From Forum Nokia Wiki

(Redirected from RDA)

Remote Device Access also known as RDA allows developers to test their applications on a variety of Symbian based Nokia devices remotely over the Internet. The current setups consist of over 40 devices and various device models. Usage is free of charge for all Forum Nokia members.

Forum Nokia's Remote Device Access site

Access the service

RDA for dummies

RDA device list

RDA description

The main application features are:

Installing and running applications on the devices. The installer accepts .sis/.sisx, .jar and .wgz-files
File transfer client. Transfer files between a device and your PC
Reboot the device ("softboot"). The devices are automatically rebooted after each usage session.
Change screen orientation. Works on device that support this feature.
Change color depth+reduced resolution mode. Can improve the response time.
Debug logs. For viewing text files and capturing Symbian OS panics.

What can be tested:

Symbian, Java and Flash lite applications
Python, Open C - if the required plugin is installed first
Different types of content, for example themes
Web technologies, for example Widgets and other types of web applications/pages

Network connectivity:

The RDA devices are supplied with data SIM cards and many of the devices are also WLAN enabled. Developers can test:

Data services using the predefined RDA (WLAN) and Elisa Internet access points to access the Internet.
Incoming phone calls and incoming SMSs. This allows developers to test incoming interruptions as specified in Symbian Signed/Java Verified test criteria.
Other types of networks access (outgoing phone calls, outgoing SMS/MMS etc.) are blocked.
There is no global positioning system (applies to devices like the Nokia N95) because the devices are located in a lab where the signal strength is limited. However, you can test positioning-based services in RDA using the Simulationpsy positioning simulation tool.

RDA getting started + typical problems

What is needed:

Forum Nokia user account.
Java webstart, typically comes with Java Runtime engine. A fairly recent version is needed: http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/
A standard web browser. Current RDA version works with following browsers: Firefox v2+, Internet Explorer v7+, Opera v9.6+ or Safari v3+.
Internet connection that allows outgoing traffic to ports 80 and 1200.

Typical problems:

- Errors when trying to launch the Java webstart application

Make sure that you have Java webstart installed and that your browser can associate JNLP-files with it.

Make sure that firewalls etc. are not blocking traffic to ports 80 and 1200. Port 1200 may be blocklisted by default on some setups.

- Authentication problems:

Go to Control Panel->Java->Temporary Internet files. Clean up up the cache, also do the same for browser cache. If you are able to log in for example to the discussion boards, then the login should also works with RDA.

- Further problems - contact the RDA administrator

Tips & tricks

You can launch more than one device windows on the same time if this is required by your testing. A use-case for this might be for example testing bluetooth interaction between 2 devices.

It's recommended that you remove the applications you installed before the usage session ends. The easiest way to do so, is to go to Applications menu of the device, navigate to application icon and click "c"-button to trigger uninstallation. For S60 2nd edition devices you'll have to go to application manager and delete the application from there.

To make debugging application errors a bit easier, you can write out some debug data on a text file and display it on real time using the "View debug log-console"-feature. For example if you are using a text file named on debug.txt, located on the c:\-root of the device, simple click "Attach new debug-file" and write c:\debug.txt to the address field.

Remote Device Access FAQ

Q: What is Forum Nokia’s Remote Device Access (RDA) service?

A: Forum Nokia’s RDA service offers developers remote access to several Symbian platform devices and allows application testing on actual target devices over the Internet

Q: Why is Forum Nokia offering the Remote Device Access (RDA) service?

A: Web-based access makes it easy for developers to test their mobile applications and services on Nokia platform devices at any time during the application development process, without the need to have the devices at hand.

Q: How does the Remote Device Access (RDA) service work?

A: The RDA service consists of a device pool and desktop client application. The client application provides access to device screen and keypad functionality, enabling installation of applications. To test their applications on Nokia platform devices, developers need only an RDA account and a PC with a Web browser. Multiple services can be used simultaneously, and users can select and reserve specific devices.

Q: Who has access to Remote Device Access (RDA)?

A: The RDA service is available to all registered Forum Nokia members.

Q: How does a developer get started with the Remote Device Access (RDA) service?

A: Users log in to the RDA system with their Forum Nokia user name at http://apu.ndhub.net. After they've logged in, a reservation view is displayed. The reservation system works like a calendar: developers make a reservation for a specific device(s) and when the reservation is due, they can proceed to use the service. For more information, see the instructions provided at the Forum Nokia site and the Help section of the application.

Q: How much does the Remote Device Access (RDA) service cost?

A: Registered Forum Nokia members can use RDA free of charge.

Q: I'm trying to launch the RDA application but I get a Java error. What should I do?

A: The most typical problem is outdated or missing Java runtime environment. The RDA Java webstart application requires you have JRE 5.0 or newer installed. Download and install it from: here. You can have several versions of JRE installed if you need to keep an older version for emulator or other purposes.

Q: Can I access network from the RDA devices?

A: The RDA devices are supplied with data SIM-cards and most devices are also WLAN enabled: you can access internet using the pre-defined RDA (WLAN) and Elisa Internet access points. To allow testing incoming interruptions we have also enabled possibility to receive incoming calls and incoming SMSs. Other types of network access is currently blocked (outgoing telephony, outgoing SMS/MMS...).

Links from Forum Nokia Blog

External Links

Remote Device Access service launched by Forum Nokia

Additional articles on FN wiki

RDA videos

Community: Wiki

Remote Device Access