Difference between revisions of "Portal:Accessing Linux"

Latest revision as of 20:59, 8 April 2014

This page is currently available in two languages:

Accessing Linux on the Pre or the Pre Emulator

The Palm Pre is a Linux based device. Palm provides a simple method to access Linux running on the Pre or the Pre Emulator. A terminal program called novaterm is bundled with the freely available SDK, enabling command line access to your device (see below for instructions).

Once you have command line access to Linux, everything else is a process of installing a community standard library of Linux programs so that users have the same tools and options available to them. (For example, you can install openssh or dropbear enabling shell access to your device.) Once this is process is completed, pretty much anything you can do on a Linux box you can also do on the Pre or the Pre Emulator.

Notice, that the described procedure below is not compulsorily necessary for you to just install further linux software packages to your device. The Preware application manager (an app you install to your device) is capable of installing these as well.

The following procedures will walk you through the process of obtaining initial command line access to Linux via novaterm on the Pre or the Pre Emulator, and installing the community standard software packages. The same instructions apply to the Pixi as well.

Before you start

Please make a note of this page: How To Recover

If you are unfamiliar with basic Linux command usage, you should visit this page: Basic Linux Use

Disclaimer

Enacting any set of instructions from this site has the (remote, but greater than zero) potential to void your warranty. Our intention and the specific design of all instructions is such that you should be able to recover using the webOS Doctor should anything go wrong, and put your Pre back to a state which is indistinguishable from a factory-new Pre, but we give no guarantee. Use any information from this site at your own risk. At the very least, you should be prepared to lose all data on your phone at any time. We cannot tell you what you should do - we provide the information, but it's up to your own sense of personal responsibility to determine what you do with that information. We require you to use the webOS Doctor to put your Pre back to factory condition before contacting Palm or your cellular carrier for service or support.

You might also want to consider backing up any files you have in the usb drive portion of the Pre.

Procedure:

In general, simply installing the Palm SDK gives you everything you need for full access to the Linux operating system on the Pre or Pixi. There is no special "rooting" or "jailbreaking" process. Simply installing the SDK provides you with unlimited access to the Linux operating system logged in as the root user. Palm does not see this as a bad thing. Palm provides all these tools for download by anyone, anytime, for free.

Download the Palm SDK.
Install it using the installation instructions for Mac, Linux, or Windows. These links to the Palm site point to a page with broken download links, some older still working links are available on the Web Archives version of this page Web Archive Page
Enable dev mode on your Pre:
1. In Card view or in the Launcher application, type the following: webos20090606
2. Tap the resulting Developer Mode Enabler icon.
3. In the application, move the Developer Mode slider to the On position.
4. Tap Reset the Device .
  - When reset is complete, Developer mode is enabled.
Plug the device into the computer via the USB cable, and select "Charge only."
The next step varies:
- On Mac or Linux, type novaterm in a command (terminal) window to directly access the Linux command line.
- On Windows you will need to download and install a novaterm program.
  - On 32 bit Windows download novaterm1.zip and unzip it into the \program files\palm\sdk\bin directory.
  - On 64 bit Windows download novaterm64.zip and unzip it into the \program files\palm\sdk\bin directory.
  - Then, just like the Mac and Linux users you can just type novaterm.

At this point you will have a window with a prompt that says root@webos-device: or something similar.

You are now logged in as root on your webOS device and can do anything you would normally do on a Linux device.

Please be careful, you can seriously bork your phone now.

IMPORTANT NOTE: With the addition of the ability to install Optware packages to Preware, unless you have a need or desire to type commands into the native Linux shell of your Palm device, there is no need to use the novaterm terminal to log into your devices. Webos Quick Install (a java program for your desktop) and Preware (an app to run on your device) are fully capable of installing any Optware IPK (including *.patch and *.diff) to Palm devices. Linux command line access is needed by very few people. If you came here from a web page that talked about "root access" or "rooting your Pre" be aware that most of the instructions which require root access have been superseded.

