Permission denied ... SpamAssassin.pm line 1536

Setup creating error messages:

openSuSE 10.2 with spamassassin, postfix, evolution. I found that most likely, after intense Googliing, all other Linux distributions and setups have the same problem in an environment run as root. This error messages are mainly or entirely occurring if you - like I do since 10 years - run your Linux machine strictly as user root - i.e. my Desktop, mailbox, Firefox, ... ALL. I love power, hence I only work as root. The result is that spamassassin dislikes that nanda many other users out there appear to have the same problem. I found little or no real help Googliing, but small steps leading to the working end-result. The point is that this problem is rather easy to fix. Have a look at the error messages below, if you have any or several of them, then follow the instructions in the bottom section of the page and all should be perfectly fine afterwards.

Depending on how you work on your SA ( SpamAssassin ) configuration, above might be the first error you find in your error log - it was the first error in my case, all other errors occurred when attempting a partial or wrong other solution. All errors disappeared after all SA configuration properly adjusted.

If you have tweaked and twisted your configuration already, then any or all of below listed errors might occur at one time. I had the pleasure to meet them all during my endeavor to solve the SA problem and thus I also had the pleasure of solving all. As by now there are NO further SpamAssassin related error messages in my /var/log/warn.

tail -f /var/log/warn

Jul 2 02:44:12 gott spamd[13735]: mkdir /root/.spamassassin: Permission denied at /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.8.8/Mail/SpamAssassin.pm line 1536
Jul 2 02:44:12 gott spamd[13735]: locker: safe_lock: cannot create tmp lockfile /root/.spamassassin/auto-whitelist.lock.gott.liebe.13735 for /root/.spamassassin/auto-whitelist.lock: Permission denied
Jul 2 02:44:12 gott spamd[13735]: auto-whitelist: open of auto-whitelist file failed: locker: safe_lock: cannot create tmp lockfile /root/.spamassassin/auto-whitelist.lock.gott.liebe.13735 for /root/.spamassassin/auto-whitelist.lock: Permission denied
Jul 2 02:44:12 gott spamd[13735]: bayes: locker: safe_lock: cannot create tmp lockfile /root/.spamassassin/bayes.lock.gott.liebe.13735 for /root/.spamassassin/bayes.lock: Permission denied
Jul 2 02:44:12 gott spamd[13735]: mkdir /root/.spamassassin: Permission denied at /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.8.8/Mail/SpamAssassin.pm line 1536

Above and a all 8 errors as listed below - all related to the same problem in spamassasin configuration - will be treated and most likely solved in this article.

1. mkdir /root/.spamassassin: Permission denied at /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.8.8/Mail/SpamAssassin.pm line 1536
2. locker: safe_lock: cannot create tmp lockfile /root/.spamassassin/auto-whitelist.lock.gott.liebe.4910 for /root/.spamassassin/auto-whitelist.lock: Permission denied
3. Jul 2 17:42:33 gott spamd[9982]: bayes: locker: safe_lock: cannot create tmp lockfile /root/.spamassassin/bayes.lock.gott.liebe.9982 for /root/.spamassassin/bayes.lock: Permission denied
   Jul 2 17:42:33 gott spamd[9982]: spamd: still running as root: user not specified with -u, not found, or set to root, falling back to nobody at /usr/sbin/spamd line 1147, <GEN29> line 4.
   Jul 2 17:42:34 gott spamd[9982]: mkdir /root/.spamassassin: Permission denied at /usr/lib/perl5/vendor_perl/5.8.8/Mail/SpamAssassin.pm line 1536
4. auto-whitelist: cannot open auto_whitelist_path /path_to/auto-whitelist: Permission denied
5. bayes: cannot write to /root/.spamassassin/bayes_journal, bayes db update ignored: Permission denied
6. spamd: cannot run as nonexistent user or root with -u option
7. connect(AF_INET) to spamd at 127.0.0.1 failed, retrying (#3 of 3): Connection refused
8. spamd -u nobody [10112] info: config: SpamAssassin failed to parse line, "/gott/CyberspaceAshram/spamd/bayes/" is not valid for "bayes_path", skipping: bayes_path /gott/CyberspaceAshram/spamd/bayes/

Our love for working as user root is the cause - the point is that SA does NOT run as user root and defaults to user nobody. If you have the installed default SpamAssassin configuration, then all SA folders are created in each user space. For user root that is in: /root/.spamassassin. User nobody has no permission to access /root folder. To change permissions to allow nobody would be unwise and most complex. I have wasted much time attempting it to now avail. Changing default paths for SA is simple, secure and far more convenient.

Howto fix your spamassassin Permission denied error

First I give you the small changes step by step, then you receive the permission setup that works on my setup.

