How many Linux installations are there?

How hard can it be?

I'd like to know how many linux desktops/laptops, servers, phones, tablets and even routers there are.

What if each linux distro included a package that was part of a default desktop or server installation and this package submitted machine data to an online database?

A database already exists that oddly goes by this URL: linuxcounter.net

So, we have a database, we just need automated data to populate it.

We might need some rules:

1. Opt-in
2. Don't use serial numbers

Following these rules, a linux installation could send in these values:

1. CPU type
2. RAM
3. HDD size
4. linux kernel
5. Desktop, Server, Phone, Tablet, Router (based on installation)
6. Install date (of package)
7. Distro identifier

8. Number of user accounts
9. Public or private IP address (not actual IP address, just type)

A key could be generated using data 1 to 7 - things that are unlikely to change too often.

This data could be sent in monthly to either update a database entry, or to create a new one.

Old entries that don't get updated for 1 month get marked as stale.
Stale entries get deleted after 6 months.

A machine that undergoes a significant hardware or software change will automatically get a new entry and it's old entry will go stale and eventually be deleted.

At any time we will have a lower bound on active linux installations - I'd like that.

Approximate Distance between Two Points

Is there an approximate way to calculate distance between two points?

Normally I would use
   
    D = sqrt( dx^2 + dy^2 ).

But I didn't want to use sqrt().

Note: I have assumed that dx and dy are always positive by using absolute values.

Consider a case where dx >= dy:

After normalizing by dividing dx and dy by dx,

    D' = D / dx = sqrt( 1 + (dy/dx)^2 )

Plotting this from 0 to 1 shows a flat-ish curve. It could be approximated by a straight line or, as I have done, by a quadratic.

    D' = Ax^2 + B

Plugging in two extreme points (0,1) and (1,sqrt(2))

When x=0, D'=1 therefore B=1

And when x=1, D'=sqrt(2) therefore A=sqrt(2) - 1 (about 0.4142)

So, for dx>=dy (and dx!=0)

    D = 0.4142 * dy^2 / dx + dx

And for dx<dy (and dy!=0),

    D = 0.4142 * dx^2 / dy + dy   (dx and dy are swapped)

Average error seems to be less than 1% - good enough for what I want and simple.

By using different 'tuning' points, better accuracy can be achieved

Another approach (using a linear approximation I suspect) can be found here.

PowerTop - Howto Enable Device Power Management by pressing the P key

Have you ever ran powertop? If not, have a look at these links.

http://www.linuxpowertop.org/ 

http://www.lesswatts.org/index.php 

When you run powertop as root (eg. sudo powertop), it might recommend something like this: 

Enable Device Power Management by pressing the P key

So how do you do this when powertop is not running?

This forum made a suggestion that I have attempted to simplify.

find /sys/devices/pci* -path "*power/control" -exec bash -c "echo auto > '{}'" \;

Or you can use this slightly longer one that echo's values before and after it changes.

find /sys/devices/pci* -path "*power/control" -exec \
  bash -c "echo -n '{}' = && cat '{}' && echo auto > '{}' && echo -n '{}' = && cat '{}'" \;

Both have to be run as root or using sudo.

eg.

sudo find /sys/devices/pci* -path "*power/control" -exec bash -c "echo auto > '{}'" \; 

Here is my bash script that I run with an extra powertop recommendation that may 

not be applicable in your case.

#!/bin/bash

find /sys/devices/pci* -path "*power/control" -exec \
  bash -c "echo -n '{}' = && cat '{}' && echo auto > '{}' && echo -n '{}' = && cat '{}'" \;

F="/sys/module/snd_hda_intel/parameters/power_save"
echo -n $F = && cat $F
echo 1 > $F
echo -n $F = && cat $F
 

An idea: a DockBook

A DockBook looks like a laptop or netbook or a portable DVD player or a TV - who knows.

Update 7/9/2011: It has sort-of been done.

It is probably a dumb device: a screen, a keyboard, a battery, USB ports, SSD, ... whatever you like.

On its own, it may do nothing (but it could have some functionality, but this is not the main function).

Where you might expect a trackpad to go, it has a square-ish hole - call it a 'docket'. In this docket you place a sabot that is specific to your phone. This sabot allows your phone to be held neatly and firmly in your DockBook.

