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Using Palm with CruzTime

Home > Service Catalog > Cruztime > Using Palm with CruzTime

If you're one of those people who are always away from your desk and need a way to retrieve CruzTime information onto your PalmOS PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) without having to copy everything over by hand, then Oracle Sync for Palm is your solution.

Oracle Sync for Palm allows you to synchronize CruzTime data between your desktop computer and your PalmOS PDA. This works for all PalmOS PDAs, including the various models of Palm and HandSpring PDAs and Sony's Clie.

How this works

The PalmOS PDA uses files called Conduits that enable the exchange of information between the PDA and the desktop. Normally, there are four Palm Conduits, Datebook, ToDo, Address, and Memo, that synchronize information between your PalmOS PDA and the Palm Desktop software. Oracle Sync can replace three of these Palm Conduits as follows in order to synchronize the various Palm applications with CruzTime:
  • Calendar: CruzTime Events Conduit replaces the Palm Datebook Conduit.
  • ToDo List: CruzTime Tasks Conduit replaces the Palm ToDo Conduit.
  • Address List: CruzTime Addresses Conduit replaces the Palm Address Conduit.
Most users will only want the CruzTime Events Conduit since the Palm Address List is generally preferred over the CruzTime one.

Preparing to install Oracle Sync

Before you install Oracle Sync for Palm, you need to do the following:
  1. Try performing a HotSync, to make sure that you can successfully synchronize your PDA to your desktop.
  2. Download Oracle Sync for Palm at the CruzTime software download web site.
There is no additional licensing fee for Oracle Sync for Palm software. It is included in the initial activation and yearly subscriber fees.

Installing Oracle Sync

The following instructions guide you through installing only the CruzTime Events Conduit.

For Windows computers

Be sure to follow the installation instructions carefully so you don't unintentionally replace your Palm Address List and ToDo List Conduits with the CruzTime equivalents.

Choose Custom Installation, then Next. This will bring up a window that looks like this:

Select the components you want ("CruzTime Events" in this example).

If you accidentally install CruzTime Conduits you don't want, you will need to remove and reinstall both the Palm Desktop software and Oracle Sync software. The reinstallation does not wipe out your data, it will simply reinstall the proper Palm conduits to synchronize the data.

After the components are installed, you will be asked if you would like the CruzTime Conduits you chose to replace their respective Palm Conduits. In the example shown below, you will be asked if you would like to replace the Palm Datebook Conduit with the respective CruzTime Events Conduit.


Click "Replace". Your PDA calendar will synchronize with information from your CruzTime account. In this example, you will still be able to use your Palm Desktop software to input and access information for your Palm Address List, ToDo list, and Memos; however any information added to the calendar in Palm Desktop will not be synchronized.

After installing, it will ask you to perform a HotSync in order to install "CS Setup" on your PDA. See the section "Setting Up CS Setup" below.

For Macintosh Computers

Perform a standard installation. The Palm Address, ToDo, and Datebook Conduits are moved to a new "Disabled Conduits" folder found in the Palm folder on your hard drive. To continue using the Palm Address and ToDo Conduits simply move them back to the "Conduits" folder and move their CruzTime counterparts into the "Disabled Conduits" folder.

The picture below shows the Palm Address and ToDo Conduits selected to be moved to the Conduits folder.


The Palm HotSync application does not allow a Palm Conduit and its CruzTime Conduit counterpart to be present in the Conduits folder at the same time. In this case, Datebook Conduit and CruzTime Events Conduit cannot be in the Conduits folder at the same time.

Once the software is installed, perform a HotSync to synchronize your PDA to your desktop. This will install "CS Setup" onto your PDA.

Setting up CS Setup on your PDA

After installing Oracle Sync and completing a HotSync of your PDA, you will need to configure "CS Setup" on your PDA.

Turn on your PDA and tap on the "Home" button. (On older Palms, you may have "Applications", while the Handspring or Clie may have a different version of the "Home" button.) Select the "All" category in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

Tap on the "CS Setup" application. You should see a screen that looks like this:

Enter your user name (just as you do with the desktop CruzTime client) next to the word "User".
Tap on the "-Unassigned-" box next to the word "Password" and enter your password.

Make sure Connect is set to "To Server". If it is not, tap on the triangle next to Connect and change this setting.

Enter cruztime.ucsc.edu next to the word "Server:" After you enter the server name, your screen should look like this:

Place your PDA in its cradle and HotSync it with your desktop computer. Once this HotSync is complete, the appointments you have stored on CruzTime will appear in the Datebook application on your PalmOS PDA. You will need to do a HotSync to update your Palm as your CruzTime calendar changes.

Installation Tips

1) Do not synchronize your Palm on both a Mac and an NT desktop, stick with one or the other.

2) You may need to update some of the Palm software drivers if you upgraded to Mac OS 9.0x or OS 10. Check to see if you have the latest Palm software drivers (that work on your Palm) from http://www.palm.com/, delete the CSSetup application from the Palm, reinstall it and reconfigure CS Setup to make everything work again.


Send comments and questions to: cruztime@ucsc.edu