GBA Net Boot 3DS: Difference between revisions

GBA Net Boot
GBA Net Boot
General
Author	joshbackstein
Type	Utilities
Version	0.0.2
License	GPL-3.0
Last Updated	2023/04/11
Links
	Download
	Website
	Source

Latest revision as of 00:47, 14 August 2023

GBA Net Boot is a tool for wirelessly receiving and booting GBA homebrew on your 3DS using its built-in GBA hardware. Using GBA Net Send, you can send GBA homebrew ROMs from your computer to your 3DS over a wifi network. GBA Net Boot will receive your ROM, store it to the SD card, and boot into open_agb_firm for you to run your ROM in native GBA mode on your 3DS.

This is meant to make testing GBA homebrew on official hardware as seamless and painless as possible.

Note: This software has been tested many time without encountering any issues, however, there is always a risk something might cause damage to your system or cause corruption or loss of data. Multiple parts of this process deal with lower levels of the system, especially the custom firmware and bootloader. The author takes no responsibility for any damage to or destruction of your system, your data, or anything else.

Installation

Initial setup

First, install Luma3DS and Boot9strap using this guide.

Then install fastboot3DS using OpenFirmInstaller.

After you have installed fastboot3DS, turn off your 3DS, then turn it back on while holding the Home button. This should show you the fastboot3DS splash screen and bring you to its menu.

Looking at the bottom screen, go down to Boot setup and press A, then go down to Enable FCRAM Boot and press A to enable it. If done correctly, you should see a check mark next to that option. Now press B, then go up to Continue boot and press A.

(Optional) If you want to use the default Luma3DS chainloader instead of GodMode9, go to Boot setup in the fastboot3DS menu, select Setup [slot 1], then highlight Disable [slot 2] and press A. Keep pressing B until you reach the main menu, and choose Continue boot. Holding Start on boot should now allow you to use the Luma3DS chainloader.

Installing gba-net-boot

Create a new directory called gba-net-boot in the 3ds directory on your SD card. Copy the gba-net-boot.3dsx file into this directory.

To use gba-net-boot, you must also copy open_agb_firm to your SD card. For gba-net-boot to work properly, you need to copy the open_agb_firm.firm file to one of two directories on your SD card:

/3ds/gba-net-boot
/luma/payloads

If you want to use the Luma3DS chainloader to load open_agb_firm, use the /luma/payloads directory. If you want to set up a slot in fastboot3DS, it doesn't matter which directory you choose.

If you want gba-net-boot to use a different open_agb_firm from what Luma3DS or fastboot3DS use, you can copy one version of open_agb_firm into gba-net-boot's directory for gba-net-boot to use and another version in the appropriate directory for Luma3DS or fastboot3DS to use.

Finally, make sure your 3DS has wifi enabled and is connected to the same network as the computer you will be sending your ROM from.

To launch gba-net-boot, go to the 3DS Home Menu and launch the Homebrew Launcher, then find gba-net-boot and launch it. Refer to the other section for instructions on how to use it.

User guide

How to use

First, make sure you have gone through the setup.

Make sure you have wifi enabled and connected on your 3DS, then launch gba-net-boot. If wifi hasn't been set up yet, gba-net-boot will wait for your 3DS to connect to wifi.

After your 3DS is connected to wifi, gba-net-boot will wait for you to use the gba-net-send tool to send your ROM to your 3DS over the network. Your ROM will be saved to the root of your SD card as rom.gba.

When the transfer has completed and your ROM is saved to your SD card, gba-net-boot will automatically boot into open_agb_firm. From here, you can navigate to rom.gba on the root of your SD card and press A to launch it.

Booting directly into the Homebrew Launcher

To make things more convenient, you can set your 3DS to automatically boot directly into the Homebrew Launcher. This is only possible if you're using Luma3DS v12.0 or later. To enable this feature, hold down the Select button while turning on your 3DS.

Once in the Luma3DS configuration menu, navigate to either the Homebrew autoboot or Hbmenu autoboot option, depending on your Luma3DS version. Then select 3DS and press Start to save your changes and continue booting.

Your 3DS will skip the 3DS Home Menu and automatically launch the Homebrew Launcher each time you turn it on, until you disable this option by switching it back to Off.

