SynCE + SynCE-KDE + syncekonnector HOWTO under Debian Linux

howto version 0.2

Serhan D. KIYMAZ

serhan@serotizm.com

www.serotizm.com/howtos






Introduction:

This HOWTO covers Debian Sarge and Ubuntu Breezy Badger 5.10 distributions.

If you have any correction, ideas, comments about this how to, you can contact me.


I wrote this how to to sum up all necessary information about synchronizing Windows Mobile 2003 device with KDE KAddressBook and KOrginizer under Debian. Because there not much information about this issue.


Here are the applications that we will use:


Thanks:

Thanks very much to Filip Huska for helping to update this document.


1- SynCE + SynCE-KDE Install

SynCE installation is simple because Debian has a synce package.


apt-get install synce-dccm synce-kde synce-kde-dev synce-serial librra0 libsynce0 libsynce0-dev


That's enough for SynCE. Now you'll be able to browse in your mobile device with the help of Raki and Rapip. But for the moment we can't synchronize with KDE apps. We need syncekonnector to do this.


You'll need synce-kde 0.8.3-1 if you're running KDE 3.5, earlier versions crashes when you connect to the device.


You'll also need automake1.6 package if you're using version 1.4.

apt-get install automake1.6


1.1- SynCE-KDE Compilation

You can compile from source if apt sources provides any version earlier than 0.8.3 (Ubuntu provides 0.8.1)



apt-get install libunshield-dev libdynamite-dev liborange-dev libacl1-dev libattr1-dev

wget http://switch.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/synce/synce-kde-0.9.1.tar.gz

./configure –prefix=/usr

make (Take a coffee break..)

make install



2- SynCE Libraries Install

Now starting tricky part. Before we compile syncekonnector we need to install SynCE libraries. These libraries are;


syncekonnector compilation will fail if we can't install these libraries successfully. We will use CVS versions of some apps.



2.1- libmimedir

We will download libmimedir 0.4.


mkdir synce

wget http://heanet.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/synce/libmimedir-0.4.tar.gz

tar -xzvf libmimedir-0.4.tar.gz

cd libmimedir-0.4

./configure

make

make install


2.2- synce-rra

We will get synce-rra source from the CVS. This is one of the most critical application to connect mobile device via Multisynk. tar archive from http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=30550&package_id=22569 gives compilation errors. So I prefer to install CVS version.


cd ..

cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/synce login

cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/synce co -P rra

cd rra

./bootstrap

./configure –prefix=/usr

make

make install


2.3- synce-librapi2

Install synce-librapi2;


cd ..

cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/synce co -P librapi2

cd librapi2

./bootstrap

./configure –prefix=/usr

make

make install


2.4- synce-libsynce


cd ..

cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/synce co -P libsynce

cd libsynce

./bootstrap

./configure –prefix=/usr

make

make install



3- syncekonnector Installation

This is the plug-in to connect Multisynk to mobile device for synchronizing with KDE apps.

First we need some packages;


cd ..

apt-get install kdepim kdepim-dev kdepim-dbg libqt3-headers libqt3-mt-dev kdelibs4-dev kdepim-dev


We still need something... syncekonnector looks for a file called kpimprefs.h. It must be in kdepim or kdepim-dev. But I couldn't find it. So;


wget http://ftp.debian.org/debian/pool/main/k/kdepim/kdepim_3.5.0.orig.tar.gz

tar -xzvf kdepim_3.5.0.orig.tar.gz

cd kdepim-3.5.0.orig

tar -jxvf kdepim-3.5.0.tar.bz2

cd kdepim-3.5.0

mv libkdepim /usr/include/kde


We just need to move libkdepim folder to KDE include folder (it's /usr/include/kde if you installed KDE with apt). We don't need to compile or install kdepim or libkdepim.


configure will look for the file libkonnector.so. But we have libkonnector.so.0. So link libkonnector.so.0 to libkonnector.so.

ln -s /usr/lib/libkonnector.so.0 /usr/lib/libkonnector.so


We also have to the same for libksync.so.

ln -s /usr/lib/libksync.so.1 /usr/lib/libksync.so


And for libmultisynk.so...

ln -s /usr/lib/libmultisynk.so.0 /usr/lib/libmultisynk.so


Now we will get syncekonnector from CVS.


cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/synce co -P konnector


Now we're ready...


Do:

./bootstrap

./configure --prefix=/usr

make

make install


prefix is the folder that syncekonnector plug-in will be installed. If you give prefix as /usr, plug-in will installed in /usr/lib


That's all :)


How To Use SynCE?


First you have to say your computer that you have a mobile device. Connect device to the USB port and run the command below as root. You'll do this only for once. Not everytime that you plug your device.


synce-serial-config ttyS0


Now let's connect device to computer.

Start Raki from KDE menu.


Run command below as root;

synce-serial-start


It will ask if you want to use vdccm or dccm. Select vdccm. You can see additional information with vdccm.

Raki will ask for a password if your device is password protected.

If Raki icon is colorful in taskbar, your device is successfully connected. Left click on the Raki icon. You see your device name.

Now you can install CAB files to your device, browse in it, remove software, see memory and power status.


By the way, don't forget your device name, we need it later.


How To Use Multisynk and syncekonnector?


Now disconnect your device from the USB cable and exit Raki.

In terminal kill vdccm as root;


killall -HUP vdccm (ignore errors)


Now connect your device to the USB cable again. Run command below as normal user;


vdccm -p xxxx

xxx is the password that you use for your device. Type only vdccm if your device is not password protected.


Run synce-serial-start again as root.


Open Multisynk and add new synchronizing pair. Select SynCE Konnector for the first plugin. Click options button at the right and type your device name.

Select Local Konnector for the second plugin and click options button. Select your addressbook and calendar files (they will be listed in the box).

Click OK button.


You synchronizing pair have been added.

Click Synchronize button and VOILA!

Hint: Don't run Multisynk at the same time with Raki.