A separate sabot could be provided for a second phone battery - again, an open interface.

A DockBook is just a collection of peripherals that allow you to do more with your phone.

Your phone provides CPUs, GPUs, touchscreen, broadband interfaces, WiFi, GPS, accelerometers etc. And your DockBook provides, perhaps, a full-size keyboard, large screen, camera, speakers, mics, power and other interfaces not found on your phone.

A DockBook could simply be a car-dock or an alarm clock. Perhaps a tablet too. The docket might have different forms for different Docks: a flat one for a netbook form or a vertical one for an alarm clock. The sabot might wrap around all of your phone or just its base.

Your phone is a powerful computer and phones will get more powerful. But for some tasks you need a keyboard, mouse, bigger screen, or a holder to keep it in a particular position.

A DockBook sabo provides a charging interface to your particular phone and Bluetooth provides communications to peripherals. Perhaps inductive charging?

While you are working you might get a call - just un-dock your phone and answer the call. Or you could answer it while docked and use a DockBook's microphone and speaker - hands free.

Imagine apps on your phone displaying specific buttons that can be touched making your docked phone a smart, reconfigurable touchpad - a menu system perhaps, or slider control. Perhaps a scrolling list of things to select?

Another DockBook could be a Digital SLR camera: your phone provides GPS, and internet connectivity and your camera dock provides lenses, flash and focus system.

What about a mouse dock? your phone becomes a touchpad for your PC or perhaps your phone's accelerometer can be used just like a mouse? While you are at your PC your phone is charging and enabling applications to work with your phone in a new way.

Imagine a docket that configures your car to your particular preference: temperature, seating position, mirrors and music.

It all needs to be open so companies and individuals can make a Dock for a market or niche use. It should work with any phone - not just an iPhone or an Android phone.

Some other docks: a games console like a wii or a PSP; a printer; braille terminal; a tablet; lego mindstorm robot; synthesizer; printing calculator; desk phone; chess board; ePaper book reader; projector dock; digital radio; car/plane/train seat dock;

Howto use nfs to access files on a Drobo-FS - UPDATED

This should work for Linux clients and OS-X.

Notes

1. I am going to assume that, if you want to use nfs on your Drobo-FS then you know what you are doing and I can be brief.

2. drobo-fs is the dns name of your Drobo-FS or use it's IP address. In OS-X, I use drobo-fs.local

Steps

1. Install Unfsd on your Drobo-FS

See here

http://www.drobo.com/droboapps/apps-for-drobofs.php

Which links to this

http://support.datarobotics.com/ci/fattach/get/25295/1286306491/redirect/1/session/L2F2LzEvc2lkL0JYM3RrMXJr

2. If Linux, make a mount point

sudo mkdir /mnt/drobo

3. If Linux, add this to your /etc/fstab file - UPDATED

drobo-fs.local:/mnt/DroboFS/Shares/Public  /mnt/drobo  nfs  rw,soft,proto=tcp  0  0

3.1 Install nfs-common package


If Linux

sudo apt-get install nfs-common

4. Mount the nfs directory on your client

If Linux

sudo mount /mnt/drobo

If OS-X

mount -w -t nfs drobo-fs.local:/mnt/DroboFS/Shares/Public /mnt/drobo

Thanks to http://obasandbox.wordpress.com/tag/drobofs/

or in Finder

Connect to server nfs://drobo-fs.local:/mnt/DroboFS/Shares/Public

Test

In Linux, browse to /mnt/drobo and you should see the files in your Public share.

In OS-X, open the drobo-fs.local share.

Howto Get Long Battery Life on a Nexus One

In case this is copied, go to the original site which should be http://philatwarrimoo.blogspot.com/2011/03/howto-get-long-battery-life-on-nexus.html

I would use my phone a lot (music, hotspot, not phone calls) and only get 15 - 18 hours from a fully charged battery.

I had read that some people got between 1 day and 1.5 days.

So, what is the upper limit? If you leave you phone in one spot and hardly touch it, how long will it run for?

The specs say 250/290 hours for 3G/2G.

To get this I assume you would need great signal levels, and virtually nothing running on the phone - in fact the phone would be the factory default.

But what could I get? I don't get great coverage at my place, especially inside where the signal is shielded by metal fly-screens, foil insulation, steel roof and two layers of brick - it is almost a Faraday cage.