In SA system-wide config we add the path info to get all our SpamAssassin for user root into a NON-root folder. In my precise case I have since years a production-partition with all files from my web site project and related tools and data. To keep SpamAssassin files there as well is convenient as this partition survives all updates and re-installs, hence also all SA rules and data are preserved over time!

Modify your SpamAssassin system configuration local.cf to add path info

Our system wide SA configuration is in /etc/mail/spamassassin/local.cf

ADD the below lines:

bayes_path /gott/CyberspaceAshram/spamd/bayes/bayes
auto_whitelist_path /gott/CyberspaceAshram/spamd/bayes/auto-whitelist
bayes_file_mode 777
auto_whitelist_file_mode 777

I explain above 2 paths - please pay attention to avoid errors:

1. /gott/CyberspaceAshram/spamd/bayes/ is the path to my bayes-FOLDER, the second bayes after the slash / is the FILE prefix !! NO file, NO folder. only file prefix in the configuration file. Of course you create your own path/folder - but do NOT create the file prefix - just configure/define it in the local.cf !!! You create the folder containing the bayes files - the prefix is defined in your local.cf and SA does create all bayes files as needed. SA then will create files all starting with bayes_ - such as:
   bayes_journal
   bayes_seen
   bayes_toks
2. /gott/CyberspaceAshram/spamd/bayes/auto-whitelist - that however is a FILE. If your install is new, then you create that file:
   touch /gott/CyberspaceAshram/spamd/bayes/auto-whitelist
   Now change ownership:
   chown nobody:nobody /gott/CyberspaceAshram/spamd/bayes/auto-whitelist
   and
   chmod 666 /gott/CyberspaceAshram/spamd/bayes/auto-whitelist

If you have already bayes_ files in your /root/.spamassassin folder, then I recommend you copy these existing files into your new location. Else you may loose months of manual spam teaching data resulting in a much higher spam volume bypassing the first weeks your spam filter until all "SPAM learning" has caught up again.

File and folder permissions

There might be other options, I have tried a number and none worked except my current permission setup below. Keep in mind that SA runs as user nobody - we do that part later. Here the permissions of my new folders:

drwxr-xr-x 3 root root
-rw-rw-rw- 1 root root auto-whitelist
-rw-rw-rw- 1 nobody nobody bayes_journal
-rw-rw-rw- 1 root root bayes_seen
-rw-rw-rw- 1 root root bayes_toks

Folders chmod 755 - files chmod 666

All bayes_ ... files are auto created by SA and grow constantly over time. The file bayes_journal is created upon boot and gets lost after reboot. Nothing to worry about bayes_journal. SA takes care of that. SA takes care of ALL !! ... when properly configured.

ALL lock files are autocreated as needed and deleted as soon as file-access terminated. Hence all the lock files having created the error messages in /var/log/warn rarely appear in a file listing as they live just for seconds or less.

As user root - single user on one machine, there is no one else using SA but me and all SA files now are thus system wide. As a result there is NO need for any files to be in my /root/.spamassassin.

The file /root/.spamassassin/user_prefs NO longer is in use - all lines out-commented. Probably it is save to delete that file as all configuration is done in our system wide /etc/mail/spamassassin/local.cf

Run spamd as user nobody !!

Of course you may chose another system user to run spamd - in openSuSE nobody is a good choice to make life simple and SA running!

Hence for testing you first make sure you have all configuration files saved after changes made, all permissions set as above, then stop existing spamd

then start as user nobody for testing we enter in shell

spamd -u nobody

and we watch our error log

tail -f /var/log/warn

The command rcspamd start -u nobody does NOT work to pass -u nobody !!! rcspamd gets the additional arguments from the file /etc/sysconfig/spamd. To permanently start spamd each time as user nobody, we ADD the argument -u nobody in file: /etc/sysconfig/spamd - change / ADD argument to run spamd as user "nobody":

# Default is "-d -c -L"
SPAMD_ARGS="-d -x -u nobody"

For details of above - please see man spamd, I have removed the -L because I do want to make remote tests ( DNS ) since I work on a fast Internet connection. I may replace the -L argument when working via mobile 3G Internet connection however. In addition the meaning of arguments currently in use on my system is:

-x Disable user config files - since i use one single system wide configuration for spamd
-d Daemonize
- u nobody Run as user nobody

To test spamassassin you need to RECEIVE email !! Of course you also need to receive SPAM mail and mark mail in your inbox as SPAM. There should be no more error messages. Now it might be time to proceed with all other configuration as needed if you wish to add rules to SA. For me a basic setup is sufficient. My daily mail is some 1000 - 1500 eMails with approx 99% SPAM. SpamAssassin does all work for me! Just take your time to check your spam folder and UN-SPAM any good mail until SA has learned all rules for your purpose.

