Porting Nougat

[Downunder 35m]

I tried to port a Nougat Rom from a S912 box to my X96.
And of course it did not really work at all LOL
But I thought it might help to start a little discussion on the general how to until we find a S905X official Nougat update somewhere.

What I did to get the required files to create a Nougat OTA:
Used the Amlogic tool to extract the Nougat IMG.
Converted the file_contexts.bin to file_contexts.
With that I simply tried to create the system.new.dat and transfer list from the system folder and apart from that the stock files from the X96.
Since the Nougat rom works on 64bit it did not even boot.
Next was to adjust for the kernel stuff so that at least there was a chance to boot - which failed again but at least a bit later LOL
No clue if the 3.14.29 kernel supports 64bit but changing the build.prop for this did not make a difference.
Using all Nougat files, including DTB and bootloader caused problems flashing it trough TWRP, I just say Error: 11....
Last but not least I tried a forced OTA by using a modified updater script and binary with no checks for the device at all.
Seemed the Nougat kernel was stripped down to support only the S912 as I ended with a bricked box showing only the logo but nothing else anymore.

My conclusions so far:
We need a kernel supporting a 64bit OS to start with.
The bootloader might need some changes too but my knowledge is too limited for this bit.
The device tree blob must be modified to match the system in question.
Framework and system ui might need quite a few changes too so they work on the port rom.

[minixfreak]

Theres a 7.1 firmware for the u2+ s905x ... use that as base .... find it on chinagadets

[Downunder 35m]

Hmmm, totally forgot about that one - thanks for the reminder!
Might try again next week when I have a bit more time.
Still not sure if it will work but there is only one way to find out.....

Edit:
The U2 only uses 32bit Android but it seems to be a far easier port judging by the first check I just made.
Gives me something to play for the rainy days

[minixfreak]

Yea goodluck ... let me know if u make any progress

[Downunder 35m]

If I ever find out what the status 11 error in TWRP means I might get somewhere with the fault finding LOL

[Downunder 35m]

Ok, did some more tests and digging in the WW but not getting anywhere at this point.
Could someone with enough knowledge to spare please shed some light on the following ? :
1. How do I figure out what kernel modules/services are required by rom without manually dissecting it first?
2. If I want to stick to a boot.img and bootloader.img that works fine on the box, how do I cater for point 1. to make the ported firmware work with it?
3. I know the burn tool or burn card maker are nice for Amlogic devices but I prefer ZIP installers for ease of use.
So far all attempts to create a ported Nougat rom fail with status error 11 in TWRP.
At this point I assume this is realted to the update binary inside the Zip, with of course was made for Marshmallow but not not Nougat installs.
Is there a way to create or use a Meta.Inf folder to allow upgrades from Marshmallow to Nougat or am I just doing something wrong here?
4. If I leave everything untouched on an original rom for my device and just created a Nougat system.new.dat and system.transfer.list I still get the error 11 in TWRP.
Would it be possible, for testing only, to overcome this by manually copying the system folder onto the box after deleting the original system folder?
Am asking as so far all my attempts for this failed with the box stuck at the bootlogo.
That is of course only with the scripts added that the original system calls for but not with the possibly missed kernel modules and settings.
But I did adjust the build.prop and all sripts to (in theory) so the original kernel finds what was present on the original system.

I am sure it is possible to port a Nougat rom onto a Marshmallow device, question is how?.....