I defaulted the phone. I didn't clear my SD card because I didn't want to.

I did make a few changes: I kept some applications that I do use often, and I disabled Picasa sync because I am in the middle of uploading lots of photos and that would distort the tests.


The big power consumers are believed by some to be the display, radio, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and sync.


I have found that the main ones are the display and the radio (2G/3G).


In Australia the carriers all have GSM as well as either UMTS or HSDPA. My carrier only seems to have GSM and UMTS.


I decided to test what radio setting uses less energy. My options are GSM Auto (PRL), WCDMA Preferred, WCDMA Only and WiFi (for when I am at home). I don't want GSM only so I am not going to test that. I won't test Automatic either because I have no idea what it actually does.

• GSM Auto (PRL) I believe prefers GSM rather than WCDMA, but it will switch to WCDMA if the signal is strong enough.
• WCDMA Preferred is the opposite.
• WCDMA Only is what it is.

When WiFi is on, I believe the 2G/3G radio switches off, so only the WiFi radio is on.


GPS will be left on (as per the default), as will sync, the default live wallpaper, widgets etc.

As I said earlier, Picasa sync will be off.

The Applications installed are:

4trak (since uninstalled)
adobe flash (since uninstalled)
anycutastrogoogle earth (since uninstalled)
espeakfunction express (since uninstalled)
gmailgoggleshotspot widgetlistenmapsmarketplugin launcher (i added this last night - since uninstalled)
realcalcringdroid (since uninstalled)
spareparts (since uninstalled)
terminal emulator (since uninstalled)wifi analyser (since uninstalled)

And this is what generally runs:

settingsgoogle servicesmapsgmail (regularly on and off)android keyboardandroid live wallpaper

The following Widgets are part of the default setup:

google searchpower controlyoutubeweather and newsmarket

I checked once and found the 107 MB used and 244 MB free.

I generally did not reboot between tests - perhaps I should have.

I ran the tests for different periods and only long enough to get a feeling for how long it would run for. 


The phone was always in the same place and was only moved to check how it was going. Usually I checked a few times for just a few seconds.

Test Results

WiFi On: 4.25 hours, 82% remaining. I'd expect it to go for 24 hours.

From the graph you can see that something changed for about 30 minutes that consumed a lot of energy (about 10%). This has resulted in the poor expected battery life.

The graph also shows the screen being turned on a few time and once for about 15 minutes - I don't recall doing this!


When the screen turns off or the phone sleeps, WiFi still runs for up to 15 minutes.


WiFi wakes up when the radio signal drops or changes.

I should re-do this test.

GSM Only (PRL): 9.2 hours, 90% remaining. I'd expect it to go for 92 hours.

Battery drain was fairly constant and seemed to increase when coverage was poorer (at the beginning and end of the test period).


The screen was also on for 20 minutes at the start of the test - I am sure that this did not happen.

WCDMA Only: 3.2 hours, 91% remaining. I'd expect it to go for 36 hours.

Again something happened for about 40 minutes causing a drain of about 5% of the battery.

WCDMA Preferred: 2.25 hours, 92% remaining. I'd expect it to go for 28 hours.


The phone seems to wake up when there is poor or changing signal.

The observation to make is that there is a big difference in the expected battery life depending on which radio setting you choose. For me, GSM Only (PRL) would provide the longest battery life at home, and probably where the 3G signal is poor.

WiFi was the poorest, but at home it will generally be on the dock and charging.

For those that have good 3G coverage, the WCDMA Only option will probably serve you well.

Custom Test

I then decided to turn off the widgets, use a black live wallpaper that I made a while ago, select GSM Auto (PRL) and turn WiFi on.

WiFi On, GSM Auto (PRL), most widgets off, black live wallpaper: 4.3 hours, 92% remaining. I'd expect it to go for 54 hours.

Only the Power Control widget was running.

Wifi seems to stay on for about 15 minutes then sleeps. It wakes up when you turn the screen on.

The WiFi Sleep Policy is Never when plugged in so this means that it will sleep if it is not plugged in.

WiFi Power Hungry Bug

Some have reported that WiFi on anything but the default sleep policy setting causes Android OS to run at high levels. Normally it sits at 2%-ish, but when the fault occurs it runs at 40%, 50% and even higher - usually higher than the display.