Remember: bayes_path and bayes prefix

bayes_path in your /etc/mail/spamassassin/local.cf end with a file prefix - not a directory !!!

Note that any change in /etc/mail/spamassassin/local.cf only become effective AFTER you restart spamd. In case of any doubt or persistig problem after ALL above path and permissions are set correctly - reboot your machine!

Adapt all my paths to your own system needs !!

spamc skipped message, greater than max message size (256000 bytes)

One last point is the now and then appearing error message spamc skipped message, greater than max message size (256000 bytes). The meaning is that any eMail greater than 256000 bytes will be processed without SPAM check for sole reason of resource conservation. I have NOT found where the 256000 bytes are configured - NOT in my postfix configurations NOR anywhere in SA. A good point might be that typically spam is small else spammers never could get the masses mailed. Hence the risk of getting a really large mail greater than 256000 bytes as SPAM certainly is small, thus the need to change that limit is small as well.

The following manual may help you for additional clarifications if needed:

man Mail::SpamAssassin::Conf

God bless

hans

Today's global economic crisis - lasting now for nearly a year - is an ideal situation to measure and evaluate your own job situation and professional qualifications. In recent months we had in addition to the global crisis a number of large and largest natural disasters such as the flooding in Burma / Myanmar, the earthquake in China, the Volcano eruption in Chile, various flooding disasters in USA combined with Tornados ...

In such situation you can best realize if you can be of any direct use in those disaster zones.

• Do you have hands on qualifications, job experience needed during and after such disasters or wars ?
• Can you fix things ?
• Can you create solutions, can you create technical solutions, logistics, medical help, repair and rescue help needed in various disaster situations ?
• Are you a solution provider who does work on your own - with your own means, body, strength, inspiration ? Or do you depend on your employees or helpers to do the job FOR you ?

In such most severe disasters and crisis situations there might be NO electricity, NO communication to quickly Google questions - NO other expert to ask ... only you ! Are you a source of strength FOR others, for society, for people in need of ALL kind of help from basic medical help, to repair, logistics, communications, etc.

One point is sure as hell is sure: ALL office jobs and office qualifications are totally obsolete in such situations and crisis. All administration is obsolete. In need are people who can do things, people who create help, people who invent solutions with whatever natural or technical means are remaining available. All kind of paperwork becomes worthless during disasters and times of war, political struggle and economic crisis - because all administrative jobs and expenses are a WASTE of the limited resources needed to really solve and help.

If you are sincerely interested to evaluate your present job qualifications, then look deep inside your heart, soul and body and ask yourself if you could actually provide these very hours any of the many tasks needed to be done today in any of the many disaster zones from China, Burma/Myanmar, Chile or the flooded areas in USA or any other region in distress these days and weeks.

If your answer is positive, then you may as well consider a job for a few years for one of the many relief or humanitarian help organizations acting on global levels. If your reply is negative, then you may consider going back to school, participating in vocational training to change or improve your professional qualifications and adapt your job qualifications to real needs of real life on this planet. The past few weeks / months are but a small example of what might be waiting for us all on this planet during the years or decades to come. With fast increasing environmental pollution and environmental destruction nature no longer creates warnings but nature has to create solutions within the power of nature. Mankind has failed to develop love for nature, love for our entire planet, mankind has failed to honer dignity of others and freedom of others - thus nature returns back the lessons mankind more likely understands. Loss, pain and to face the almighty power of nature might be far more efficient in a time where no time to wait is left. War have failed since thousands of years, engineering and science have failed as well. The longing for money and power has been far greater than wisdom and love.

As a result of all ongoing global changes real qualifications might be more needed than ever before. Facing the loss of all property and forclosure of millions in USA - the importance of modest life in harmony with God and all planet also becomes vital for the bare survival.

In all disasters from WW2, Korea war, Vietnam war, strike on Iraq, to all natural disasters of the past years - hundreds of millions might have lost all their property, wealth or even body / family. Those who had real qualifications always have managed to survive and get up again. Those who had nothing but paper and office qualifications have been depending on social welfare or new office jobs again without ever having the pleasure and honor to be useful for society and neighborhood.

While in New Orleans it may take many years to rebuild the homes destroyed years ago during a natural disaster Tornado - in simple but loving countries such as here in the Philippines, it may take but days or weeks to rebuild a house. Because a house here is small, affordable costing some 1-2 monthly salary if done by paid professionals and costing (near ) zero if done with the help of loving family members and neighbors.

Homes in western world are huge - a multiple of real needs in size and more likely reminding of temples and homes of aristocracy rather than homes of real loving humans. The larger the ego, the larger the home and the larger the pain when all is lost. Those who focus on God and love, on helping each other and being truly useful for each other have nothing to loose. A simple house can be rebuild by loving family members. A lost home paid with mortgage and bank money only can be rebuild by banks, another mortgage and another loan.

