guessmer.de wiki | Text / Synce and OpenSuse 13.1

(not a complete how-to, just some notes for now)

The good news: still alive in 2014... SynCE works with OpenSuse 13.1! The configuration is still pretty crazy, but maybe the following will help someone. I use it with a HTC Touch diamond running Windows Mobile 6.1.
Basically ActiveSync in WindowsMobile is ethernet tunneled via USB, but there are some more strange MS ideas involved...

packages

add a repository for synce packages, this does not need to be V13.1, older V12.x use the same synce versions
I used: download.opensuse.org/repositories/system://SynCE/openSUSE_12.1/
install the following packages: FUR, libopensync-plugin-synce, librra0, libsynce0, synce-core, synce-kpm, synce-sync-engine, synce-trayicon, python-rapi2
do NOT install: librapi2, rapi2-tools

repair install

Unfortunately during the installation of synce-core 2 important udev files get not copied into their correct folders. You need to do that yourself otherwise the device will not be recognized.
Copy
/lib/udev/rules.d/85-synce.rules /lib/udev/synce-udev-rndis
to
/etc/udev/rules.d/85-synce.rules /etc/udev/synce-udev-rndis

network setup

I don't run network manager here, if you do, you need special treatment to prevent it from wanting to control the synce interface.

do not use the new predictable network interface names: (...)
in yast configure a network interface "eth1" with static IP config: 169.254.2.2, netmask: /24, module: rndis_host, internal firewall zone, start on cable connection - this might only be possible when the device is connected
use masquerading in firewall setup to allow the device to use the PC's internet connection

testing

try to ping the device with its standard IP: 169.254.2.1 - if you get a response this is a first step, it does not mean that the device is connected (altough it answers the ping), thanks to Microsoft you still need "dccm / sync-engine" on the linux side to handle the connection
run sync-engine as normal user in debug mode
try the command "pls"
run /usr/lib/synce-core/dccm as superuser in debug mode

device setup

make sure the Windows Mobile 6.1 device is using "fast synchronisation" - Settings / connections / usb to pc / active sync
use synce-kpm to create a partnership

sync with thunderbird

Once everything is set up, all I need to do is run sync-engine as normal user in a terminal, connect the device, wait some seconds for dccm to startup automatically and both of them handling the connection.
Then go on with Finchsync
When sync is finished unplug the device, press ctrl+c in the sync-engine terminal and kill the remaining process of sync-engine.

(maybe more to come...)