Feature request: permanent access via USB

[PF4Mobile]

I would like to be able to access the SD card or the internal memory via USB while I am editing/reading a file

The reason why I am asking is this: let's say I am reading a file. I use scribbling or highlighting. I would like to be able to export the annotations and access them on the desktop without to interrupt the reading process

When you export the annotations or you merge the scribbles a new file is generated. unfortunately when you connect the USB to get the file your reading must be stopped because the reader switches to USB only mode

[Defenderland]

You can work on a PC and continue reading on an eReader? Wow!

[tuxor]

Sounds impossible. I guess, when attached via USB, all storage media is unmounted by the M92, so that the OS of the attached PC can mount the storage. Multiple OSs trying to manage the same storage doesn't sound good to me

But what might be possible is something like network sharing, maybe over a wifi connection. I don't know the USB protocol but maybe this kind of sharing can also be immitated via an USB connection. To be honest, I have never seen anything like that before...

[PF4Mobile]

I believe that you are correct. Especially in Unix the USB card is mounted as a volume
NFS might sound like dream
It might work if the document is on the internal SD card while the annotations and the scribbles are exported to the external card. The unmount one card for making that available to the PC while the other will be in use as it is needed to keep the document open.
It might be quite simple actually as "mount" and "umount" have specific arguments for each volume

[PF4Mobile]

One more drop here: This is possible on Windos CE, I just tested this on another device

[rkomar]

If you install openssh and enable sftp on the ereader, then you can mount directories over WiFi with the right software on the PC (something like Filezilla would work). Or you could scp/sftp the files over using the command-line. I do it with my PB902, and it is very nice if you move files frequently.

[FDD]

Originally Posted by PF4Mobile

One more drop here: This is possible on Windos CE, I just tested this on another device

Can you elaborate a bit? How does the device present itself to the PC? Shared folder over some net (ethernet or wifi)? USB mass storage? (This would be really strange!)
Or maybe it is accessible only through some program?

EDIT: Any chance it is using Windows Mobile Device Center? In this case it would be impossible to use the same approach in the M92, so some kink of network sharing should be used.

[tuxor]

What I got working is the following:
Compile lrzsz-0.12.20 (get it from here: http://ohse.de/uwe/software/lrzsz.html) for M92 or take my readily compiled version from the attachment. Copy lrz and lsz to your M92 (either sd card or internal storage).
Connect to your M92 via USB serial console with root access, see
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...89&postcount=5.
Use Zmodem to transfer files between your host and the M92. Unfortunately I don't know any way to do this without minicom. So I don't see a way to implement this into an automated script that - say - simply "pushes" a given file to the M92's internal storage or "pulls" a given file from M92.

"chat" would be an option, but I don't know how to combine it with zmodem...

By the way: doesn't g_file_storage.ko do, what we are looking for here?

[PF4Mobile]

Originally Posted by FDD

Can you elaborate a bit? How does the device present itself to the PC? Shared folder over some net (ethernet or wifi)? USB mass storage? (This would be really strange!)
Or maybe it is accessible only through some program?

EDIT: Any chance it is using Windows Mobile Device Center? In this case it would be impossible to use the same approach in the M92, so some kink of network sharing should be used.

Yes it is using Windows_Mobile....
Let's not be focused on one SD card solution
It is OK to use a second card and export the files to that card and later unmount it and access it via USB
The proble is the USB screen that blocks any activity on the ereader

[PF4Mobile]

Originally Posted by tuxor

What I got working is the following:
Compile lrzsz-0.12.20 (get it from here: http://ohse.de/uwe/software/lrzsz.html) for M92 or take my readily compiled version from the attachment. Copy lrz and lsz to your M92 (either sd card or internal storage).
Connect to your M92 via USB serial console with root access, see
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...89&postcount=5.
Use Zmodem to transfer files between your host and the M92. Unfortunately I don't know any way to do this without minicom. So I don't see a way to implement this into an automated script that - say - simply "pushes" a given file to the M92's internal storage or "pulls" a given file from M92.

"chat" would be an option, but I don't know how to combine it with zmodem...

By the way: doesn't g_file_storage.ko do, what we are looking for here?

Thanks for this solution
As far as I know zModem can't browse the destination folder ... but yes it is a solution.. thanks

[tuxor]

If you find a way to implement zmodem into a script independent of minicom or cu, retrieving dir listings etc won't be the problem, I think.

[tuxor]

Just to prove what I said, here is a small Python tool, that automates the zmodem way (unfortunately for Linux users only at the moment):

• Download the attached usb_dev_mode.zip and unpack it to your M92's internal storage. Most credits for the contents of this file go to FDD!! See https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...89&postcount=5.
• Make sure the commands "cu", "/usr/bin/rz" and "/usr/bin/sz" as well as Python are installed on your host OS.
• Download and unpack the attached m92.py.zip.
• Mark m92.py executable, e.g. chmod a+x m92.py
• Execute "usb_dev_mode_start.oar" on your M92.
• Connect your M92 via USB.
• Try to run "/path/to/m92.py shell" and test the remote shell - you should close it by typing "~." ... For what happens on "exit" see below.

You can upload and download files by simply running "/path/to/m92.py push YOURFILE" or "/path/to/m92.py pull REMOTEFILE", where REMOTEFILE must be an absolute path on you M92 like "/media/flash/testfile" or "/media/sd/testfile". All files will be downloaded to the current working directory, files will be uploaded to your internal storage.

In order to use your M92 as USB mass storage after this procedure, you will have to close any running remote shell (with "exit" or type "/path/to/m92.py exit") and execute "usb_dev_mode_stop.oar" on your M92.

Troubleshooting

• Whenever you execute "/path/to/m92.py" and there's no immediate output wait at least 10 seconds before killing it. In case your M92 doesn't react it will take my tool some seconds to notice that. If so, you perhaps have to execute "usb_dev_mode_start.oar" first.
• Make sure that the serial console is created in /dev/ttyACM0 whenever M92 is connected in usb_dev_mode. If the serial console has a different name on your system (find out with "dmesg" output directly upon USB connection), you'll have to edit line 10 of m92.py accordingly.
• You can upload multiple files simply by using "/path/to/m92.py push FILE1 FILE2 ...".
• If you want to upload to a different directory than /media/flash you will have to edit line 11 in m92.py accordingly.

This is only a proof of concept. The whole thing may still have many bugs and it's not exactly comfortable. But it works for basic file transfers and it shows that with some effort, we could even write a tool (with gui if you want), that connects to your M92 and lets you browse through the M92's file system and change, upload and download files while you're still able to use your M92 for whatever purpose you like.

[PF4Mobile]

Thanks ...I hope someone forwards this to the Onyx programmers
I use Windows so this is not helping me much. I do appreciate the effort
and I hope that the idea will be implemented @ Onyx somehow