Making the new iPods work with Linux

Here is a quick howto on using wtbw’s code in linux to use a new generation iPod.

1. Download the code.


2. Plug your ipod in and make sure it is mounted and run:
   

   sudo lsusb -v | grep -i Serial

   
   Look for your iPod device, and the firewireID should be the 16 character long hex string shown.
   It should look something like this:

   00A1234567891231

   
   This number should be broken up into 2-letter chunks for input into the file, so the above would
   look like so:

   0×00, 0xA1, 0×23, 0×45, 0×67, 0×89, 0×12, 0×31



3. Edit main.cpp in the hash_crack directory and read the commetns at the top. You should insert your firewire ID where the comments specify, then run make to compile the hash program.


4. Next, sync your ipod with gtkpod, rhythmbox, banshee or Amarok, or whatever ur used to just like normal. Once this is complete, you should have an ipod with songs on it, that refuses to view the songs. To make it “see” the songs, u need to run the hash program we just compiled on the iTunesDB file. This should happen something like this:
   

   ./gethash /path/to/iPod/iPod_Control/iTunes/iTunesDB

   
   This should output the proper hash for the current state of the iTunesDB, as well as the old hash for the previous state of the iTunesDB. We just need the first value.


5. Write this new hash value to the proper location in the iTunesDB where the hash is stored at address 0×58 of the iTunesDB file. This can be done with a program such as bvi.
   
   Note: You will need to do the process of getting the hash on your iTunesDB every time you even so much as change a song name, or upload new music or video files.

Vista revisited

Recently I had to work from home. This required me to remotely access a customer's system to perform some updates. However, despite being web-based, their remote access software only worked with Internet Explorer and Windows (not even using IE emulated under WINE).

I had to borrow a laptop from work that had Windows on, as at the time, I only ran *nix at home (2 x Kubuntu Linux, 1 x Ubuntu Linux, 1 x FreeBSD and 1 x Solaris).

So now I've relented again, and put a box together with Windows Vista Ultimate, Office 2007 and Visual Studio 2007 Professional. That should cover my Windows needs for now.