How I survived my iLiad

[Hisko]

Is this the right forum for "how I survived my iLiad?"
My message is covering quit different issues, but I could not set myself to split the message in small messages and where to send.

The formatting of this message is too difficult for me.
(too many unwanted empty lines)


How I survived my iLiad
Content

Converting .pdf to .prc: you can use Mobipocket Creator, or just drop your .pdf document in Mobipocket Reader and extract the converted .prc file from the Mobipocket "home directory"
The same goes for Powerpoint, Word documents, Excel. (Not allways 100% perfect, sometimes the resulting .prc can be useless, but the method is still worth a try for me).

Solved (startup) problems?
-Wikipedia

I installed the offline Wikipedia with Dillo, Mimo and Connection manager for online browsing. After playing around on the internet with my iLiad I lost the capability to connect to wireless. I re-flashed my iLiad and all wireless problems were solved. Since then I used the offline Wikipedia without additional browser support. Thus Adam B's solution for a browser-less wikipedia installation: "https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24174"

-iLiad-regutils

After installing iliad-regutils-0.1 I had to re-flash my iLiad (tested it 2 times) as the iLiad would not shutdown anymore (reset-> startup again). Installing the other programs, without iliad-regutils, flawless.

Organizing Programs

On my ilIad:

Internal memory:

FBReader 0.8.14; XShell-50-install

CF direct dump in /Programs directory:

Date_And_Time; Dillo; DLetter; EmelFM2; FBShot_30S_V2; Gargyole; Gargyole Adam; iNewsstand; IPDF_Installers_V2.12; Slideshow; Wireless-101107-PL; X48.

CF direct dump in /:

Directories for Wikipedia: EXE (Python); Wiki; KillWiki; WikiData; and the file wikipedia.html
Stardict

CF by installers:

AbiWord; Ace.0.1.Install; Beaver.0.1.Install; FBReader 0.8.14; GNUMeric;GPE; Jukebox_3.1.1.Install; MC.ILiad.0.1.Install; MimoInst;XBoard.0.2.Install; (XShell-50-Install ->internal memory)

Special:

EVKB: dumped in CF/Programs. Don't install twice: you will have double(echoed) input and have to restart. I will have to modify start.sh to eliminate this.
BusyBox: use following command in XShell

ipkg install /mnt/usb/busybox_1.7.2-iliad-0.2_ereader.ipk

(installed to internal memory), where the .ipk is on my usb-stick

In order to install quickly after a re-flash: I prepared an USB-Stick with the following content:

/Programs : All programs ready to run, without installers
/Installers : All installers
/EXE (Python); /Wiki; /KillWiki; /WikiData; and the file wikipedia.html
/Stardict
/RestoreInstallers : All .xml and .sh files xcopied from the original installers. (After a re-flash all links from installed programs are lost. But the installers on the CF still think the program is installed. Copying the original .xml and .sh files solves this issue. In XShell I use Midnight Commander to copy. The copy command is :

cp -a /mnt/usb/RestoreInstallers/* /media/cf

Avoid a clutter of executables:

Installing the programs resulted in a clutter of executables, in too many directories. In the content lister you need to browse the CF "root" directory (media/cf/); the Programs directory (my case: /cf/Programs) etc in order to execute a program (or .prc file as Merriam Webster dictionairy). Therefore I wanted the programs listed in my "NOTES" listing (internal memory, /mnt/free/notes"). I tried to collect all programs by symbolic links in a subdirectory "/mnt/free/notes/Programs" in the internal memory. However a vfat system (Fat16/Fat32) does not support symbolic links, and /mnt/free notes and all of its descendants are made vfat too (to be compatibel with iLiad Commander on the PC?). Thus

ln -s /mnt/free/notes/Programs/Gargyole /media/cf/programs/Gargyole

" fails (Symbolic link: Operation not permitted (1)).
A workaround is to "bind" an already existing ext2 subdirectory "Programs" into the vfat directory "/mnt/free/notes":

mount --bind /home/Programs /mnt/free

This works and I appended this command line to the file /home/root/start.sh (using Midnight Commander).
(for further checking: the "mount" command without arguments and the file /etc/fstab (only reading!)).