Advanced Topics

Next Steps

DDNS for EVDO
Set up users, Optware, and access DEPRECATED
Applying Patches DEPRECATED
Setup SFTP DEPRECATED

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+This page is currently available in two languages:
+:[[Image:Australia.png]] [[Image:USA.png]] [[Portal:Accessing Linux]]
+:[[Image:China.png]] [[Portal:Accessing Linux-ZH]]
 __notoc__
 {{portal-one-column-blue
 |header=Accessing Linux on the Pre or the Pre Emulator
 |column1=
-The Palm Pre is a Linux based device.  Palm provides a simple method to access Linux running on the Pre or the Pre Emulator.
+The Palm Pre is a Linux based device.  Palm provides a simple method to access Linux running on the Pre or the Pre Emulator. A terminal program called ''novaterm'' is bundled with the freely available SDK, enabling command line access to your device (see below for instructions).
+Once you have command line access to Linux, everything else is a process of installing a ''community standard library'' of Linux programs so that users have the same tools and options available to them. (For example, you can [[OpenSSH_Install|install openssh]] or [[Dropbear_Install|dropbear]] enabling shell access to your device.) Once this is process is completed, pretty much anything you can do on a Linux box you can also do on the Pre or the Pre Emulator.
-Once you have access to Linux, everything else is a process of installing a ''community standard library'' of Linux programs so that users have the same tools and options available to them.  Once this is process is completed, pretty much anything you can do on a Linux box you can also do on the Pre or the Pre Emulator.
+Notice, that the described procedure below is not compulsorily necessary for you to just install further linux software packages to your device. The [[Application:Preware|Preware]] application manager (an app you install to your device) is capable of installing these as well.
-The following procedures will walk you through the process of obtaining access to Linux on the Pre or the Pre Emulator, and installing the community standard software packages.
+The following procedures will walk you through the process of obtaining initial command line access to Linux via novaterm on the Pre or the Pre Emulator, and installing the community standard software packages. The same instructions apply to the Pixi as well.
 }}
@@ Line 18: / Line 24: @@
 If you are unfamiliar with basic Linux command usage, you should visit this page: [[Basic_Linux_Use|Basic Linux Use]]
+===Disclaimer===
+Enacting any set of instructions from this site has the (remote, but greater than zero) potential to void your warranty.  Our intention and the specific design of all instructions is such that you should be able to recover using the [http://www.palm.com/ROM webOS Doctor] should anything go wrong, and put your Pre back to a state which is indistinguishable from a factory-new Pre, but we give no guarantee.  Use any information from this site at your own risk.  At the very least, you should be prepared to lose all data on your phone at any time.  We cannot tell you what you should do - we provide the information, but it's up to your own sense of personal responsibility to determine what you do with that information.  '''We require you to use the [http://www.palm.com/ROM webOS Doctor] to put your Pre back to factory condition before contacting Palm or your cellular carrier for service or support.'''
 You might also want to consider backing up any files you have in the usb drive portion of the Pre.
@@ Line 23: / Line 32: @@
 == Procedure: ==
-# Download the [http://developer.palm.com/index.php?option=com_ajaxregister&view=register&sdkdownload Palm SDK].
+In general, simply installing the Palm SDK gives you everything you need for full access to the Linux operating system on the Pre or Pixi.  There is no special "rooting" or "jailbreaking" process.  Simply installing the SDK provides you with unlimited access to the Linux operating system logged in as the root user.  Palm does not see this as a bad thing. '''Palm''' provides all these tools for download by anyone, anytime, for free.
-# Install it using the [http://developer.palm.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1597 Palm SDK installation instructions].
