The K Desktop Environment

Chapter 4. FAQ

4.1. KPilot says "Can't connect to pilot"
4.2. Databases become corrupted after a sync
4.3. Is there a conduit for Netscape Calendar?
4.4. How do I go about writing a new conduit?
4.5. How do I do an infrared (IR) hotsync?
4.6. Can I do a hot sync with my (USB) Handspring Visor?
4.7. Is there any support for remote (network) hot syncs?

4.1. KPilot says "Can't connect to pilot"

This can have various causes. Check that:

  • The pilot device (usually /dev/pilot) exists and points to the serial port the Pilot is actually connected to.

    To link the Pilot device to the correct serial port, you can either fill in /dev/ttySn in the Pilot Device field in the setup dialog or (preferably) link /dev/pilot to /dev/ttySn with the following command (as root): ln -s /dev/ttySn /dev/pilot Here /dev/ttySn is the name of the serial port; replace n with the correct number (usually 0 or 1).

  • Check that you have permission to read and write to the serial port. The permissions for the serial port should be such that you can write to it. This is most easily done by running the following (as root): chmod 666 /dev/ttySn

  • Try starting the daemon by hand before starting KPilot.

  • (For Mandrake 7 systems) Check the system security level: settings higher than 3 prevent some forms of inter-process communication which are necessary for KPilot to operate correctly.

    (Mandrake security information courtesy of Jay Summett) To set your MSEC (Mandrake SECurity) settings to not block the KPilot socket (to localhost connect) you can login as root and type /etc/security/msec/init.sh 3 Which will set your msec level to 3 (regular security). For more information about the various security levels, etc, see: the Mandrake reference guide.

4.2. Databases become corrupted after a sync

Certain databases (from third-party software manufacturers) appear not to follow the standard database layout. If you can find out what the creator id of the database is, you can add it to either the Backup Only list or the Skip list in the settings dialog.

4.3. Is there a conduit for Netscape Calendar?

No, there isn't. Neither are there plans to include support or write a conduit for Netscape Calendar.

4.4. How do I go about writing a new conduit?

There is a HOWTO-conduit inthe KPilot sources. In addition, the null conduit is provided as a programming example. You should be able to work from there. The hard part is finding out what the layout of the Pilot database is that you want to sync with.

4.5. How do I do an infrared (IR) hotsync?

First of all your Pilot has to actually support IR hotsyncs. This can be achieved through various means: PalmOS 3.3 and higher include support for it; there is an IR enhancements package for older PalmOS versions; IrLink from IsComplete apparently has the same capabilities. Check out the Palm web pages for more information.

Assuming your Pilot now has IR hotsync support and it is setup to do IR hotsyncs (in the hotsync preferences on the Pilot), we can turn our attention to the PC you will be syncing with. It needs an IR port. For laptops, this is trivial, desktop PCs may require some extra hardware.

Your linux kernel will need to support IR and the IRCOMM protocol. For stock RedHat systems, the following command should setup IR support (as root):
 # modprobe ircomm
Other distributions should follow the IR-HOWTO. Once IR support in the kernel has been activated, you need to make devices for the IR ports. The IR-HOWTO suggests (as root):
 # mknod /dev/ircomm0 60 64
 # chmod 666 /dev/ircomm0
Next we need to start some daemons for IR services:
 # irattach /dev/ttySn
 # irmanager -d 0
Here /dev/ttySn is the serial port the IR port is using. n could be 0, 1, or some other number depending on your hardware setup. Follow the instructions in the IR-HOWTO for assistance (for desktop machines, it's usually a setting in the BIOS).

Once you've gotten this far, just make /dev/pilot point to /dev/ircomm0 and you're ready!

4.6. Can I do a hot sync with my (USB) Handspring Visor?

Yes, you can. I don't have definitive information, but postings on the KPilot list have stated that you can point /dev/pilot to the USB device and everything will work fine.

4.7. Is there any support for remote (network) hot syncs?

No, not yet. There are no current plans to include support for this in KPilot. Maybe later.