The more titles you have and need for your current job, the less likely your job is of ANY real use in situations of global crisis or natural disasters. True values always are within a person - in the heart and mind. useful and needed skills never are displayed by diplomas but by helping hands doing real jobs where real humanitarian help is needed.

Review your inside and review your professional skills, experience and qualifications to adapt to the needs of our real world situations, to be prepared for the future whatever the future might bring. Being useful may bring you no medals, no trophies, no reward of any material or financial kind - but being real useful and helpful in situations of disaster, war and crisis may bring you a happy heart as a result of true happiness created by you.

God bless

hans

The error message: "Can't connect RFCOMM socket: Connection reset by peer" is just another possible error response you may get when attempting to connect Bluetooth after a reboot or reset of your smart phone or laptop / PC.

Initial connection usually requires authentication. My Nokia N95 is quiet delicate in choosing its partners to pair - may be my Nokia smart phone has inherited that from its owner :).

To clean up a mess or misconfiguration, may be best to reboot your Nokia smart phone, release any connection if existing and activate your passkey-agent on your laptop - here I use the default PIN 0000.

/usr/bin/passkey-agent --default 0000

if you now attempt your connection again, make sure to have your mobile phone at hand to respond to the authentication request. Once the pairing is done again with the authentication, then you may configure your Nokia N95 to automatically allow connection to the paired device for future connection requests.

Have fun

hans

See here below for and overview of all possible Bluetooth configuration and BT error solving steps published:

1. Command lines to connect your smart phone via bluetooth
2. Testing laptop Nokia N95 GPRS bluetooth
3. Wrong or missing route
4. Connection refused
5. Can't connect RFCOMM socket
6. Can't create RFCOMM TTY
7. openSuSE Linux BT Laptop N95 G3 / GPRS Internet configuration
8. Nokia N95 multimedia computer review

Now that we have successfully setup all bluetooth configuration to connect laptop to Nokia smart phone - all we need are 2 lines, in 2 separate shell consoles to establish the connection. The connections are ended by CTRL C.

1. rfcomm connect /dev/rfcomm0 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66 2
2. wvdial gprs
3. route add default gw 10.6.6.6

Connect laptop to N95 - and other Nokia smart phones

rfcomm connect /dev/rfcomm0 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66 2

Remember to use your own remote BT device HW address and your own channel in place of my channel 2 above.

To dial up bluetooth modem using wvdial

wvdial gprs

With gprs being the name of the wvdial.conf for the bluetooth GPRS modem connection in your Nokia N95 or other compatible Nokia smart phones.

Set route from ISP

route add default gw 10.6.6.6

The gateway IP from 3G mobile network is obtained in the ppp dialog after successful dialup - its the remote IP. All OTHER network are best stopped to avoid network/gateway confusion or errors. After your Internet activity is terminated and you wish to reconnect to your LAN or WLAN, simply disconnect your 3G connection and restart your network using:

rcnetwork restart

God bless

hans

Complete set of MINI-HOWTO GPRS / 3G - Laptop to Nokia N95 Internet access

View all earlier articles to cover the full configuration problem solving for my Acer Ferrari 5000 laptop to Nokia N95 bluetooth Internet connection via mobile 3G / GPRS:

1. Testing laptop Nokia N95 GPRS bluetooth
2. Wrong or missing route
3. Connection refused
4. Can't connect RFCOMM socket
5. Can't create RFCOMM TTY
6. openSuSE Linux BT Laptop N95 G3 / GPRS Internet configuration
7. Nokia N95 multimedia computer review

Keep in mind that all BT device HW-addresses used in below examples are my own device' address. You find your own HW address and replace accordingly. All these shell command lines have been tested with openSuSE Linux 10.2 and my Nokia N95 smart phone BT device. Most likely these commands give comparable results with all Nokia smart phones and may be with all other smart phones as well. Some of these command lines may as well also be used for OTHER bluetooth devices than smart phones!

In below shell command lines, the command is in ITALIC - the following lines are typical correct results from a successful command line query!

