PS3 Patch Allows Linux Installation

[Geohot] came up with a patch that allows OtherOS on 3.21 PS3 firmware. You’ll remember that Sony released version 3.21 specifically to prohibit OtherOS which allows the installation of Linux for which they were subsequently sued. Well, now their “fix” doesn’t work on people willing to flash patched firmware which means they’re only punishing those who play by the rules. Ugh.

Wondering why this is a big deal? Check out this article on the effect Sony’s move has on PS3 clusters used for supercomputing; something we hadn’t even thought of initially.

It turns out that this patch was released more than a month ago. Sorry for the late coverage but it’s new to us. You can see the obligatory proof video of the patched OtherOS after the break.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-9wLWQ4-uA]

[Thanks Wdfowty]

37 thoughts on “PS3 Patch Allows Linux Installation

  1. Old news, yes.
    However, the patch has not been released, AFAIK.
    It’s not in the usual places if it is beyond the hands of geohot.

    Please correct me if I’m wrong…

  2. There is no patch, only a suspicious youtube video. Geohot has been extremely quiet since releasing this. He has repeatedly been asked to show he can boot to otherOS and access the PSN Store on the latest FW, he has so far failed to prove this simple test or provide *any* evidence, code and information about what he’s done.

    Most people are under the impression he’s done a byte edit on the version string. Who knows?

  3. “It turns out that this patch was released more than a month ago.”
    Guys come on, did you read the page you linked?
    geohotps3.blogspot.com “No release date yet”
    Only the proof of concept was released as of yet.

  4. The linked article is complete B.S. The problem isn’t that the existing clusters have any kind of a problem. I manage a small cluster of PS3’s. They ONLY update if they’re running GameOS, and even then you have to agree to the update. If you leave them alone running OtherOS (which is the point) they’re fine. The real problem is that you can’t add, expand, or build new clusters. Remember that SONY is taking a loss on each console (still) so, other than publicity, I’m sure they don’t feel too bad about ending this use of their products.

  5. @hpux735, you seem confused. This only affects the older fat models. The slims do not, and never have had the otherOS option. Unless you’re crawling ebay for old machines, you’re not going to be able to build PS3 clusters this late in the day.

  6. @paul

    For a time you could still buy the “fat” models, and I’m aware they’re the only option going forward as OtherOS was removed from the slim model. I haven’t added machines to the cluster in very long time. The point I was making was really about the linked article, which is full of hyperbole and B.S.

  7. I don’t understand this sentence: ‘Well, now their “fix” doesn’t work on people willing to flash patched firmware which means they’re only punishing those who play by the rules. Ugh.’

    If they’re willing to flash their firmware, how does that make them people who play by the rules? I’m confused.

    As for people running linux clusters of ps3s, I don’t understand why they were required to get the patch in the first place, if all you’re using it for is linux, and you have your cluster all setup and perfect and stable, why the heck would you download automatic updates and change it? At every corp I’ve worked out that’s the kind of thing that was scheduled and techs did manually to the servers, and if things got fubar’d, they would roll them back. I’m betting the ps3 doesn’t have rollback, but also, it’s not really server hardware anyway, it baffels me that people thought using these in clusters like that would be a good idea.

  8. call me when you have news, there is not a single week where some putz is showing off a sony firmware patch /crack and shows some cellphone video of it right before they say it will never be released

  9. when this firmware update came out on April 1st, I did not update. There was a workaround for a little while where you can change the DNS settings manually and be able to get on the PSN without updating, but they patched that workaround server-side. After waiting a full month for the patch from Geo, I gave up and just updated.

    I loves me some little big planet!

  10. I will believe that this is actually true. geohot has already pulled off some amazing such as hardware hacking the ps3 to run unsigned code and making the iPad run cydia. i have no doubt this is real. ps geohot your running cydia on the ipad is mentioned in the Peter Pontificates article in the current (may-june) issue of The NT Insider, the free newsletter by OSR

  11. Well there is always an option for the Supercomputer cluster folks. Get a developers license for the PS3. I wounder if Sony would sell them to Universities and labs?
    If they did then they would not just get access to the Cells but also the GPUS as well for even more FLOP goodness.
    Frankly the PS3 cluster sales are probably just a drop in the bucket to Sony so I doubt that they really hurt Sony that bad.

  12. FYI: Nothing outside of ram glitching has been published to date, and there has to this day not been a single injection with that. Also geohot has pretty much stopped both i-product and PS3 reversing as you can see on his twitter.

  13. Who posted this crap? It’s not even actually been released. Also,
    “Check out this article on the effect Sony’s move has on PS3 clusters used for supercomputing; something we hadn’t even thought of initially.”

    That was my very first concern when I heard about Sony removing “other os”. WTF HAD?

  14. Yeah seriously, the effect on using the PS3 as a supercomputer was one of the main points against the update. Arguably, more Linux-enabled PS3s were out there in clusters than single machine installations.

