Configuring PDA Devices

To access the PDA Devices preference tool, click Launch, then choose Preferences -> Desktop Preferences -> PDA Devices.

A personal digital assistant (PDA) is a hand-held computer that you can use as a personal organizer. You can store appointments, tasks, contacts, and other information on your PDA. You can also transfer this information between your PDA and applications in the Java Desktop System. For example, you can copy your calendar appointments from your PDA to Ximian Evolution, and from Evolution to your PDA.

When you transfer data between your PDA and your computer, you perform a HotSync operation. The actions that occur during a HotSync operation are controlled by conduits. A conduit is an application that manages the transfer of data between your computer and your PDA.

One of the actions that you can specify for a conduit is to merge data between your PDA and your computer. This is called a synchronize action. For example, you might add contact information to your PDA, then add different contact information in Evolution. You want to add the contact information on your PDA to Evolution, and you want to add the contact information in Evolution to your PDA. To do this, you must synchronize the data between your PDA and Evolution.

The PDA Devices preference tool enables you to configure a PDA to work with the Java Desktop System, and to modify PDAs that you have already configured. You can perform the following tasks with the PDA Devices preference tool:

• Configure a PDA.

• Modify the configuration of a PDA.

• Configure how PDAs can connect to your computer.

• Modify how PDAs can connect to your computer.

• Configure how conduits transfer data between your PDA and applications in the Java Desktop System.

A background application waits for a PDA to attempt to synchronize with your computer. This background application is called the PDA daemon. When a PDA attempts to synchronize with the computer, the PDA daemon synchronizes the data on the PDA with data on the computer.

gnome-pilot displays the activity of the PDA daemon. To add gnome-pilot to a panel, right-click on the panel, then choose Add to Panel -> Utility -> PDA Monitor. For more information about gnome-pilot, see the gnome-pilot Applet Manual.

To Configure a PDA

You can configure a PDA in one of the following ways:

• Use the Gnome Pilot Settings assistant. If you have not configured a PDA on your computer previously, the Gnome Pilot Settings assistant is displayed when you start the PDA Devices preference tool. The Gnome Pilot Settings assistant guides you through the configuration process for a PDA.

• Use the PDA Devices preference tool. If you have configured a PDA on your computer previously, the Pilot Settings dialog is displayed when you start the PDA Devices preference tool. Use the Pilot Settings dialog to enter details for the PDA.

To Use an Assistant to Configure a PDA

To configure a PDA, perform the following steps:

1. Connect your PDA to your computer. If your PDA has a cradle, place the PDA in the cradle.

2. Click Launch, then choose Preferences -> PDA Devices to start the PDA Devices preference tool. A Gnome Pilot Settings assistant is displayed. Click on the Forward button to begin the configuration process.

3. Enter information about how the PDA connects to your computer in the Cradle Settings page. The following table describes the settings in the Cradle Settings page:

   Element	Description
   Name	Type a name for the connection in the text box.
   Port	Enter a port for the connection in the drop-down combination box. For example, if your PDA uses a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, you might enter /dev/ttyUSB1 in this field. If the PDA does not connect properly, you might need to try another port. The default value for the Port field is /dev/pilot. If you do not want to change the default value in this field, you can make a symbolic link from the port that the PDA uses to /dev/pilot. For example, if your PDA uses a USB port, run a command similar to the following command: # ln -s /dev/ttyUSB1 /dev/pilot Note – You must have the appropriate permissions to access the port that you specify. If you do not have the appropriate permissions, contact your system administrator.
   Speed	Select the speed of the connection from the drop-down list.  Tip – Select the lowest speed. When you are sure that the connection to the PDA works reliably at the lowest speed, select the next highest speed. Continue to do this until you find the highest speed at which the connection to the PDA works reliably.
   Timeout	Use the spin box to specify the number of minutes for the connection to be idle before the connection is broken.
   Type	Select the type of port from the radio buttons. Select from the following options:  Serial: Select this option for a serial port. USB: Select this option for a USB port. IrDA: Select this option for an infrared port. Network: Select this option for a network connection port.