Tests you make while smart phone BT device is disconnected are:

• sdptool search --bdaddr 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66 DUN | grep Channel
  Channel: 2
• sdptool browse 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66 | grep -A 11 "^Service Name: Dial-Up Networking"

Tests you make while smart phone Bluetooth device is connected

• rfcomm show 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66
  rfcomm0: 00:19:7E:EA:90:52 -> 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66 channel 2 connected [reuse-dlc release-on-hup tty-attached]
• hcitool con
  Connections:
  < ACL 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66 handle 11 state 1 lm MASTER ENCRYPT ( this is the secure channel to my Nokia N95 smart phone )
  > ACL 00:10:C6:89:23:BB handle 12 state 1 lm MASTER ( this is my Acer Ferrari 5000 Bluetooth mouse )

Tests you can make while your Nokia smart phone BT device is connected OR disconnected

• sdptool browse 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66
  Browsing 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66 ...
  Service Name: AVRCP Target
  Service Description: Audio Video Remote Control
  Service Provider: Symbian Software Ltd.
  Service RecHandle: 0x10000
  Service Class ID List:
  ...
  Here follows a long list of all Service / channels of your BT device. The results are self explaining and show you what channel is used for what service, i.e. services = Dialup Networking (DUN), Nokia SyncML Server, SyncML DM Client, Nokia OBEX PC Suite Services, OBEX File Transfer, SyncMLClient, Imaging, Headset Audio Gateway, OBEX Object Push, Hands-Free Audio Gateway, Audio Source, AVRCP Target.

Bluetooth ping

A bluetooth ping can be done connected or disconnected. The command is simple and the result looks like a regular ping:

l2ping 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66 Ping: 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66 from 00:19:7E:EA:90:52 (data size 44) ...
0 bytes from 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66 id 0 time 163.80ms
0 bytes from 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66 id 1 time 13.03ms

Other shell commands typically used or useful at some time of your laptop BT to GPRS configuration and testing

Adapt HW addr, channel number and IP to your needs !!

• rcbluetooth status
• rcbluetooth restart
• mknod --mode 666 /dev/rfcomm0 c 216 0
• rfcomm bind 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66
• rfcomm release 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66
• ifconfig
• ifconfig wifi0 down
• ifconfig eth0 down
• route add default gw 10.6.6.6 ( adapt GW IP according to your ppp remote IP address )
• rfcomm connect /dev/rfcomm0 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66 2

For more help on other Nokia N95 smartphone / bluetooth modem connection problems, please have a look at all my other articles to solve all possible errors and problems.

God bless

hans

The fact that the dial up dialog says "Default route OK" means nothing at all. The cause is most likely your OTHER network settings and default route settings overriding the ppp route. Here below the easy steps to solve this issue.

-- Script /etc/ppp/ip-up run successful
-- Default route Ok.
-- warning, can't find address for `www.suse.de`
-- warning, address lookup does not work
-- Nameserver (DNS) failure, the connection may not work.

Solution:

ifconfig to show all active networks, then

stop all your OTHER active networks like your eth or wlan:
ifconfig eth0 down
and / or
ifconfig wifi0 down

Then set the new default route according to the remote addres from your ppp connection dialog-output received from your providers server after wvdial gprs
route add default gw xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx

Now load a page in your browser or ping any outside IP or domain. Your Bluetooth / GPRS connection should work now.

if connected but after a brief period you get disconnected from your remote BT device with the error "exit code = 16" modem hang up - that results from WRONG init strings in your dialer configuration. Look at the init strings I use successfully, these modem initialization strings have solve my often repeated "exit code = 16" modem disconnects!

ifconfig will show you the ppp connection details for your local IP and gateway IP

ppp0

Link encap:Point-to-Point Protocol
inet addr:10.157.74.159 P-t-P:10.6.6.6 Mask:255.255.255.255
UP POINTOPOINT RUNNING NOARP MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:1264 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:1315 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:3
RX bytes:675081 (659.2 Kb) TX bytes:204306 (199.5 Kb)

One additional error you may find in your /var/log/messages during dial up process is:

rfcomm_tty_ioctl: TIOCGSERIAL is not supported

this error message is apparently of no concern to proper connectivity !!! I have it and the connection is clean, stable and fast.

God bless

hans

For more help on other Nokia N95 smartphone / bluetooth modem connection problems, please have a look at all my other articles to solve all possible errors and problems.

Bluetooth authentication error - PIN exchange NOT working

A common error is Can't connect RFCOMM socket: Connection refused. By default my openSuSE Linux had NO passkey-agent activated. Hence authentication failed. rfcomm.conf does NOT answer the PIN request, the passkey-agent does that job!!

Watch your messages - log during your configuration period to get feedback for your possible trouble shooting:

tail -f /var/log/messages

You'll most likely find errors such as:

call_passkey_agent(): no agent registered
pin_code_request (sba=00:19:7E:EA:90:52, dba=00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66)
call_passkey_agent(): no agent registered

You have NO passkey-agent active in your system. It appears that the rfcomm.conf does NOT solve the PIN request. Start your passkey-agent as below and set the PIN in use ( the same as in your rfcomm.conf ).