Some get relief using the WiFi sleep policy: 'Never', and others find this to be the cause. By this I suspect they mean that if the setting is changed from the default (to 'Never', for example) something bad happens when you switch back to the default setting. This is my experience.

In one of my tests I used the WiFi sleep policy: 'When screen turns off' and Android OS sky-rocketed. I recommend you keep the default (Never when plugged in) until this is fixed.

Summary

1. When WiFi turns on, it stays on for 15 minutes.

2. For me, GSM Auto (PRL) is better than WCDMA Preferred or WCDMA Only.

3, The graph seems to show the screen on when it isn't.

4. The phone seems to wake up on signal strength change, or this could be base station changes.

5. If WiFi is asleep and the radio looses signal, WiFi will wake up.

6. The default Nexus One setup with all the widgets and live wallpaper seems gentle on the battery.

Update


I have used my phone with minimal apps installed, my special black wallpaper and very few gadgets. I have been getting at least 12 hours of use before the battery reaches 50%, so this is about 1 day.


I'll try to keep some records from now on to quantify this.

Android Easter Egg

In case this is copied, go to the original site which should be http://philatwarrimoo.blogspot.com/2011/03/android-easter-egg.html

Goto Settings - About Phone
Scroll down to Android version
Tap quickly several times on 'Android version' and some art will appear.
'Zombie Art by Jack Larson'

Hey Google! I want a Google Ark!

In case this is copied, go to the original site which should be http://philatwarrimoo.blogspot.com/2011/03/hey-google-i-want-google-ark.html

An appliance running Android or Chrome OS that I buy and plug-in to my network that makes a copy of any data I want to duplicate from the cloud:

email, contact, docs, pictures, movies, bookmarks, blogs, waves... you get the idea.

It might have 2 solid-state hard drives so I can mirror them and, at some later point in time, I can replace one with a bigger one and then the other to grow my local cache.

It could also operate as a web/DNS cache for all computers, phones and Chrome OS googleBooks - why get it from the web if I got it yesterday or last year?

It could come in various sizes for homes, hoarders, small and large businesses.

It supports apps too so that anyone can develop for it, especially other cloud backup apps. Perhaps a Cannon camera photo management app, or a Digital Ink notepad app. What about a Wordpress backup app or a local bazaar repository. Maybe a Windows system backup app or a Time Machine folder.

It would be very low power and quickly go to sleep when not in use.

It might have a place for hardware apps (via USB perhaps) so that I could plug-in a LTE Femto cell, web printer, or a weather station.

If you lost my email, you could recover it.

If I dropped my laptop I could restore it from the Ark.

Howto Sting Android Nexus One Droid Gingerbread

In case this is copied, go to the original site which should be http://philatwarrimoo.blogspot.com/2011/02/howto-sting-android-nexus-one-droid.html

Recently a blog of mine was copied and added to another site. I assume it was by a robot so I want to see if this gets copied as well.

I have added the important bait words such as:

1. Howto
2. Android
3. Nexus One
4. Droid
5. Gingerbread

But this time I have added a link on the top to this blog to see how many people get here from there.

An image to begin with...

So far, the tally is obviously zero since I am just writing it and it has not been saved or published - really I am just filling the space to make it look big enough for the bot to grab - assuming that it has some size range that it is interested in.

Another unrelated image:

An a link to the site - they might appreciate it.

http://www.premium-joomlathemes.com/jd-droid-drupal-template-drupal-hotel-theme-for-lodging-accommodation-with-t3-framework.html

Now for some real nonsense:

This nonsense comes from a pseudo text generator called Lorem Ipsum.

You can find more details here: http://www.lipsum.com/

Please note: I have copied text from another site and provided a link to it with thanks. Some could learn from this example - not that it is a very good example.

A sample nonsense would help:

The standard Lorem Ipsum passage, used since the 1500s

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC

"Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?"

Another Virtualised OS-X Example

In case this is copied, go to the original site which should be http://philatwarrimoo.blogspot.com/2011/02/another-virtualised-os-x-example.html

To see if my first virtualised OS-X was a fluke, I'll have another go. This will just list the steps I take and there won't be much discussion.

