Wii-Linux Wiki - User contributions [en]

Building Kernel Guide

2025-11-13T19:02:00Z

SuperbeeLavaman: fix typo

This Guide will teach you how to cross-compile the [[Wii-Linux]] kernel and supporting elements.

== Requirements ==

* An x86 or AArch64 device running GNU/Linux

== Setup and Compile==
# Install Crosstool-NG via package manager or compile it by cloning <code>git clone https://github.com/crosstool-ng/crosstool-ng</code>.
# Make a directory to have all the files/folders to be in
# In that directory clone the Wii-Linux-Toolchain <code>https://github.com/Wii-Linux/wii-linux-toolchain</code>.
# cd into the wii-linux-toolchain folder and run <code>mv ct-ng.config .config</code> and run <code>ct-ng build</code>.
#* The process will take a while depending on how bad your computer is.
# Once it's installed, it should make a directory in your home folder called <code>x-tools</code>.
#* You can optionally move this directory elsewhere first, if you don't find <code>x-tools</code> appealing.
# You must now add it to your PATH. This varies per shell, and based on where you put it, but as an example:
#* for bash: <code>echo 'PATH="$PATH:~/<path to ct-ng output>/powerpc-unknown-linux-gnu/bin"' >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc</code>.
# After you have added it to your path, go back to the main directory and run <code>git clone https://github.com/Wii-Linux/build-stack && cd build-stack</code>.
# Once you're in the build-stack folder, run <code>./setup.sh</code> and follow it's instructions, to make sure that you have all the necessary requirements installed. If it asks to clone and build various requirements, answer Yes unless you have a very specific reason not to.
# After setup.sh finishes successfully, go back to the main directory, and now finally run <code>git clone https://github.com/Wii-Linux/wii-linux-ngx -b <Branch You want></code>.
#* The branch you clone is the source code to the kernel branch you are going to compile (this could be specialized kernels (like for [[OpenWRT]], or just various versions of the main one). The following kernel branches are the ones currently supported:
#** <code>wii-v4.5</code>
#** <code>wii-v4.14-openwrt</code>
#** <code>wii-v4.19</code>
# After you cloned the kernel that you want to build go back into <code>build-stack</code> and run <code>./build-kernel.sh [name of your kernel directory]</code>.
#* Example: <code>./build-kernel.sh wii-linux-ngx</code>.
#* The <code>--standalone</code> argument can be used to build a kernel that doesn't require a loader, <code>arch/powerpc/boot/dts/wii.dts</code> needs to be edited accordingly with the boot device that will be used.
# After the loader is done, you need to go install it. This consists of 2 parts:
#* '''Installing the kernel+loader'''. A script has been provided to make this easier, <code>build-stack/copy-ssh.sh</code>. This provides an easy way to copy the kernel+loader to a remote machine in any directory. This could even be a Wii-Linux install.
#** Example 1 (copy to local machine's SD Card on /mnt): <code>./copy-ssh.sh root@localhost /mnt v4_19325 kernel</code>
#** Example 2 (copy to Wii with SD Card on /boot): <code>./copy-ssh.sh root@wii.local /boot v4_19325 kernel</code>
#* '''Installing the kernel modules'''. The kernel modules are output as <code>modules.tar.gz</code> in your kernel directory. You will need to safely extract these to your Wii-Linux distro's rootfs. ''WARNING'': Extracting directly to the rootfs '''''WILL HOSE YOUR PERMISSIONS - DO NOT DO THAT'''''. It will set the UID/GID of the root directory, and /usr, and /usr/lib, to the UID/GID of the user who built the kernel. Instead, you can extract it to a temporary directory, then <code>mv</code> or <code>cp -r</code> the modules (<code>temp_dir/usr/lib/modules/[kernel version]-wii+</code>) into your rootfs.

