easy, so someone could just port the flasher to my backend and it would work easy

connections · **Joined:** Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:18 pm **Posts:** 9

Can you elaborate a bit?

What is you backend, is there a source code somewhere?

And I still have not found ben's source code...any one know where it is?

franton · **Joined:** Thu Oct 27, 2005 11:44 pm **Posts:** 54

connections wrote:

Here is a thought:

Install Knoppix on USB-stick, boot the Mac from there, do the region free magic there and reboot back to Mac OS X?!

Sounds like this could work!

I tried that in my efforts in another thread to get binflash to work on my two week old 15" MacBook Pro. The hardware is so new it didn't load up very well and crashed more than once. I'm an ex IT guy too, so that's not something I could easily fix.

I wouldn't dare try to talk anyone else with no computing skills how to do that. Firmware flashing needs to be as easy (and error free) as possible or you'll have a lot of annoyed people with bricked drives and no warranty.

devilsclaw · **Joined:** Sat Jan 12, 2002 6:08 am **Posts:** 331

I have a program/project called flasher on this forum, its open source so yes the source is there.
bens flasher source code is nearly no where to be found ala has a copy and he sent me a copy a while ago. I might be able to dig it up.

connections · **Joined:** Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:18 pm **Posts:** 9

@franton

Ok, good to know that someone has tried it so knock the priority of that down
and pursue other ways.

@ devilsclaw

I'd appreciate if you can dig ben's source code up.

How about your flasher, you say it is on this forum but can you point me
directly to it please.

Liggy · **Posted:** Fri Mar 18, 2011 6:49 pm

franton wrote:

To quote Pat LaVarre:

Quote:

In all other op sys that I've tried, root privilege includes SCSI Pass Through privilege. Mac OS X thinks differently, to no apparent benefit, as if implementing a defeated copy-restriction. Mac OS X gives root SCSI Pass Through privilege only to DVD/CD devices and only when no disc mounted.

This should not be what prevents NIL's fplscsi fork from working. At least until previous versions of OS X this should have already been the case.
If a CD or DVD is still mounted, fPLSCSI tries to unmount it when opening a device. But someone with programming skills and the ability to compare the behaviour of older OS X versions to 10.6.6 should at least give an indication why it fails.

Usually if a fix is available, someone who has access to the sourcecode comes up with a patched version.

connections · **Joined:** Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:18 pm **Posts:** 9

@liggy

Quote:

Usually if a fix is available, someone who has access to the sourcecode comes up with a patched version.

Do I need to read this as 'the source code is not available to all and sundry' ?

Quote:

But someone with programming skills and the ability to compare the behaviour of older OS X versions to 10.6.6 should at least give an indication why it fails

Yes, that is my intention but rather than looking for random differences and wasting time digging out possibly irrelevant changes/differences I would like to debug the actual failing application, that is why I keep asking for the source code for the MatshitaFlasher.app and the simple_flasher inside it...

devilsclaw · **Joined:** Sat Jan 12, 2002 6:08 am **Posts:** 331

Here you go the source for the matshita memory dump and simple flasher source

Attachment:

matshita_memory.zip
SimpleFlash.zip

Liggy · **Posted:** Sat Mar 19, 2011 12:56 am

connections wrote:

Do I need to read this as 'the source code is not available to all and sundry' ?

This depends. Some people publish their sourcecode, some share it with only a few people and some people keep the code secret.

Quote:

Yes, that is my intention but rather than looking for random differences and wasting time digging out possibly irrelevant changes/differences I would like to debug the actual failing application, that is why I keep asking for the source code for the MatshitaFlasher.app and the simple_flasher inside it...

Since it seems to affect all tools based on fplscsi, any program should be fine for debugging. But looking at devilsclaw's latest post, you should now really have all you need.

Good luck!

cvs · **Posted:** Sat Mar 19, 2011 3:21 pm

devilsclaw wrote:

Here you go the source for the matshita memory dump and simple flasher source

Attachment:

matshita_memory.zip
SimpleFlash.zip

When trying to download any of the two files I get an error message saying:

"The selected attachment does not exist anymore."

chef · **Posted:** Sat Mar 19, 2011 6:24 pm

Working well here....

connections · **Joined:** Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:18 pm **Posts:** 9

@ devilsclaw

Don't know what happened but it says those do not exist anymore when I try to download them...

franton · **Joined:** Thu Oct 27, 2005 11:44 pm **Posts:** 54

Nope, doesn't work for me either. Logged in or out.

cvs · **Posted:** Sat Mar 19, 2011 8:20 pm

Same here. I now tried doing it on 2 computers with different operating systems and on 5 different browsers altogether, and I always get the same error page saying:

"The selected attachment does not exist anymore."

There must be something wrong ...

chef · **Posted:** Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:58 pm

OK, short fix meanwhile:
http://rapidshare.com/files/453376407/SimpleFlash.zip
http://rapidshare.com/files/453376358/m ... memory.zip

cvs · **Posted:** Sat Mar 19, 2011 10:05 pm

Thanks [_chef_]

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