Application:UberKernel

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UberKernel - In Development

Please add documentation and frequently asked questions and answers to this page.

Summary

The kernel is the central component of the operating systems. The Uber-Kernel replaces the standard webOS kernel allowing faster speeds and greater control of the CPU. To control the UberKernel you will need to also install a "Governor" such as the Govnah. "Über" is not a technical term but the German word for super and in this case an inside joke referring to Arnold Schwarzenegger, the "Govnah". That is why the Govnah app header says, "Much better than Arnie."

Warning:

This application is in constant development and testing. It should not be considered a finished product. Please note that usage of this package is very likely to void your warranty if things go wrong. Please, do not contact your carrier or Palm for support for damage resulting from this package.

WebOS Internals provides this program as is without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of this program is with you. Should this program prove defective, you assume the cost of all necessary servicing, repair or correction. In no event will WebOS Internals or any other party be liable to you for damages, including any general, special, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use this program (including but not limited to loss of data or data being rendered inaccurate or losses sustained by you or third parties or a failure of this program to operate with any other programs).

Features:

All WebOS Internals kernels follow the 7 principles of kernel design: http://bit.ly/next-gen-kernels. The Uber-Kernel incorporates the following bleeding-edge features to give you maximum control over your phone:

• 720MHz and 800MHz operating points (based on the open source OMAP3440 kernel, ported by uNiXpSyChO)
• All Linux 2.6.24 frequency governors (conservative, ondemand, powersave, userspace, performance)
• New screenstate governor, which runs at a higher speed when the screen is on and at 500MHz when the screen is off (created by uNiXpSyChO)
• OMAP3430 internal CPU temperature sensor (ported by ka6sox and rwhitby)

Available in Preware.

Installation

The following guide assumes a Palm Pre/Pre+ that has the original 1.4.1.1 kernel and no over-clocking patches. (Currently unavailable for Pixi/Pixi+ or other kernels.)

1. On Preware's homescreen, type "uber" and hit enter.
2. Select "Uber-Kernel (Palm Pre/Pre+)" and "Install"
3. After the installation, Preware will prompt to restart your phone. Always listen to Preware; it knows best!
4. If you have not yet installed a "Governor", on Preware's homescreen, type "Gov" and hit enter.
5. Select "Govnah" and "Install"

Known Limitations

The Uber Kernel will not help you attract the opposite sex. It may in fact hinder you.

You: Hey there, can I buy you a drink?

Him/Her: Your pants are really hot.

You: Why thank you. I like members of the opposite sex looking at my pants.

Him/Her: No, seriously, I think they just caught on fire.

You: NOOOOOO!!!! Screw you UBERRRKERNELLL!!!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I uninstall and get back to the stock kernel?

Open Preware. Uninstall Govnah and UberKernel. Hit OK when Preware asks to reboot your phone.

I'm confused, my Pre goes back down to 500 after a reboot, I have to reopen Govnah to set it back to screenstate. Any reason?

That is intentional. See the 7 principles of kernel design and packaging at http://bit.ly/next-gen-kernels for details.

Once we have devised a fail-safe method of making sure that an overclocking failure caused by running your CPU outside of it's guaranteed specification limits does not put you into a reboot loop where you need to doctor your phone to recover it, then we will implement that solution for saving the CPU scaling parameter settings across a reboot.

I have installed UberKernel and when I try to launch it from the Launcher it just shows some documentation and a changelog. What's up? Is this an application? What's going on?

To use the kernel you must install a governor app such as Govnah, or be able to control the governor from command line.

My phone gets really hot during heavy use. At what temperatures should I start to worry?

This is a difficult question to answer. Over-clocking is generally uncharted territory, and as such, there are risks. One is over-heating your cpu. Another is shortening the life of your cpu because of excess heat. Note that the Govnah application measures internals CPU temperature, which may or may not be hotter or colder than battery temperature (depending on how quickly the battery is charging or discharging). The Govnah icon progresses from green to yellow to red to flames as a general indication of what we currently believe to be conservatively safe regions, but the exact boundaries of these regions are yet to be determined.

At the moment, we have green up to 39, yellow from 40 to 49, red from 50 to 59, and flames from 60.

Can I use other CPU scaler applications while Govnah is installed on my phone?

Currently, CPUScalerUltimate(v.2.1.2) and Govnah can be installed at the same time.

CPUScalerUltimate will recognize settings made in Govnah and vice-versa.

Both applications talk to the same set of kernel instructions. There may be conflicts when running both applications.

Use any scaler application to program your speeds with UberKernel.

What is the screen state scaling?

The screen state scaling sets the CPU speed to 500MHz when the LCD screen is off and up to 800MHz when the LCD screen is on. This includes screen off during phone calls or music playback, etc. The speed is also lowered to 500MHz when the phone is charging on the Touchstone and the screen displays the clock. Options for the upper limit include 800, 720, 600, and 550MHz. There are known issues with Brightness Unlinked or the "Reduce Minimum Brightness" patch. The use of either of these to reduce the screen brightness to the lowest levels prevents the screen state scaling to trigger so the CPU may remain at 500mhz. To prevent this, set the brightness to an appropriate level that will trigger the scaling to 800mhz. The Govnah app may be used to monitor CPU speed and set the brightness to an appropriate level to enable the frequency switching.

I set Govnah to Screenstate with min/max values of 500/800. I checked the frequency after turning on the screen manually and found it back at 500. This has happened every time; can you tell me why?

The kernel is set up to run at 500 while on the Touchstone. The phone is programmed to dim the screen to a maximum of 19 when on the Touchstone displaying the clock. The kernel reads any screen setting of 19 or below as being on the Touchstone displaying the clock and cannot determine whether the phone is actually on the Touchstone or not. Make sure your screen brightness is set to at least 20, especially if you use Brightness Unlinked. Marco has said he is working on a fix for this issue.

Will I have to uninstall/disable anything in Uber-Kernel prior to installing an OS update?

The Uber Kernel should be completely OTA update compatible. You should not have to do anything to you Pre(+) before installing a palm update.

What should I do If Updating the Uber-kernel results in a 'failed to install' error?

Install the recovery Palm Kernel. (Find this in Preware/ Kernel/ Recovery/), once installed you will be prompted for a reboot, just click 'Later' Then instal the Uber-Kernel. (Find this in Preware/ Kernel/ Experimental/), once the Uber-Kernel is installed then go ahead and reboot.

I can't find Uber-Kernel in Preware, Govnah's there but not UK.

You need Upgrade to Preware 1.0 or greater. You should then see a webos-kernels feed in your Manage Feeds section; turn it on, and Update Feeds. Now you should see Uber-Kernel within Preware.