Last Updated on May 13, 2023 by Mathew Diekhake

Root is the account that is available on Linux operating system that has access to all of the commands and files on Linux. By default, the root user account is typically assigned to the first person to set up the computer. There are several other instances when the term “root” is used in Linux but they aren’t related to the root user account, so it’s understandable that people can get confused. The term “root access” is always referring to the root user account, though.

The reason why is often seems more complex that how I just said it is because the root user account is taken away on Android operating systems, so you don’t get access to it if you are the first person to set up an account on the mobile operating system. There is also no way of getting access to the root user account by using any built-in features that Android have included into the operating system by default. The only way to get in control of the root user account so you can be the person in control of what is uninstalled and installed on Android is by finding the work of a third-party developer and following it. That is typically getting a custom recovery installed and then installing the SuperSU or SuperUser from the custom recovery image or using a one-click rooting tool instead.

One of the most common one-click rooting tools in the world—and definitely the most famous for Samsung smartphones and tablets—is the CF-Auto-Root tool. The CF-Auto-Root tool is developed by the same developer who makes the SUperSu (Chainfire), so you know you are always in good hands when you flash these files. As long as you follow the instructions, then you should not have any issues, and the issues that you do encounter if by chance something goes wrong are usually always fixed by flashing the right stock ROM on the smartphone or tablet, and it starts working again.

Notes:

  • Chainfire lets all of us know that he had the MMB29K.T817PVPU2BPE1 firmware build number running on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 SM-T817P table when he developed the version of the rooting file that he made that is found in this guide. Many people assume that means they need to be running on the same, but that is not true at all. Chainfire gives that information so you can use it as an indicator but it does not suggest that you need to be running on the same firmware when you flash the rooting file.
  • You need to send message into the CF-Auto-Root tool thread made on the XDA-Developers web forum that contains the recovery image file from the firmware that is running on your Galaxy Tab if you flash the rooting file, and it causes the device not to flash afterwards because that is a sign that the rooting file needs updating to work on newer firmware that has come out. These times usually happen when Android is updated to new versions, and so they are rare to occur in our guides since we base our guides only on the one Android version.
  • You need to have the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 tablet that comes with the SM-T817P model number to use this guide. Any of the other model numbers should not try using this same version of the CF-Auto-Root tool or it might brick the device. The rooting files are typically only made for a model number each.
  • You need to have a computer that is running on a version of the Windows operating system to use this guide. Any other oprating system cannot run the Odin flashing tool because it was only developed for Windows operating systems.

Download Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 SM-T817P CF-Auto-Root and Drivers

How to Root Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 SM-T817P on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow Using CF-Auto-Root

  1. Unlock the Developer Options menu on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 SM-T817P tablet so you can start using the options that are available on the operating system for developers.
  2. Enable the USB Debugging Mode on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 SM-T817P tablet so the Android software that is running on the tablet does not stop you from making changes to it.
  3. Install the Samsung USB Drivers on the computer, so the flashing tool can identify the type of device you want to connect it to it.
  4. Extract the rooting file in the Downloads folder where it appears after you download it and then run the Odin flashing application executable file from the Downloads folder, so the flashing tool’s user interface opens up on the computer and is ready for you to connect the device to it.
  5. Boot the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 SM-T817P tablet into the Download Mode and connect it to the computer with the USB cable and check that Odin shows a blue or yellow ID: COM port color and the added message from the Log, so you know that the Samsung USB Drivers are working.
  6. Do not change the default settings that Odin shows from the Options tab or you risk losing data and the flashing not working.
  7. Click on the AP button from the Odin and then navigate to the Downloads folder and click on the rooting file so that it upload to the Odin application and is ready to flash.
  8. Click on the Start button from the Odin user interface and the flashing of the rooting file begins; check all the information that now runs down the display of the tablet, so you know what to expect from the newer version of the CF-Auto-Root tool since they can vary in how they go about their business.
  9. Wait for the program to show that it is going to reboot in ten seconds from the tablet’s screen and then check the Odin user interface shows a green box that has a pass message inside it.

In conclusion, that is how to root the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 SM-T817P tablet running on the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software updates by flashing the CF-Auto-Root tool that is developed by Chainfire. The CF-Auto-Root tool just quietly went about its business of getting the SuperSU not only installed but enabled too; it did this by installing a modified cache and a modified recovery and the deleting both of those things before it was done, so you do not have anything left on your device but the SuperSU application.

The SuperSU applications is a new app on the tablet that is going to be what keeps your device 100% as safe as it was before and also grant the rooting permissions to any of the apps that need them to run. The way it works by blocking everything from having root access so even if you do install malware by accident, the SuperSU stops it from entering your system. The only time the SuperSU lets apps have the rooting permissions is when it prompts you with a message asking you to choose if you want to grant it root access or not. Here is the time when you need to be consciously aware of your choice because SuperSU does not stop you from allowing the malware to pass if what you installed is in fact malware.

For most Android users this is not going to be an issue because you can easily tell what it malware by where you downloaded it from and how many downloads it has in the description. Any root apps that you know is popular and has several million installs from the Google Play Store with plenty of positive comments and has been sitting in the Google Play Store for a number of years is obviously not going to be malware. That would be one example if an app that you can grant root access to and not have to worry. On the contrary, if you accidentally downloaded something you wish you hadn’t, you don’t need to worry, because like I said, the SuperSU automatically blocks it by default and then send you a message asking you to confirm you want to grant it root access before giving it root access. As long as you always take the time to look at what you choose to allow root access, the device you are using should always remain safe and free of any malware.

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