Building Kernel Guide

2025-11-13T18:41:07Z

SuperbeeLavaman: add "git clone" to beginning of command to run

This Guide will teach you how to cross-compile the [[Wii-Linux]] kernel and supporting elements.

== Requirements ==

* An x86 or AArch64 device running GNU/Linux

== Setup and Compile==
# Install Crosstool-NG via package manager or compile it by cloning <code>git clone https://github.com/crosstool-ng/crosstool-ng</code>.
# Make a directory to have all the files/folders to be in
# In that directory clone the Wii-Linux-Toolchain <code>https://github.com/Wii-Linux/wii-linux-toolchain</code>.
# cd into the wii-linux-toolchain folder and run <code>mv ct-ng.config .config</code> and run <code>ct-ng build</code>.
#* The process will take a while depending on how bad your computer is.
# Once it's installed, it should make a directory in your home folder called <code>x-tools</code>.
#* You can optionally move this directory elsewhere first, if you don't find <code>x-tools</code> appealing.
# You must now add it to your PATH. This varies per shell, and based on where you put it, but as an example:
#* for bash: <code>echo 'PATH="$PATH:~/<path to ct-ng output>/powerpc-unknown-linux-gnu/bin"' >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc</code>.
# After you have added it to your path, go back to the main directory and run <code>git clone https://github.com/Wii-Linux/build-stack && cd build-stack</code>.
# Once you're in the build-stack folder, run <code>./setup.sh</code> and follow it's instructions, to make sure that you have all the necessary requirements installed. If it asks to clone and build various requirements, answer Yes unless you have a very specific reason not to.
# After setup.sh finishes successfully, go back to the main directory, and now finally run <code>git clone https://github.com/Wii-Linux/wii-linux-ngx -b <Branch You want></code>.
#* The branch you clone is the source code to the kernel branch you are going to compile (this could be specialized kernels (like for [[OpenWRT]], or just various versions of the main one). The following kernel branches are the ones currently supported:
#** <code>wii-v4.5</code>
#** <code>wii-v4.14-openwrt</code>
#** <code>wii-v4.19</code>
# After you cloned the kernel that you want to build go back into <code>build-stack</code> and run <code>./build-kernel.sh [name of your kernel directory]</code>.
#* Example: <code>./build-kernel.sh wii-linux-ngx</code>.
#* The <code>--standalone</code> argument can be used to build a kernel that doesn't require a loader, <code>arch/powerpc/boot/dts/wii.dts</code> needs to be edited accordingly with the boot device that will be used.
# After the loader is done, you need to go install it. This consists of 2 parts:
#* '''Installing the kernel+loader'''. A script has been provided to make this easier, <code>build-stack/copy-ssh.sh</code>. This provides an easy way to copy the kernel+loader to a remote machine in any directory. This could even be a Wii-Linux install.
#** Example 1 (copy to local machine's SD Card on /mnt): <code>./copy-ssh.sh root@localhost /mnt v4_19325 kernel</code>
#** Example 2 (copy to Wii with SD Card on /boot): <code>./copy-ssh.sh root@wii.local /boot v4_19325 kernel</code>
#* '''Installing the kernel modules'''. The kernel modules are output as <code>modules.tar.gz</code> in your kernel directory. You will need to safely extract these to your Wii-Linux distro's rootfs. ''WARNING'': Extracting directly to the rootfs '''''WILL HOSE YOUR PERMISSIONS - DO NOT DO THAT'''''. It will set the UID/HID of the root directory, and /usr, and /usr/lib, to the UID/GID of the user who built the kernel. Instead, you can extract it to a temporary directory, then <code>mv</code> or <code>cp -r</code> the modules (<code>temp_dir/usr/lib/modules/[kernel version]-wii+</code>) into your rootfs.

Wii

2025-06-22T22:35:41Z

SuperbeeLavaman: Link to Wii_Hardware/NAND in hardware list

The Wii is a video game console that was produced by [[Nintendo]]. It is the primary target device of the [[Wii-Linux]] project. It is largely an iteration in hardware over the [[GameCube]], keeping a lot of the same underlying hardware, but adding new features, including a heavy focus on security.

