Author Topic: Sync Problems With C860 (Read 7963 times)

qkidda · « **on:** January 05, 2005, 05:40:32 pm »

Hi,

Forgive me if I sound like a numpty, but I just can't get this going. I'm not a newbie to Linux ... been using it for a few years, but can't figure this bit out.

I have SL-C860 with Cacko ROM 1.22
Running on a Mandrake Linux 10.0 PC (2.6.3 custom kernel) with QT Desktop 1.7 installed
Also got Windows 98 with QT Desktop 1.7

I understand that since sharp "modified" the Qtopia storage for the PIM that it will no longer sync to those apps, but I've been reading on these forums and else where that with the Opie apps installed, QT Desktop can be used with this, since they use XML.

However, even without this fact I still have a problem:

What I can do ...
I can connect Z via USB and get IP over USB working happily
(using 192.168.129.201 as Z IP and 192.168.129.1 as PC IP)
I can ping both Z from PC and PC from Z.
I can ssh both from Z to PC and PC to Z.
I can mount //zaurus/home on the PC
I can mount //zaurus/system on the PC
I can do all these things when the Z is connected to my WiFi network too

I've managed to import my Palm calendar / contacts etc. (by the way ... discovered that the new Palm Desktop software, 4.14 crashes QT Desktop because it's got a different file format for the enhanced PIM applications - had to revert to an older one).

I've setup the QT Desktop Settings to point to the correct connection (i.e. either USB or LAN depending on how the Z is set up).

What I can't do for the life of me ...
Get the sync buttons on QT Desktop (running in Linux) to illuminate.
They illuminate in Windows, but I can't appear do anything with them.
In both, the connection status in the bottom right of the QT Desktop window is always red!

I've been hunting through Google and Forums for days now and am drawing a blank.

Could you please (no ... really, _please_) tell me how the 2 actually communicate. I only have the Z manual in Japanese, which is no use to me. I've tried all sorts of things, but QT Desktop just never illuminates these buttons.

How does QT Desktop contact the Z?
Is it all done via port 137 (samba / windows port)?
Does QT Desktop do an smbmount in the background when the sync button is pressed?
Is it done via ssh?
Do I also have to hit the "Start Sync" button on the "PC Link" app on the Z?
If so, when?
Do I have to stand on one leg and rub my head when launching any sync apps?

Ok, getting silly now because it's doing my head in :-(

So can anyone help me out please?

Thanks
Gav.

cyphactor · « **Reply #1 on:** January 05, 2005, 11:06:37 pm »

Well, here is one solution. You could always use the stock PIM applications (the ones that use DTM). I have been working on a tool for Linux users that synchronizes with PIM applications using Sharps synchronization protocol. Hence, you have to install nothing on your Zaurus for the synchronization to work. Check it out at http://zsrep.sourceforge.net. Please e-mail me at cyphactor@socal.rr.com if you have any problems with it, questions or suggestions.

Stubear · « **Reply #2 on:** January 05, 2005, 11:17:01 pm »

QT desktop for linux does NOT sync with the Sharp based ROMS - including Cacko. They use the wrong format for PIM apps (dtm vs xml).

Sharp in it's infinite wisdom decided that a Linux desktop wouldn't want to sync with a linux PDA.

Stu

cyphactor · « **Reply #3 on:** January 06, 2005, 02:29:44 am »

In that you are correct Stubear. However, thats why opens source supporters as myself exist and produce projects that eliminate the need for Sharps help (Zaurus Synchronization Repository: http://zsrep.sourceforge.net). I need all the testers I can get for the project. I am very commited to this project so if I get feed back I will react very fast.

qkidda · « **Reply #4 on:** January 06, 2005, 02:55:59 am »

Quote

Well, here is one solution. You could always use the stock PIM applications (the ones that use DTM). I have been working on a tool for Linux users that synchronizes with PIM applications using Sharps synchronization protocol. Hence, you have to install nothing on your Zaurus for the synchronization to work. Check it out at http://zsrep.sourceforge.net. Please e-mail me at cyphactor@socal.rr.com if you have any problems with it, questions or suggestions.

I did stumble upon your project last night.

Firstly trying the RPM but finding, when trying to run zync-gui, that a shared library couldn't be found (sorry, but can't recall which one off hand). I then tried the source tar balls and compiled them, only to find the same thing.

I don't understand why ... the library is there and if I did an ldconfig -vn /usr/local/lib I can see the entry for that particular library in there.

I'll e-mail you when I get home tonight with the details.

But good work on reverse engineering the protocol!

Cheers,
Gav.

qkidda · « **Reply #5 on:** January 06, 2005, 03:08:06 am »

Quote

QT desktop for linux does NOT sync with the Sharp based ROMS - including Cacko. They use the wrong format for PIM apps (dtm vs xml).

Sharp in it's infinite wisdom decided that a Linux desktop wouldn't want to sync with a linux PDA.

Yes, I stated that in my original post. However, I'm not even getting that far, in that I don't appear to be able to establish a connection from QT Desktop to the Z.

Even running under Windows 98 (or Windows 2k as I am at the moment) with QT Desktop 1.7. In fact, I've just noticed that the sync buttons are masked out when running in win2k too. They are active on my win98 machine, but don't appear to do anything, even read the list of installed packages.

Does the new sharp ROM use a completely different method of even connecting to the Z - not just different PIM file formats? That's what I'd like to know, then at least I can figure out what's going on.

My plan was to use the opie applications to sync with QT Desktop as I read elsewhere on one of these forums will work. They're installed at the moment.

