Tutorial: Running Ubuntu on PS4
Following on the PS4 Linux release by kR105 a couple days ago, people running on a 1.76 PS4 have been pouring to try and extend on the release. Today our forum member fx0day shared a tutorial on how to run Ubuntu on your PS4.
Since not everyone is checking our forums, and because I think this is pretty cool, I decided to share his tutorial here, with a few minor modifications:
Hardware you’ll need:
- 1 PS4 Fw 1.76
- 1 Usb Hdd or a Usb Key big enough to install Ubuntu
First you need to install Ubuntu on your Usb Hdd
- Download the Ubuntu Iso
- Copy the iso to Usb with a tool like unetbootin (Win/mac/linux) https://unetbootin.github.io/ (You can burn on a Dvd also)
- Boot (from your PC) on this Usb or Dvd
- I’ve used the ubuntu-14.04.4-desktop-amd64.iso (link above) and made the install on my Usb Hdd (with a PC of course) , nothing more to say here just configure your keyboard layout , password …)
So now you should have Ubuntu installed on your Usb Hdd …
- Now go to the PS4-Playground and load Linux (you must have of course a usb key with bZimage & initramfs.cpio.gz in the PS4, see here for details to load Linux on your PS4)
Now you should see better-initramfs shell …
- Plug the Usb Hdd where you have your ubuntu install (At this point you can remove the Usb key with bZimage & initramfs.cpio.gz everything is in RAM)
- Type fdisk -l to see the name of your Usb Hdd ( /dev/sdXX)
As you can see my ubuntu partition is in /dev/sdc1
- Now just type (if your bootable partition is sdc1)
mount /dev/sdc1 newroot/
exec switch_root /newroot/ /newroot/sbin/init
Sometimes exec switch_root don’t start at the first time , just type the command again ..
Wait a few seconds and you should see Ubuntu running 😉
Here’s a video below from fx0day showcasing the whole process
Keep in mind that there’s no network working yet 🙁
Source: fx0day on /talk
going to try this when i get home.
I’m not trying to offend anyone or advocate for piracy(some people tend to jump to conclusions), but can someone honestly explain to me why you would want to run a GNU/Linux distro on your PS4? You could buy a raspberry pi for a fraction of the price of a PS4 and run Ubuntu on that.
PS4 is much more powerful than Raspberry Pi. But you can install it to PC as I do. 😛
But but my PC is more powerful than PS4 and Xbox One combined! 😛
x86 Architecture lets you run a wider set of software. You could make it boot into Steam Big Picture, Retroarch or play Windows games via WIne. Having the ability to dual boot your console into playing some PC games, tons of emulators and media applications is freaking great.
Raspberry Pi has an ARM CPU architecture (The one used by most smartphones). Linux ARM just runs Libreoffice, Media Applications and some emulators (It’s great for programming and basic tasks, though)
Yeah, but you can do this easily in any pc. Linux is cool, but a backup loader, showtime… in resume, a CFW is really better.
Run linux on ps4 is the best idea ever.
I have run the usb (needs 1.76, and works fine. I tested it with 1.75 and just force a shutdown) with these files and I’m so proud of the people who do all this possible.
Now I want to run a Kodi, but first I want a complete distro running inside. Ubuntu is a good idea, ArchLinux is best idea (it’s my next step), like SteamOS (I want to test if a custom kernel could be working right now), but I want my Kodi in the ps4, because I want homebrew in ps4, and Linux do this possible.
Does WiFi connectivity work?
Can I swap iso for windows 10?
nope
More progress in PS4 already than in PSVita. That’s sad.
We’ve been over this… the Vita just doesn’t have the install base that would get hackers interested in nailing the vita to the wall, and with the fact the PS4 uses a x86 CPU (which is very well known quantity), makes the PS4 just that much more a viable target.
Well Ethernet cable works.
Someone can run in ubuntu from shell glxgears and report fps? Also can try to install Unigine Heaven https://unigine.com/products/benchmarks/heaven/ to test the power of GPU
59 fps in glxgears
https://marcan.st/paste/QO2CNH90.txt
without vsync 1300fps
That is really bad, my old GTX560Ti runs on 16000fps :/
several days ago linux, now ubuntu I hope windows 7 is next hhhhhhhhhh
Propably not gonna happen, exept maybe in a vm. The Linux kernel is heavily patched to work properly on the ps4. This is not possible on windows with it being a closed platform.
No Serious news about PS Vita since the rejuvenate contest. Disappointing. I do not want to see the Vita scene die like the actual console…
AND COME ON ITS LIKE 2016!!! THE YEAR EVERYBODY SAID THAT WONDERS WOULD REALLY HAPPEN???!!
THE YEAR EVERYTHING RUMORED FAKE IN GAMING WOULD COME TO LIFE LIKE VR and A NEW DRAGON BALL SERIES, WHERE IS THE WONDER????
simple answer @BlueBubble one more step toward a full jailbreak.and a big step from using the console only like Sony intended to.U should look deeper than just running linux
It’s good to see progress for running Linux on the PS4. But there is a problem for me: i can’t get Ubuntu to show anything on the screen (the screen is black). I can see that the drive where it is installed to, is definitely doing something (booting up). Is anyone here having similar issues?
How’d you install? If you used virtual box try to boot the iso without the virtual hdd. and install on the usb alone. Took me a day to figure this out. If it doesn’t make sense try this:
https://gbatemp.net/threads/guide-ubuntu-on-ps4-1-76-only.422033/#post-6242276
I’ve been able to boot it up by plugging the drive with the fresh Ubuntu install into a PC first and boot it up from there till i got to the login screen. But i didn’t actually login. I just then shut it down and tried it once again on the console itself. And voila – it worked. I also got internet to work, using a crossover cable by connecting it to my notebook (which even has ubuntu installed) and changing the IPv4 setting for wired connection in the dropdown list (“automatically DHCP”) to (“shared with other computers”). I don’t know if this setting is the same spelled in english as i actually use Ubuntu in german language. This gave me internet for Ubuntu on the PS4 by plugging the cable into the notebook first and then into the PS4. What i really miss is a solution to having mouse AND keyboard available at the same time as i have a “Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 1000” with a Microsoft Wireless Optical Mouse 2000 which the ps4kerneltest doesn’t recognize (it doesn’t show any input in the console). Besides this it’s Ubuntu which is running slow as it seems. I hope those two things will be solved in the near future.
Hello,
Would you be able to tell me how much resources are used to run the linux uploader/PS4 playground? could you show the screen resulting of a “top” command?
Nicolas
Question: If I install Ubuntu in the PS4. How do this interact with the blu-ray PS4 games and the wireless hand controller?
Or, is this obvious?
What’s go better?
Can I record from TV? (trough some linux ubuntu app (I miss that in PS4))
Regards