Passkey-agent needs to be closed using CTRL C. It appears in my case with correct N95 auto reconnect configuration set ONCE for the initial pairing / connection. I now no longer need the passkey-agent for future connections. That most likely depends on the security features of your Nokia smartphone and whether you allow your smart phone to accept / auto connect upon connection requests from your laptop once you have correctly paired with that laptops HW BT address. Provided that you have always the same laptop connecting to your smartphone - that certainly may be a preferred solution if your Nokia supports auto-reconnect without re-use of PIN after the initial PIN has been entered ONCE.

OR

start / use your bluetooth daemon
/opt/kde3/bin/kbluetoothd

Be aware that kbluetoothd has a POP-UNDER window showing up when a password / PIN is requested upon connection. That may cause a problem if you have OTHER windows covering this POP-UNDER window and you may get error messages due to time out of your PIN request failing!!!

I personally prefer the simple method of using the /usr/bin/passkey-agent --default 0000 and have configured my Nokia N95 smart phone to always auto-connect to my precise laptop when my laptop sends a connection request. You may replace the PIN 0000 by any other PIN of your choice - just be sure you remember it and the PIN also should be included in yourm /etc/bluetooth/rfcomm.conf..

Enjoy

hans

For more help on other Nokia N95 smartphone / bluetooth modem connection problems, please have a look at all my other articles to solve all possible errors and problems.

If your attempt to connect laptop via bluetooth to your smart phone ( Nokia N95 or other ) results the error:

rfcomm connect /dev/rfcomm0 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66 2
Can't connect RFCOMM socket: Resource temporarily unavailable

Then you are attempting to connect on the wrong channel!

To find the channel, you need to know first your HW address of your remote bluetooth device:

hcitool scan

Will show you an output similar to below - with your own HW address of the remote BT device:

hcitool scan

Above on the left you see your HW address and on the right the name of the BT device

If ever you want to know your local ( laptop ) BT hw address, here below the command line:

hcitool dev

Devices
hci0    00:19:7E:EA:90:52

If you need more info about your remote BT device

bohcitool inq

OR much more details about your remote Bluetooth device in your smart phone - here my Nokia N95:

hcitool info 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66

Now that we know our remote Bluetooth device hardware address, we find our DUN - Dial Up Network - channel as below:

sdptool search --bdaddr 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66 DUN | grep Channel
Channel: 2

now we connect to the correct channel using below command line:

rfcomm connect /dev/rfcomm0 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66 2

Warning - your channel may change if you change your smart phone configuration !!

If you ADD new mobile phone configuration profiles or DELETE old / unused profiles, then the channel number may change. I had exactly this situation after deleting some unused multiple profiles. Even worst, after rebooting my N95 the channel changed one more times.

Hence If ever you have a doubt or get the error: "Can't connect RFCOMM socket: Resource temporarily unavailable" when attempting your "rfcomm connect ........." check your channel number again.

A simple but correct rfcomm.conf file would look as below or in this rfcomm.conf file:

rfcomm0 {

# Automatically bind the device at startup
bind yes;

# Bluetooth address of the device
device 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66;

# RFCOMM channel for the connection
channel 2;

# Description of the connection
comment "a comment";

}

After connect - password asked on N95n BT device - then you may still get errors unless you have done all correctly:

Can't connect RFCOMM socket: Resource temporarily unavailable

= you are using wrong init strings in your wvdial.conf ! Correct accordingly and all should work fine.

God bless

hans

For more help on other Nokia N95 smartphone / bluetooth modem connection problems, please have a look at all my other articles to solve all possible errors and problems.

If your attempt to connect your laptop to your Nokia smartphone: ( with YOUR HW address of course )

rfcomm connect /dev/rfcomm0 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66

results in an error:

Can't create RFCOMM TTY: Address already in use

Then use the below command line: ( with YOUR HW address of course )

rfcomm release 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66

and reconnect again. If all other configuration is correct, it should work now. In my case I get the correct output as below - as you see I connect to channel 2:

rfcomm connect /dev/rfcomm0 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66 2
Connected /dev/rfcomm0 to 00:1E:3A:7A:AE:66 on channel 2
Press CTRL-C for hangup

Need more help - just look into my Linux admin category and you'll find my entire Bluetooth connection, step by step howto.

Love and bliss

hans

First the essential steps for a successful final configuration, In a near future article I will emphasize on some of the typical error messages and problems and how to solve them. In short - all works perfectly if you do it right and the good news is: It actually is much easier than it looked weeks ago before I had it all running !

My setup is:

An Acer Ferrari 5000 laptop running on openSuSE 10.2 and a Nokia N95 smart phone Most likely the same configuration may work.with all openSuSE n10.x and with the soon coming openSuSE 11 as well.

While I use the Nokia N95 - I safely assume that the same procedure MAY work with many or most of the modern Nokia smart phones of the S60 models. If in doubt - try and be surprised.