>VBoxManage internalcommands listpartitions -rawdisk /dev/sda
Number Type StartCHS EndCHS Size (MiB) Start (Sect)
1 0xee 1023/254/63 1023/254/63 200 1
2 0xaf 1023/254/63 1023/254/63 119102 409640
4 0x83 1023/254/63 1023/254/63 11444 244330976
3 0xaf 1023/254/63 1023/254/63 23167 343011768

The OS-X partition I want is Number 2: type is 0xaf and the size is about right.

I have found my first fault: I created the vmdk file in VB 3.2.8. Under VB 4.0 the '-register' option is no longer used. VB 4.0 has a '-relative' option for Linux hosts that would make sense to use, but 'relative' and 'register' are too different for it to be a typo.

My source used '-register' so VB 4.0 must be different.

>VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -filename /home/phil/.VirtualBox/HardDisks/osxpart1.vmdk -rawdisk /dev/sda -partitions 2RAW host disk access VMDK file /home/phil/.VirtualBox/HardDisks/osxpart1.vmdk created successfully.

I should point out that the name of the vmdk file that I used is from the viewpoint of OS-X, not the actual partition number - use your own naming scheme.

The '-register' option adds the new vmdk file to the list of hard disks available - looks like I'll have to register manually somehow.

I added an entry in the VirtualBox.xml file for the new hard disk like this:

I got the UUID from the osxpart1.vmdk.xml file - I used the uuid.image number for the uuid attribute.

That did the trick.

I created a new VM, called it maxosxp1 and VirtualBox automatically selected Mac OS X - nice.

I told it to use the new osxpart1.vmdk file that I just created and left everything else as default for the time being.

I tried to run it, and it didn't work. But I have found that you need to do this to populate the XML or VBOX file to make the next steps easier.

Note: in VB 4.0, the file is now in VirtualBox VMs/(machine name)/(machine name).vbox. It is still an XML file so you can edit it with a text editor - but as before only when VirtualBox is not running.

To make it boot I need to add in the special Apple SMC key.

I added these to the ExtraData section:

<ExtraDataItem name="VBoxInternal2/EfiBootArgs" value=" "/><ExtraDataItem name="VBoxInternal2/EfiGopMode" value="4"/><ExtraDataItem name="VBoxInternal2/SmcDeviceKey" value="ourhardworkbythesewordsguardedpleasedontsteal(c)AppleComputerInc"/>

I then started the VM.

It was slow to boot, but it got there. As it was loading I could see VMWare and VirtualBox kernel extensions loading and I thought that it will not like that - running a VM manager in a VM.

It wanted me to identify my keyboard and that was it.

I logged in, hit (shift)-(right command)-F to enter fullscreen mode.

Apart from being slow and running warm, it looked like I was running OS-X on a PM rather than a VM.

To solves the high CPU load problem, just delete the right kernel extension.

sudo rm -fr /System/Library/Extensions/AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement.kext

I haven't done that yet as I might want to boot into this partition sometime soon to tidy it up.


So, no fluke.

Howto Vodafone UK Nexus One to Gingerbread

In case this is copied, go to the original site which should be http://philatwarrimoo.blogspot.com/2011/02/howto-vodafone-uk-nexus-one-to.html

A friend made this great guide.


http://ossadmin.wordpress.com/2011/02/26/goodbye-vodafone-uk-nexus-one-rom/


I have to same phone with the same Vodafone UK ROM and I kept my log of what I did in case it might help others.


All of the screenshots are from the above blog.


Notes:


All the following stages are similar. The first is a little different, but the others are virtually the same - the differences being the URL to get the file, and the name of the file to copy to your phone's SD card.


Sometimes the phone will automatically reboot after the installation of the update.zip file - other times you will need to manually reboot it by selecting the right menu item. All of this should be obvious.


Just follow these steps in order. If you get lost or miss a step, just start again (I did that a few times).


