SceSysStateMgr

This module initializes part of the kernel, then loads and parses System Configuration script which is responsible for loading the rest of the kernel and spawning the Shell.

See also Boot Sequence (SceSysStateMgr)

= Module =

This module only exists in Non-Secure world.

The SELF can be found at.

= Libraries =

This module doesn't export any library.

= System Configuration script =

The bulk of SceSysStateMgr consists of loading, parsing, and executing so-called System Configuration scripts.

Scripts can exist in two forms: encrypted modules that get loaded and expose a callback to get the plaintext (once decrypted) script, or a plain UTF-8 text file. Every line of the script contains one command or a comment. Each command performs an action (load module, ...) or changes the parser's state (change directory, load bootfs, ...). Scripts are parsed in their entirety before being executed.

The maximum blob size is 0x8000 bytes, and each command consumes a ~16 bytes fixed overhead + 1 byte per argument byte. This gives a rough estimation of a maximum of around 1000 commands per script.

Script locations
SceSysStateMgr will attempt to parse configuration scripts from different locations, depending on the firmware and the console's QA flags.

Unlike what could be expected, the script file's extension is not taken into account to determine whether or not the configuration is loaded as a module or a plaintext file. Script is loaded as a module if the file's first four bytes are  (SELF magic), and plaintext otherwise, if QA flags allow it (SceQafMgrForDriver_883E9465 returns true).

The following tables provides all locations a script is attempted to be loaded from in the order of the attempts.

Processing flow
Scripts are processed in two steps:
 * 1) Parsing: Every line of the script is read and split by whitespace. Each line is transformed into a corresponding instruction for the execution engine and saved into a data blob. Invalid scripts cause an early abort here and never reach the next pass.
 * 2) Execution: The data blob created in step 1 is handed over to a sort of virtual machine that reads it and executes the code corresponding to the instructions specified in it.

Syntax

 * is ignored
 * , if present, marks the end of the file
 * ends a line
 * / / (respectively,   and  ) are considered as whitespace

Syntax of a line (Convention:  is ignored,   is optional,   is mandatory):

{whitespace}[prefix]{whitespace}{whitespace}[argumentBlock] [argumentBlock]: {whitespace}[argumentBlock]

Up to 7 arguments can be passed to a command if the prefix is not whitespace-separated from it, 6 otherwise. Additional arguments are ignored.

Example commands: # Example #     with more spaces -load os0:kd/codec.skprx & echo ohayo

Prefixes
The first non-ignored character of a command is checked to be among one of those, and affects the behaviour of the command.

#
Comment. Rest of the line is ignored and can contain anything.

-
Ignore error. If an error happens while executing command, continue executing the script anyways.

If this prefix isn't present, when an error happens, execution of the script is aborted, no other script is attempted to be executed ?and kernel panics?.

&
?Parse command but do nothing?

Commands
The set of commands available and their behaviour can slightly vary between firmware.

All path parameters can refer to either an absolute or relative path. Relative pathes are canonicalized by appending the provided path to the current directory (see cd), while absolute pathes are used raw.

A path is treated as absolutes if it begins with one of the following strings:, ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,   and   (  is not considered as a drive before firmware 0.995).

and  are only allowed if external storage access is allowed.

If DIP switch 0xFC is enabled and  returns true, all pathes except those starting with   are attempted from   first. For example,  would try to load   then, if it failed, try to load.

For module related commands, the provided path is "canonicalized" before being used. The same canonical path used when loading must be used for all commands. Since canonicalization for relative pathes involves the current directory, the following script is invalid:

cd sd0:kd/ # Module canonical path is "sd0:kd/test.skprx" loadonly test.skprx

cd os0:kd/ # Module canonical path is "os0:kd/test.skprx" - has not been loaded, so this fails! start test.skprx

load
Load and start module.

The module path ends at the first whitespace. Same logic applies to other load-like commands.

Syntax: load [arguments]

Example: load sd0:module.skprx this args param1 # -> loads sd0:module.skprx and pass "sd0:module.skprx this args param1" to argp.

# Whitespace hazard demonstration load sd0:kernel modules/test module.skprx # -> loads "sd0:kernel", not "sd0:kernel modules/test module.skprx"!

tload
Same as load, but module is loaded in TOOL memory instead. Requires DIP switch 0xD2.

sload
Performs a load if  (Show Mode).

Added between firmware 1.50 and 1.691.

unload
Stop and unload a module.

Syntax: unload [?arguments?]

Example: unload sd0:module.skprx

loadonly
Load a module without starting it.

Syntax: loadonly

Example: loadonly sd0:module.skprx

start
Start a loaded module.

Syntax: start [?arguments?]

Example: start sd0:module.skprx

stop
Stop a module.

Syntax: stop [?arguments?]

Example: stop sd0:module.skprx

unloadonly
Unload a module.

Syntax: unloadonly

Example: unloadonly sd0:module.skprx

spawn
Create and start a new process, using specified module as its main module. This command is subject to rpath redirection.

Syntax: spawn [?arguments?]

Example: if SAFE_MODE spawn os0:ue/safemode.self end endif

wait
Wait until a 'ed process finished.

Syntax: wait

Example: spawn sd0:example.self wait sd0:example.self

spawnwait
Combined +  not subject to rpath redirection.

Syntax: spawnwait [?arguments?]