As a dialer I used years ago during the dial-up era wvdial - hence again I use wvdial to dial to the bluetooth modem in my Nokia N95. the configuration file is below. My mobile provider requires neither user name nor password. For whatever reason however wvdial dislikes empty or missing user / password fields. Hence the exact syntax (empty ) is accepted and successful. The "Phone = *99***1#" may need to be adapted - the 1 in my profile is to select the N95 configuration profile to access the Internet. The logic why my N95 wants the 1 is unknown to me, because:

I have 4 configuration profiles in my N95:

1. The regular GSM - phone configuration
2. GPRS
3. Internet
4. MMS

GPRS and Internet are and do the same - only different names for whatever reason. Hence from my own logic the "Phone = *99***2#" or "Phone = *99***3#" might be more logical. Nevertheless the 1 is the only one profile accepted and working.

If you have your bluetooth in your Linux laptop running and your Nokia N95 bluetooth also is active, here a few points to remember:

To pair devices you need to confirm on your Nokia smartphone as well to accept connection from your laptop and you may also be asked to accept connection from your laptop automatically. This of course makes future reconnections much easier. Whether you work with or without PIN is up to you, but I found that attempting to connect without PIN appears more difficult than with. Hence in the most simple case you may use "0000" as PIN but still you need to specify.the PIN. I assume you have a passkey-agent installed for your other bluetooth devices. Else you may get errors and I will publish a solution to the various errors in a soon to follow future article ASAP.

[Dialer gprs]
Modem = /dev/rfcomm0
Baud = 921600
Dial Command = ATDT
Init1 = ATE1
Init2 = AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","internet","",0,0
FlowControl = CRTSCTS
Init3 = ATM0
Phone = *99***1#
Username = (empty)
Password = (empty)
Stupid Mode = 1

Much of the time I spent to get my BT connection online was due to wrong dial up script configuration. Hence unless you KNOW exactly what you do, I recommend you first use exactly above wvdial.conf and adapt only your user and password if you need them.

You may wonder why I have Baud = 921600 - the reason is obvious. The ancient 55,6 k or other smaller numbers all were for the slow oldfashioned cable modem ISP connections. Modern G3 is much faster and thus I want to make sure my configuration is never slowing down my Internet connection. In a poor quality G3 connection the max speed / bandwidth I encountered was 48kB. A good quality 3G connection of course may be much faster.

Common error result from:

• using wrong channel to connect
• missing passkey-agent
• having your kbluetooth installed and your kbluetooth gives you a SMALL POP-UNDER that you may miss to see if other windows are open. The kbluetooth password window is small and more than once I missed to see it resultign in annoying connection errors. Now I have kbluetooth shut down and use only passkey-agent. That solution appears more stable to me !!
• using wrong dialer configuration - specially wrong init commands !!
• having already a BT device running or connected
• having changed your configuration without restarting your BT network rcbluetooth restart

When testing your BT connection - remember to shut down your OTHER www connections, else your default route may NOT work. If you made many back and forth changes and tests and all things go wrong again and again:

• reboot your laptop !
• reboot your Nokia !

Here you have a clean text file of my scans and bluetooth configuration files used,

Next article is errors and error solutions commonly encountered in bluetooth GPRS connections. I had ALL of them and apparently I have solved ALL of them as well.

Love and bliss

hans

Review Nokia N95 - a Smart phone - or as Nokia says "Nokia N95 multimedia computer"

Since more than 6 months I have my Nokia N95 8GB - the first cellphone since many years that can fulfill ALL my mobile needs to the fullest satisfaction. Since months I wanted to write a short review - but ONE most important application was still missing in my configuration and practical testing.

Bluetooth - Laptop via Nokia N95 - GPRS / G3 - into Internet

Today after repeated surfing, testing, tweaking and configuring I finally had it all working. A perfect mobile connection using Philippines G3 capable Smart cellphone network. In another post soon to follow I will publish all details to get your bluetooth Internet / G3 / GPRS connection via N95 working.

Here just a brief review of the Nokia N95. Before my N95 I used to have an HP iPAQ rw6828 for a few months. Unfortunately HP iPAQ rw6828 was/is unsupported in the Philippines for all its Internet access features and thus it was of NO value, besides that my previous HP iPAQ rw6828 was far less ideal in all features than my current Nokia N95!

The pros of the N95 8GB are:

Comparing the N95 with my previous Windows CE operated iPAQ is like comparing stone age with modern times. The Nokia N95 running on S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1 has infinitely more pleasand user behavior, faster menu change, more pleasant displays, fancy and pleasant state of the art behavior - FUN to use !

