Please explain USB options


lrochfort

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Mar 26, 2014
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Hello,

I just bought a used 1GHz OpenPandora.

I'm a little confused by some of the USB options available in the settings. Could people please explain what they're for, or point me at the appropriate part of the Wiki?

1) USB host mode

2) USB network mode

3) USB mass storage mode

Thanks all!
 
USB Mass Storage Mode let's you use one of your Pandora's SD cards as a USB drive when you connect it to a PC.

As for the other two, I'm not 100% sure, ARAIK I don't use them (Unless USB Host is for controlling the full size USB port on the back of the Pandora?)
 
1) that the default and standard mode : Behave like a normal USB port. (warning device have to be USB2, so things like ouse and keyboards requiere a HUB to work)

2) Use the USB post as a network interface. You'll need a linux connected on the other side configured the same way to get that working

3) what pmprog said
 
1) that the default and standard mode : Behave like a normal USB port. (warning device have to be USB2, so things like ouse and keyboards requiere a HUB to work)


2) Use the USB post as a network interface. You'll need a linux connected on the other side configured the same way to get that working


3) what pmprog said
For the network mode is that so you could share the wifi connection with the connected PC, or simply to connect to the Pandora should you not have WiFi for some reason?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
warning device have to be USB2
I'm pretty sure these settings refer to the OTG port which doesn't have this restriction. The host pot is always a host port and can't be used for anything else.But basically it is exactly as said:

1) Makes the OTG port a host port: you need a special adapter for this to make the mini into a full sized socket but then you can plug in any USB device you'd like, including mice and keyboards.

2) Allows your Pandora to access the network through a connected PC. Just plug it into your PC with a regular mini-USB cable. If you run Linux it should just start connection sharing automatically (I think). I'm not sure what happens if you try to plug into a Windows machine. edit: that is, the Pandora would use the host PCs network. Use this if there's no wifi but you do have access to a computer with internet.

3) what sebt3 said pmprog said.
 
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For the network mode is that so you could share the wifi connection with the connected PC, or simply to connect to the Pandora should you not have WiFi for some reason?
As you please (as long as you know how to configure the routing/masquerading requiered after)
I'm pretty sure these settings refer to the OTG port which doesn't have this restriction. The host pot is always a host port and can't be used for anything else.
I think it's about the normal USB port we are talking as all this can be done using the normal port. No need of an OTG one for that. But as I never used this, I cant be sure.
 
I think it's about the normal USB port we are talking as all this can be done using the normal port.
No it can't. The normal port is host only. It cannot be connected to a PC for either network nor mass storage. Only the OTG port can operate in all three, hence the need for different settings.As far as I'm aware the only setting for the USB2.0 host port is on/off.
 
No it can't. The normal port is host only. It cannot be connected to a PC for either network nor mass storage. Only the OTG port can operate in all three, hence the need for different settings.

As far as I'm aware the only setting for the USB2.0 host port is on/off.
Just tried. I stand corrected ;)
 
Slightly confusingly, in the startup settings, "Enable USB Host on bootup" means enable the big USB port, and "Start USB Network on bootup" means enable the small USB port.
 
Hmm, I already have Start USB Network on boot enabled. Yet no related options in the tray menu still.
From what I understand from using this option, it means that USB networking will work as soon as Pandora is plugged in with mini USB cable to a PC. It means that the drivers are loaded at startup, and detect when USB cable is connected.

Without it, plugging Pandora to PC does nothing (only charge).

When USB mass storage mode is enabled via tray menu, the USB networking (and other drivers) are unloaded, and the USB mass storage driver loaded. This makes Pandora to appear as USB HDD instead when connected to a PC.

The reason theres USB mass storage in tray menu (but not USB networking) is that USB mass storage needs to unmount SD cards, meaning Pandora can no longer access them.

TL;DR: USB networking is "always active" when enabled in Startup menu (except when USB mass storage is active). So it doesn't need a tray menu option.
 
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Hmm, I already have Start USB Network on boot enabled. Yet no related options in the tray menu still.
Network Manager on the Pandora doesn't recognize USB networking.  You currently need to set it up manually from the command line.

- Neelix
 
I'm not looking at network manager; I'm looking at the pandora-specific tray icon next to it.


Never mind, I suspect I'm just confused by the OP - I don't need USB networking myself, so I'm happy for that to be a mystery. I've two of the three options they list in that menu (almost), and two out of three ain't bad ;)
 
I have found the USB networking doesn't work "out of the box" with my Pandora (running latest firmware Super Zaxxon and completely updated/upgraded) when trying to connect to Windows 7 ( I used cygwin for development).

By default, with "Start USB Network on bootup" and plugging into a Windows 7 machine you get an non working "CDC Composite Gadget".

I edited the /etc/network/interfaces file and uncommented the usb0 section:


auto usb0
iface usb0 inet static
        address 10.0.1.3
        netmask 255.255.255.0
Then run the following on the Pandora. This removes the g_cdc module, which doesn't seem to work with Windows and replace with g_ether which does.


sudo modprobe -r g_cdc
sudo modprobe g_ether

On the Windows machine, under device manager I then get under "Network adapters" a device that functions:


Remote NDIS based Internet Sharing Device
On the Windows machine, under Control Panel-> Network and Sharing Center->Local Area Connection 2 click on Properties and set the TCP/IPv4 IP address of 10.0.1.2.

Only TCP/IPv4 needs to be enabled the rest does not.

After than I can ssh into my Pandora using the IP address from the /etc/network/interfaces file - replace "user" with your own user name.

Code:
ssh user@10.0.1.3
 
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