HOWTO: Pocket PC Syncing with Evolution

[tUrtleAE86]

At first glance, SynCE and Multisync can seem a bit daunting. But, it really is not nearly as bad as it seems. I got a little help from this thread as well.

This HOWTO is based on syncing my Dell Axim X3i with Evolution, but it should carry over to IPAQs and other Pocket PCs.

Does Linux like your PDA?

1) Connect your Pocket PC and type "dmesg" in a shell to see if the ipaq kernel module is loaded. The output might look like the following. Take note of the tty used for the connection.

usb 4-2: new full speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 3
ipaq 4-2:1.0: PocketPC PDA converter detected
usb 4-2: PocketPC PDA converter now attached to ttyUSB0

2) Optionally, you can use "cat /proc/bus/usb/devices" to check for a USB device that's using the ipaq kernel module.

T:  Bus=04 Lev=01 Prnt=01 Port=01 Cnt=01 Dev#=  4 Spd=12  MxCh= 0
D:  Ver= 1.01 Cls=ff(vend.) Sub=ff Prot=ff MxPS=16 #Cfgs=  1
P:  Vendor=413c ProdID=4002 Rev= 0.00
C:* #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=c0 MxPwr=  2mA
I:  If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 2 Cls=ff(vend.) Sub=ff Prot=ff Driver=ipaq
E:  Ad=81(I) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS=  64 Ivl=0ms
E:  Ad=02(O) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS=  64 Ivl=0ms

SynCE Setup and Configuration

1) Install the required packages for SynCE:

sudo apt-get install librra0 librra0-tools librapi2-tools libsynce0 synce-dccm synce-multisync-plugin synce-serial

2) synce-serial setup will be invoked by apt, follow this through using the default settings, unless you have reason to do otherwise.

/dev/ttyUSB0
local address: 192.168.131.102
remote address: 192.168.131.201
no dns entry needed

3) Perform the following the following command to tell SynCE where to look. This seems redundant, but doesn't hurt.

sudo synce-serial-config ttyUSB0

4) Start the SynCE connection daemon by typing "dccm" in a shell. Use "dccm -p password" if your Pocket PC is password protected.
5) Initiate a serial connection by typing "sudo synce-serial-start" in a shell. You should be greeted with "synce-serial-start is now waiting for your device to connect".
6) "synce-pstatus" shows a LOT of information about your Pocket PC, such as current mode of operation, battery charge level, memory usage as well as backup battery status. If you want to see some other synce commands, type "dpkg -L librapi2-tools". You can use these commands to do things such as installing Pocket PC programs, etc.
7) Create the partnership between the Pocket PC and your computer. There are 2 slots on the device, so the INDEX can be 1 or 2.

synce-matchmaker create INDEX

You should be greeted with:

Partnership creation succeeded. Using partnership index INDEX.

Multisync Setup and Configuration

1) Install the required packages for Multisync:

sudo apt-get install libmultisync-plugin-all multisync

Or, alternatively if you want to skimp on the packages:

sudo apt-get install libmultisync-plugin-evolution libmultisync-plugin-backup multisync

2) Start Multisync by typing "multisync" in a shell. You can also do via Applications > Accessories > Multisync, but the shell gives you a lot of feedback which can be helpful the first time you use it.
3) Create a new synchronization pair where one of the plugins is "SynCE Plugin" and the other is "Ximian Evolution 2", the order doesn't matter. You may need to create a new Contact List, Task List and Calendar, so that the default ones aren't used. I'm not sure if this is needed, but it was mentioned in the other thread.
4) Press the "Sync" button.
Initially, I had no entries in Evolution so for some reason, I had to modify all of the entries on my Pocket PC so that the timestamp would register each entry as a 'change', otherwise no entries were sync'd. There must be a simple workaround for this, but I'm not sure at this time.

Disconnecting Your Pocket PC

1) Shutdown Multisync
2) "killall -HUP dccm" to kill the serial connection.
3) AS A LAST RESORT, run "synce-serial-abort", if the above command doesn't work.

Please let me know if you have any problems or suggestions.

Have fun!