• really pleasant design and handling
• all menus are user friendly, can be used intuitively without reading manual
• many features and functions that make mobile phone use fun, like GPS, nice built in movie and photo gallery, maps - I was testing the map feature using the Boracay map for a while !!
• 8GB storage - plenty for all kinds of mobile data, MP3, video clips, images and other data
• Radio, Multimedia and Music player
• 5 Mpx camera with Carl Zeiss optics for photo and video
• easy connectivity in wi-fi, G3, and phone - easy setup of new networks / connections
• supports ALL current protocols such as 3G, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, IRDA, Bluetooth, WIFI, USB
• supports all current GSM frequencies - 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
• A bunch of built in SW that fulfills all my professional needs.
• Low weight - 128 g
• Talk time 240 min - stand by time 215 hours, fast recharging of Li-ion battery
• Screen size 43 x 58 mm, resolution 240x320 px, colors 24 bits = 16 Millions
• Changing from vertical to horizontal display simply by sliding UP or DOWN when opening the phone.
• All configuration files are completely provided by my cellphone network operator - Smart - Hence all functionality are instantly and fully supported without any manual configurations.

Cons for the Nokia N95

After some 7 months of regular use, I have found NO single negative point in the Nokia N95 8GB!

The original reason why I selected the N95 was the fact that it supports all current communication / connection protocols. Since I am traveling in a "Nokia country" - the Philippines - I have full support of all features offered by N95. G3 coverage in the Philippines is an "old feature" and available almost everywhere across the islands.

The idea of having total connectivity to the Internet was to get server control for the Cyberspace Ashram and the possibility to publish content from any place I travel, even from remote provincial areas. Even remote mountain provinces such as Banaue enjoy mobile connectivity, Internet access via G3 at reasonable speed is possible almost anywhere I love to be - except in heaven !! A smart phone is used for work and more specifically for problem solving or to be available in emergencies. In heaven we have neither problems nor emergencies, thus no need for smart phones.

Soon more on how to configure your N95 with bluetooth to connect your laptop to the Internet

Have fun and enjoy work at places you love

hans

Every now and then Saint Theresa's Prayer circulates as eMail chain. There might be variations of the prayer depending on translations. Below a positive variation of the prayer that may help. Prayers are like affirmations and sometimes like pillow talk to God, depending on the precise content and situation of life. In this case the Saint Theresa's Prayer is meant to be a positive affirmation in your own life, for times just like these troubles days across the globe.

Saint Theresa's Prayer

May today there be peace within your mind and heart

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be for your own greatest good.

May you be aware of the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in God.

May you use those gifts that you have received from God and pass on the love that has been given to you by God.

May you be confident knowing that you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your heart and mind and allow your soul the freedom to enjoy life and love.

Some explanations on above Saint Theresa's Prayer for easier understanding:

Without peace of mind there can be no flow of love. Before finding a solution of love, you thus have to let go and drop all attempts of retaliation or punishment.

While most of mankind has lost the knowledge or lacks the knowledge of knowing why they are here and why they are exactly in the situation of life they find themselves these days and years - It is of utmost importance to acknowledge that at least God still knows what your real spiritual problems are and God thus also knows how to solve your problems and how to get the greatest spiritual benefit our of your life, of every day you spend on earth for your own spiritual wellbeing. The place and the situation you are in currently has a precise and beneficial spiritual purpose and spiritual reason.

• Are you aware of the spiritual reasons of your current life ?
• Are you aware of the spiritual lessons and purpose of your current life ?
• Are you aware of the spiritual benefits you can offer to others in your current situation of life ?

If your answer is NO to any of above 3 questions then it means you fail to do the very best in life, even worst you may fail to understand the purpose of hardship you experience in your life. To understand the spiritual purpose and goal of your life makes all life infinitely much easier because you will understand that at any given second of life you are guided and much more importantly protected by God!

God's plan for your life has nothing to do at all with your career or money earning - but what you can do for others who might need help or are lost in their lives and how you can learn to love all in a most loving way. God's purpose of your life on earth always has benefits for others and benefits for you as well. Benefits of loving nature for all.

When you become aware of God's presence and guidance in your own life and start to have true faith in God, then you learn to surrender all your life to God and surrender all your results of work to God each and every day of life. Thus all life shall be pleasant and all burden taken by God. The Prayer of Love shall help you to feel God's presence and thus to learn to surrender all your earthly life to God again and again, each and every day of your eternal life.

To ease your own life - it is important to remind yourself that you are a child of God - to measure your own actions toward or against all others, you have to remember that all others too are beloved children of God. Hence we all - all mankind, all creation on earth - have one common father. How would you act or react toward your very closest family members ? That's is the way you should act and react toward all planet, all nature, all animals, all humanity.

We all have one common father - loving all of us equally, having created all of us with love, wishing all of us loving each other.

Love and bliss

hans