Booting directly into gba-net-boot

If you installed the Homebrew Launcher Wrapper following the guide, you can skip the 3DS Home Menu and the Homebrew Launcher and boot straight into gba-net-boot. However, there are some limitations to this method:

Pressing Start to exit gba-net-boot will only restart gba-net-boot instead of taking you back to the Homebrew Launcher or 3DS Home Menu. But you can still return to the 3DS Home Menu by pressing the Home button.
If you try to launch the Homebrew Launcher from the 3DS Home Menu, it will instead launch gba-net-boot.
This will remove your ability to load the Homebrew Launcher at all unless you have a second wrapper installed for it, which you might need to build yourself.

If you still want to use this method, you will first need to get your 3DS set up to boot directly into the Homebrew Launcher as described above. Next, make a backup of the boot.3dsx file on your SD card, then copy gba-net-boot.3dsx to the root of your SD card and rename it to boot.3dsx. If you were keeping open_agb_firm in the same directory as gba-net-boot, you will also need to copy open_agb_firm.firm to the root of your SD card.

To restore the Homebrew Launcher, simply replace the modified boot.3dsx file with the backup you made. You can also remove the copy of open_agb_firm.firm.

The limitations mentioned above exist because Luma3DS boots directly into the Homebrew Launcher by referencing the Title ID for the Homebrew Launcher Wrapper installed on your 3DS Home Menu. The wrapper looks for boot.3dsx on the root of your SD card and runs it, which is the Homebrew Launcher used to launch other .3dsx homebrew. By replacing boot.3dsx with gba-net-boot, the Homebrew Launcher Wrapper will run gba-net-boot instead, and you will lose the entry point to the Homebrew Launcher.

How it works

When you run gba-net-send, it sends a UDP broadcast, which gba-net-boot listens for and responds to. When gba-net-send receives a response from gba-net-boot, gba-net-send establishes a TCP connection to gba-net-send to transfer your ROM. The ROM is saved to the root of your SD card as rom.gba.

After the transfer is completed and your ROM is saved, gba-net-boot copies open_agb_firm into a specific location in FCRAM and reboots the 3DS. Because we configured fastboot3DS to check for it and the FCRAM hasn't been cleared during the reboot, fastboot3DS sees that a firm (open_agb_firm in this case) has been loaded at this location and automatically boots into it.

Known issues

If a transfer is interrupted, it will assume the transfer has completed successfully. File size needs to be communicated and checked.
Sometimes the UDP broadcast or ack is dropped. If this happens, try sending the ROM again.
Nothing is configurable right now. Configuration options are planned for the future.

Changelog

v0.0.2 Beta

Fixed a bug causing the ROM to be replaced by an empty file if no file transfer was performed.

v0.0.1 Beta

First Release.

Credits

Thanks:

A9NC - ARM9 Netload Companion devs - code referenced for info on FCRAM firm boot
That-Shortcut-Thingy devs - code referenced for info on FCRAM firm boot
SciresM - clarification that GSPGPU_FlushDataCache() flushes CPU cache to RAM
TuxSH - clarification that GSPGPU_FlushDataCache() flushes CPU cache to RAM
Luma3DS devs
fastboot3DS devs
libctru devs
devkitPro contributors
3dbrew.org contributors
Everyone who has contributed to the homebrew scene

