Pakler is a command-line tool and library used to manipulate .pak firmware files
used by Swann and Reolink devices. You can list, extract, and replace their
content. It makes it easy to explore and patch firmwares used by various
NVRs, DVRs and IP cameras.
Note: pakler requires Python 3.6+
pip install paklergit clone https://github.com/vmallet/pakler
cd pakler
pip install .The main commands are:
- get help:
pakler -h - list content:
pakler file.pak(orpakler -l file.pak) - extract content:
pakler file.pak -e -d <directory> - replace content:
pakler file.pak -r -n ... -f ... -o newfile.pak
Help can be had with:
pakler -hNote: list and extract also work with ZIPs that contain .pak files.
Listing the contents of a .pak file is pretty straightforward: invoke the
tool with the name of the firmware file on the command line.
pakler NVR8-7400_1705_3438_1103.pakHeader magic=32725913 crc32=0250e72d type=00002302 sections=<10> mtd_parts=<10>
Section 0 name="uboot1" version="v1.0.0.1" start=0x00000584 len=0x000437d0 (start= 1412 len= 276432)
Section 1 name="" version="" start=0x00043d54 len=0x00000000 (start= 277844 len= 0)
Section 2 name="bootargs" version="v1.0.0.1" start=0x00043d54 len=0x00020000 (start= 277844 len= 131072)
Section 3 name="kernel" version="v1.0.0.1" start=0x00063d54 len=0x0023fdc8 (start= 408916 len= 2358728)
Section 4 name="fs" version="v1.0.0.442" start=0x002a3b1c len=0x00402000 (start= 2767644 len= 4202496)
Section 5 name="app" version="v1.0.0.421" start=0x006a5b1c len=0x00947000 (start= 6970140 len= 9728000)
Section 6 name="" version="" start=0x00fecb1c len=0x00000000 (start=16698140 len= 0)
Section 7 name="logo" version="v1.0.0.1" start=0x00fecb1c len=0x0000f1fd (start=16698140 len= 61949)
Section 8 name="" version="" start=0x00ffbd19 len=0x00000000 (start=16760089 len= 0)
Section 9 name="" version="" start=0x00ffbd19 len=0x00000000 (start=16760089 len= 0)
Mtd_part name="uboot1" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x00000000 start=0x00000000 len=0x00080000
Mtd_part name="uboot2" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x00080000 start=0x00080000 len=0x001e0000
Mtd_part name="bootargs" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x00260000 start=0x00260000 len=0x00020000
Mtd_part name="kernel" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x00280000 start=0x00280000 len=0x00440000
Mtd_part name="fs" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x006c0000 start=0x006c0000 len=0x00c00000
Mtd_part name="app" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x012c0000 start=0x012c0000 len=0x02000000
Mtd_part name="para" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x032c0000 start=0x032c0000 len=0x00800000
Mtd_part name="logo" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x03ac0000 start=0x03ac0000 len=0x00200000
Mtd_part name="ipc_img" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x03cc0000 start=0x03cc0000 len=0x00b00000
Mtd_part name="version" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0xffffffff start=0xffffffff len=0x00000000
File passes CRC check: NVR8-7400_1705_3438_1103.pak
Contents of a .pak file can be extracted using the -e command. If no
output directory is specified using the -d parameter, a default unique
output directory will be created by appending .extracted to the name of
the .pak file.
example:
pakler ./NT98312_NVR_8IP_REOLINK_L300_130_21060706.pak -e -d newdiroutput: newdir
Extracting section 0 (131072 bytes) into newdir/00_header.bin
Extracting section 1 (18096 bytes) into newdir/01_loader.bin
Extracting section 2 (26404 bytes) into newdir/02_fdt.bin
Extracting section 3 (414552 bytes) into newdir/03_uboot.bin
Extracting section 4 (3022896 bytes) into newdir/04_kernel.bin
Extracting section 5 (12210176 bytes) into newdir/05_fs.bin
Extracting section 6 (17113088 bytes) into newdir/06_app.bin
Skipping empty section 7
Extracting section 8 (122036 bytes) into newdir/08_logo.bin
Skipping empty section 9
Skipping empty section 10
A .pak file is made up of multiple sections, and at the moment you can
replace only one section at a time. To replace a section you need to
use the -r command, specify the number of the section to replace with -n,
the file to use as a replacement with -f, and the output file to write
the resulting patched file with -o.
