How does a Nexus device work?

[paulgj]

Hi,

I'm pretty tech savvy and am considering rooting my N7 but am a little confused with all the terms thrown around and was wondering if there's an explanation or article somewhere that explains how the N7 and other android devices work from the standpoint of what happens when the power button is pressed regarding software loaded from ROM, Flash storage, RAM etc. I think this would help me to understand what it is that I'm doing when I unlock the bootloader or flash a ROM etc.

Thanks for any help with this!
P

 

[2defmouze]

Read the "Release the Krakken" guide.. stickied on top of these forums

Afterwards, let us know any questions you have!

 

[paulgj]

Thanks, I'll do that.

 

[paulgj]

OK, so here are my questions so far...(still trying to get my head around how these devices tick.. Am very familiar with a typical PC, not so much with phones and tablets...yet)

1. Does the typical Android device store all the code on the built in flash memory or is some code stored in another location similar to a BIOS chip?
2. So is the bootloader the software that starts up the Kernel and other software (ROM)?
3. As I understand it the Kernel is the core of the OS (like a car engine and transmission) and the ROM is everything else that interacts with the Kernel to give the device its look and feel. If my understanding is true then flashing a ROM leaves the Kernel untouched?
4. To over or underclock the CPU would you need to replace the Kernel or can the ROM control this?
5. So if you wanted to return the device to stock then you would basically restore a protected "image" that is stored somewhere for this purpose?

Thanks again for your patience with my basic questions...
-P

 

[digitalslacker]

OK, so here are my questions so far...(still trying to get my head around how these devices tick.. Am very familiar with a typical PC, not so much with phones and tablets...yet)

1. Does the typical Android device store all the code on the built in flash memory or is some code stored in another location similar to a BIOS chip?
2. So is the bootloader the software that starts up the Kernel and other software (ROM)?
3. As I understand it the Kernel is the core of the OS (like a car engine and transmission) and the ROM is everything else that interacts with the Kernel to give the device its look and feel. If my understanding is true then flashing a ROM leaves the Kernel untouched?
4. To over or underclock the CPU would you need to replace the Kernel or can the ROM control this?
5. So if you wanted to return the device to stock then you would basically restore a protected "image" that is stored somewhere for this purpose?

Thanks again for your patience with my basic questions...
-P

1. Stuff is stored on the flash mem in partitions, /system, /boot, /sdcard etc.
2. the bootloader is akin to BIOS, at least that's how i think about it. it gets things booting and its stored on the /boot partition
3. The kernel is the software that lets Android talk to the hardware.
4. yes you need to change the kernel to overclock. Some custom ROMs come with a kernel that supports overclocking or you have to add your own. Some ROMs also have OCing controls built in but some kernels also have their own control apps. Just depends on what you are running.
5. There are restore images available for download and you can push them to the device from your computer via command line if you need to.

good luck!

EDIT: every ROM comes with a kernel, but you can add a new one in most cases.

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