External links

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Infobox 3DS Homebrews
 |title=GBA Net Boot
-|image=gbanetboot3ds.png
+|image=Gbanetboot3ds2.png
 |description=A tool to make GBA homebrew testing more convenient.
 |author=joshbackstein
@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 |website=https://www.reddit.com/r/3dshacks/comments/12blrok/gba_net_boot_a_tool_to_make_gba_homebrew_testing/
 |source=https://github.com/joshbackstein/gba-net-boot
-|discussion=
+|donation=
 }}
-{{#seo:
+GBA Net Boot is a tool for wirelessly receiving and booting GBA homebrew on your 3DS using its built-in GBA hardware. Using [[GBA Net Send 3DS|GBA Net Send]], you can send GBA homebrew ROMs from your computer to your 3DS over a wifi network. GBA Net Boot will receive your ROM, store it to the SD card, and boot into open_agb_firm for you to run your ROM in native GBA mode on your 3DS.
-|title= (Utilities) - GameBrew
-|title_mode=append
+This is meant to make testing GBA homebrew on official hardware as seamless and painless as possible.
-|image=gbanetboot3ds.png
-|image_alt=GBA Net Boot
+'''Note:''' This software has been tested many time without encountering any issues, however, there is always a risk something might cause damage to your system or cause corruption or loss of data. Multiple parts of this process deal with lower levels of the system, especially the custom firmware and bootloader. The author takes no responsibility for any damage to or destruction of your system, your data, or anything else.
-}}
-The GBA Net Boot is a wireless tool that allows you to receive and boot GBA homebrew on your 3DS using its built-in GBA hardware. With GBA Net Send, you can transmit GBA homebrew ROMs from your computer to your 3DS over a wifi network. After receiving your ROM, GBA Net Boot saves it to the SD card and automatically launches open_agb_firm to enable you to run your ROM in native GBA mode on your 3DS. The primary purpose of this tool is to simplify and streamline the process of testing GBA homebrew on official hardware.
+==Installation==
+===Initial setup===
+First, install [[Luma3DS]] and [[Boot9strap 3DS|Boot9strap]] using [https://3ds.hacks.guide/ this guide].
+Then install [[fastboot3DS]] using [[OpenFirmInstaller 3DS|OpenFirmInstaller]].
+After you have installed fastboot3DS, turn off your 3DS, then turn it back on while holding the Home button. This should show you the fastboot3DS splash screen and bring you to its menu.
+Looking at the bottom screen, go down to <code>Boot setup</code> and press A, then go down to <code>Enable FCRAM Boot</code> and press A to enable it. If done correctly, you should see a check mark next to that option. Now press B, then go up to <code>Continue boot</code> and press A.
+(Optional) If you want to use the default Luma3DS chainloader instead of [[GodMode9 3DS|GodMode9]], go to <code>Boot setup</code> in the fastboot3DS menu, select <code>Setup [slot 1]</code>, then highlight <code>Disable [slot 2]</code> and press A. Keep pressing B until you reach the main menu, and choose <code>Continue boot</code>. Holding Start on boot should now allow you to use the Luma3DS chainloader.
-==How it works==
+===Installing gba-net-boot===
-When you execute [[GBA Net Send 3DS‎‎]], it initiates a UDP broadcast that gba-net-boot receives and replies to. Once gba-net-send obtains a response from gba-net-boot, it creates a TCP connection to gba-net-send for the transmission of your ROM. The transferred ROM is then stored in the root directory of your SD card as rom.gba.
+Create a new directory called <code>gba-net-boot</code> in the 3ds directory on your SD card. Copy the gba-net-boot.3dsx file into this directory.
-Once the ROM transfer is complete and saved, gba-net-boot copies open_agb_firm to a particular location in FCRAM, and then restarts the 3DS. fastboot3DS, which we have configured to verify it, detects that a firm (in this case, open_agb_firm) has been loaded at this location, and since the FCRAM has not been erased during the reboot, it automatically boots into it.
+To use gba-net-boot, you must also copy [[open agb firm 3DS|open_agb_firm]] to your SD card. For gba-net-boot to work properly, you need to copy the open_agb_firm.firm file to one of two directories on your SD card:
+*<code>/3ds/gba-net-boot</code>
+*<code>/luma/payloads</code>
-==Disclaimer==
