From desktop to VR3
===================

If one has the Agenda VR3 PDA then one obviously wants to get data in and out.
The VR3 uses the PPP protocol via serial port (or via infrared).

Current desktops and laptops usually do not have serial ports. So one has to
use the USB-to-serial adapter. I have been using the Banbridge "USB Serial
Cable" (I got this one many years ago in one supermarket).

On the VR3 a GUI tool can be used for setting the things [1]: 
------------------------------
Network-->direct serial-->IrComm Direct-->start
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The right command on a Linux desktop should be:
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pppd /dev/ttyUSB0 115200 10.1.1.2:10.1.1.3 noauth nodetach novj debug local
------------------------------

This starts the PPP server. The data can be copied with use of the rsync. But
the Agenda VR3 is very old and it's rsync version is old too (it's 2.4.6 and
your desktop version is probably 3.x.y these days). So you have to specify the
protocol version (the 21 seems to be the right number). So on the desktop:
------------------------------
sudo rsync --protocol=21 local_file.txt 10.1.1.3::default
------------------------------
It will be copied to the /flash/home/default/ directory. You probably don't
need the "sudo" if you have the right rights on the /dev/ttyUSB0...

Then you can connect to the VR3 via telnet to see what your did:
------------------------------
telnet 10.1.1.3
------------------------------
(the user name is "default" and the password is probably empty by default)

The Agenda VR3 runs the X Window system so it is possible to export windows in
both sides (to see Agenda's programs on your desktop - it your Xorg policy
allows that).
At the moment I only tried to start Agenda's programs (on the Agenda's screen)
via telnet:
------------------------------
export DISPLAY=localhost:0
reader &
------------------------------

It's a funny tiny device. And it has the MIPS R4000-compatible CPU just like my
old good SGI Indy has ;-)

Unfortunately, I cannot find the pppd for the SGI IRIX so I am not able to
connect the Agenda to a SGI workstation. 


Reference:

[1] http://sunge.awardspace.com/linux/appnote-agenda-vr3/appnote-agenda-vr3.html