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How to mount on Linux Android Virtual Device file system?
Oct 3, 9:04am

Mounting an Android Virtual Device (AVD) file system on Linux allows you to access and modify its contents directly from your host machine. Here's how you can do it:

Prerequisites

  1. Install adb (Android Debug Bridge): Ensure adb is installed on your Linux system. If not, install it using:

    bash
    sudo apt update && sudo apt install adb

  2. A Running AVD: Start your AVD from Android Studio or the command line.

  3. Root Access on the AVD: The AVD must be rooted to mount its file system. Most AVDs are rooted by default, but if not, you may need to create a custom AVD with root access.

Steps to Mount the AVD File System

1. Identify the AVD

  • List all available AVDs: 
    bash
    emulator -list-avds
  • Note the name of the AVD you want to mount.

2. Start the AVD

  • Launch the AVD from the command line: 
    bash
    emulator -avd <AVD_NAME> -writable-system -partition-size 2048
    Replace <AVD_NAME> with the name of your AVD. The -writable-system flag allows modifications to the /system partition.

3. Connect to the AVD via ADB

  • Check if the AVD is detected: 
    bash
    adb devices
    You should see your AVD listed.

4. Remount the /system Partition as Read-Write

  • Open an adb shell: 
    bash
    adb shell
  • Remount the /system partition: 
    bash
    su
mount -o rw,remount /system
    If su is not available, your AVD may not have root access.

5. Pull the File System to Your Linux Machine

  • Exit the adb shell and pull the entire file system (or specific directories) to your Linux machine: 
    bash
    adb pull /system ~/avd_system
    This will copy the /system partition to a folder named avd_system in your home directory.

6. Mount the AVD Image Directly (Advanced)

If you want to mount the AVD's disk image directly (e.g., system.img or userdata.img), follow these steps:

  • Locate the AVD's Disk Images: The AVD's files are typically stored in ~/.android/avd/<AVD_NAME>.avd/. The disk images (e.g., system.img, userdata.img) are located in this directory.

  • Mount the Image: Use the mount command to attach the image to a directory on your Linux machine. For example:

    bash
    mkdir ~/avd_mount
sudo mount -o loop ~/.android/avd/<AVD_NAME>.avd/system.img ~/avd_mount

    Replace <AVD_NAME> with your AVD's name.

    If the image is in a sparse format (common for AVDs), you may need to convert it to a raw image first:

    bash
    simg2img ~/.android/avd/<AVD_NAME>.avd/system.img system_raw.img
sudo mount -o loop system_raw.img ~/avd_mount

7. Access the Files

  • Navigate to the mounted directory: 
    bash
    cd ~/avd_mount
    You can now browse and edit the files.

8. Unmount the File System

  • When done, unmount the image: 
    bash
    sudo umount ~/avd_mount

Alternative: Use adb to Push/Pull Files

If you don't need full file system access, you can use adb to transfer files between your Linux machine and the AVD:

  • Push a file to the AVD: 
    bash
    adb push local_file /path/on/avd
  • Pull a file from the AVD: 
    bash
    adb pull /path/on/avd local_file

Troubleshooting

  • Permission Issues: Ensure you have root access on the AVD and use sudo for mounting on Linux.
  • Read-Only File System: If the file system is read-only, remount it as read-write using mount -o rw,remount /system in the adb shell.
  • Unsupported Image Format: If mount fails, the image might be in a format like ext4 or squashfs. Use tools like guestmount (from libguestfs-tools) for more compatibility: 
    bash
    sudo guestmount -a system.img -m /dev/sda1 ~/avd_mount

Note

  • Modifying the AVD's file system directly can cause instability. Always back up the original images before making changes.
  • If you're working with a custom ROM or a non-standard AVD, the process may vary.

Would you like help with a specific part of this process?

Oct 3, 9:04am
How to mount on Linux host an Android Virtual Device file system?
Oct 3, 9:05am

Mounting an Android Virtual Device (AVD) file system directly on a Linux host requires accessing the AVD's disk images (e.g., system.img, userdata.img) and mounting them as loop devices. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Prerequisites

  1. Locate the AVD Files AVD disk images are stored in:

    ~/.android/avd/<AVD_NAME>.avd/

    Example files:

    • system.img (contains /system)
    • userdata.img (contains /data)
    • vendor.img (optional, contains /vendor)

  2. Install Required Tools

    bash
    sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y simg2img ext4-utils
    • simg2img: Converts sparse Android images to raw format.
    • ext4-utils: Provides tools like mount for ext4 file systems.

Steps to Mount the AVD File System

1. Convert Sparse Images to Raw (if needed)

AVDs often use sparse images (.img files with unallocated space optimized). Convert them to raw format:

bash
simg2img ~/.android/avd/<AVD_NAME>.avd/system.img system_raw.img
simg2img ~/.android/avd/<AVD_NAME>.avd/userdata.img userdata_raw.img

2. Create Mount Points

bash
mkdir ~/avd_mount/system
mkdir ~/avd_mount/data

3. Mount the Images

  • Mount /system (ext4 file system): 
    bash
    sudo mount -o loop system_raw.img ~/avd_mount/system
  • Mount /data (ext4 file system): 
    bash
    sudo mount -o loop userdata_raw.img ~/avd_mount/data

4. Access the Files

Navigate to the mounted directories:

bash
ls ~/avd_mount/system  # View /system contents
ls ~/avd_mount/data    # View /data contents

5. Unmount When Done

bash
sudo umount ~/avd_mount/system
sudo umount ~/avd_mount/data

Alternative: Use guestmount for Advanced Access

If the images use unsupported formats (e.g., f2fs), use guestmount (from libguestfs-tools):

bash
sudo apt install libguestfs-tools
sudo guestmount -a system_raw.img -m /dev/sda1 ~/avd_mount/system

Unmount with:

bash
sudo guestunmount ~/avd_mount/system

Troubleshooting

  • Permission Denied? Ensure you’re using sudo for mounting. If SELinux is enabled on the AVD, you may need to disable it temporarily in the AVD settings.

  • Unsupported File System? Check the file system type with:

    bash
    file system_raw.img

    If it’s f2fs or another format, use guestmount or convert it to ext4.

  • Read-Only Mount? Remount as read-write:

    bash
    sudo mount -o loop,rw system_raw.img ~/avd_mount/system

Notes

  • Modifications Risk Instability: Editing AVD files directly can corrupt the virtual device. Always back up the original images.
  • AVD Must Be Off: Do not mount images while the AVD is running (risk of corruption).

Would you like help with a specific part, like automating this process or handling custom AVD configurations?

Oct 3, 9:05am

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