Cheers,
Gav.

tumnus · « **Reply #6 on:** January 06, 2005, 05:24:57 am »

Yes. Sharp completely changed the sync and PIM framework. The old Sharp ROMs and the current OPIE way of syncing is via a builtin FTP server. This is what the Trolltech Qtopia Desktop uses, but the latest Sharp ROMs do not, so it cannot even connect to the latest Sharp ROMs (or variants of).

The latest Sharp ROMs now use Samba for file transfer, but I don't think that is used for syncing. cyphactor will obviously know more about what is used for syncing than me though.

qkidda · « **Reply #7 on:** January 06, 2005, 06:01:37 am »

Thanks for that answer ... it's _exactly_ what I wanted to know.

The fact ftp was used by sharp but not any more. I knew it was more involved than just a change of PIM file format.

However ... what I'm now thinking : could I use the Cacko ROM (first impression of OZ Opie when I installed it was that it locked up as soon as I installed a bit of software, so ditched it) with the Opie apps (as downloaded from the Cacko feed) and install an ftp server.

Any thoughts on this? I'll be trying it shortly once I finish typing and find one.

Cheers,
Gav.

--- Update

QT Desktop sits for a second or 2 connecting to the Z, but there are obviously files somewhere that it's looking for straight away. Possibly time to reconsider what to do - OZ or zync. But I need to be able to sync PIM data as a priority.

cyphactor · « **Reply #8 on:** January 06, 2005, 02:01:06 pm »

Quote

Quote
Well, here is one solution. You could always use the stock PIM applications (the ones that use DTM). I have been working on a tool for Linux users that synchronizes with PIM applications using Sharps synchronization protocol. Hence, you have to install nothing on your Zaurus for the synchronization to work. Check it out at http://zsrep.sourceforge.net. Please e-mail me at cyphactor@socal.rr.com if you have any problems with it, questions or suggestions.
I did stumble upon your project last night.

Firstly trying the RPM but finding, when trying to run zync-gui, that a shared library couldn't be found (sorry, but can't recall which one off hand). I then tried the source tar balls and compiled them, only to find the same thing.

I don't understand why ... the library is there and if I did an ldconfig -vn /usr/local/lib I can see the entry for that particular library in there.

I'll e-mail you when I get home tonight with the details.

But good work on reverse engineering the protocol!

Cheers,
Gav.

Yes, I have heard that this is a problem. I have found that /sbin/ldconfig -n does not really work. You need to add /usr/local/lib to your /etc/ld.so.conf file and the run /sbin/ldconfig (don't pass it any options, do a full update). Then it should find the libraries it needs. Let me know if this does not work.

The third release RPM (zync-0.2.1-3.i386.rpm), performs a /sbin/ldconfig post installation and post unistall. Hence, if /usr/local/lib is in your /etc/ld.so.conf before you install the RPM you should not have a problem. I the current source release I think uses /sbin/ldconfig -n /usr/local/lib, which does NOT work. I have modified the latest code in the CVS so that this problem is fixed. Hence, the next source release should work.

qkidda · « **Reply #9 on:** January 06, 2005, 02:17:38 pm »

Thanks for that tip ... was just getting around to playing with zync tonight when I got notification of reply.

Did as you suggest and it now fires up

Now all I need to do to think about keeping Cacko is get my Calendar info into the Z somehow. Sure I read somewhere that someone had utils to convert between DTM and XML.

cyphactor · « **Reply #10 on:** January 06, 2005, 02:19:19 pm »

Quote

Yes. Sharp completely changed the sync and PIM framework. The old Sharp ROMs and the current OPIE way of syncing is via a builtin FTP server. This is what the Trolltech Qtopia Desktop uses, but the latest Sharp ROMs do not, so it cannot even connect to the latest Sharp ROMs (or variants of).

The latest Sharp ROMs now use Samba for file transfer, but I don't think that is used for syncing. cyphactor will obviously know more about what is used for syncing than me though.

Yep, the entire frame work has changed. Sharp decided to write their own protocol for synchronization rather than use a standard like SyncML. Beyond that they did not create seperation between protocol and the DTM (the file format for the PIM database). Hence, the protocol uses byte for byte transfer of DTM files in some places and obfuscates it in others. The synchronization process is very much based on the SyncML standard. However, the protocol itself is far from. More info on the protocol can be obtained in the Download section of http://zsrep.sourceforge.net.

petya · « **Reply #11 on:** January 08, 2005, 02:22:08 pm »

Hi all!

I have installed cacko rom on sl-c760 and opie pim apps, touched the empty xml files, and still not able to sync. I have installed trollÂ-ftpd ftp server, it works well with telnet. I have set up multisync pairs, the ftpd listens on port 21. What am i doing wrong?

petya

tumnus · « **Reply #12 on:** January 08, 2005, 02:57:45 pm »

It doesn't use port 21. It uses port 4242. I think there may also be another port that was used as the control port to trigger the sync etc.

Even if this appears to work, you'll get problems if you run the Opie PIM apps with Fast Load because Qtopia will not know there is a sync process going on so it will not send out the QCOP message that tells the PIM apps to flush their data into the XML files. Although you could send this QCOP message manually.

cyphactor · « **Reply #13 on:** January 08, 2005, 04:56:50 pm »

This all sounds like way too much effort. You should just be able to install an RPM for the sync software on your Desktop and have it synchronize. But tumnus you are correct it does use another port as a trigger mechanism so that a sync can be initiated from the Desktop software rather than just from the Zaurus. I think you need to not use the OpiePIM apps and rather use the Sharp PIM apps, the ones that use DTM, and just test/use my sync software, zync and zync-gui .

petya · « **Reply #14 on:** January 09, 2005, 03:50:24 am »

Can it sync with evolution, or just qtopia desktop?

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Author Topic: Sync Problems With C860 (Read 7963 times)