== Hardware ==
* IBM PowerPC 750CL-based CPU "Broadway", 729MHz
* "[[Hollywood]]" Chipset, 243MHz
* 24MB of 1T-SRAM, "MEM1", shared from the GameCube
* 64MB of GDDR3, "MEM2", new to the Wii
* 512MB of [[Wii Hardware/NAND|NAND]] storage (inaccessible to Wii-Linux for now)
* SD Card slot
* [[Wii Hardware/USB|2x USB 2.0 "EHCI" ports]], expandable using a USB hub
* [[Wii Hardware/Wi-Fi|Broadcom 4318 Wi-Fi Radio]], connected over SDIO
* Broadcom 2045A Bluetooth Radio, shared by the Wii U
* [[Wii Hardware/DVD-ROM|DVD-ROM drive]]

More detailed information about the Wii can be obtained from its [https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Wii WiiBrew article], or its [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii Wikipedia article].

[[Category:Nintendo Consoles]]

Wii Hardware/NAND

2025-05-08T17:14:15Z

SuperbeeLavaman: Write page about NAND

{{seealso|https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Hardware/NAND https://wiibrew.org/wiki/Hardware/NAND}}

The [[Wii]] contains a 4 Gigabit (512 Megabyte) NAND flash memory chip. The NAND is used to store, among other things, every IOS installed on the system, each stage of the bootloader process as described on [[Wii Hardware/Starlet|Starlet]], your system menu and channels, and your game save files.
There is currently no way to read or write the NAND in Linux.

== Data Sizes ==
The NAND is split into 4096 sections referred to as "Blocks". Each block contains 64 pages, and each page contains 2048 bytes of data with 64 bytes of error correction info.

== Physical Data Layout ==
* Block 0 contains boot1, which is the encrypted second stage of the bootloader, loaded and decrypted by Starlet during execution of boot0. There is currently no safe way to modify the contents of this block.
* Blocks 1-7 contain 2 copies of boot2, with blockmaps. Boot2 is stored in a modified WAD format, with a ticket encrypted and signed using Nintendo's common key. It is recommended to only modify this area when installing Bootmii as boot2.
* Block 8 contains the start of per-console data, as well as the header metadata for the NAND filesystem. This and the next 4087 blocks are generally safe to modify, as long as you have Bootmii as boot2 and don't erase the FAT. This is the area that would be exposed with a filesystem by a driver, were one to be made.

== Images ==
[[File:Wii-Nand-Hynix.jpg|250px|Hynix branded NAND on a Wii's motherboard]]

[[Category:Wii Hardware]]

Template:Seealso

2025-05-07T21:24:54Z

SuperbeeLavaman: Add 'See Also' template

:''See also: [[{{{1}}}]]''

File:Wii-Nand-Hynix.jpg

2025-05-07T20:49:40Z

SuperbeeLavaman: A Wii NAND manufactured by Hynix

== Summary ==
A Wii NAND manufactured by Hynix

Troubleshooting/FAQ

2025-05-07T15:40:46Z

SuperbeeLavaman: change it's to its

This page contains some fixes for common issues with [[Wii-Linux]].

== Gumboot isn't loading! What's going on? ==
Depends on what's wrong with it.
Black screen? Immediate reboot? Check if you have bootmii installed correctly.
Blinking disk slot? Check if your SD Card is inserted properly, this means that bootmii can't find ppcboot.elf, armboot.elf, or its config.
HBC / Priiloader won't load bootmii? Check if bootmii is installed correctly as an IOS - these can't load bootmii as boot2.

== I get an error from Gumboot trying to load the kernel! What's wrong? ==
Check that you copied all of the files properly. It's possible that the kernel was corrupted while copying it.
Try putting the SD Card in a computer, deleting wiilinux/vX_X.krn, and copying it out of the SD Files archive.

