Dumping firmware
The first step to examining iPod's firmware is getting an image of it. You can retrieve either retrieve an image from the iPod or from the internet.
From the iPod
Getting a firmware dump is very easy in Linux. Just:
- Make sure the iPod is plugged in.
- Type "dd if=/dev/sdX1 of=dump.img" in the terminal, but make sure you edit the drive to match your configuration.
- A dump.img file should be created after a while. If you have a lot of data on your iPod, it can take a very long time.
From the internet
You can download pretty much every firmware version from http://www.felixbruns.de/iPod/firmware/. These files are called .ipsw files, but they are really .zip files in disguise. Open the .ipsw file as a .zip file, and you can view it's contents:
For 1G - 3G Nanos:
| Filename | Description |
| Firmware-XX.X.X.X | The actual firmware file |
| manifest.plist | An XML file that gives basic info about the Firmware. Probably for iTunes |
