PS2 hard drive file system?

The file system is called PFS.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playstation_File_System

For official use of the HDD you'll need the HDD Utility Disc 1.10 (a CDR copy will work - this is how i did on my unofficial one). After the HDD is formatted, the games that support will recognize it.

You could use Winhiip or ulaunchelf as well for other stuff HDD related.

 

Yeah, with PFS Explorer. But you can't write, just read and copy data. Moreover, PS2 HDD has a specials commands in his firmware. You are able to use any hdd to run app from HD Loader, but for playing online games you must have a hard drive with custom maxtor/sony firmware.

If someone can dump the firmware and extract the flag part...

 

PFS explorer can't access all the partitions.
Wait for l_oliveira, he'll explain (almost) alll about the hdd firmware and encrypted filesystem...

 

again, ulaunchelf would be very helpful. It's a fantastic file manager for the PS2. It can access anything on it. PS2 HDD, Memory cards, CDs, DVDs, Mass (USB) and even files on a pc (through a server connect)

 

Are you sure ? Utility Disc and other HDD stuffs are heavily protected against copy and others things like zone or unofficial HDD.

Humm.. Not realy. Some folders are encrypted and you cannot browse them. It appears like empty folder. I already tried to access to FFXI's folder, for changing language files (I have a japanese account, this game refuses to switch between japanese and english languages). Unfortunatly, I did not find how to acces to these files, and ulanchelf did not help me more.

 

I have a PS2 Linux kit and it's HDD, as well as the HDD Utility Disk 1.10. I could probably hook the drive up and dump the firmware if anyone is interested, but I would guess it's already out on the intertubes somewhere.

 

My PS2 is modded with Matrix Infinity and a 80GB Samsung HD. All i need to do was to enter the modchip settings menu and enable the Auto ATAD Patching mode. Then with the HDD Utility Disc 1.10, i formatted and installed the Browser 2.0. Bingo. The PS2 recognizes the HDD on startup (yellow led blinks beside the controller ports) and the browser 2.0 is loaded.

This way the HDD shows up on the PS2 browser and i can backup PS1 and PS2 saves and use the options for games with official HDD option (example: RE Outbreak File 1 and 2 install, ESPN NBA2K5 install, Socom 2 extra maps...). Of course i can only use those stuff offline. To play online, i have to turn off the modchip, thus not making the HDD visible. Plus all HDLoader games installed show up, but you can't load them from there.

Really? Always thought that ulaunchelf could acess those partitions. They always shows up there, but i never bothered to check HDLoader and official games partitions. Are you using the latest version of ule?

 

So ... people mentioned my name here ...
Let me say what I know about this stuff.

First, it's a well known fact that SONY HDDs use customized firmware.
I have seen HDDs from the following families:

Maxtor 4D040H2 ("Romulus" DSP family) Commercial name is "Diamond MAX"
This drive I know fairly well. Few years ago I was able to extract it's firmware, locate DNAS authentication data and match it with the S/N sticker.

Quantum/Maxtor 2F04L07103 with POKER D8 CPU

Seagate ST340015A (low profile model)

Seagate ST340823A, some 40GB model from U5 series (of the kind that comes with the rubber jacket) Actually this is the earliest model of HDD.
Heard comments of this drive being quite noisy.

I happen to own one of each model of drives with the only exception being the U5 Seagate.

The custom firmware has ATA commands specific to SCEI which pertain to software security and drive authentication.

Non DNAS titles (games that install data but still require the disc to boot) should run fine on hard disks without custom firmware as long the ATAD IRX module is patched properly. So will work the browser with just that patching. Hence the utility disc working fine with an ATAD compatible modchip.

Final Fantasy XI uses DNAS and secure PFS. The only way I could extract files from it was with a RAW FS dump and a lot of "forensics" analysis... Putting files back in is out of question, sadly. If anyone is interested, a full dump of *all* 167 FFXI songs as of the lattest update (april 2009) can be found here:

http://www.4shared.com/dir/15388159/68dd08fe/FFXI.html
Songs have no tags and are numbered as the game reads them.

