How to parse the Manifest.mbdb file in an iOS 4.0 iTunes Backup

Question

In iOS 4.0 Apple has redesigned the backup process.

iTunes used to store a list of filenames associated with backup files in the Manifest.plist file, but in iOS 4.

Answer 1

This python script is awesome.

Here's my Ruby version of it (with minor improvement) and search capabilities. (for iOS 5)

# encoding: utf-8
require 'fileutils'
require 'digest/sha1'

class ManifestParser
  def initialize(mbdb_filename, verbose = false)
    @verbose = verbose
    process_mbdb_file(mbdb_filename)
  end

  # Returns the numbers of records in the Manifest files.
  def record_number
    @mbdb.size
  end

  # Returns a huge string containing the parsing of the Manifest files.
  def to_s
    s = ''
    @mbdb.each do |v|
      s += "#{fileinfo_str(v)}\n"
    end
    s
  end

  def to_file(filename)
    File.open(filename, 'w') do |f|
      @mbdb.each do |v|
        f.puts fileinfo_str(v)
      end
    end
  end

  # Copy the backup files to their real path/name.
  # * domain_match Can be a regexp to restrict the files to copy.
  # * filename_match Can be a regexp to restrict the files to copy.
  def rename_files(domain_match = nil, filename_match = nil)
    @mbdb.each do |v|
      if v[:type] == '-' # Only rename files.
        if (domain_match.nil? or v[:domain] =~ domain_match) and (filename_match.nil? or v[:filename] =~ filename_match)
          dst = "#{v[:domain]}/#{v[:filename]}"
          puts "Creating: #{dst}"
          FileUtils.mkdir_p(File.dirname(dst))
          FileUtils.cp(v[:fileID], dst)
        end
      end
    end
  end

  # Return the filename that math the given regexp.
  def search(regexp)
    result = Array.new
    @mbdb.each do |v|
      if "#{v[:domain]}::#{v[:filename]}" =~ regexp
        result << v
      end
    end
    result
  end

  private
  # Retrieve an integer (big-endian) and new offset from the current offset
  def getint(data, offset, intsize)
    value = 0
    while intsize > 0
      value = (value<<8) + data[offset].ord
      offset += 1
      intsize -= 1
    end
    return value, offset
  end

  # Retrieve a string and new offset from the current offset into the data
  def getstring(data, offset)
    return '', offset + 2 if data[offset] == 0xFF.chr and data[offset + 1] == 0xFF.chr # Blank string
    length, offset = getint(data, offset, 2) # 2-byte length
    value = data[offset...(offset + length)]
    return value, (offset + length)
  end

  def process_mbdb_file(filename)
    @mbdb = Array.new
    data = File.open(filename, 'rb') { |f| f.read }
    puts "MBDB file read. Size: #{data.size}"
    raise 'This does not look like an MBDB file' if data[0...4] != 'mbdb'
    offset = 4
    offset += 2 # value x05 x00, not sure what this is
    while offset < data.size
      fileinfo = Hash.new
      fileinfo[:start_offset] = offset
      fileinfo[:domain], offset = getstring(data, offset)
      fileinfo[:filename], offset = getstring(data, offset)
      fileinfo[:linktarget], offset = getstring(data, offset)
      fileinfo[:datahash], offset = getstring(data, offset)
      fileinfo[:unknown1], offset = getstring(data, offset)
      fileinfo[:mode], offset = getint(data, offset, 2)
      if (fileinfo[:mode] & 0xE000) == 0xA000 # Symlink
        fileinfo[:type] = 'l'
      elsif (fileinfo[:mode] & 0xE000) == 0x8000 # File
        fileinfo[:type] = '-'
      elsif (fileinfo[:mode] & 0xE000) == 0x4000 # Dir
        fileinfo[:type] = 'd'
      else
        # $stderr.puts "Unknown file type %04x for #{fileinfo_str(f, false)}" % f['mode']
        fileinfo[:type] = '?'
      end
      fileinfo[:unknown2], offset = getint(data, offset, 4)
      fileinfo[:unknown3], offset = getint(data, offset, 4)
      fileinfo[:userid], offset = getint(data, offset, 4)
      fileinfo[:groupid], offset = getint(data, offset, 4)
      fileinfo[:mtime], offset = getint(data, offset, 4)
      fileinfo[:atime], offset = getint(data, offset, 4)
      fileinfo[:ctime], offset = getint(data, offset, 4)
      fileinfo[:filelen], offset = getint(data, offset, 8)
      fileinfo[:flag], offset = getint(data, offset, 1)
      fileinfo[:numprops], offset = getint(data, offset, 1)
      fileinfo[:properties] = Hash.new
      (0...(fileinfo[:numprops])).each do |ii|
        propname, offset = getstring(data, offset)
        propval, offset = getstring(data, offset)
        fileinfo[:properties][propname] = propval
      end
      # Compute the ID of the file.
      fullpath = fileinfo[:domain] + '-' + fileinfo[:filename]
      fileinfo[:fileID] = Digest::SHA1.hexdigest(fullpath)
      # We add the file to the list of files.
      @mbdb << fileinfo
    end
    @mbdb
  end

  def modestr(val)
    def mode(val)
      r = (val & 0x4) ? 'r' : '-'
      w = (val & 0x2) ? 'w' : '-'
      x = (val & 0x1) ? 'x' : '-'
      r + w + x
    end
    mode(val >> 6) + mode(val >> 3) + mode(val)
  end

  def fileinfo_str(f)
    return "(#{f[:fileID]})#{f[:domain]}::#{f[:filename]}" unless @verbose
    data = [f[:type], modestr(f[:mode]), f[:userid], f[:groupid], f[:filelen], f[:mtime], f[:atime], f[:ctime], f[:fileID], f[:domain], f[:filename]]
    info = "%s%s %08x %08x %7d %10d %10d %10d (%s)%s::%s" % data
    info += ' -> ' + f[:linktarget] if f[:type] == 'l' # Symlink destination
    f[:properties].each do |k, v|
      info += " #{k}=#{v.inspect}"
    end
    info
  end
end

if __FILE__ == $0
  mp = ManifestParser.new 'Manifest.mbdb', true
  mp.to_file 'filenames.txt'
end