Terminology

Before getting started

In order to be able to port Ubuntu to a new device, the following prerequisites should be satisfied, nevertheless, you are welcome to follow this guide even if you are attempting your first port with no previous knowledge.

• Android sources: the device already runs Android and we have access to an Android source tree (preferably the original as with OEM devices but CyanogenMod or independent ports are enough too) and kernel sources for the device. Note that this guide focuses on porting to devices present in the AOSP tree and another version will focus on CyanogenMod based ports.
• Drivers: you will need the vendor proprietary drivers, which make the GPU and various sensors work. If not explicitly available for download they need to be extracted from a running device.
• CyanogenMod porting guide: Porting CyanogenMod to a device should be read and understood before embarking on porting Ubuntu Touch, since a lot of the work done requires some knowledge of Android builds and system internals.
• Boot modes: you need to be familiar with how to boot into various modes (bootloader, recovery…) by pressing volume keys or any device specific method.
• Unlock and root: the device needs to be unlocked/rooted in order to allow flashing custom images. A lot of preparation work is common with attempts to port CyanogenMod or other custom Android ROMs.

A few more tips

The XDA developer forums should be searched and consulted for anything non-Ubuntu specific.

Also always refer to sources of a working implementation, the official one being the Nexus 4 port.

Terminology

Throughout this guide, some new terms might be introduced. This list should help you getting started understanding what they are:

• AOSP: the Android Open Source Project hosting the original Android source code for a selection of devices.
• CyanogenMod: an open-source OS based on Android.
• Recovery image: an alternative boot mode, independent of your operating system where you can perform advanced recovery and maintenance operations.
• ClockworkMod Recovery: a custom recovery option for Android devices that can be used as a point of entry to replace Android.
• AppArmor: a Mandatory Access Control (MAC) system which is a kernel enhancement to confine programs to a limited set of resources, such as reading from and/or writing to a specific list of folders or files.
• Click package: the packaging format used for apps on Ubuntu, confined by AppArmor.
• Mir: the display server used by Ubuntu, it's a next-generation replacement for X11.
• ADB: a client-server program used in Android application development. It is often used to manage and access shells on Android-based devices.
• Unlock: the action of disabling the software limiting the phone to a single operator's network
• Root: the action of enabling administrative access (" root" access) to the OS.