Linux Kernel Parameters

More a reminder to myself. ..

Installing OpenSUSE 11.0 on a SuperMicro H8DAE seems to hang loading amd_pata (or just after) but this is fixed with a boot parameter insmod=amd74xx which loads the correct driver in advance.

Nokia 5800 - MTP

OK, I've got a 5800 as a new phone - hopefully so I can use it a bluetooth 3G modem for the U810. Now to get it running with Linux. The question is where to start as there are so many bits to get working - Bluetooth, MTP, SymcML, 3G Modem...

Since it's the XPressMusic let's start with media synchronisation. Plug in the USB cable and select Media Transfer mode which should bring it up in MTP mode. I've had Amarok working with a Creative Zen in MTP mode so this should work - create an MTP device in the Amarok Configuration and click Connect. No such luck, hmmm.

The Packman repository has a new libmtp which is worth a try. Uninstall the old libmtp, Amarok and all the dependencies so we start clean. Then select libmtp8 and Amarok - things are looking better but a couple of things to note...

• The 5800 takes an age to respond to MTP connection setup so be patient. Running mtp-detect will appear to hang for 10-20 seconds before dumping out device capability info. Amarok does the same.
  
• If you change the 5800 USB connection mode (say from PC Suite to Media Transfer) while it is connected then libmtp/udev get very confused. Best to disconnect/reconnect to do this.
• PC Suite mode seems to be an MTP mode as well, though with a different device ID (0421:0154) than Media Transfer (0421:0155)
• My 5800 came with a load of guff on the Micro SDHC card which you probably want to clean off (dump a copy somewhere just in case...)
• Selecting ring tones seems to want to list every MP3 on the phone as an option which is very tiresome when you've got 1000+ songs on the thing. Best to configure your profiles with the SDHC card unplugged or before you've loaded up.

All not not perfect though. Amarok fails to transfer files to the 5800 for no obvious reason. I can connect, list the files on the device, copy and remove them but not transfer to new files. I can however, use mtp-connect to transfer a file and it works fine. Mysterious. FWIW libmtp is 0.3.3 and Amarok is 1.4.10.

I have just put the new V20 firmware on the 5800 - many irritiations are fixed/improved and perhaps MTP is slightly less glacial.