ADB (Android Debug Bridge): How it works?

2012.2.6 early draft

Tetsuyuki Kobayashi
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Let's talk about inside of Android.

http://www.kmckk.co.jp/eng/kzma9/ http://www.kmckk.co.jp/eng/jet_index.html

Who am I?

20+ years involved in embedded systems

10 years in real time OS, such as iTRON 10 years in embedded Java Virtual Machine Now GCC, Linux, QEMU, Android, http://d.hatena.ne.jp/embedded/ (Personal) http://blog.kmckk.com/ (Corporate) http://kobablog.wordpress.com/(English) @tetsu_koba
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Blogs

Twitter

What is ADB?

If you are an Android builder, you have used adb logcat, adb shell Even if you only use DDMS in Eclipse, adb is working under the hood. Using adb, you can connect emulator or actual target device. adb kill-server? what does it mean?

How to connect?

Host

Target device

Emulator

Adb clients adb shell

Adbd QEMU

How to connect? Adbd

ADB overview

Host

Target device

Emulator

Adb clients

Execute services on new thread/subprocess

Adbd
TCP

TCP port:5037

QEMU

Adb server

USB/TCP

Adbd

2 roles of ADB

Providing Transport

communication path between host and target device USB or TCP: but clients don't have to aware executing something on the target devices through the transport.

Providing Services

adb shell for executing command adb push/pull for file transfer
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3 elements of ADB

adb clients

executable with subcommand adb shell, adb logcat : the end point of host side running on host on back-ground act as proxy between adb clients and adbd running on target device started by init, if die, restarted by init again
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adb server

adb daemon (adbd)

When does adb server start?

Explicitly, adb start-server

It starts adb server as back ground process.

Usually it does automatically on demand. You don't have to do adb start-server. When you want to restart adb server, do adb kill-server Actually, adb clients and adb server shares same executable

adb start-server equals adb fork-server server &

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ADB internal

Source code How to get ADB logs Sequence chart Simple ruby script to connect adb server Command details Secure mode Add USB Vendor ID Switching transport mode
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Source code

system/core/adb in Android source tree From this directory adb and adbd are built

Don't confuse. common files between adb and adbd

adb.c, fdevent.c, transort.c, transport_local.c, tansport_usb.c, service.c, sockets.c, util.c

#if ADB_HOST /* code for adb*/ #else /* code for adbd */ #endif
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files only for adbd

backup_service.c, file_sync_service.c, jdwp_service.c, framebuffer_service.c, remount_services.c, usb_linux_clients.c, log_service.c console.c, adb_clients.c, file_sync_client.c, usb_vendors.c, get_my_path_{linux,darwin,windows,freebsd}.c, usb_{linux,macos,libusb,windows}.c

files only for adb

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How to get ADB logs

For adb clients and adb server, set environment variable ADB_TRACE For adbd, set system property persist.adb.trace_mask
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Sequence chart
Adb client adb shell ls host:version OKAY0004001d host:transport-any Specify the destination OKAY shell:ls Command to adbd OKAY [OPEN]shell:ls [OPEN]shell:ls subprocess Adb server adbd

Check version

ls
[WRITE]len=247 len=247

stdout

len=247

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Simple ruby script to connect to adb server

require 'socket' def error_exit puts "Error" exit 1 end def send_to_adb(s, msg) s.printf("%04x%s", msg.length, msg) end def check_okay(s) (s.read(4) == "OKAY") end def check_version(s) (s.read(12) == "OKAY0004001d") end hostname = 'localhost' port = 5037 s = TCPSocket.open(hostname, port) send_to_adb(s, "host:version") error_exit if ! check_version(s) s.close s = TCPSocket.open(hostname, port) send_to_adb(s, "host:transport-any") error_exit if ! check_okay(s) send_to_adb(s, "shell:ls") error_exit if ! check_okay(s) while line = s.gets puts line.chop end s.close

change shell:ls as you like. http://blog.kmckk.com/archives/4092210.html

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Command details

adb logcat adb install/uninstall adb reboot screen capture from DDMS

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Secure mode

Android smart phone products have adbd. Usually it runs on secure mode. (secure = 1) if secure == 1, change adbd as SHELL user(= not privileged), else it keeps running as root user In secure mode, all services invoked by adbd ran as SHELL user. Some causes permission denied.