   When you complete the connection information, click on the Forward button.

4. Enter identity information for the PDA in the Pilot Identification page. The following table describes the elements in the Pilot Identification page:

   Element	Description
   Yes, I've used sync software with this pilot before	Select this option if you have set the username and identifier on this PDA previously. If you configure a PDA with a computer, the username and ID are set on the PDA.
   No, I've never used sync software with this pilot before	Select this option if you have not set the username and identifier on this PDA previously.
   User Name	If you have not set the username and identifier on this PDA previously, type the username in this text box.
   ID	If you have not set the username and identifier on this PDA previously, type the identifier in this text box. This identifier must be unique between different PDAs that you use.

   When you complete the identity information, click on the Forward button. An Initial Sync page is displayed.

5. Press the HotSync button on your PDA. Depending on the option you selected on the Pilot Identification page, the Gnome Pilot Settings assistant does one of the following:

   • If you selected the Yes, I've used sync software with this pilot before option, the Gnome Pilot Settings assistant gets the username and identifier that is currently registered on the PDA from the PDA.

   • If you selected the No, I've never used sync software with this pilot before option, the Gnome Pilot Settings assistant sets the username and identifier on the PDA to the values in the User Name text box and ID text box.

   When the initial synchronization is complete, click on the Forward button. A Pilot Attributes page is displayed.

6. Enter name and directory information for the PDA in the Pilot Attributes page. The following table describes the settings in the Pilot Attributes page:

   Element	Description
   Pilot Name	Type a name for the PDA. This name is used to identify the PDA to you in the user interface.
   Local basedir	Enter the directory where you want to store your PDA data.

   When you complete the name and directory information, click on the Forward button.

7. Click on the Apply button on the Success page to close the Gnome Pilot Settings assistant.

   Alternatively, click on the Cancel button to cancel configuration of the PDA.

To Use the PDA Devices Preference Tool to Configure a PDA

Perform the following steps:

1. Click Launch, then choose Preferences -> PDA Devices to start the PDA Devices preference tool.

2. In the Pilots tabbed section on the Pilot Settings dialog, click on the Add button. A Pilot Settings dialog is displayed.

3. To receive the username and identifier from the PDA, click on the Get from pilot button. To assign a username and identifier to the PDA, type the username and identifier in the text boxes, then click on the Send to pilot button.

4. Enter name and directory information for the PDA in the Pilot Name and Local basedir fields. For more information on the fields, see To Use an Assistant to Configure a PDA.

To Modify a PDA

Perform the following steps:

1. Click Launch, then choose Preferences -> PDA Devices to start the PDA Devices preference tool.

2. In the Pilots tabbed section on the Pilot Settings dialog, select the PDA that you want to modify, then click on the Edit button. A Pilot Settings dialog is displayed.

3. To receive the username and identifier from the PDA, click on the Get from pilot button. To assign a username and identifier to the PDA, type the username and identifier in the text boxes, then click on the Send to pilot button.

4. Enter name and directory information for the PDA in the Pilot Name and Local basedir fields. For more information on the fields, see To Use an Assistant to Configure a PDA.

5. Click OK on the Pilot Settings dialog.

To Configure How PDAs Can Connect to Your Computer

Perform the following steps:

1. Click Launch, then choose Preferences -> PDA Devices to start the PDA Devices preference tool.

2. In the Devices tabbed section on the Pilot Settings dialog, click on the Add button.

3. Enter connection information for the PDA in the Device Settings dialog. For more information about the elements in the Device Settings dialog, see To Use an Assistant to Configure a PDA.

To Modify How PDAs Can Connect to Your Computer

Perform the following steps:

1. Click Launch, then choose Preferences -> PDA Devices to start the PDA Devices preference tool.

2. In the Devices tabbed section on the Pilot Settings dialog, select the hardware settings that you want to modify, then click on the Edit button.

