[NBLUG/talk] DevFS issues with a USB Palm cradle

Lincoln Peters sampln at sbcglobal.net
Mon Jan 10 11:17:28 PST 2005


I'm trying to set up my computer (running Debian/testing) to be able to
sync with a Palm m515.  It looks like it should work fine, but a recent
upgrade seems to have enabled DevFS, which seems to be causing problems
with the Palm cradle.

Apparently, unlike most USB devices, the Palm cradle cannot be detected
by the USB hub *until* a HotSync begins, at which point it makes its
presence known for the duration of the HotSync, after which it is again
undetectable.  This has had the unfortunate result that I cannot set up
the software on my computer since the cradle does not appear in the /dev
directory when I'm not doing a HotSync, and I can't do a HotSync until I
set up the device!

Is there a way around this, short of either disabling DevFS or using a
serial-port cradle?  According to Google, I should be able to use the
USB cradle even with DevFS (perhaps it's a Debian-specific issue).  As
for the serial-port cradle, I'm reluctant to use it because my computer
only has one serial port.

---
Lincoln Peters
<sampln at sbcglobal.net>

Giving money and power to governments is like giving whiskey and
car keys to teenage boys.
	-- P.J. O'Rourke





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