Example: if MANUFACTURING_MODE - spawnwait sd0:psp2diag.self - spawnwait ux0:psp2diag.self endif

appspawn
Spawn an application process using. This command is subject to rpath and Shell path redirection.

Syntax: appspawn [budget ID]

Budget ID must be one of the following: If none is specified,  is used.

Examples: - appspawn vs0:vsh/shell/shell.self SHELL_BUDGET_ID - appspawn sd0:game.self GAME_BUDGET_ID # Same effect as above - appspawn sd0:game.self

kill
Kill a process. This command is dummy and doesn't have any effect.

sleep
Sleep for a certain duration. This command is dummy and doesn't have any effect.

echo
Write to stdout (using ).

Syntax: echo [data]

Example: # Write "Hello world!" to stdout. echo Hello world!

loadconfig
Load and parse another configuration file. The configuration file must be either a module or a plaintext file (latter is only allowed depending on the system's QA flags). The configuration file is fully executed before this command returns.

This command can be executed by the loaded configuration files, but the maximum number of nested calls is 4 (or 5?) - further nested calls are ignored. For example, assuming file  loads file , only files 0-4 are executed, and   is skipped. Nested call overflow is not considered an error; the files are simply skipped but the command succeeds.

Note that the configuration is loaded under its own independent context; for example, it cannot  a module that the configuration executing the   has  'ed.

Syntax: loadconfig

Example: - loadconfig sd0:boot_config_second.txt

include
Alias of loadconfig.

cd
Change directory. Sets the current directory.

Syntax: cd

Example: cd sd0:kd/ load module.skprx # loads sd0:kd/module.skprx

The default working directory is the same as where the bootconfig is located.

setenv
Sets an environement variable. Seems unused.

Syntax: setenv

Example: setenv OHAYO_PATH sd0:ohayo

setmodfile
Alias of setenv.

umount_bootfs
Unmount bootfs. is mounted as bootfs before scripts execute since firmware 0.996 (except if External Boot mode is active on firmwares >= 3.00).

Added in firmware 1.80.

Syntax: umount_bootfs

Special commands
Those commands affect the script's execution flow instead of invoking callbacks with side effects.

Special commands cannot fail and do not support prefixing. For example,  is a syntax error.

ifmodel
Conditional code block start. Execute code in block if predicate is true.

Syntax: ifmodel

Example: ifmodel MANUFACTURING_MODE # Code executes only if MANUFACTURING_MODE evaluates to true echo Running in manufacturing mode! endif

Nested /  blocks are supported, maximum depth is 32.

Every  block must end with a corresponding.

is a string provided to the function  to find a callback function whose return value is considered as the value of the predicate (i.e. false if the function returns 0, true if the function returns 1). Specifying the name of a non-existent predicate is a syntax error.

The following table contains the name of all supported predicates along with the code of the associated callback function:

if
Alias of ifmodel.

ifnmodel
Conditional code block start. Execute code in block if predicate is false. See ifmodel.

Syntax: ifnmodel

Example: ifnmodel USB_ENUM_WAKEUP # Code executes only if USB_ENUM_WAKEUP evaluates to false echo Not wakeup due to USB enum! endif

Every  block must end with a corresponding.

else
Mark the beginning of a failed predicate conditional block. Must reside between a  and the corresponding.

Syntax: else

Example: if USB_ENUM_WAKEUP load os0:kd/enum_wakeup.skprx else echo No USB enum wakeup! endif

endif
Marks the end of a conditional block.

Syntax: endif

Example: if USB_ENUM_WAKEUP load os0:kd/enum_wakeup.skprx endif

repeat
Start of a repetition block. Commands in a repetition block are repeated multiple times.

Syntax: repeat

is the number of times the code block will be executed, and must be a decimal number.

Example: repeat 3 echo Something endrepeat # prints the following: #  # Something # Something # Something

endrepeat
End of a repetition block. Must appear after a  command.

Syntax: endrepeat

end
Stop the script execution and return success.

Syntax: end

if SAFE_MODE spawn os0:ue/safemode.self end endif

echo Not in Safe Mode!

Remote Path file
SceSysStateMgr attempts to read a Remote Path file at. This is only done if either  or   return true. The  file applies to all configuration scripts.

The file's syntax is similar to System Configuration scripts.

This file can be used for two purposes: override the Shell file, and override application spawn path.

If a line starts with,   is used when  'ing any application with executable name. See appspawn. If  is empty, Shell loading override is disabled (i.e. the requested file is loaded).

This only affects the appspawn command.

Otherwise, if a line doesn't start with a  (i.e. not a comment), it is stored as a remote path for application spawning. Up to 4 such pathes can be specified, all those past the 4th one are ignored.

This only affects the spawn and appspawn commands.

When attempting to load file, the following files are attempted to be loaded in order:
 * 1) "Remote path" (  prefix i.e.  ) if allowed by QAF and DIP switches
 * 2) "Remote Rpath" (e.g.   if rpath was  ) if a rpath file is present and allowed
 * 3) "Canonical path" (absolute path if specified, otherwise built from current directory)

Example  file: # Load development Shell from PC  set_shell_filename host0:dev_shell.self # Allow test app spawn from PC  host0:test_app/

With this file, the following behaviour is observed:


 * 1) Attempt to load
 * 2) Attempt to load


 * 1) Attempt to load   if allowed by QAF
 * 2) Attempt to load
 * 3) Attempt to load