[root install fix] Install to /system/priv-app/FDroid.apk (root,root,0644)

I just let FDroid install itself as a privileged system app, Android 5.1. It incorrectly installed itself to /system/priv-app/FDroid/FDroid.apk with 0655 permissions(?). The system froze, but I was in adb and corrected the installation to /system/priv-app/FDroid.apk with 0644 permissions. I rebooted the phone, and all is working fine.

@dschuermann any comments?

I just looked on my phone and yes the other apks in priv-app are 644. Keep in mind that I only looked this up for 5.1. So we should change https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroidclient/blob/master/F-Droid/src/org/fdroid/fdroid/installer/InstallIntoSystem.java#L181

Do you have access to a rooted android < 5? Maybe we should also change https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroidclient/blob/master/F-Droid/src/org/fdroid/fdroid/installer/InstallIntoSystem.java#L105

Yeah, I have a Galaxy Nexus with Android 4.3.1. I just let FDroid install itself as a privileged app, and it installed to /system/appFDroid.apk with permissions root:root 0655. The /system/priv-app folder was added to Android in 4.4. Before that there was just /system/app, so it should've installed to /system/app/FDroid.apk with root:root 0644 permissions.

Edit: Moved it to /system/app/FDroid.apk and all is working fine.

@bible-maker not sure if I understand your comment. So you are on 4.3.1 and F-Droid installed itself to "/system/app/FDroid.apk" ? or do you really mean "/system/appFDroid.apk"?

Oh yeah there is a missing "/". Arg!

@mvdan Please add a "/" here: https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroidclient/blob/master/F-Droid/src/org/fdroid/fdroid/installer/InstallIntoSystem.java#L123

@bible-maker Could you please do "adb shell", then "su" and look into /system/app/ folder? What permissions do the other apps have? 655 or 644?

@dschuermann sure!

The other apps in /system/app are 0644. The data apps are 0644 too, but are system:system owned.

I checked, and in Android 5.1, all apks are 0644, root:root owned in /system and system:system(1000:1000) owned in /data.

@bible-maker Many thanks for testing. @mvdan I would then propose we change all "chmod 655" to 644.

@dschuermann my /system/app/*/ and /system/priv-app/*/ are a+x (usually 755, sometimes 777). So not sure what to do.

FWIW, that is on a cyanogenmod 5.1 nightly for the Nexus 6.

I should note, those are the directories. Apks are all 644. And we do chmods on apps. So I'm guessing that is what you mean, which I agree with.

@mvdan You mean the folders or the apks?

@mvdan :D

@dschuermann No problem. FDroid is a vital app for me. It's where I get most of my apps, so I thought I'd help out.

@mvdan Those just the directories that hold the apk's and odex's. The actual apk's are 0644.

Yeah, I had a brain fart. Sorry everyone. Will commit the second fix.

I'm not exactly sure, but I believe the apk only goes in a folder if it's odex'd.

@bible-maker On Android >= 5 the apks in /system/priv-app/ are each in their own folder, this is "cluster-style layout", see https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroidclient/blob/master/F-Droid/src/org/fdroid/fdroid/installer/InstallIntoSystem.java#L170

@bible-maker Sry, I re-read your original issue now. Can you point to a forum post or something that proves that apps should not directly moved into a subfolder? I thought I had tested this enough with my device :/

I just checked and FDroid also works when put into a folder. I reinstalled it to /system/priv-app/FDroid/FDroid.apk, root:root 0644. The folder is root:root 0755, so I think you're right. I've just installed other apps in the past without a folder, since I only saw system apps using folders that were odex'd. I guess the /data apps use folders now too, and they aren't odex'd. Sorry I'm still a little new to 5.1.

@bible-maker No problem, often it's trial and error when using root access... Do you have other ideas what could have caused the freeze you mentioned in the issue?

I'm guessing it might have had to do with 0655 permissions on the apk. On 4.3 with my Galaxy Nexus, the app just ran fine with 0655 permissions once I moved it to /system/app since only read permissions are needed to open the apk zip file. Android 5.1's security is a bit tighter, but I wouldn't expect the system to just freeze because the apk was executable. I might try reinstalling it with 0655 permissions and run "adb logcat *:F" to see if it happens again.

@bible-maker Yeah, please test as much as possible. Every hint could help to track down these bugs

Ok, I went ahead and reinstalled FDroid as a /data app, so I could let it install itself to /system again. I didn't get a freeze, but I figured out why it didn't show up under apps, even after a reboot. The folder permissions for /system/priv-app/FDroid were root:root 0700. They should be root:root 0755, so the system can see the app.

Maybe we want to chmod the dir after mkdir?

@mvdan yes

@dschuermann done, and also made the mkdir have -p to not error if the directory already exists. As a preparation for #363 (closed), since /system/app and /system/priv-app would make mkdir error in my face.

Can this issue be closed, or is there anything else you guys think should be done?

@bible-maker we'll do another alpha soon, so perhaps you can test then and we can close the issue once we are sure it works for you.

@mvdan I think that's it.

Closing for now then.

Status changed to closed

Milestone changed to 0.96