Run the development agent in an emulator

This guide starts the SDK's read-only development agent in a disposable EKA2L1 instance. EKA2L1 emulates Symbian software on a desktop host. The example uses a public test key, binds only to the emulator's loopback address and is for the pinned RM-807 emulator profile. It is not a device-pairing procedure.

Before starting

Prepare and activate a current SDK using the SDK export guide. Import and select the preserved RM-807 fixture using the firmware guide. Check what the emulator will use:

symbian emu resolve --project agent_service

The selected device should be 808 PureView, with the configured EKA2L1 build available. That model label describes the emulated firmware profile; it does not establish compatibility with a physical Nokia 808.

Start the service

From the repository root, leave this command running in one terminal:

symbian app run --project agent_service

The command builds the ARMv6 application against the active SDK, copies the selected firmware into a private disposable instance and launches agent_service.exe. It prints the session directory when the emulator starts. The service listens at 127.0.0.1:39101 through an active-object accept request. Authentication and control work run on the SDK's bounded worker. The application menu registers it as Development Agent. The local panel shows RUNNING while the service accepts connections.

Choose BACK to leave the local panel while the service keeps running. Return to the agent from the application menu. Choose STOP to close the listener and exit the agent process. ## Read the negotiated profile

In a second terminal at the repository root, use the example's public test key. This key is part of the source tree and has no device-security value:

symbian agent hello 127.0.0.1 39101 \
  --key-file agent_service/test-agent.key

The result should show version 1, a 4 KiB control limit, 16 requests per connection and status/logs/workspace-list. The host and guest prove possession of the same key using fresh challenges, then perform hello before any read request. The fixture key provides test authentication mechanics only; anyone with the repository can possess it.

Run the same command with hello changed to status for a native tick and display snapshot, or to logs for a page of service-local events. Use symbian agent logs --help for the sequence cursor and page limit. The protocol reference describes each field and its limit.

Inspect the agent workspace

To list files directly inside the agent's private workspace, run:

symbian agent files 127.0.0.1 39101 \
  --key-file agent_service/test-agent.key

An empty result is expected until the agent creates files there. The request cannot name another directory or read file contents. Use --after and --limit to page through at most eight entries at a time. The protocol reference explains the 256-entry bound and what happens if the directory changes mid-listing.

Prepare a SIS in the desktop console

Open symbian console and choose Development Agents. With an active SDK selected, Build for this phone compiles and packages a phone-specific agent with a private protocol key and a separate self-signing key stored outside the repository. A connected USB phone appears both beneath Devices in the sidebar and as a card in Development Agents. Stage agent package transfers the checked SIS to Installs through a writable mounted volume or the phone's MTP interface in PC Suite mode. The SDK reads the staged bytes back to verify the hash. Safely eject a mounted volume, then complete the installer prompts on the phone. Self-signing checks the package's origin and integrity, but the handset can still reject it under its own installation policy.

USB detection and SIS staging cannot establish that the service installed or started. The phone-specific panel shows an eight-character pairing code; compare it with the console card before checking status. On the same local Wi-Fi, choose Check live status. The agent discovers the console, connects to it and proves possession of its phone-specific key. Only an authenticated response earns the Verified live label. This protocol authenticates the peer but does not encrypt traffic; use a trusted local network. If the check fails, inspect discovery, network reachability, installation and guest entropy.

Stop and inspect

Press Ctrl-C in the first terminal. The launcher reaps only the emulator process it started and retains launch.json and frontend.log in the printed session directory. Check inputs_unchanged and guest failures there if a run does not behave as expected. The package includes application-menu registration and local BACK/STOP controls; it has no boot-start script.