blueman file transfer

[crankypuss]

As it turns out, some of the obex packages didn't get installed; on
installing them, I'm able to connect to a NAP and to send files to a
connected device.

However I'm not able to receive files sent by a bluetooth-connected
device. The "File Transfer" tab in blueman-services is blank.

I suspect that some other package didn't get installed so that's why
"File Transfer" is blank and the connected device says "Failed to find
service" when attempting to send a file.

Does anyone know what packages may be missing, or how to diagnose this
problem?

--
http://totally-portable-software.blogspot.com
[Sun Nov 22: "Total Portability is not binary"]

[Kirk_Von_Rockstein]

On 2016-02-05, crankypuss <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
> As it turns out, some of the obex packages didn't get installed; on
> installing them, I'm able to connect to a NAP and to send files to a
> connected device.
>
> However I'm not able to receive files sent by a bluetooth-connected
> device. The "File Transfer" tab in blueman-services is blank.
>
> I suspect that some other package didn't get installed so that's why
> "File Transfer" is blank and the connected device says "Failed to find
> service" when attempting to send a file.
>
> Does anyone know what packages may be missing, or how to diagnose this
> problem?
>

I have not used it in several years, but did use OBEX to
move files from/to a phone via bluetooth dongle hooked to usb port.
I think I had these packages installed:

bluez-obexd - bluez obex daemon
libopenobex1 - OBEX protocol library
libopenobex2 - OBEX protocol library
obex-data-server - D-Bus service for OBEX client and server side functionality
obexfs - mount filesystem of ObexFTP capable devices
obexftp - file transfer utility for devices that use the OBEX protocol
obexpushd - program for receiving files via Bluetooth or IRDA
ussp-push - Client for OBEX PUSH
openobex-apps - Applications for OpenOBEX

[Wildman]

On Fri, 05 Feb 2016 08:41:20 -0700, crankypuss wrote:

> As it turns out, some of the obex packages didn't get installed; on
> installing them, I'm able to connect to a NAP and to send files to a
> connected device.
>
> However I'm not able to receive files sent by a bluetooth-connected
> device. The "File Transfer" tab in blueman-services is blank.
>
> I suspect that some other package didn't get installed so that's why
> "File Transfer" is blank and the connected device says "Failed to find
> service" when attempting to send a file.
>
> Does anyone know what packages may be missing, or how to diagnose this
> problem?

~$ apt-cache depends blueman
blueman
Depends: libatk1.0-0
Depends: libbluetooth3
Depends: libc6
Depends: libcairo-gobject2
Depends: libcairo2
Depends: libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0
Depends: libglib2.0-0
Depends: libgtk-3-0
Depends: libpango-1.0-0
Depends: libpangocairo-1.0-0
Depends: libpython2.7
Depends: libstartup-notification0
Depends: python
Depends: python
Depends: dbus
dbus:i386
Depends: bluez
bluez:i386
Depends: obex-data-server
Depends: python-dbus
Depends: python-gi
Depends: notification-daemon
dunst
cinnamon
mate-notification-daemon
notify-osd
plasma-widgets-workspace
xfce4-notifyd
Depends: librsvg2-common
Depends: gnome-icon-theme
Depends: libpulse-mainloop-glib0
Depends: gir1.2-gtk-3.0
Depends: gir1.2-gdkpixbuf-2.0
Depends: gir1.2-glib-2.0
Depends: gir1.2-pango-1.0
Depends: gir1.2-notify-0.7
Depends: python-gi-cairo
Depends: gir1.2-appindicator3-0.1
Depends: gir1.2-gconf-2.0
Recommends: policykit-1
policykit-1:i386
Conflicts: blueman:i386

--
<Wildman> GNU/Linux user #557453
The cow died so I don't need your bull!

[crankypuss]

Looks like a fair match on that, except:
* openobex-apps was not installed, will try installing it
* libopenobex2 appears not to exist in the Debian-jessie repository
thanks.