Here is an example where we replace the .pak file's section #5 with the
file patched_fs.bin
pakler NT98312_NVR_8IP_REOLINK_L300_130_21060706.pak -r -n 5 -f patched_fs.bin -o patched_fw.pakInput : NT98312_NVR_8IP_REOLINK_L300_130_21060706.pak
Output : patched_fw.pak
Replacing section: 5
Replacement file : new_fs.bin
Copying section 0 (131072 bytes)
Copying section 1 (18096 bytes)
Copying section 2 (26404 bytes)
Copying section 3 (414552 bytes)
Copying section 4 (3022896 bytes)
Replacing section 5 (12210176 bytes) with 12211578 bytes
Copying section 6 (17113088 bytes)
Copying section 7 (0 bytes)
Copying section 8 (122036 bytes)
Copying section 9 (0 bytes)
Copying section 10 (0 bytes)
Writing header... (1552 bytes)
Updating CRC...
Replacement completed. New header:
Header magic=32725913 crc32=41ee801c type=00006202 sections=<11> mtd_parts=<11>
Section 0 name="header" version="v1.0.0.0" start=0x00000610 len=0x00020000 (start= 1552 len= 131072)
Section 1 name="loader" version="v1.0.0.0" start=0x00020610 len=0x000046b0 (start= 132624 len= 18096)
Section 2 name="fdt" version="v1.0.0.0" start=0x00024cc0 len=0x00006724 (start= 150720 len= 26404)
Section 3 name="uboot" version="v1.0.0.0" start=0x0002b3e4 len=0x00065358 (start= 177124 len= 414552)
Section 4 name="kernel" version="v1.0.0.0" start=0x0009073c len=0x002e2030 (start= 591676 len= 3022896)
Section 5 name="fs" version="v1.0.0.0" start=0x0037276c len=0x00ba557a (start= 3614572 len=12211578)
Section 6 name="app" version="v1.0.0.0" start=0x00f17ce6 len=0x01052000 (start=15826150 len=17113088)
Section 7 name="" version="" start=0x01f69ce6 len=0x00000000 (start=32939238 len= 0)
Section 8 name="logo" version="v1.0.0.0" start=0x01f69ce6 len=0x0001dcb4 (start=32939238 len= 122036)
Section 9 name="" version="" start=0x01f8799a len=0x00000000 (start=33061274 len= 0)
Section 10 name="" version="" start=0x01f8799a len=0x00000000 (start=33061274 len= 0)
Mtd_part name="header" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x00000000 start=0x00000000 len=0x00020000
Mtd_part name="loader" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x00020000 start=0x00020000 len=0x00080000
Mtd_part name="fdt" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x000a0000 start=0x000a0000 len=0x00080000
Mtd_part name="uboot" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x00120000 start=0x00120000 len=0x000e0000
Mtd_part name="kernel" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x00200000 start=0x00200000 len=0x00500000
Mtd_part name="fs" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x00700000 start=0x00700000 len=0x00f00000
Mtd_part name="app" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x01600000 start=0x01600000 len=0x02000000
Mtd_part name="para" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x03600000 start=0x03600000 len=0x00800000
Mtd_part name="logo" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x03e00000 start=0x03e00000 len=0x00100000
Mtd_part name="uid" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0x03f00000 start=0x03f00000 len=0x00100000
Mtd_part name="version" mtd="/dev/mtd9" a=0xffffffff start=0xffffffff len=0x00000000
Here are a few things you can do with pakler's API:
from pakler import PAK
with PAK.from_file("firmware.pak") as pak: # Also from_bytes() and from_fd()
assert pak.crc == pak.calc_crc()
pak.extract("firmware_extracted")
print(pak.partitions)
section = pak.sections[0]
pak.save_section(section, f"{section.name}.bin")
section_bytes = pak.extract_section(section)Why pakler? Take a pak and List it, Extract it, or Replace parts of it... pakler? Makes sense! (Naming suggestions are welcome :) )
-
v0.2.0 - 2023/05/31 - The AT0myks release
A big thanks to AT0myks for all the changes brought in this release.
- Make Pakler usable as a library (author: AT0myks)
- Support for 64-bit PAK files (author: AT0myks)
- Support for handling PAK files directly from ZIP archives (author: AT0myks)
- Several code layout and packaging improvements (author: AT0myks)
-
v0.1.0 - 2021/09/03 - Initial release
pakler is licensed under MIT license. See LICENSE