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How secure mode decided

Running on emulator secure = 0 System property ro.secure == 1 secure = 1

if ro.debuggable == 1, you can restart adb unsecure by adb root

All Android phone products are shipped in ro.secure = 1, ro.debuggable = 0. See adb.c: adb_main

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Add USB Vendor ID

When connecting USB device, adb checks USB Vendor ID Many USB Vendor IDs are hard coded in adb. (But not enough) To add USB Vendor ID, make $HOME/.android/adb_usb.ini and write one ID in one line See usb_vendors.c
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Switching transport mode

Switching USB mode to TCP mode
$ adb shell netcfg lo UP 127.0.0.1 255.0.0.0 eth0 UP 192.168.1.139 255.255.255.0 $ adb tcpip 5555 restarting in TCP mode port : 5555 $ adb devices List of devices attached $ disconnected from USB. Then restart adb server with specifying target IP address. $ adb kill-server $ ADBHOST=192.168.1.139 adb devices * daemon not running. starting it now on port 5037 * * daemon started successfully * List of devices attached emulator-5554 device $
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0x00000049 0x00001043

Switching transport mode (What happen inside?)

See service.c restart_tcp_service property_set(service.adb.tcp.port, value);

Note: before Android 4.0, this cause permission denied in secure mode and ignored silently! init restarts adbd. service.adb.tcp.port is checked in adb.c adb_main

After that, exit(1);

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Tips

adb emu adb backup/restore Joke commands Modify emulator to allow any server socket

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adb emu

You can send a single command to emulator console easily

send only. can not receive. For emulator console,

http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/devices/emulator.html

Simple example. adb emu window scale 0.5 after starting emulator
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adb backup/restore

New in Android 4.0 You can backup/restore installed applications with their saved status.

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Joke commands

adb hell

same as adb shell except hell color :) Just try. same as adb logcat

adb lolcat

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Modify emulator to allow any server socket

Other host Host

Adb clients

Emulator

Adb clients

TCP port:5037

Adbd
TCP

TCP port:5037

Adb server

QEMU

Adb server

All server sockets in Android emulator accepts only from localhost. If you feel inconvenient in this restriction, apply the patch in next page. http://blog.kmckk.com/archives/3882865.html
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Patch to allow any server socket (for experience)

diff --git a/slirp-android/socket.c b/slirp-android/socket.c index 439590a..ed16d5a 100644 --- a/slirp-android/socket.c +++ b/slirp-android/socket.c @@ -650,7 +650,7 @@ solisten(u_int port, u_int32_t laddr, u_int lport, int flags) so->so_laddr_ip = laddr; /* Ditto */ so->so_haddr_port = port; + s = socket_loopback_server( port, SOCKET_STREAM ); s = socket_inaddr_any_server( port, SOCKET_STREAM ); if (s < 0) return NULL;

diff --git a/sockets.c b/sockets.c index 1063339..55b5d57 100644 --- a/sockets.c +++ b/sockets.c @@ -1337,6 +1337,11 @@ socket_in_client( SockAddress* return socket_connect_client( s, to ); }

to, SocketType

type )

+int +socket_inaddr_any_server( int port, SocketType type ) +{ + return socket_in_server( INADDR_ANY, port, type ); +} int socket_loopback_server( int port, SocketType type ) 27

Advanced Topics

adb in Android device Port adbd to other than Android

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adb in Android device

Usually, adb is running on the host side, such as Linux, MacOS and Windows In Android 4.0 there is /system/bin/adb in Android file system What for is this?

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Connect its own adbd by adb

Restart adbd in TCP mode Then type adb devices It can connect its own adbd by local loop back
Target device Adb clients But what is the use case?

TCP port:5038

Adbd

TCP

Adb server

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Connect other Android device by adb on Android

NexusOne (Android 2.3.6) USB Host (A connector)

USB device (micro B connector)

KZM-A9-Dual board (Android 4.0.3)

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At the serial console on KZM-A9-Dual board

# adb devices * daemon not running. starting it now on port 5038 * * daemon started successfully * List of devices attached HT015P803242 device #

It worked! You can do adb shell, adb logcat, too. Even you can install application from the board to NexusOne by adb install foo.apk.
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Port adbd to other than Android

Quick hack! Consider dependency for better porting

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Quick hack!

/sbin/adbd is statically linked executable. Just copy this file to ARM Ubuntu 11.10 just for experience (using Android patched kernel) Somehow, it worked without any recompilation

sudo chmod 666 /dev/android_adb* make symbolic link /bin/sh to /system/bin/sh adbd runs in secure mode It worked adb shell, adb push/pull
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http://blog.kmckk.com/archives/4093193.html

Consider dependency for better porting

Some service requires other android commands

adb install/uninstall, adb bugreport framebuffer service invokes /system/bin/screencap At the binary experiment, all property_get returns default values.

Adbd uses Android property system

That's why adbd ran in secure mode.

Switching adbd mode assumed that init restarts adbd process

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Q&A

Thank you for listening! Any comments to blogs are welcome.

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