[crankypuss]

Looks pretty much like what I'm seeing here. When I run blueman-servies
in a terminal this comes up:

[start]
Loading configuration plugins
Using GConf config backend
blueman-services version 1.99.alpha1 starting
_________
load_plugins (/usr/bin/blueman-services:85)
['Audio', 'Network', 'Transfer']
_________
set_page (/usr/bin/blueman-services:132)
Set page Transfer
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/bin/blueman-services", line 159, in on_selection_changed
self.set_page(id)
File "/usr/bin/blueman-services", line 143, in set_page
inst.on_load(self.container)
File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-
packages/blueman/plugins/services/Transfer.py", line 43, in on_load
self.setup_transfer()
File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-
packages/blueman/plugins/services/Transfer.py", line 132, in
setup_transfer
status = a.TransferStatus("opp")
File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/dbus/proxies.py", line 70, in
__call__
return self._proxy_method(*args, **keywords)
File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/dbus/proxies.py", line 145, in
__call__
**keywords)
File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/dbus/connection.py", line 651,
in call_blocking
message, timeout)
dbus.exceptions.DBusException: org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.UnknownMethod:
Method "IsStarted" with signature "" on interface "org.openobex.Server"
doesn't exist

Gtk-Message: GtkDialog mapped without a transient parent. This is
discouraged.
[end]


Plugging the dbus error message into google, I come up with this:

https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=567149

As far as I'm concerned it's not fixed, because, you know, it doesn't
work.

I'm not sure how to work the mechanics of getting the blueman package
and building it, but that looks like what's next.

There's also a kernel object, cdc-acm.ko by name, that seems to be
causing the Pantech UML295 to be constantly reset. It looks like
finding out how to obtain/build that one might be in order too.

[crankypuss]

crankypuss wrote:

> Wildman wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 05 Feb 2016 08:41:20 -0700, crankypuss wrote:
>>
>>> As it turns out, some of the obex packages didn't get installed; on
>>> installing them, I'm able to connect to a NAP and to send files to a
>>> connected device.
>>>
>>> However I'm not able to receive files sent by a bluetooth-connected
>>> device. The "File Transfer" tab in blueman-services is blank.
>>>
>>> I suspect that some other package didn't get installed so that's why
>>> "File Transfer" is blank and the connected device says "Failed to
>>> find service" when attempting to send a file.
>>>
>>> Does anyone know what packages may be missing, or how to diagnose
>>> this problem?

solved by installing the latest version:
https://github.com/blueman-project/blueman/wiki/Packaged-versions

[Kirk_Von_Rockstein]

Been so many years since I have used bluetooth,
Believe it or not
so for the hell of it,
I paired up a USB bluetooth dongle connected
to one of my PC's with a android phone, going through all confs
(blueman) and setting up bluetooth on phone etc.
Paired them and had them connected both ways ..was able to
"send files to device" (phone) and was able to "browse files on device".
Well...I was able to browse files once ..and since ..it has not worked. :/
(That was via the blueman-applet) In Local Services >> Advanced >>
`command to start an obex ftp browser` I had <filemanager> obex://%d
used several different filemanagers in place holder of <filemanager>
..none worked. What did you end up using for this here command?

I noticed in another post in this thread that you installed a more recent
version from: https://github.com/blueman-project/blueman/wiki/Packaged-versions
and have it working, I'll try it myself tomorrow, as it is late and I'm burnt.
Enough fun for the late evening. <g>

A way I WAS ABLE to browse the file systems on the droid device
that did work without using blueman-applet was this: (all was connected)
In a user term I ran:

obexftp -b -l

after that completed and was back at prompt I ran:
(Note that A0:91:69:55:8A:26 is the MAC of my phone)

sdptool browse A0:91:69:55:8A:26

Then in a superuser/root term I created a mount point
for the droid phone:

mkdir /mnt/android

Then ran this next command in same root term:

obexfs -b A0:91:69:55:8A:26 /mnt/android

I then was able to drill along that mount point path (/mnt/android)
in any filemanager/shell I chose and was able to browse the filesystems
on the device, both internal and external. Was able to copy,
delete etc.