3. Enter hardware settings for the PDA in the Device Settings dialog. For more information about the elements in the Device Settings dialog, see To Use an Assistant to Configure a PDA.

To Specify How to Transfer Data Between a PDA and Applications

Perform the following steps:

1. Click Launch, then choose Preferences -> PDA Devices to start the PDA Devices preference tool.

2. Ensure that the PDA daemon is active and functions properly. To do this, add the gnome-pilot applet to a panel. If the gnome-pilot applet icon appears in black and white, the PDA daemon is active.

3. In the Conduits tabbed section on the Pilot Settings dialog, select the PDA whose conduits you want to configure from the Pilot Name drop-down list.

4. To enable a conduit, select the conduit from the table, then click on the Enable button.

5. To disable a conduit, select the conduit from the table, then click on the Disable button.

6. To configure a conduit, select the conduit from the table, then click on the Settings button. Enter configuration details for the conduit in the Conduit Settings dialog. The elements in the Conduit Settings dialog are described in the following table:

   Element	Description
   Action	Select the action to perform when you do a HotSync operation.  Select one of the following options:  Disabled: Select this option to take no action for this conduit. Synchronize: Select this option to synchronize data on your PDA with data on your computer. Copy from pilot: Select this option to copy data from your PDA to your computer, and overwrite the data on your computer. Copy to pilot: Select this option to copy data from your computer to your PDA, and overwrite the data on your PDA.
   One Time Action	Select an action to perform once only. The action is performed the next time that you do a HotSync operation. Select one of the following options:  None: Select this option to if you do want to configure a one-time conduit action. Synchronize: Select this option to synchronize data on your PDA with data on your computer. Copy from pilot: Select this option to copy data from your PDA to your computer, and overwrite the data on your computer. Copy to pilot: Select this option to copy data from your computer to your PDA, and overwrite the data on your PDA.
   Backup directory	Enter the directory where you want to store your PDA backup data.  Backup conduit only.
   Only backup changed bases	Select this option to back up only data that has changed since the last backup. The unchanged data is not deleted from your backup directory.  Backup conduit only.
   Remove local base if deleted on pilot	Select this option to delete data from your computer that has been deleted from your PDA.  Backup conduit only.
   # of old backups to keep	Use the spin box to specify how many previous backups to retain on your computer.  Backup conduit only.
   Sync Private Records	Select this option if you want to include data that is marked as private, when you perform a HotSync operation.  This options applies to the following conduits only:  EAddress ECalendar EToDo
   Default Sync Address	Your contacts might have more than one address. For example, your contacts might have a business address and a home address. The contacts manager on your PDA might not support multiple addresses.  Select the category of address that you want to synchronize from the drop-down list. For example, if you want to synchronize business addresses only, select Business. EAddress conduit only.
   Split MultiDay Events	Select this option if you want to separate appointments that occur over more than one day, into individual appointments.  ECalendar conduit only.
   Default Priority	Use the spin box to specify a default priority to assign to tasks which have no priority value assigned.  EToDo conduit only.

7. Click OK to close the Conduit Settings dialog.

To Back Up PDA Data to Your Computer

You might want to back up the data on your PDA to your computer, to avoid data loss if you have a problem with your PDA. To back up PDA data to your computer, perform the following steps:

1. Click Launch, then choose Preferences -> PDA Devices to start the PDA Devices preference tool.

2. Ensure that the PDA daemon is active and functions properly. To do this, add the gnome-pilot applet to a panel. If the gnome-pilot applet icon appears in black and white, the PDA daemon is active.

3. In the Conduits tabbed section on the Pilot Settings dialog, select the PDA whose data you want to backup from the Pilot Name drop-down list.

4. Select the Backup conduit from the table, then click on the Enable button.

5. Enter configuration details for the Backup conduit in the Conduit Settings dialog. For more information about the elements in the Conduit Settings dialog, seeTo Specify How to Transfer Data Between a PDA and Applications.

6. Press the HotSync button on your PDA.

For information about how to restore backup data, see the gnome-pilot Applet Manual.