-# You can then run [http://developer.palm.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1552#CommandLineTools-palminstall palm-install] to install a package onto your Pre (or onto the Pre Emulator),
+# Download the [http://developer.palm.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&layout=page&id=1788&Itemid=321# Palm SDK].
-# If you are on a Mac or Linux, you can type 'novaterm' instead of 'palm-install' to directly access the Linux command line.  If you are on a PC please follow this link: [[Novcom on Windos|Novacom on Windows]].
+# Install it using the installation instructions for [http://developer.palm.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&layout=page&id=1545&Itemid=55 Mac], [http://developer.palm.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&layout=page&id=1585&Itemid=55 Linux], or [http://developer.palm.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&layout=page&id=1661&Itemid=55 Windows]. These links to the Palm site point to a page with broken download links, some older still working links are available on the Web Archives version of this page [https://web.archive.org/web/20121023072516/https://developer.palm.com/content/resources/develop/sdk_pdk_download.html Web Archive Page]
-# Follow desired steps from the 'Next steps' below.
+# Enable dev mode on your Pre:
+## In Card view or in the Launcher application, type the following:   webos20090606
+## Tap the resulting Developer Mode Enabler icon.
+## In the application, move the Developer Mode slider to the On position.
+## Tap Reset the Device .
+##* When reset is complete, Developer mode is enabled.
+# Plug the device into the computer via the USB cable, and select "Charge only."
+# The next step varies:
+#* On Mac or Linux, type '''novaterm''' in a command (terminal) window to directly access the Linux command line.
+#* On Windows you will need to download and install a novaterm program.
+#** On 32 bit Windows download [http://tkgeisel.com/stuff/novaterm-1.zip novaterm1.zip] and unzip it into the \program files\palm\sdk\bin directory.
+#** On 64 bit Windows download [http://vocshop.com/stuff/novaterm64.zip novaterm64.zip] and unzip it into the \program files\palm\sdk\bin directory.
+#**Then, just like the Mac and Linux users you can just type '''novaterm'''.
+'''At this point you will have a window with a prompt that says   root@webos-device:   or something similar.
+You are now logged in as root on your webOS device and can do anything you would normally do on a Linux device.
+Please be careful, you can seriously bork your phone now.  '''
+'''IMPORTANT NOTE:'''
+With the addition of the ability to  install Optware packages to Preware, unless you have a need or desire to type commands into the native Linux shell of your Palm device, there is no need to use the novaterm terminal to log into your devices. ''' Webos Quick Install''' (a java program for your desktop) and '''Preware''' (an app to run on your device) '''are fully capable of installing any Optware IPK (including *.patch and *.diff) to Palm devices'''. Linux command line access is needed by very few people.  If you came here from a web page that talked about "root access" or "rooting your Pre" be aware that most of the instructions which require root access have been superseded.
 }}
@@ Line 40: / Line 71: @@
 == Next Steps ==
-* [[Next_steps|Set up users, Optware, and access]]
-* [[Applying_Patches|Applying Patches]]
-* [[Setup_SFTP|Setup SFTP]]
 * [[Tutorials_Linux_DDNS_for_EVDO|DDNS for EVDO]]
+* [[Next_steps|Set up users, Optware, and access]] '''DEPRECATED'''
+* [[Applying_Patches|Applying Patches]] '''DEPRECATED'''
+* [[Setup_SFTP|Setup SFTP]] '''DEPRECATED'''
-}}
-{{portal-one-column-blue
-|header=Obsolete Pages
-|column1=
-There are three other old deprecated, unsupported, and much more difficult versions of the secure root access procedure below.  These were   developed before the Palm SDK was publicly available and are no longer required (since using the Palm SDK and novaterm is so much simpler and more reliable).
-* [[Accessing Linux From Windows|Windows XP or Windows Vista via USB cable  (novaproxy) ]]
-* [[Accessing Linux From OSX|Mac OS X procedure via usb cable ]]
-* [[Accessing Linux From Linux|Linux procedure via usb cable ]]
-If you followed very early sets of obsolete instructions (even before the ones above), you might need this page:
-* [[Change_From_Loopback|Change from loopback]]
 }}