Harware

Keyboard support:

I use EVKB with a Trust 14909-02 Wireless Media Center Keyboard (with inclued wireless USB-stick for connection). No problems encountered till now.

Cards:

I try to keep my CF and SD card in their slots (I am afraid of dammage to the cf-card pins and the eject mechanisme). To download content or programs the USB-stick is used. (XShell and Midnight Commander (like Norton Commander) or the command "cp -a [Source] [Destiny]")

Connectivity

Wireless:

A wireless connection to my PC's on my home wirelss network did never succeed.
A wireless connection (via my home wireless network) to IDS works flawless
A wireless connection to the internet with the Wireless-101107-PL script and Mimo works flawless.

Wired

A wired connection to my PC works sometimes. However the iLiad Companion software is needed, the operation is confusing. To reset the iLiad Companion database remove the program, delete the /Programs/Iliad Companion directory etc. Use a USB-stick instead (if you feel comfortable with working in XShell with or without MC)

The iLiad Companion software on a PC is useless, and not needed.

Question

I was meddling with the "mount" commant a short while ago (to verify mounting subdirectories, before putting the commands in this message). As result my iLiad did not complete startup successful. Fiddling with the bottom four buttons and at last the power On/OFF switch resulted in a fast shut down and a normal start again.
This brings me to the question:

Any Norton Ghost program around that can make an image backup of thye (internal) iLiad?

[Adam B.]

Excellent writeup.


I have a few suggestions:

1. Very few programs *really* need to be reinstalled after reflashing. Most programs just make a symbolic link from /usr/local/ to /mnt/cf/_local. If you recreate the link after reflashing, you should be able to run the program without issue.

2. If you're going to be working a lot in the command line, install dropbear on your iLiad. You can then use Putty on Windows, or SSH on Linux to connect to your iLiad's IP address. This makes editing files significantly easier.

3. You can't exactly make a ghost image of the iLiad. If you really wanted to, it's possible to make a modified reflash image. You'll have to acquire the latest firmware image, mount it on a linux computer, modify the file system, and reflash it to the iLiad. It's a lot of work even for someone experienced with it, but if you're going to be reflashing often, it might be worth it. Acquiring the image is the hardest part, but if you can sniff traffic, or ssh to the iLiad while upgrading the OS, it's possible.

[Hisko]

Adam B, Thanks for your fast comment. As well as I highly appriciated all the ports to the iLiad you yourself and your co-porters made. Thanks again.


Concerning your comment:
1: All subdirs in "/media/cf/_local" have a symbilic link in "/usr/local".
Question1: If these symbolic links in "/usr/local" do not exist after reflashing some programs can't run because the info in for instance the "etc" directory is expected at "/usr/local/etc" instead of at "/media/cf/_local/etc"? (because the cf card is vfat formatted?)

2: I will try dropbear and PuTTY.
I tried Putty already for following your how-to port manual. (Stuck after installing libraries failed. I have to try again). I learned that Putty v0.49 could not connect, while Putty v .6 was flawless.
Question2.1: Is there a "How to" for dropbear in combination with PuTTY?
Question2.2: which entry in the "/etc/passwd" should I edit? And can I use each sequence that seems fit? (I am not anymore on a corporate or multiuser network)
Question2.3: To have a wired link to the iLiad should I wire the iLiad by ethernet cable to my gateway or directly to my computer?

3: Thanks for the info.
I will using a reflash, update OS through IDS, restore registry using your method, reinstall all programs in internal memory, and recreate the links.
I will try to create a restore.sh file to automate reinstalling and recreating the links.
Question3: About recreating the links: would it be effective to create a symbolic link to "/media/cf/_local" instead of having links to all subdirs of "/media/cf/_local"?

Thanks in advance

By working with Xshell directly or by means of Midnight Commander your forced to learn super command line DOS = Linux.
And learning Unbuntu is fun.

[CleverClothe]

Hisko, about the symlinks for organizing your programs. The content lister can do its own symlinks regardless of the file system.

All the details are here: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19359

This will help you organize your program links.