Fuzzy Logic

Vino, the VNC server that’s set up by default in Ubuntu 11.04, has a huge problem: it doesn’t refresh after the initial login. You can click and type and it’ll register, but it won’t actually redraw the screen. The following post has the solution:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=10775950&postcount=13

So, my boss recently bought a Connectport X2B for me to develop with. I wanted to use the feature for forwarding via TCP, but saw absolutely nothing regarding that in the interface. So, after about a day of digging, I found the following link (and, more importantly, the implications of it): ConnectPort X2 – 802.15.4.

On that page are different firmwares. It turns out that my ConnectPort was loaded with 82002161_B2.bin firmware. This would be fine, except I wanted the ConnectPort to forward my packets for me. It turns out that, from there, I needed to actually use 82002162_B2.bin to give my ConnectPort the appropriate software. Okay, but no big deal. All would be fine after that! All I had to do would be throw it into TCP or UDP server mode and away I would go.

Incorrect. While setting up the TCP server options I came across this help page:

Help page for ConnectPort showing TCP Server

This would be extremely helpful, except for the tiny fact that the feature was removed from the web interface and never removed from the documentation. This seems to be the story of the Digi documentation. It is either incorrect or misleading, which can be incredibly frustrating. Not that I’m frustrated.

Anyhow, it turns out that, at this point, you have to revert to the terminal help documentation to get from there. Ignoring the fact that their terminal doesn’t support the traditional backspace (gotta ^H it) and is slower than anything I’ve used since the third grade, it actually provides a useful interface to the device. Looking at the commands set autoconnect for TCP server settings and set udpserial for UDP server settings makes it work.

Or, at least in the case of UDP, ‘kinda’ makes it work. I currently have a situation where it seems to be dropping two bytes every packet when it sends me the data over UDP, so I’ll be talking to Digi about it today….

For some reason, the version of Realport included on the CDs won’t work. Instead, you have to download it from their site:
http://ftp1.digi.com/support/driver/40002549_e.zip
Once you download that, run the Setup64.exe
Link obtained from
http://forums.digi.com/support/forum/viewthread_thread,7603

Took me too damned long to find this…
http://www.sparkfun.com/datasheets/Wireless/Zigbee/XBee-2.5-Manual.pdf
Pages 55-70

EDIT: That is outdated, the newest version is here: http://ftp1.digi.com/support/documentation/90000991_C.pdf

Posting this here because I always forget where it is:

http://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshellext/hardlinkshellext.html

Best. Thing. Ever.