Rooting a Pocketbook e-reader

PBJB installs root access and system services without modifying any stock firmware files. It places scripts in /mnt/secure/runonce/, which the stock firmware auto-executes at boot. The /mnt/secure partition is ext2 and is not touched by OTA updates.

Warning: Not all Pocketbook models work, check here to see which have been tested.

Installation:

1. Download pbjb*.zip from github.com/ezdiy/pbjb.
2. Extract the two .app files into the applications folder on the device’s internal storage.
3. From the app menu, launch @Jailbreak. This installs the su binary.
4. Launch @Services. This installs SSH, Samba, FTP, HTTP, firewall rules, kernel modules, and utilities.
5. Reboot. A new Rooted Device Settings entry appears in the system settings menu. The generated root password is shown there.

SSH into the device at root@<device-ip> using that password. When connecting via usbnet, the fixed IP is 169.254.0.1.

Sources: MobileRead Forums – PBJB Thread · GitHub: ezdiy/pbjb

Updates on a rooted Pocketbook

Before running any firmware update on a Pocketbook, remove the immutable flag from PBJB’s runonce scripts, or the updater will fail with:

chown: /mnt/secure/runonce/jailbreak_startup.sh: Operation not permitted
chmod: /mnt/secure/runonce/jailbreak_startup.sh: Operation not permitted
Update failed
The device will turn off in few seconds

And leave the touchscreen unresponsive.

Remove flag before upgrading with SSH

ssh -oHostKeyAlgorithms=+ssh-rsa -oPubkeyAcceptedKeyTypes=+ssh-rsa root@<device-ip>
chattr -i /mnt/secure/runonce/*.sh

Run the update, then reinstall PBJB v8 afterward.

Source: MobileRead Forums – PBJB Thread

Flash firmware

1. Place SWUPDATE.BIN from Pocketbook support page on the root of internal storage (/mnt/ext1/).
2. Hold Back + Forward buttons, then press the power button. The device boots into update mode and applies the file.

Recovery without SSH Access, with Samba

If the upgrade failed, the screen is unresponsive, and SSH is not enabled, you still can get it back if Samba is enabled.

1. Access the device via Samba

Connect the device to your WiFi network. Mount the hidden system Samba share:

\\<device-ip>\system

Or via WebDAV:

http://<device-ip>/system/

Using the root password. The device IP is shown under Settings → Rooted Device Settings → System Status, or can be found via your router’s DHCP leases.

2. Create a runonce script to start SSH

New files can be created in /mnt/secure/runonce/ via Samba even when existing files there are immutable. Create a file named enable_ssh.sh with the following content and copy it to /mnt/secure/runonce/:

#!/bin/sh
/mnt/secure/su /sbin/dropbear -G ""

3. Reboot the device

Rebbot the device. On next boot, the script runs and starts dropbear with no password required.

4. SSH in

ssh -oHostKeyAlgorithms=+ssh-rsa -oPubkeyAcceptedKeyTypes=+ssh-rsa root@<device-ip>

No password needed.

5. Remove the immutable flag and disable the broken script

chattr -i /mnt/secure/runonce/*.sh
mv /mnt/secure/runonce/jailbreak_startup.sh /mnt/secure/runonce/jailbreak_startup.bak

6. Flash firmware

Hold Back + Forward, then press the power button. The device flashes from SWUPDATE.BIN on internal storage.

7. Reinstall PBJB v8

After flashing, root is gone. Repeat the rooting steps above.

Samba & WebDAV Reference

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