== How do I modify the kernel arguments? ==
Open the kernel binary (wiilinux/vX_X.krn) in a hex editor, search for the ASCII text root=, then user overwrite mode to modify the arguments (tip: overwrite the large chunk of padding, that's what it's there for!)

== The kernel seems to load (green bar on gumboot), but then the screen stays on garbled colors, fully black, or black screen with the loader text! What's wrong? ==
This could be tons of things.
If you're getting the garbled colors, it means the kernel failed to initialize very early on, before initializing the AVE-RVL.
If you're getting a fully black screen without even the loader text at the top, that means that it failed after initializing the AVE-RVL, gcnfb, but before displaying the loader text.
If you're getting a black screen with the loader text at the top left, it means the kernel has initialized a decent bit, but something isn't working. Try setting the kernel arguments (see the previous answer, right aove this), replace the loglevel=x parameter with loglevel=7 to get full kernel logs on the screen, or check a USB gecko.
For all of these, having a USB gecko would be very beneficial.

== I see the login screen, but I can't type on my USB keyboard, what gives? ==
Check your USB keyboard connection, is it plugged in, and plugged in all the way? (more common than you might think)
Try pressing num lock/caps lock/scroll lock, do the lights come on? If not, check if your keyboard is just dead (plug it into another device). If you've verified all of this, and it still doesn't work, ask for assistance.

== Why is my WiFi so slow? I can't even get 1MB/s! ==
That's just how it is. It's hardware limitations, that's how it is in all standard Wii software as well, the Wii's WiFi chipset is just that slow. I highly recommend using USB Ethernet, or a supported USB WiFI adapter wherever possible if you care about speed.

== Why isn't [some package name here] in the ArchPOWER repos? ==
I don't maintain the ArchPOWER repos, but I do maintain a small group of extra packages for ArchPOWER in a seperate repo.
Ask me, I'll check for you, and build it if possible.

== Why is logging in so slow? ==
Arch (and by extension, ArchPOWER) uses a fairly inefficient (though more secure) hashing algorithm for the password by default, that is quite slow on the Wii's mediocre CPU. If you'd like a better balance between security and speed, you can use SHA256 instead.
Simply edit /etc/login.defs, then replace YESCRYPT with SHA256, then regenerate the password of each user.

== Why I get out-of-memory errors despite turning on a swapfile/swap partition? ==
This is a bug in the default Wii Linux configuration that was shipped for quite some time, but eventually fixed.
You can either:
A) Update your system (the latest wii-linux-meta fixes it)
B) Delete, or fix, /etc/udev/rules.d/99-zram.rules to not have 100M allocated

== Can I play [insert game here] on Wii Linux? ==
Short Answer: No. Stop trying. You don't want to get it to work.
Long answer: Well.... technically, yes.
It's very likely compiled for x86, so it'll need to be emulated. That's already unusably slow on the Wii, but let's carry on.
There's no graphics acceleration of any kind, so it'll be rendering on the emulated x86 CPU, and then drawing to the screen w/ native PPC code, but still on the CPU
So, yes, it may execute the game's code, technically, but you sure as hell won't be "playing" it.

Broadband Adapter

2025-05-06T22:17:23Z

SuperbeeLavaman: Remove second instance of "is unknown" at end of page.

The GameCube Broadband Adapter (sometimes abbreviated as BBA) is a device that plugs into the serial port on the bottom of a [[GameCube]], and exposes an RJ-45 (commonly referred to as Ethernet) plug. It's intended use is for online or local multiplayer games.

== Compatibility ==
The BBA has a driver in [[Wii-Linux]], but since the GameCube port hasn't been confirmed working, the functionality of the driver is unknown.

EXI

2025-05-02T21:18:02Z

SuperbeeLavaman: Add redirect to Hardware/EXI

#REDIRECT [[Hardware/EXI]]