Android Partitions

Android Partitions
Tools
To Refer
Notes
- Sources
- Notes
  - From "MTK Platform Partition Meaning", from GitHub Gists

Tools

Adebar (Android Device Backup and Recovery, from here)
- Checks /proc/dumchar_info (gives most details)
- Checks /proc/mtd (second best solution, doesn't exist in most new devices)
- Checks /proc/emmc (third best solution, should have about as much as the previous ones)
- Checks /dev/block/platform/\*/by-name (this is cross checked with the next option)
- Checks /proc/partitions, cross checked with /proc/mounts (gives us at least the list of mounted partitions)
KPARTX
xmount
DiskInfo

To Refer

Notes

Sources

Notes

From "MTK Platform Partition Meaning", from GitHub Gists

I first copy-pasted it verbatim, and made some minor modifications:

Capitalized partition names
Corrected grammar in some instances
Codified small lettered codenames
And I added numbers (not necessarily in the right order, just to count the number of partitions)
- This list has 41 partitions :v
1. PRELOADER
2. Pre-loader image
3. Handles all the download and secure boot procedures
1. DSP_BL
2. DSP Boot Loader
3. MBR, EBR1, EBR2
4. ext4 file system partition index table
1. PMT
2. Partition Management Table
1. NVRAM
2. Non-Volatile RAM
3. Stores the hardware related information, such as the Calibration Data, MAC Address, IMEI ID, etc.
1. SECCFG, SECSTATIC
2. Reserved for the security platform used
1. PROTECT1 / PROTECT_F
2. Store SIM LOCK
1. PROTECT2 / PROTECT_S
2. Backup SIM LOCK
1. PGPT
2. Primary GUID Partition Table, compared with MBR
1. SGPT
2. Secondary (Backup) GUID Partition Table
10-11. OEMKEYSTORE, KEYSTORE
- Image Authentication Key for Verified Boot (VB), not used yet
1. TEE1
2. Trusted Execution Environment
1. TEE2
2. Backup of TEE1
1. U-BOOT / LK
2. Second loader image
3. U-BOOT is a generic bootloader for embedded devices
4. LK stands for "Little Kernel"
5. Handles most hardware initializations and brings up the full Linux kernel
1. BOOT IMAGE
2. Linux kernel image and its root file system
1. RECOVERY
2. Recovery kernel image and its root file system
3. Handles all the system recovery and firmware update functionalities
1. SEC_RO or SECRO
2. Reserved for the security platform used
1. MISC / FOTA (in older devices)
2. Used for the recovery procedure (e.g. in case of power loss)
1. LOGO
2. Boot-up logo image
1. EXPDB
2. Stores the Exceptions Database
1. SYSTEM
2. Android system image
1. CACHE
2. Stores Android internal cache data or web cache data
1. USERDATA
2. Used for Android system to store user data such as user contacts, settings, installed applications … etc
1. FAT / INTSD
2. Internal SDCard on eMMC
1. OTP
2. OTP (One Time Program) area on eMMC
1. FLASHINFO
2. Flash tool download information
1. BMTPOOL
2. Handles Bad Block Management (nandflash used and reserved on eMMC）
1. PARA
2. Saves the parameters required for recovery
1. FRP
2. Factory Reset Protection, used for Anti-Theft
1. NVDATA
2. Stores data in data/nvram/
1. PROINFO
2. An NVRAM partition, stores one struct by default, can be added
3. md1img, md1dsp, md1arm7, md3img
4. For Android M, the MD image has been changed into an MD standalone partition, all modem images will be loaded from the partitions: md1img, md1dsp, md1arm7 and md3img
32-33. SCP1, SCP2
- System Control Processor, used for recovery fail
34-35. LK1, LK2
- Used for the updating LK in case of an OTA update fail
1. PERSIST
2. Stores data which will be stable for a long time
1. METADATA
2. Stores the master key for data encryption
1. NVCFG
2. NVRAM config, controlled by MTK_NVCONFIG_PARTITION_SUPPORT, not used yet
1. CUST / CUSTOM / PRELOAD
2. Customization partition, controlled by MTK_CIP_SUPPORT
1. EFUSE
2. Download baseband chip's efuse
1. PPL
2. Privacy Protection Lock, used for Anti-Theft

Android Partitions

Tools

To Refer

Notes

Sources

Notes

From "MTK Platform Partition Meaning", from GitHub Gists

Backlinks