+If you want to use the Luma3DS chainloader to load open_agb_firm, use the <code>/luma/payloads</code> directory. If you want to set up a slot in fastboot3DS, it doesn't matter which directory you choose.
-Please note that while this software has been extensively tested without encountering any issues, there is always a chance that it could harm your system, corrupt your data, or result in data loss. Certain aspects of this process, particularly the custom firmware and bootloader, interact with lower levels of the system. It is important to understand that I am not liable for any damage or loss incurred as a result of using this software.
-==How To Use==
+If you want gba-net-boot to use a different open_agb_firm from what Luma3DS or fastboot3DS use, you can copy one version of open_agb_firm into gba-net-boot's directory for gba-net-boot to use and another version in the appropriate directory for Luma3DS or fastboot3DS to use.
-Before starting, ensure that you have completed the setup process.
-Make sure that the Wi-Fi on your 3DS is enabled and connected, and then open gba-net-boot. If Wi-Fi has not been configured yet, gba-net-boot will wait until your 3DS is connected to Wi-Fi.
+Finally, make sure your 3DS has wifi enabled and is connected to the same network as the computer you will be sending your ROM from.
-Once your 3DS is connected to Wi-Fi, gba-net-boot will wait for you to use the gba-net-send tool to transfer your ROM over the network to your 3DS. The ROM will be saved to the root directory of your SD card as "rom.gba".
+To launch gba-net-boot, go to the 3DS Home Menu and launch the Homebrew Launcher, then find gba-net-boot and launch it. Refer to the other section for instructions on how to use it.
-After the transfer is complete and your ROM is saved to your SD card, gba-net-boot will automatically launch open_agb_firm. From there, you can navigate to "rom.gba" on the root of your SD card and press the A button to launch it.
+==User guide==
+===How to use===
+First, make sure you have gone through the setup.
-==Setup==
+Make sure you have wifi enabled and connected on your 3DS, then launch gba-net-boot. If wifi hasn't been set up yet, gba-net-boot will wait for your 3DS to connect to wifi.
-Begin by following the guide to install [[Luma3DS]] custom firmware, which will also [https://3ds.hacks.guide/ guide] you through the process of installing Boot9strap.
-Once you have installed Luma3DS, use [[OpenFirmInstaller 3DS]] to install [[fastboot3DS]].
+After your 3DS is connected to wifi, gba-net-boot will wait for you to use the [https://github.com/joshbackstein/gba-net-send gba-net-send] tool to send your ROM to your 3DS over the network. Your ROM will be saved to the root of your SD card as <code>rom.gba</code>.
-Turn off your 3DS and turn it back on while holding the Home button to access the fastboot3DS menu. Navigate to Boot setup and select Enable FCRAM Boot to enable it. Once you see the check mark, go to Continue boot and press A to proceed.
+When the transfer has completed and your ROM is saved to your SD card, gba-net-boot will automatically boot into open_agb_firm. From here, you can navigate to <code>rom.gba</code> on the root of your SD card and press A to launch it.
-Optionally, if you want to use the default Luma3DS chainloader instead of [[GodMode9 3DS]], go to Boot setup in the fastboot3DS menu, select Setup [slot 1], and highlight Disable [slot 2] to disable GodMode9. Press B until you reach the main menu, and choose Continue boot. Now, holding the Start button on boot should use the Luma3DS chainloader.
+===Booting directly into the Homebrew Launcher===
+To make things more convenient, you can set your 3DS to automatically boot directly into the Homebrew Launcher. This is only possible if you're using [[Luma3DS]] v12.0 or later. To enable this feature, hold down the Select button while turning on your 3DS.
-Create a new directory called gba-net-boot in the 3ds directory on your SD card. Copy the gba-net-boot.3dsx file into this directory.
+Once in the Luma3DS configuration menu, navigate to either the <code>Homebrew autoboot</code> or <code>Hbmenu autoboot</code> option, depending on your Luma3DS version. Then select <code>3DS</code> and press Start to save your changes and continue booting.