  15. @osgeld He never said he wouldn’t release it. Until he denied guest posting in his blog, the comments section was rife with “Sorry guys not releasing CFW, Sony has won!!!!!” and “GEOHOT HAS DONE IT! CFW!! I CAN PLAY PS3 BACKUP NOW GET IT HERE: http://linktoevilwebsite.com” all designed to mislead and anger readers. But anyway,

    I stand by what I said before. He hasn’t released the patch simply because he’s waiting to see what comes of this Sony lawsuit. And before then? Code fixing, most likely. This guy owes the community nothing, so I’d love to see everyone being patient. He’ll deliver. blackra1n wasn’t a fake..

  16. “This guy owes the community nothing,” – IMHO, he’s the one that caused the patching in the first place, I know he wanted to take the credit first for getting into the hardware but he should’ve really thought about it :/

  17. @Grayda, as someone who was in that scene for nearly 6 years again

    CALL ME WHEN THERE IS NEWS, but I am not going to hold my breath

    Um I cracked this but there is (insert firmware upgrade, new model, or lawsuit) pending now so I wont release it

    whoppie shit, this (oh what was his handle …) GEOHOT sofar is the same, let me know when its more than a crappy video with speculation and “sorry but I cant release it because…”

    cause until then its NOTHING

  18. oh and this

    “This guy owes the community nothing”

    well we dont owe him anything either, why? cause he has a twitter account and posted a video on the interwebs?

  19. @viperware maybe somepeople are willing to trade online for other OS feature, even just the option to trade online for the Other OS would be good.

    ALSO you when you say “online” you mean PSN Home I’m sure the PS3 could still go online with a web browser or something.

  20. I don’t care if Geohat rammed his PS3 up the Sony CEO’s rectum, he is in no way responsible for Sony being the lying, craven assholes they are.

    I don’t recall “unless someone cracks our protection” _ever_ being a proviso for any of the features of the PS3 when I purchased it, and I’m fully expecting Australian consumer law to agree.

  21. The update that removes the “Other OS” function doesn’t automatically apply itself like the article would have you believe, my PS3 is still running the old firmware, I get a message about updating when I turn it on but I can ignore it, I don’t see why the PS3 clusters couldn’t either. Also, do these PS3 clusters really run using the hypervisor system? Wouldn’t that kind of defeat the purpose of using the Cell to begin with?

  22. @Ryan Leach
    Those willing to trade online for Other OS were already able to do so by declining the update. And correct, the lack of updating does not disable the ethernet port, but it does prevent you from playing some of the latest PS3 games and playing current ones online.

  23. @zeropointmodule
    IMHO Sony could be an “enemy of the state” if their patch causes clusters owned by the DoD, NASA and other agencies to fail.

    Just my $0.02 worth.
    =========================================
    I am sure Sony would release a patch for them to still run “Other OS”, or send them a disk to patch it with.

  24. @spyder_21 And I’m sure the DoD doesn’t connect any stuff they have to sony and let them do what they want, in fact I don’t buy that the DoD would use a system as closed source as a sony device, who knows what the hell is in that firmware?
    As for NASA, that’s even less likely really, they might have one for games, perhaps even to run SETI for fun, but not for anything serious, I just don’t buy it, I mean i know the world is mad and the US is even madder, but that is just pushing it.

  25. Trolling is a way of life, isn’t it osgeld?
    99% of U.S. iPhone users, myself included, owe him a great deal of respect for the original unlocks (and for paving the way for new unlocks).
    Also, a great deal of jailbroken iDevices wouldn’t be if not for blackra1n.

    I don’t care if you don’t hold your breath, but please exhale on some other site. I hear youtube has an open-troll policy :D

  26. @wdfowty: Just so you know unlocking was not only around over 1.5 decades before anyone even heard of GeoHot, but even had it’s own scene.

    Reverse engineering was around even before that, and there have been more complex things reversed than the PS3 or apple products, some even before Geohot was born.

    Geohot is just another person reversing stuff, and he’s far from the most talented both in the legal and illegal realms. You only know his name cause it’s associated with sensationalized consumer product modification.

    As far as his custom firmware..that video he made can be emulated by patching meta data in an unsigned part of the firmware..Also all his i-product work isn’t just from his effort, he’s had about 8 other skilled reversers helping him since his hardware unlock. His RAM glitch for PS3 to this day has literally not executed a single instruction. All his claims are BS that ran out of merit which is why all his sites are on lock down now..

  27. Also other people did the untethered jailbreak, Geohot had nothing to do with it.

    Like his CFW sensationalism his untethered claims have lost all credibility now. Geohot got high on his own supply, and this CFW claim will just make people even madder within the next year. I actually feel sorry for him, but he was the one who built all these consumers up with his real name then bombed..

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