I double-posted this to the Mapalad and Plug lists
because it concerns both PalmOS and LinuxOS.  In what
follows, you probably need to be root (the super user)
to do some of the stuff mentioned.

To hotsync your PalmOS device with your Linux box
you need a hotsync cradle/cable and the pilotlink
software.  

1. If you are using a serial cradle you need
to define the following environment variables in
/etc/profile,

export PILOTPORT=/dev/ttyS0   # ttyS0 for com1, ttyS1 for com2
export PILOTRATE=115200

To install an application into your Palm handheld,
say "palmreader.prc" you can select the pilot-xfer program
in the pilotlink package, and use the command,

pilot-xfer --install palmreader.prc

You will be prompted to press the hotsync button on the
cradle.

To back up your Palm into your Linux box, you need to give the command

pilot-xfer --backup /home/yourhomedirectory/palmdata/

and the entire contents of your Palm will go into that
directory.  Make sure to create that directory first.

2. If you have a USB cradle, the situation is more
complicated.  Make sure you have loaded the USB modules.
The  following entries in /etc/init.d/rc.local can be used

modprobe usb-ohci
modprobe visor

"usb-ohci" will provide generic USB support, and "visor"
will load the generic serial driver and the Palm/USB driver.
If your cradle is connected to the first USB port, 
namely /dev/ttyUSB0, then pilot-xfer will talk via the
second USB port, namely /dev/ttyUSB1 (strange?), so your 
/etc/profile entries should be

export PILOTPORT=/dev/ttyUSB1
export PILOTRATE=115200
 
If you do not have the device files /dev/ttyUSB[01], you
have to create them using mknod.

In addition, if you are using devfs to manage the entries
in /dev (like what admulinux does), then your /etc/profile
entries should look like

export PILOTPORT=/dev/usb/tty/1
export PILOTRATE=115200

Unfortunately, the PILOTPORT device file is created dynamically
by the system.  When you do "modprobe usb-ohci" then /dev/usb
is created.  When you do "modprobe visor" then /dev/usb/tty
is created but not /dev/usb/tty/0 and /dev/usb/tty/1, so your 
actual PILOTPORT does not exist yet.  The actual ports are
created when you press the hotsync button on the cradle,
and the Palm handheld is actually cradled.  Also these ports
are deleted from /dev when not used for a few seconds.

So the steps to follow when using a USB cradle are,

- put handheld on cradle.
- enter the pilot-xfer command, say
  "pilot-xfer --install palmreader.prc"
  but do not press the [enter] key yet.
- press the hotsync button on the cradle.
  (this creates the device files in /dev/usb/tty/, namely /0 and /1)
- press the enter key on the PC to run the pilot-xfer program.

That's all.

PMana

I was forced to learn all of these things because I use
a Palm M100 with serial cradle, but my daughter uses a 
Palm M125 with USB cradle.  Of course you already know that
I use AdmuLinux, not Windows :)

_
Philippine Linux Users Group. Web site and archives at http://plug.linux.org.ph
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