The Humorist's MiniGuide to iPodding with USB under Fedora Linux

I started by updating FC1 to FC2 using apt-get. That was interesting. No working USB. Had to make clean install of FC2, and then iPod decided to work. Had problems with 3com Tornado ethernet, too, but that's another story.

Now: GtkPod, guipod, and gnupod are all tools that one can find by poking around Google. I eventually decided to go with GtkPod, as it is the easiest to use and works well with USB.

The hardest part was getting the device mounted, for there is little info for iPod USB hookups in linux, and too much out there about Firewire. Who wants firewire? If you bought Firewire card, take it back and get USB. That way, when you buy external storage, a wireless mouse/keyboard, and USB ethernet you'll have three worthwhile empty USB ports staring back at you, instead of three worthless Firewire ones.

To connect my iPod successfully, I first had to reformat it to Windows filesystem. Although it is *possible* to accomplish this in *nix, I would recommend loading up EphPod in Windows (not with wine, don't waste your time on this) or iTunes (in Windows) and running the iPod updater. Bam!

Now, make sure your USB controllers do not suck. If they do, don't even try .... the next part ....

Plug in your iPod. Run:

# mount -t vfat /dev/sda2 /mnt/ipod/
or, as we'll see next:
# mount -t vfat "pickle" /the/directory/you/created/in//mnt//

N.B. /dev/sda2 is going to be the default partition for 99% of the people reading this. If the above command does not work, check # dmesg or grep /var/log/messages for "/dev/sda"

If you have narrowed the device's residence down to /dev/sda, then you'll notice you have two partitions (/dev/sda1 and /dev/sda2) but take it from me-- only one of them is to worry about: the one that your song data goes onto is /dev/sda2. Call that "pickle," for reasons of clarity.

If that mount command is not working, and you've narrowed it down, your problem is likely something that you have not thought of yet.

If /mnt/ipod does not exist, create it. Make sure you have an /etc/fstab entry for "pickle" that contains something about /mnt/ipod. Kudzu should accomplish this for you under Fedora Linux.

try:
#system-config-services3
or
#chkconfig kudzu on

to make sure Kudzu service is checking for hardware at boot time. Then restart your computer a bunch of times, trying different rhythms of unplugging your iPod and plugging it back in. (do not necessarily do this last step if you don't look forward to the prospect of reflashing the device)


next, run:

#gtkpod

Click import. Add songs from HD. Hit sync. BOP!


O
questions/comments/additions/flames ?

xnoahx@linuxmail.org

It should be noted that this product doesn't only work with Linux - you can actually install Linux right onto the iPod.

See http://ipodlinux.sourceforge.net for details.

While it's not really the most practical thing to do, it's pretty neat - you could, theoretically, use the iPod as a webserver or something via ethernet over IEEE1394. It'd probably be a slow web server, but once again, things like this aren't done out of practicality.

If you're a Linux enthusiast/addict, though, there's no reason not to - you can make the iPod dual-boot, so that you keep the functionality you're used to but still get iPod Linux to mess around in.

I haven't tried Fedora yet, but Suse's not playing too friendly with the mini ipod I got.
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/showthread.php?s=&postid=1120862#post1120862
That's the thread I'm working in

I just bought the 4th gen. from Target after years of begging my parents for enough cash, and after just ten minutes of figuring out how to open the damn box, and another 6 before I figured out I had to charge it first, I had pluged it in through firewire, which didn't work, although I think it has something to do with my ieee1394 port and not the iPod + Linux.
I pluged it in with the USB 2.0 cable it also came with, and it worked flawlessly. I got it formatted for FAT32 instead of HFS+, got all my music setup on it, even added a few audiobooks. This has got to be the best three hundred bucks I've ever spent on anything before.