al_chemyst

Just got a new machine a month ago. Still need to get the modem and USB floppy working. Dual boot with Win XP Pro/Mandrake 9.2 . 30GB Win XP, 8 GB MDK 9.2, 2GB shared Fat32 drive/partition. Gateway M305X(CRV) laptop(same as M305XL, but with Celeron not P4) Processor: Intel m-Celeron 2.2 GHz 40 GB HDD CDRW/DVD combo (haven't burned any discs yet) Broadcom v.92 modem w/ Intel 82801DB chipset Intel graphics chip Intel AC'97 sound chip 2 USB 2.0 ports 6 in 1 memory card reader PCMCIA slot, type II/III 15" LCD display 1078X768 Centronics parallel port (haven't plugged in a printer yet) vga output Synaptics touchpad Sony USB floppy Plan to get a PCMCIA Firewaire card Plan to get a PCMCIA 802.11g wifi card Printer Epson Stylus Photo/700 Considering I'm new to Linux, the Mandrake install was relatively painless. But there are still a few things to clean up. I don't do serious gaming. Mostly just surf and do home office/small biz stuff. I like to watch the stock market, too. (what little is left there!-) I program mainframes for a living, if you call this living! Did a project using Xenix about 15-20 years ago. (before GUI) Can't believe vi is still 'viable'! Regards, Al

OK Steve, I just completed running 'hsfconfig' from the root and got a 34 page output in /tmp/hsfdiag.txt . Here are the first two lines of the output... + modprobe -v /dev/ttySHSF modprobe: Can't locate module /dev/ttySHSF I looked in my KPPP setup and the file there is /dev/ttySHSF0. That's why it couldn't find it. I wonder if trying the other install, yesterday, changed it. Here is more of the 34 page dump IDing my Linux setup... + /usr/sbin/hsfconfig --info Conexant HSF softmodem driver, version 6.03.00lnxt03091800free If you need license keys, assistance or more information, please go to: http://www.linuxant.com/ When reporting a problem for the first time, please send us the file generated by "hsfconfig --dumpdiag". ERROR: hsf driver not active + identify_system linux-i686(i686)-2.4.22-10mdk Mandrake-9.2 + uname -a Linux localhost 2.4.22-10mdk #1 Thu Sep 18 12:30:58 CEST 2003 i686 unknown unknown GNU/Linux + gcc -v Reading specs from /usr/lib/gcc-lib/i586-mandrake-linux-gnu/3.3.1/specs Configured with: ../configure --prefix=/usr --libdir=/usr/lib --with-slibdir=/lib --mandir=/usr/share/man --infodir=/usr/share/info --enable-shared --enable-threads=posix --disable-checking --enable-long-long --enable-__cxa_atexit --enable-languages=c,c++,ada,f77,objc,java,pascal --host=i586-mandrake-linux-gnu --with-system-zlib Thread model: posix gcc version 3.3.1 (Mandrake Linux 9.2 3.3.1-2mdk) + cat -v /proc/version Linux version 2.4.22-10mdk (nplanel@no.mandrakesoft.com) (gcc version 3.3.1 (Mandrake Linux 9.2 3.3.1-2mdk)) #1 Thu Sep 18 12:30:58 CEST 2003 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Then the diag did a lspci -v and returned this for the modem... 00:1f.6 Modem: Intel Corp. 82801DB AC'97 Modem Controller (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [Generic]) Subsystem: Askey Computer Corp.: Unknown device 1050 Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 10 I/O ports at 2400 I/O ports at 2000 Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Then the diag did a cat -v /proc/pci and returned this for the modem... Bus 0, device 31, function 6: Modem: Intel Corp. 82801DB AC'97 Modem Controller (rev 3). IRQ 10. I/O at 0x2400 [0x24ff]. I/O at 0x2000 [0x207f]. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Further down the diag did this... + cat -v /proc/interrupts CPU0 0: 97306 XT-PIC timer 1: 1481 XT-PIC keyboard 2: 0 XT-PIC cascade 8: 1 XT-PIC rtc 9: 14 XT-PIC acpi 10: 1410 XT-PIC ehci_hcd, Intel 82801DB-ICH4 11: 5 XT-PIC usb-uhci, usb-uhci, O2 Micro, Inc. OZ6912 Cardbus Controller 12: 14583 XT-PIC PS/2 Mouse 14: 9593 XT-PIC ide0 15: 38 XT-PIC ide1 NMI: 0 LOC: 97270 ERR: 0 MIS: 0 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Then a cat -v /proc/ioports output this for the modem... 2000-207f : Intel Corp. 82801DB AC'97 Modem Controller 2400-24ff : Intel Corp. 82801DB AC'97 Modem Controller ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ After a bunch more listings of the hsf files loaded by the driver (I presume) it lists this... PCI: Probing PCI hardware ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKA] enabled at IRQ 11 ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKD] enabled at IRQ 11 ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKH] enabled at IRQ 10 ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKC] enabled at IRQ 10 ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKB] enabled at IRQ 10 ACPI: Unable to set IRQ for PCI Interrupt Link [LNKE] (likely buggy ACPI BIOS). Aborting ACPI-based IRQ routing. Try pci=noacpi or acpi=off PCI: Using ACPI for IRQ routing PCI: if you experience problems, try using option 'pci=noacpi' or even 'acpi=off' isapnp: Scanning for PnP cards... isapnp: No Plug & Play device found Linux NET4.0 for Linux 2.4 Based upon Swansea University Computer Society NET3.039 Initializing RT netlink socket apm: BIOS version 1.2 Flags 0x03 (Driver version 1.16) apm: overridden by ACPI. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Then at the end this is printed about the modem device... sda: Unit Not Ready, sense: Current 00:00: sense key Not Ready Additional sense indicates Medium not present [bCMSM] BCM V.92 56K Modem version 3.4.19 [bCMSM] Built on Jul 18 2002 at 18:50:19 [bCMSM] Status device enabled [bCMSM] Log device enabled Looking for splash picture.... found (800x600, 14470 bytes, v3). Splash status on console 0 changed to on VFS: Disk change detected on device 08:00 sda: Unit Not Ready, sense: Current 00:00: sense key Not Ready Additional sense indicates Medium not present ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The "VFS: Disk change detected..." repeats about 15 or 20 times and the dump listing ends. That's the status given by the Linuxant driver install followed by the 'hsfconfig' command. I wonder if trying to install the old RH driver yesterday interfered with this driver set up. ====================================================== One other interesting phenomenon happened on boot this evening. I opted for Linux on the OS menu and the boot process hung up at an unusual point. I hit ESC to get the verbose listing and it read something like... Linux has been booted 24 times without a check, checking... Then it actually restarted and began to boot again. What's up with that? Is there some system maintenance I should be doing? TIA for any help you can muster. Al