Then when done, to unmount the filesystems
on the device I ran the below in a root term:

fusermount -u /mnt/android

[crankypuss]

From what I can tell, BlackBerry OS10 does not support the browse
functionality over bluetooth, if I want to actually mount its microcard,
I have to use USB tethering. Not a big deal for me since the only
reason to mount it is for an rsync backup; in most cases the function I
need is to send a few files and receive them. That works between the
Lenovo Yoga (Android), the BlackBerry, and the XPS13 running Debian-
jessie, now that I've installed "blueman-git" (which I believe is the
maintainer's-last-stable-snapshot).

It's possible that OS10 does support the browse function and I just
don't know how to use it. I don't think I've tried it wrt the Android.

I'm also able to use the BlackBerry as a Network Access Point from the
Android or the Linux install, so I'm a happy camper connectivity-wise,
though I am sitting on a single-point-of-failure on the BlackBerry (as I
was reminded yesterday when its SIM wasn't seated just right), but
that's covered by the Pantech UML295 aircard unless I allow a kernel
update, which (until cdc-acm.ko or whichever is fixed) causes it to
constantly reset.

> I noticed in another post in this thread that you installed a more
> recent version from:
> https://github.com/blueman-project/blueman/wiki/Packaged-versions and
> have it working, I'll try it myself tomorrow, as it is late and I'm
> burnt. Enough fun for the late evening. <g>

It seems to work better, and if my understanding is correct it's either
in, or soon-to-be-in, the sid version of Debian.

> A way I WAS ABLE to browse the file systems on the droid device
> that did work without using blueman-applet was this: (all was
> connected) In a user term I ran:
>
> obexftp -b -l
>
> after that completed and was back at prompt I ran:
> (Note that A0:91:69:55:8A:26 is the MAC of my phone)
>
> sdptool browse A0:91:69:55:8A:26
>
> Then in a superuser/root term I created a mount point
> for the droid phone:
>
> mkdir /mnt/android
>
> Then ran this next command in same root term:
>
> obexfs -b A0:91:69:55:8A:26 /mnt/android
>
> I then was able to drill along that mount point path (/mnt/android)
> in any filemanager/shell I chose and was able to browse the
> filesystems on the device, both internal and external. Was able to
> copy, delete etc.
>
> Then when done, to unmount the filesystems
> on the device I ran the below in a root term:
>
> fusermount -u /mnt/android

If you want to mess about with the files on an Android, the way to go is
via the adb command, which comes as part of Android Studio (which is
fairly huge imo, a couple GB of added files as I recall). As I recall
adb runs as Android-root, so as long as you don't kill its server out
from under yourself, or otherwise shoot your foot, all's fair.


Your mention of fusermount, gives me a good laugh at myself:

A little more than a year ago I was running Ubuntu 11.10 (oneiric) and
happy as a clam, making progress on my project. Then I got interested
in Android. Pretty soon I was wanting to build phpfuse and found out
that I was missing a lib or two, then I found out that the oneiric
repository was so old it was gone to bit-heaven. At that point I
started looking for a more current distro, and only a couple days ago
have I reached the point again where I have something running that I can
restore onto a fresh drive and in which all the necessary functions seem
to be working on all my systems, which is a different set of systems
than I started out with.

I was going to move to Debian-sid, but instead I'm freezing on jessie
until my hardware gives out (again) and I end up needing a new distro
(again); the jessie repo should be around until 2020 which is good
enough for now and current enough that I can still install a package
from it when I need to, and in most cases not so far behind the
maintainer's version that I can't modify the current code when that
become necessary. Which means (here's the funny part) I've run out of
excuses and will have to get back to writing actual project code. <g>