MD5


I do not know the original MD5 sums of the files listed below, but so you can verify that you get the same file as I did, here are my MD5 sums:

2854b06b22b9.signed-passion-FRG83G-from-FRG83D.2854b06b.zip
23a17e5f70d794858e0fe7aba308c3d7

766a101ae02c.signed-passion-ota-60505.766a101a.zip
1b3a95a92b0fd319f0e730b80e1e03ac

81304b2de707.signed-passion-GRI40-from-FRG83G.81304b2d.zip

706a4631271b6ee2c819ab548394b71e

ecb21b752065.signed-passion-FRG83D-from-FRG83.ecb21b75.zip

0fb26549e9de782e86e665a68693c50a

Passion_Google_WWE_2.16.1700.1_FRG33_MFG_Shipment_ROM.zip

3bcdbb83a4b951f813ca88771d69894d

passimg.zip (the file extracted from the file above)

d90635c2d269c6a26f77ae1a681e5424



Stage 1: Revert to Android 2.2

1. Get http://shipped-roms.com/download.php?category=android&model=Passion%20(Nexus%20One)&file=Passion_Google_WWE_2.16.1700.1_FRG33_MFG_Shipment_ROM.zip

2. Extract PASSIMG_Passion_Google_WWE_2.16.1700.1_FRG33_release_signed.zip

3. Rename to passimg.zip

4. Connect a USB cable to your computer and turn on USB storage

5. From your computer, copy passimp.zip to the root directory of your SD card

6. Eject USB device phone from your computer

7. Turn off USB storage

8. Power off the phone using the Power button (POWER) - like you normally would do

9. Hold down the Volume Down button (VOL DOWN) and keep it held down

10. Press and release (POWER)

11. When you see the white screen you can release (VOL DOWN)

A blue progress bar will be shown as it loads passimg.zip

12. After a while it will ask: 'Do you want to start update?' Press the Volume Up button (VOL UP) to say yes

The update will take a while. Progress is shown with various coloured progress bars

13. When done it will ask: 'Do you want to reboot device?' Press (VOL UP) to say yes

The phone will reboot

14. Disconnect the USB cable

The phone will say 'Welcome to Nexus One'. You don't want to do anything here so for me I skipped the setup like this:

15. Touch the screen

16. Tap the Skip button

17. Tap the Skip button

18. Tap Next button

Now, you can check to see if it all worked:

19. Find and launch the Settings app

20. Goto About phone

You should see the following:

Android Version: 2.2 Baseband Version: 32.41.00.32U_5.08.00.04 Kernel Version: 2.6.32.9-27237-gbe746fb android-build@apa26 #1 Build Number: FRG33

Stage 2: Upgrade to 2.2.1

1. Reconnect USB cable

2. Turn on USB storage

3. From your computer, delete passimg.zip from the SD card

4. Get http://android.clients.google.com/packages/ota/passion/766a101ae02c.signed-passion-ota-60505.766a101a.zip

5. Copy 766a101ae02c.signed-passion-ota-60505.766a101a.zip to the SD card

6. Rename it to update.zip

7. Eject the USB device phone from your computer

8. Turn off USB storage

9. Power off the phone

10. Hold down the Volume Down button (VOL DOWN) and keep it held down

11. Press and release (POWER)

12. When you see the white screen you can release (VOL DOWN)

It will quickly do something and then present 4 options

13. Press (VOL DOWN) to select the RECOVERY option

14. Press (POWER) to select RECOVERY

The phone will restart into a black ! screen

15. Press and hold (POWER)

16. Tap (VOL UP)

17. When you get a black screen you can release (POWER)

18. Use trackball to highlight 'apply sdcard:update.zip'

19. Click the trackball to select this

The installation will start. Progress is shown by an orange progress bar

The phone will eventually reboot

20. Disconnect usb cable

21. Goto About phone

You should see the following:

Android Version: 2.2.1Baseband Version: 32.36.00.28U_4.06.00.12_7 Kernel Version: 2.6.32.9-27240-gbca5320 android-build@apa26 #1 Build Number: FRG83

Stage 3: FRG83 to FRG83D

1. Reconnect USB cable

2. Turn on USB storage

3. From your computer, delete update.zip from the SD card

4. Get http://android.clients.google.com/packages/ota/passion/ecb21b752065.signed-passion-FRG83D-from-FRG83.ecb21b75.zip

5. Copy ecb21b752065.signed-passion-FRG83D-from-FRG83.ecb21b75.zip to the SD card

6. Rename to update.zip

7. Eject the USB device phone from your computer

8. Turn off USB storage

9. Power off phone

10. Hold down the Volume Down button (VOL DOWN) and keep it held down

11. Press and release (POWER)

12. When you see the white screen you can release (VOL DOWN)

It will quickly do something and then present 4 options

13. Press (VOL DOWN) to select the RECOVERY option

14. Press (POWER) to select RECOVERY

The phone will restart into a black ! screen

15. Press and hold (POWER)

16. Tap (VOL UP)

17. When you get a black screen you can release (POWER)

18. Use trackball to highlight 'apply sdcard:update.zip'

19. Click the trackball to select this

The installation will start - progress is shown by an orange progress bar

The phone will eventually reboot or you need to select REBOOT

20. Disconnect usb cable

21. Goto About phone

You should see the following:

