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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

  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
  • Note the name of the AVD you want to mount.

2. Start the AVD

  • Launch the AVD from the command line: 
    bash
    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
    You should see your AVD listed.

4. Remount the /system Partition as Read-Write

  • Open an adb shell: 
    bash
  • Remount the /system partition: 
    bash
    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
    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

    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

7. Access the Files

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

8. Unmount the File System

  • When done, unmount the image: 
    bash

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
  • Pull a file from the AVD: 
    bash

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

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:

    Example files:

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

  2. Install Required Tools

    bash
    • 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

2. Create Mount Points

bash

3. Mount the Images

  • Mount /system (ext4 file system): 
    bash
  • Mount /data (ext4 file system): 
    bash

4. Access the Files

Navigate to the mounted directories:

bash

5. Unmount When Done

bash

Alternative: Use guestmount for Advanced Access

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

bash

Unmount with:

bash

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

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

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

    bash

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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