Palm TX - Enterprise Security and the profile database
Hello:
Finally found a reasonably priced replacement battery for my TX.
A generic industrial grade (?) 1200mAh just a bit smaller than the original, seems to work properly, for now. Time will tell.
For the time being, my TX and I are back in business.
I looked for and found the justifiably criticized Palm TX Enterprise Security Upgrade in one of the usual Palm software download sites and installed it without much ado.
Seems to work properly but … Yes, there’s always a ‘but’.
In order to make this work with the security protocols in my WiFi router (basically WPA2) I need to generate a profile database but it needs to be done with some other Palm software which has to be run under an MS environment.
I have not been able to find it.
Anyone know how to do it in Linux? eg: command line
After all, it is probably just a *.pdb file that can be edited. Or maybe not.
I’d appreciate some insight on this.
Best,
JHM
Hello:
… not been able to find it.
Found it, it was right under my nose but in another folder.
ie: /TXEnterpriseSecurity_UG/ProfileWizard/PalmWiFiProfileWizard.exe
Age has its toll … 8^|
So here’s the thing®:
Profiles (just *.pdb files), have to be generated with the MS executable from Palm, don’t know how else to do it.
Once generated, they have to be copied to a folder located at the root of an SD Card, so that they can be then installed into the Palm TX using the WiFiProfile utility that comes with the upgrade.
But …
Yes, another one.
If there are no profiles in that folder, you will not be able to set up any profiles because the Palm OS /system/preferences/Wi-Fi complains about that and setting one up from scratch was rather uphill for me, YMMV.
So that got fixed by fooling the utility and just generating the most basic* profile, saving it to the SD card and then you will be able to edit it to your heart’s content.
* most basic profile would be like this one, generated with the Palm Wi-Fi Profile Wizard v1.1:
—-
Profile name: dummy
Authentification protocol: LEAP
Username: (optional)
Password: (optional)
—-
The file’s innards have a bit of glibberish I don’t know how to interpret, probably because of the file format but if anyone wants a copy, let me know.
:$ cat /PalmWiFi/dummy.pdb
WFPL_dummy@�I���I��PLCYWFPLf�tgrTnvedhtuA
:$
With that file in the \PalmWiFi folder of the SD card you can now install it to the TX and the edit it accordingly via the Palm OS’s WiFi configuration utility which was much easier to do for me.
When my fibre gets installed, I will be able to test the connection and then report.
Best,
JHM
What’s the make and model of the Wifi router you’re connecting to? And yes, please update on how things go.
Hello:
napakerr@hotmail.com wrote:
What’s the make and model of the Wifi router …
When the A*s from the local telco decide to come and install the rig, I will know for sure but It is supposed to be a Mitrastar gpt-2541gnac .
I believe it is also rebranded as Askey and SerComm.
But my guess is that it should not matter as long as the router uses WPA2, which now my TX will (should) be able to access, greatly improving on my being able to SSH into my Linux box or any of its running VMs.
That said, I don’t see much practical use for all this as I expect the use of WiFi will drain the TX’s battery much faster than just using it as a pocket organiser/PDA but it will be fun to see if I can actually send an email from it once I get things working.
All in all, this is just another case of my refusing to give up on old hardware that works perfectly well, like my Sun U24 workstation.
I still have a well kept Palm IIIxe and if things come to shove, an almost mint Palm IIIe, both in a box with a pair of charged of NiMH AAAs plus a bit of plastics and a screen just in case something breaks.
Thanks to Judd and his j-pilot I can use and sync my Palms under Linux.
BTW, here is all you need to know for the upgrade.
… please update on how things go.
Of course.
Best,
JHM
ok I have been frustrated about minor (major) item on my TX
I use the Dvorak keyboard, have for 25+ years and it is only thing I can't
get the Dvorak working on. just to add interest I run Linux system only
on my computers.
ideas?@!!
Thanks
Bob
You want it working on a physical keyboard? Which keyboard are you using with your Palm?
Hello:
… please update on how things go.
Right …
I had an old ADSL router with which I could test if/how this Enterprise Security thing was working and to what extent.
This test router is a regular, run of the mill/cheap telco issued and remotely configured VDSL2 (ADSL/VoIP) router, same brand (and same quality) as the one which I will probably be issued when I get my fibre link installed.
With the admin PW in your possesion, quite a few things can be configured. eg: DNS servers but every so often there will be a remote reset and that setting will be lost.
The first thing I can safely say is that using WiFi on the TX strains the battery, with scanning for a spot being the worst offender. Granted, the replacement battery I purchased is unbranded/of dubious origin, so caveat emptor. YMMV
The other thing is that the only way I was able to connect using the TX to this router using WPA2 was by configuring it in this manner:
——
SSID: leave as it is advertised by the router / test to see if the SSID you want to use is actually seen by the TX. May need capital letter. (?)
Security: Personal <- yes Personal, not Enterprise
Mode: WPA-PSK <- WPA2 option is not available in Personal, only in Enterprise
Encryption: Auto (TKIP/AES)
——
Seems confusing but that’s how I got it to work after a couple of hours of trial and error.
Using Security: Enterprise and Mode: WPA1/WPA2 did not work in any combination.
But I was able to connect to the test router which at the same time advertised itself wirelessly as being WPA2, so I think that it is probably working properly in that configuration.
While looking around for data on the reason for this being so, I came across this post which confirmed my findings.
Makes sense. Telco issued home routers are the cheapest the companies can source so their not having real enterprise security of any sort and just WPA2* is the net result of this.
* options are WPA/WPA2 or WPA/WPA2 PSK Mixed. I used the latter and disabled WPS.
I guess this can/may be mitigated to a great extent (?) by using a very strong PW and MAC filtering for WiFi access plus a healthy SSH setup on all the boxes to be accessed.
That is about it, so I think this thread can be labelled as ‘Solved’.
Best,
JHM
actually I just want the screen touch keyboard to show a dvorak key
layout. I rarely if ever use the physical keyboard I have from Parm with
it,
Bob
On Tue, 23 Apr 2024, napakerr@hotmail.com wrote:
You want it working on a physical keyboard? Which keyboard are you using with your Palm?
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There was a hack for an old os4 keyboard driver that kind of did it for a regular keyboard, so the labels weren’t right, but it won’t work for os5 anyway. However, I think you could do it with myKbd and Keyboard Layout Generator, but you’d have to put some work into it.