Android Version: 2.2.1Baseband Version: 32.36.00.28U_4.06.00.12_7 Kernel Version: 2.6.32.9-27240-gbca5320 android-build@apa26 #1 Build Number: FRG83D

Stage 4: Upgrade to 2.2.2 and FRG83G

1. Reconnect USB cable

2. Turn on USB storage

3. From your computer, delete update.zip from the SD card

4. Get http://android.clients.google.com/packages/ota/passion/2854b06b22b9.signed-passion-FRG83G-from-FRG83D.2854b06b.zip

5. Copy 2854b06b22b9.signed-passion-FRG83G-from-FRG83D.2854b06b.zip to the SD card

6. Rename to update.zip

7. Eject the USB device phone from your computer

8. Turn off USB storage

9. Power off phone

10. Hold down the Volume Down button (VOL DOWN) and keep it held down

11. Press and release (POWER)

12. When you see the white screen you can release (VOL DOWN)

It will quickly do something and then present 4 options

13. Press (VOL DOWN) to select the RECOVERY option

14. Press (POWER) to select RECOVERY

The phone will restart into a black ! screen

15. Press and hold (POWER)

16. Tap (VOL UP)

17. When you get a black screen you can release (POWER)

18. Use trackball to highlight 'apply sdcard:update.zip'

19. Click the trackball to select this

The installation will start - progress is shown by an orange progress bar

The phone will eventually reboot or you need to select REBOOT

20. Disconnect usb cable

21. Goto About phone

You should see the following:

Android Version: 2.2.2 Baseband Version: 32.36.00.28U_4.06.00.12_7 Kernel Version: 2.6.32.9-27240-gbca5320 android-build@apa26 #1 Build Number: FRG83G

Stage 5: Gingerbread

1. Reconnect USB cable

2. Turn on USB storage

3. From your computer, delete update.zip from the SD card

4. Get http://android.clients.google.com/packages/ota/passion/81304b2de707.signed-passion-GRI40-from-FRG83G.81304b2d.zip

5. Copy 81304b2de707.signed-passion-GRI40-from-FRG83G.81304b2d.zip

6. Rename to update.zip

7. Eject the USB device phone from your computer

8. Turn off USB storage

9. Power off phone

10. Hold down the Volume Down button (VOL DOWN) and keep it held down

11. Press and release (POWER)

12. When you see the white screen you can release (VOL DOWN)

It will quickly do something and then present 4 options

13. Press (VOL DOWN) to select the RECOVERY option

14. Press (POWER) to select RECOVERY

The phone will restart into a black ! screen

15. Press and hold (POWER)

16. Tap (VOL UP)

17. When you get a black screen you can release (POWER)

18. Use trackball to highlight 'apply sdcard:update.zip'

19. Click the trackball to select this

The installation will start - progress is shown by an orange progress bar

The phone will eventually reboot or you need to select REBOOT

20. Disconnect usb cable

21. Goto About phone

You should see the following:

Android Version: 2.3.3 Baseband Version: 32.41.00.32U_5.08.00.04 Kernel Version: 2.6.35.7-59423-g08607d74 android-build@apa28 #1 Build Number: GRI40

Stage 6: Delete phone data (but not your SD card)

NB: I'm not sure this is required.

1. Goto Settings - Privacy - Factory data reset

If you want to keep your SD card data, DO NOT select 'Erase SD card'

Stage 7: Login and restore your apps

Once you enter your Google account details, your Google apps and settings should be restored. Your other apps will also be restored but y.our data will not be restored - use your backup

Any app not installed from the market will need to be manually restored.

I may have interrupted the restoration process by switching to a different WiFi Access Point - you probably should not do that.