GUIDE The many unusual types of TEST ps2.

That makes sense. It feels a little odd that the TOOL doesn't, especially with the debug output available from the getgo with it, but after looking at the whole list of commands for it (atm I know dsidb and dsedb), unless they somehow allowed something like "reset 2 0 hdd0: etc etc", I don't think it would even be possible to boot things from the HDD on the PS2 side with the TOOL, since the PS2 Browser basically functions as a GUI for tasks as such as booting HDD programs. I'm not an expert with this stuff, but I feel that it would be the case if you could. Just a thought, but thanks for telling me about those test models.

 

Oh, and to satisfy your curiosity... They had specific builds of DNAS libraries meant for testing in controlled development environment.

So while testing game prototypes they would auth their title against private dnas servers. Also I believe the testing version of HDD software had no boot encryption so no need to support magic gate.

 

Interesting. Are there any of those DNAS libraries still around, or are they gone as well as the servers?

So that's how they did it initially. I wonder if they needed special IOP modules, but I figure that the stuff was encrypted in a special way by the software, not the IRXes.

This is all quite fascinating. You should write a book about it.

 

By what I know HDD DNAS libs never leaked. Disc DNAS libs might have leaked because more people used it.

HDD DNAS libs are "authored" and encrypted with library specific keys. Additionally a portion of the file header is encrypted yet again using a unique key generated with a hash from hardware IDs (HDD ID, PS2 ID and HDD install ID) so if for example you format the HDD, the formatter will generate a new install ID invalidating the older installs even if they were backed up.

Swapping the data onto another HDD also would invalidate the install. Or trying to boot it from a different PS2. You need all the components of the system to be the same as what was at the install time.

 

That's quite a bit of high level DRM so it can't just be played on a different machine. I guess SCEI and other devs really didn't want their stuff to be played on other machines.

 

I'd say it was more likely to control/know how many installs would be made. It doesn't keep you from installing over and over but it allows them to know how many times a game was installed and it also prevents off region install.

 

Well I meant DRM in the sense of how some fames that were sold on the market did the same thing. There are some games that you would have to reinstall if you played them on a different console.

 

HDD DNAS required (it no longer exists, it's out of service) the console to phone home and request authorization (aka cryptographic keys) for being able to install. That's what I meant when I said "allows them to know how many times a game was installed". Basically they would not keep one from installing the game as long the disc and the hardware was legit and in region. But that allows them to poll the install base in a very solid manner, even before the current online services ever existed (services such as PSN/XBL).

 

Seems like sony was ahead of the game the whole time.

 

The Konami Python2 platform (Thrill Drive 3, Dance Dance Revolution Super Nova, Super Nova 2, a couple of Guitar Freaks and Drum mania games) used a retail PS2 with a SONY HDD and HDD DNAS for protection and it went uncracked until 2013 or 2014 for you to see how successful the HDD DNAS protection were...

 

It was a precursor to the modern-day PSN - the PSBBN and DNAS. We should be grateful that they no longer require a proprietary HDD for their DRM.

I'm not surprised if SCEI actually had custom TOOLs/DEX consoles to develop and test their DNAS stuff before shipping the real-live DNAS SDKs out. We know that there is a dummy library for developing software with DNAS, but the real libraries had to be tested and developed somehow.

The TOOL's EELOAD program has an explicit check for a boot target on the memory card and will load rom0:SECRMAN if one is detected, but it's part of a dysfunctional system (on all known TOOLs anyway).

 

Do you know how much these usually sell for? Thanks again!

 

EBAY has them for about 450usd.

 

I need help regarding DTL-H30x0x generation TEST units.

Maybe somebody knows where come from BOOT rom that I cannot identify. I found it in some old BIOS collection, it was labeled as DTL-H30002.
ROMVER 0120ED20000902, upgraded rom, datecode 20030110-134044, comment inside boot rom:

Code:

20030110-134044,PS20120ED20000902.conf,PS20120ED20000902+101.bin,kuma@rom-server/~/sdex/PS20120ED20000902.bin.dir

If I understand correctly, upgraded bootroms with secrman_for_dex label inside bootrom was produced only for upgraded version of DTLs. So this should be some of DTL-Hx010x. As this is 'E' region this should be 2 at the end: DTL-Hx0102. Bootrom 0120EC was released only for C-chassis European SCPH-3000(2, 3, 4) so this should be DTL-H30102. The problem is that I recently received dump from @krHACKen for DTL-H30102 and this dump contains another romver version:
ROMVER 0150ED20001228, upgraded rom, datecode 20030520-144207, comment inside boot rom:

Code:

20030520-144207,PS20150ED20001228.conf,PS20150ED20001228+100.bin,kuma@rom-server/~/sdex/PS20150ED20001228.bin.dir

Bootrom 0150EC was released only for D-chassis European SCPH-3000(2, 3, 4) (and for EU SCPH-3500x as well).

So is it possible that Sony released DTLs with same model number but completely different bootrom for testing different BOOT roms? Or maybe this one is really DTL-H30002 which was released at the late stage?

I also have dump from DTL-H30002 which the same romver and not upgraded version of this BOOT rom:
ROMVER 0120ED20000902, upgraded rom, datecode 20000902-234323, comment inside boot rom:

Code:

20000902-234323,ROMconf,PS20120ED20000902.bin,aki@aki-linux/local/new/g/app/rom

Spoiler: comments from BOOT roms of DTL-H

Code:

DTL-H10000       20000217-181557,ROMconf,,horikawa@phoenix/iop_protokernel/system/kernelbin/PS2DEX.0101/Rom
DTL-H10000S      20000224-172900,ROMconf,PS20101XD20000224.bin,horikawa@phoenix/iop_protokernel/system/kernelbin/PS2DEX.shinjo0101/Rom
DTL-H30001       20000727-013728,ROMconf,PS20110AD20000727.bin,aki@aki-linux/local/new/g/app/rom
DTL-H30002       20000902-234323,ROMconf,PS20120ED20000902.bin,aki@aki-linux/local/new/g/app/rom
DTL-H30000       20010118-210307,ROMconf,PS20150JD20010118.bin,aki@aki-linux//work/g/app/rom
DTL-H?????       20030110-134044,PS20120ED20000902.conf,PS20120ED20000902+101.bin,kuma@rom-server/~/sdex/PS20120ED20000902.bin.dir
DTL-H50009       20030224-185856,ROMconf,PS20180CD20030224.bin,kuma@rom-server/~/h180/g/app/rom
DTL-H50002       20030227-193050,ROMconf,PS20170ED20030227.bin,hana@rom-server/~/g/app/rom
DTL-H50001       20030325-181555,ROMconf,PS20170AD20030325.bin,kuma@rom-server/~/hchassis/g/app/rom
DTL-H30101       20030520-144137,PS20150AD20001228.conf,PS20150AD20001228+100.bin,kuma@rom-server/~/sdex/PS20150AD20001228.bin.dir
DTL-H30102       20030520-144207,PS20150ED20001228.conf,PS20150ED20001228+100.bin,kuma@rom-server/~/sdex/PS20150ED20001228.bin.dir
DTL-H90000       20060905-125924,ROMconf,PS20220WD20060905.bin,kuma@rom-server/~/super1/g/app/rom