How to Re-Enable Pogoplug Service

The Pogoplug, and its variants such as Seagate FreeAgent DockStar and Seagate GoFlex Net, is a plug computer that originally intend to serve as a personal cloud to share photos, videos and files through Internet. Many hackers and technical savvy has installed custom firmware onto Pogoplug device to run applications (e.g. PlugApps), run Linux (e.g. Debian, OpenPogo or Pogoplug Linux) or run OpenWRT and etc.

When setting up and modified the Pogoplug, Seagate DockStar or Seagate GoFlex Net, the custom firmware normally does not contain my.pogoplug.com or dockstar.pogoplug.com service, which requires proprietary drivers that custom firmware does not have.

And in order to be able to boot into the new firmware, a custom modified uBoot that contains several changes from Pogoplug default bootloader has been installed. The custom new uBoot is installed to replace original Pogoplug (Dockstar and GoFlex Net) uBoot at mtd0.

In order to avoid Pogoplug environment from restoring original firmware, the custom uBoot installer will normally ask if user wants to disable the Pogoplug environment, with the default answer as Yes. If you have disabled and turned off the Pogoplug service, it means that you cannot make use of my.pogoplug.com or dockstar.pogoplug.com to manage or access the device anymore.

While most custom uBoot for Pogoplug can load original stock firmware for default Pogoplug system (assuming the original firmware is not overwritten or replaced with custom firmware installed on USB flash drive) by a simple command on SSH console or plugging out the boot USB device with custom hacked firmware , without the Pogoplug environment with access which connects to my.pogoplug.com or dockstar.pogoplug.com, the ability to easily revert to stock firmware can be considered useless.

If you’re original stock Pogoplug firmware installation is intact on mtd1 and mtd2, and the new uBoot has ability to revert to boot the stock firmware, here’s the way to re-enable and turn on the Pogoplug service in stock firmware.

1. Boot into the default original Pogoplug or DockStar and GoFlex Net environment.
2. SSH into the Pogoplug device at port 22 (you have to figure out its IP address on your own).
3. Once established connection, login as root. The default user name and password is as follow, but your device may have different password if changed.

   user name: root
   password (PogoPlug): ceadmin
   password (DockStar): stxadmin

4. Run the following command to mount the filesystem with read-write access and change directory:

   mount -o remount,rw /
cd /etc/init.d

5. Edit the rcS file with any text editor, such as vi.
6. Uncomment the following line (remove the # sign):

   /etc/init.d/hbmgr.sh start

7. Save the file.
8. Reboot the device the reboot command.

Note that it’s not necessary to restore Pogoplug, DockStar or GoFlex Net to original uBoot bootloader in order to regain full Pogoplug functionality. However, if you have problem to boot the original firmware, try the following trick to restore original uBoot bootloader, but note that you risk brick the Pogoplug device rendering it unbootable and unusable.

Run the command command in SSH console of the Pogoplug device one by one:

cd /tmp
wget http://plugapps.com/os/pogoplug/uboot/nanddump
wget http://jeff.doozan.com/debian/uboot/flash_erase
wget http://jeff.doozan.com/debian/uboot/files/uboot/uboot.mtd0.dockstar.original.kwb
flash_erase /dev/mtd0 0 4
nandwrite /dev/mtd0 uboot.mtd0.dockstar.original.kwb

Important: Note that the downloaded uboot.mtd0.dockstar.original.kwb may be of very old version. If you have made a backup of md0 while hacking, use it instead (again, caveat emptor that you may brick the Pogoplug device forever.