-To use gba-net-boot, you must also copy [[open agb firm 3DS|open_agb_firm]] to your SD card. Place the open_agb_firm.firm file in either the /3ds/gba-net-boot or /luma/payloads directory. If you want to use the Luma3DS chainloader to load open_agb_firm, use the /luma/payloads directory. If you want to set up a slot in fastboot3DS, it doesn't matter which directory you choose. If you want gba-net-boot to use a different open_agb_firm from what Luma3DS or fastboot3DS use, you can copy one version of open_agb_firm into gba-net-boot's directory for it to use and another version in the appropriate directory for Luma3DS or fastboot3DS to use.
+Your 3DS will skip the 3DS Home Menu and automatically launch the Homebrew Launcher each time you turn it on, until you disable this option by switching it back to <code>Off</code>.
-Make sure your 3DS has wifi enabled and is connected to the same network as the computer you will be sending your ROM from.
+===Booting directly into gba-net-boot===
+If you installed the [[Homebrew Launcher Wrapper 3DS|Homebrew Launcher Wrapper]] following the [https://3ds.hacks.guide/ guide], you can skip the 3DS Home Menu and the Homebrew Launcher and boot straight into gba-net-boot. However, there are some limitations to this method:
-To launch gba-net-boot, go to the 3DS Home Menu and launch the Homebrew Launcher. Find gba-net-boot and launch it. Refer to the other section for instructions on how to use it.
+* Pressing Start to exit gba-net-boot will only restart gba-net-boot instead of taking you back to the Homebrew Launcher or 3DS Home Menu. But you can still return to the 3DS Home Menu by pressing the Home button.
+* If you try to launch the Homebrew Launcher from the 3DS Home Menu, it will instead launch gba-net-boot.
+* This will remove your ability to load the Homebrew Launcher at all unless you have a second wrapper installed for it, which you might need to build yourself.
-==Booting directly into the Homebrew Launcher==
+If you still want to use this method, you will first need to get your 3DS set up to boot directly into the Homebrew Launcher as described above. Next, make a backup of the <code>boot.3dsx</code> file on your SD card, then copy gba-net-boot.3dsx to the root of your SD card and rename it to <code>boot.3dsx</code>. If you were keeping <code>open_agb_firm</code> in the same directory as gba-net-boot, you will also need to copy <code>open_agb_firm.firm</code> to the root of your SD card.
-To make things more convenient, you can set your 3DS to automatically boot directly into the Homebrew Launcher. This is only possible if you're using [[Luma3DS]] v12.0 or later. To enable this feature, hold down the '''Select''' button while turning on your 3DS. Once in the Luma3DS configuration menu, navigate to either the '''Homebrew autoboot''' or '''Hbmenu autoboot''' option, depending on your Luma3DS version. Then select '''3DS''' and press '''Start''' to save your changes and continue booting. Your 3DS will skip the 3DS Home Menu and automatically launch the Homebrew Launcher each time you turn it on, until you disable this option by switching it back to '''Off'''.
-==Booting directly into gba-net-boot==
+To restore the Homebrew Launcher, simply replace the modified <code>boot.3dsx</code> file with the backup you made. You can also remove the copy of <code>open_agb_firm.firm</code>.
-If you followed the [[Homebrew Launcher Wrapper 3DS]] installation guide, you can skip the 3DS Home Menu and the Homebrew Launcher and boot straight into gba-net-boot. However, there are some limitations to this method:
-* Pressing '''Start''' to exit gba-net-boot will only restart gba-net-boot instead of taking you back to the Homebrew Launcher or 3DS Home Menu. But you can still return to the 3DS Home Menu by pressing the '''Home''' button.
+The limitations mentioned above exist because Luma3DS boots directly into the Homebrew Launcher by referencing the Title ID for the Homebrew Launcher Wrapper installed on your 3DS Home Menu. The wrapper looks for <code>boot.3dsx</code> on the root of your SD card and runs it, which is the Homebrew Launcher used to launch other <code>.3dsx</code> homebrew. By replacing <code>boot.3dsx</code> with gba-net-boot, the Homebrew Launcher Wrapper will run gba-net-boot instead, and you will lose the entry point to the Homebrew Launcher.
-* If you try to launch the Homebrew Launcher from the 3DS Home Menu, it will instead launch gba-net-boot, effectively removing your ability to load the Homebrew Launcher unless you have another wrapper installed for it, which you may need to build yourself.
