Syncing my Palm

[extradudeguy]

I aam running with Knoppix 3.3 installed on my har drive as Debian. I am trying to install and sync my Palm Zire 21 with any of the included palm sync tools. THe Palm connects via USB.

This is not happening. I am not really sure what to do here to get it detected. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

[JamesLaRue]

I'm trying to figure this one out, too. So far, I've learned (please correct any mistakes!) that the steps are as follows:

1. As root, "rm /dev/pilot " -- the existing file points to a serial port. If you want to know which port that is, you can check it first, by "ls -al /dev/pilot"

2. Create a new symbolic link: "ln -s /dev/ttyUSB1 /dev/pilot

3. Change the permissions on the file: "chmod 666 /dev/pilot"

Then I run into trouble. I THINK the issue is that the usb module for the Palm, visor.o, I believe, isn't loaded into the kernel. What I've been told is that "modprobe visor.o" should do that. But with or without the full path name to visor.o, Debian won't install that module. So I don't know if I have the wrong module name or the wrong installation process. Anybody?

P.S. I do know that the hardware works, as the same machine successfully synched under Red Hat Linux Enterprise 3 WS.

[JamesLaRue]

Next day. While waiting for some advice on getting the USB port to work, I tried to sync my M505 on a serial port. And it hung on the "Identifying user" screen, eventually timing out. A cursory Internet search brought up similar problems, resolved by updating pilot-link. However, I have tried "apt-get install pilot-link" to get the report that it is the most current available (0.11.8), as is jpilot (0.99.7).

Same problem with KPilot -- gets no farther than "Identifying user." I did correctly enter User ID in the KPilot screen (Settings, Configure KPilot, Pilot User = the user on my Palm).

So now the problem is not just that USB won't sink; neither will the serial port.

[JamesLaRue]

I still don't know why it didn't work on the serial port. I plugged in the serial cradle to another serial port (luckily, I had two), and rm /dev/pilot, then ln -s /dev/ttyS1 /dev/pilot. When I started JPilot after that, I got a "press Hotsync now or kill nnnnnn" -- so I type "kill nnnnn" in a terminal window, and it is now synching. VERY slowly, though, a "slow sync."

I can muck about with this some more, but right now, this is the only serious flaw with this distribution. A big one, though.

[stukennedyuk]

I/ve been using 'coldsync' - apparently some change in the transfer protocol used by palms from OS 4 onwards but apparently a problem with the palm IIIc I have and OS 3.5.3

This info might be a little bit out of date. Do a 'man coldsync' for instructions how to use it but for example to tranfer a file to the palm:-

coldsync -p /dev/ttyS0 -mr foo.PDB

I seem to remember this works with IR device also, when I tried it.

Stu.....

[pc]

-ROOT in shell
-# cd /dev
-# ln -s /dev/ttyUSB1 pilot
-# ln -s /dev/ttyUSB1 palm
-# ln -s /dev/ttyUSB1 visor
-#modconf
-select "kernel/drivers/usb/serial"
-select "visor"
-(commando) "options visor vendor=0xXXXX product=0xXXXX"
(XXXX with your hardware series, you can see them running "usbview" and pushing sync botton)

You can do by hand by editing
/etc/modules.conf
options visor vendor=0xXXXX product=0xXXXX
but it could not work or erease it when your pc do an "update-modules"

- At last you must "reinitiate" your pc

[Stephen]

You can do by hand by editing
/etc/modules.conf
options visor vendor=0xXXXX product=0xXXXX
but it could not work or erease it when your pc do an "update-modules"

- At last you must "reinitiate" your pc

You would put that line in the /etc/modutils/aliases or create a visor file in the /etc/modutils directory then put the line in it, after saving the file run the update-modules to have the information entered in the modules.conf to be used on the next boot. Now ever time update-modules runs the information will continue to be entered into the modules.conf for use.