By the way, the PFS look similar to linux filesystems.
I suspect it's based on Reiser FS, but again I'm not a software guy ...

If anyone here deals with data recovery and knows about these russian data recovery software tools such as PC3000 and similar software (HDD firmware tools) and wish to lend a hand on figuring out how these drives work I'm up for helping.

 

I knew you'll eventually see this thread...

A few slideshows presenting the hdd from various developer conferences sessions, they are interesting to read at least:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ITA09F45

 

Assembler, the APA partition system is based on the concept of an unlimited number of partitions with minimal granularity of 128MB. What I have seen is they create small (128, 256 or 512 MB) partitions for small games/programs or create multiple 1024MB blocks and a smaller last block then bind them together on a single file system. The PSF filesystem sits in a higher layer of the software and is driven by it's own driver which in turns sits atop of the APA/ATAD drivers.

For example, Final Fantasy XI uses eight blocks of 1GB.

Now regarding the drives contents, a way for you to get a listing is hook it up on a PC and run the command line application "HDLDUMP" with the following parameters:

c:\> hdl_dump query

queries all existing hard drives and scans for APA formatted hard drives. Even drives mounted on *removable* enclosures will be detected and used as long APA formatted.

c:\> hdl_dump toc <drive>

type <drive> exactly as shown on the result of the query command... for example "hdd3:"

That tool was made specifically for HDL games but it works quite well for giving you a list of what is on the hard disk or even for "un-delete" of APA/PSF partitions. It works on partition levels. It won't allow you to see what's inside of the partitions but at least it will list where each partition starts/ends.

That helps if you feel like trying advanced forensic stuff such as data carving.

When I said that PSF looks like reiser FS I meant it looks like such, not that it's identical. I don't think they would just pick a open source FS implementation and use as it is considering how they like the concept of "security by obscurity" lol.


P.S.:
Since recovery tools saw no contents on the drives in question there's two possibilities:

They're APA formatted (PS2 native format) and the recovery tools you tried tools did not like it...

They were wiped...
If HDL Dump tool don't find anything then the drives are really empty.

Download HDL Dump here:

http://sksapps.com/index.php?page=hd.html

 

Since i don't bother about FFXI, the way it is fine for me. I can install any options for any game that support the official HDD on a unnoficial one.

I even got the extra maps for Socom2, since i have the OPM disk. Can't play online, but can play it offline.

PS: What would be the safest way to delete official game partitions. For example, if i want to delete RE Outbreak install partition. Would ulaunchelf do it safely? Remember that my HD is full of stuff like Emulators, SMS, uLaunchelf, HDLoader, PS1/PS2 save backups (done with the Browser 2.0), ESPN NBA2K5 installed partition, Socom2 extra maps installed partition, Codebreaker (for making backups of saves through USB),...

 

If the APA partition table is corrupted, hdl_dump won't display it, right?

Then you'll have to use the hdl_dump2 salvage and repair tools that can be found here:
http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=4773

Johnny, can't you delete the RE outbreak partition from the Browser 2.0 as recommended by Sony?

 

Call me crazy, but i never tried it :lol: If it's possible to delete it from the Browser 2.0, i guess it's ok.

 

well, if the HDDs are ps2 formatted and you need stuff out of there, just plug one to an actual PS2, run launchelf and just copy the files out of every partition to USB drive.

that's what i did when i was on my way of trying to find a way to make BBnavi to work on a PAL PS2. which sadly failed miserably

the HDD manager on launchelf displays all the contents of a PFS formatted disk, but sadly the filemanager cannot access all of them, including HDL games and such.

 

launchelf explicitly avoids official partitions and file systems when they contain protection flags (Official games with password set on their partitions) or HDLoader partitions.

So it's not an option. Same apply to other homebrewn PSF enabled FTP clients.

 

would a TOOL be able to access those ?
just a long shot i guess, but if it has emulation from HDD and whatnot as i heard (DTL-T14k), it wouldn't be too far fetched to assume that it uses the PFS filesystem, which then again would mean that the TOOL would have means to access it properly.

 

Instead of use of HDL Dump,. how to retreive Fpass and Rpass informations ?