-* If you still want to use this method, you need to set up your 3DS to boot directly into the Homebrew Launcher and then copy gba-net-boot.3dsx to the root of your SD card and rename it to boot.3dsx. You should also make a backup of the original boot.3dsx file and copy open_agb_firm.firm to the root of your SD card if you were keeping it in the same directory as gba-net-boot.
-To restore the Homebrew Launcher, simply replace the modified '''boot.3dsx''' file with the backup you made. You can also remove the copy of open_agb_firm.firm.
+===How it works===
+When you run [https://github.com/joshbackstein/gba-net-send gba-net-send], it sends a UDP broadcast, which gba-net-boot listens for and responds to. When gba-net-send receives a response from gba-net-boot, gba-net-send establishes a TCP connection to gba-net-send to transfer your ROM. The ROM is saved to the root of your SD card as <code>rom.gba</code>.
-The limitations mentioned above exist because Luma3DS boots directly into the Homebrew Launcher by referencing the Title ID for the Homebrew Launcher Wrapper installed on your 3DS Home Menu. The wrapper looks for boot.3dsx on the root of your SD card and runs it, which is the Homebrew Launcher used to launch other .3dsx homebrew. By replacing boot.3dsx with gba-net-boot, the Homebrew Launcher Wrapper will run gba-net-boot instead, and you will lose your access to the Homebrew Launcher.
+After the transfer is completed and your ROM is saved, gba-net-boot copies open_agb_firm into a specific location in FCRAM and reboots the 3DS. Because we configured fastboot3DS to check for it and the FCRAM hasn't been cleared during the reboot, fastboot3DS sees that a firm (open_agb_firm in this case) has been loaded at this location and automatically boots into it.
-== Known Issues ==
+== Known issues ==
 * If a transfer is interrupted, it will assume the transfer has completed successfully. File size needs to be communicated and checked.
 * Sometimes the UDP broadcast or ack is dropped. If this happens, try sending the ROM again.
 * Nothing is configurable right now. Configuration options are planned for the future.
-* This is my first C project, so I'm sure some (probably most) of the code is probably ugly and/or follows bad practices.
 ==Changelog==
-'''v.0.0.2 Beta)'''
+'''v0.0.2 Beta'''
 *Fixed a bug causing the ROM to be replaced by an empty file if no file transfer was performed.
-'''v.0.0.1 Beta)'''
+'''v0.0.1 Beta'''
 * First Release.
-==Thanks ==
+==Credits==
-* '''[https://github.com/d0k3/A9NC A9NC - ARM9 Netload Companion] devs''' - code referenced for info on FCRAM firm boot
+Thanks:
-* '''[https://github.com/SUOlivia/That-Shortcut-Thingy That-Shortcut-Thingy] devs''' - code referenced for info on FCRAM firm boot
+* [https://github.com/d0k3/A9NC A9NC - ARM9 Netload Companion] devs - code referenced for info on FCRAM firm boot
-* '''SciresM''' - clarification that <code>GSPGPU_FlushDataCache()</code> flushes CPU cache to RAM
+* [https://github.com/SUOlivia/That-Shortcut-Thingy That-Shortcut-Thingy] devs - code referenced for info on FCRAM firm boot
-* '''TuxSH''' - clarification that <code>GSPGPU_FlushDataCache()</code> flushes CPU cache to RAM
+* SciresM - clarification that <code>GSPGPU_FlushDataCache()</code> flushes CPU cache to RAM
-* '''[https://github.com/LumaTeam/Luma3DS Luma3DS] devs'''
+* TuxSH - clarification that <code>GSPGPU_FlushDataCache()</code> flushes CPU cache to RAM
-* '''[https://github.com/derrekr/fastboot3DS fastboot3DS] devs'''
+* [https://github.com/LumaTeam/Luma3DS Luma3DS] devs
-* '''[https://github.com/devkitPro/libctru libctru] devs'''
+* [https://github.com/derrekr/fastboot3DS fastboot3DS] devs
-* '''[https://devkitpro.org/ devkitPro] contributors'''
+* [https://github.com/devkitPro/libctru libctru] devs
-* '''[https://www.3dbrew.org/ 3dbrew.org] contributors'''
+* [https://devkitpro.org/ devkitPro] contributors
+* [https://www.3dbrew.org/ 3dbrew.org] contributors
 * Everyone who has contributed to the homebrew scene
 == External links ==
-* Official Website - https://www.reddit.com/r/3dshacks/comments/12blrok/gba_net_boot_a_tool_to_make_gba_homebrew_testing/
+* GitHub - https://github.com/joshbackstein/gba-net-boot
-* Github - https://github.com/joshbackstein/gba-net-boot
+* Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/3dshacks/comments/12blrok/gba_net_boot_a_tool_to_make_gba_homebrew_testing/