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Is there any list of external modems who work with Linux

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Ernst-Dieter Schlegel

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May 1, 2008, 4:52:36 PM5/1/08
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I have several modems at home, which I can“t get working with Linux (
exactly Kurumin)
One of it is a USRobotics 56 K Faxmodem. It“s said that nearly all
external modems work with Linux, but I couldn“t get this one to be
recognised.
Maybe I configured it wrong, considering myself a Linux dummie

Ernst

Mark Hobley

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May 1, 2008, 7:08:06 PM5/1/08
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Ernst-Dieter Schlegel <Erns...@gmx.de> wrote:
> One of it is a USRobotics 56 K Faxmodem. It??s said that nearly all
> external modems work with Linux, but I couldn??t get this one to be
> recognised.

I have used one of those modems before without difficulty. How are you
trying to use it?

What communication program are you using?

Post here any commands that you type, the errors that you receive and
any configuration files that you have created.

A simple test is to run a serial terminal session against the serial
port. If I remember correctly, you have to set the serial port to
2400,8,n,1 (with no handshaking) for the purpose of testing
initial connectivity of the modem. (It has been a few years since I did
this, so I might be wrong here. Try also 1200 and 9600, if this does not
work.)

AT

This will usually give a reply, indicating the modem is connected
locally:

Ok

You can then try dialling:

ATD12345678

where 12345678 is the phone number that you wish to dial.

After a short while, the connected light should show, and loads of
random characters appear on the screen, when the remote host answers.

Regards,

Mark.

--
Mark Hobley,
393 Quinton Road West,
Quinton, BIRMINGHAM.
B32 1QE.

Harry Skelton

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May 1, 2008, 9:17:10 PM5/1/08
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Ernst-Dieter Schlegel wrote:
> Maybe I configured it wrong, considering myself a Linux dummie

Or maybe you need to reset the modem to factory defaults, then try
again. As it is an external modem, you could hookup a break-out box and
see if the line signals are correct. If you use a cheap cable and try
to shortcut control to the modem, you get situations like the one you have.

ATE1V1Q0M1

That's the string that you could use to get the modem to awaken.

The second item is what are you using to communicate with the modem?
There are problems there at certain speeds the modem will not respond
correctly. Drop down to 19200 or 9600 and try to get its attention.

As for that cable, again, you can set the right signals high and see if
it responds then. (CD, DTS, CTS)

Hope that helps.

Moe Trin

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May 2, 2008, 4:10:15 PM5/2/08
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On Thu, 01 May 2008, in the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.linux.hardware, in article
<74bk149cmje9fieao...@4ax.com>, Ernst-Dieter Schlegel wrote:
>I have several modems at home, which I can愒 get working with Linux (

>exactly Kurumin)
>One of it is a USRobotics 56 K Faxmodem.

Which one? This is like talking about a two-door Mercedes - even if
we ignore the year, there are quite a few models. USR builds at least
4 RS-232 and 5 USB "56 K" external modems.

>It愀 said that nearly allexternal modems work with Linux, but I
>couldn愒 get this one to be recognised.

Let's start with the basics - what kind of connector. RS-232 or USB?
Next, where did you connect this modem? Third, what shows up in the
boot messages relating to serial ports? Did the kernel even find a
serial port? Are the ports enabled in the BIOS?

May 14 13:02:30 myhost kernel: Serial: 8250/16550 driver $Revision: 1.90
$ 68 ports, IRQ sharing enabled
May 14 13:02:30 myhost kernel: ttyS0 at I/O 0x3f8 (irq = 4) is a 16550A
May 14 13:02:30 myhost kernel: ttyS1 at I/O 0x2f8 (irq = 3) is a 16550A

Here, the kernel serial driver found two classic RS-232 ports. Which
one is the external modem connected to?

>Maybe I configured it wrong, considering myself a Linux dummie

What "helper" or "tool" are you using - KPPP? What device is it trying
to use? What init-string are you trying to use? Most helper tools
default to some init-string that the application author thinks he saw
written in the sky, not one recommended by the modem manufacturer. For
US Robotics, the 'factory defaults' string recommended is 'AT&F1'.

Old guy

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