How does it work?

[witnessmenow]

Hey guys,

I'm giving a short talk in college in the next few weeks about console modding and I was wondering if someone could explain how this mod, or any of the memory card mods, work? (not how to install it, more what its doing)

Ps2 modding is very new to me so i dont know all that much about it, but i think it would be good to give this project a mention, and me knowing something about might be a good thing!

Thanks in advance

[JCDes]

Works like this:

http://ps2.mike-tv.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

Everything about what it does is in the wiki... Searching and reading works wonders!!! LOL

Hope this helps...

[NeverGoingBack]

that wiki is very old and outdated. you would find better info searching these threads. it looks more like breif history of where concept for FMCB came from.

Im guessin since you are here you already know what it does, and want something more indepth for your report.

read the 100+ pages of freevast continues to find everything you need to know, or be patient and someone will probably come up with a brief summary.

[JCDes]

You're right... Since he asked

I was wondering if someone could explain how this mod, or any of the memory card mods, work? (not how to install it, more what its doing)

I just thought the simple and general answer would be : http://ps2.mike-tv.com/wiki/index.ph...Boot_Procedure

I guess bottomline would be:
"Got a lot of reading to do before that presentation buddy..."

[NeverGoingBack]

now looking at it your probably right JCDes. That would be sufficiant information considering the presntation is about modding as a whole and not only FMCB.

[dlanor]

In my opinion that wiki is not only misleading, but also potentially harmful to the homebrew community.

What better way to attract unwanted attention from Sony lawyers than publishing a semi-official document about how we abuse their software mechanisms. If nothing else, it will certainly ensure that this mechanism is removed from any future PS2 models (if they make any more, but they might as they've kept doing that far longer than I had expected already).

I hope and believe that we've stayed on the right side of the law in these matters, but I really think it is uncalled for to challenge the fates on that issue this way.

As for the 'misleading' part, that single-page wiki hasn't even gotten the possible names of the boot folder straight. "BUEXEC-SYSTEM" is not implemented, as the correct folder name for the US region (and some others) is "BAEXEC-SYSTEM". The page doesn't even mention the difference between that region system and the MG-region system, which is essential for FMCB functionality.

And just to top it off: The final section mentions 'free vast' in its header, though it is not mentioned anywhere in the body of that section, which is absurd...
(Though perhaps fortunate, as that is a 'googling' string which may lead to our site, which I'd rather not see in a document of this kind.)

IMO that wiki should be removed.
It serves no useful purpose, and could have harmful side effects.

Best regards: dlanor

[TnA]

@witnessmenow: It is a LOT of info, about the whole project.

What especially do you want to know?

First thing to know,...

The original "OSDSYS" *, searches for an official OSDSYS-Update (on MC and on some models also HD), which is MagicGate-encrypted.
If this Update-File is found, it decrypts and executes it as a "OSDSYS"-Replacement (which also means, this replacement must initialize the hardware on its own).

* (I assume Sony means "On Screen Display" for OSD and System for "SYS". That is the easiest explanation.)
The original OSDSYS is placed in "rom0:/" (without quotes).
Path: "rom0:/OSDSYS"

PS2-Versions can differ between:

- MagicGate-Region (different en- & decryption) --> See the last two digits in SCPH-Number on the backside, of your PS2.
- PS2-Version (most of the time you can see it from the first two digits + sometimes a letter, after all digits)
- PS2-Revision (same Version, other motherboard-revision)
- ...some other things,...

From what we know, the OSD-update from MC/MemoryCard is available on EVERY console (regardless, of the PS2-Region, PS2-version and so on...)


OSDSYS searches for an OSD-update on mc in:

mcx:/B?EXEC-SYSTEM/

x = Number, of the MC (SLOT1 [mc0], or SLOT2 [mc1])
? = Region-Letter (...see FMCB-Tutorial... )


So,... That is the basic and beginning to know...
If you want to know, how the embed-process works (to create a valid encrypted "KELF"/Krypto-ELF/encrypted ELF), just ask but that is much more complex.

The easiest way to explain:

FMCB uses pre-encrypted files (thought, it was from "erom0:", or is there an "erom1:"?) to inject its own code to a section, where free not encrypted space is available.

This is necessary, to get a valid encrypted ELF-Header.


Well,... This is the basic how FMCB gets started, but I'm nbot sure, if that is, what you wanted to know.
Probably you also meant, how the hacked OSD shows up, which is something completely different (part of FMCBs Code and has nothing to do, how FMCBs loader itself starts.)

Btw: If someone finds a mistake, please correct me.
If I made a typo, which not leads to wrong info, you can have it. lol