Thanks Steve! I guess getting even 14.4Kbps to work would be a start. Then I'll need to pony up some dough to get the 56K upgrade. But at least I'll know it's working. I got ACPI working again yesterday. Maybe I needed to reboot or something. I find alot of help on these boards, but there are so many ways to 'fix' some problems that it's a bit overwhelming for a newbie. Once I get the modem installed, I've promised myself to read/study my "Linux in a Nutshell" book to become better versed with the OS commands. Then there are plenty of HOWTOs to provide insight into how to script/string commands to perform specific tasks. Maybe one day I'll be able to contribute. For now it's read, question and learn. Thanks again. I'll report back the results of the hsfconfig command. Regards, Al

Thanks Steve! I appreciate your replies/advice over the past few days. I just went back to the Linuxant website and found the ref to the hsfconfig command. So that's something to try tomorrow. Perhaps I'll have to uninstall, and start over from scratch. I also found this link for installing a BCM modem with MDK 2.4.21-0.13(pretty close!) http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/sh...9841#post469841 in case the Linuxant install doesn't work.(or I can't get it to work!) I did notice, when doing Query Modem in KPPP, that there is an option HSFdevice, or something like that, as an option. I'm not sure if it was created by the Linuxant install or was there days ago, when I first started setting up this install. It's all the way at the end of all the ttys, usbs, ACMs, etc. I gotta go. It's late here on the East Coast. Yawn! Regards, Al Oh, that's right... I can pipe the rpm output listing to a file in Lin/Unix! Good thinking!

You might go to www.google.com/linux and search for DCOPserver. Your answer may be among the search results. Regards, Al

Well, another interesting day in getting my first Linux installation set up! I downloaded the kernel source last night and the Conexant driver for the Intel chipset in my modem today, into a WinXP FAT32 drive created for sharing files between the two OSes. This evening I decided to copy the file from the DOS partition to the Linux side, but the G: drive was never recognized by some of the innocuous DOS commands I used like mdir or mtype. Then it occurred to me that maybe the DOS drive should be mounted and then try the mtools commands. There was a panel in MCC to pick and mount drives, assigning a /mnt directory for the FAT32 drive. I chose to call it /mnt/DOS32. Will I ever get accustomed to using mount commands? I haven't touched a tape drive in decades! Once the G: drive(FAT32) was mounted it was not much of a leap to issue a urpmi command to install the kernel-source from the downloaded rpm file. How do I know where the source resides? The Conexant modem driver had to be unzipped first, so I found GNOZip in a menu somewhere (development tools?), so I unzipped it into /tmp and issued a urpmi command for the unzipped driver file. (Where does this file reside?) Now that there was a kernel and a driver file I decided to try to get the modem working. But no joy! :( Not surprising since Broadcom made my modem. But it was worth the chance, because Conexant and Broadcom likely just used the firmware for the chipset that Intel supplied. Maybe this will require more thought. I have a couple other options to try, as well. What was really annoying is that I thought ACPI was working yesterday, but today the fan ran for my entire 2 hour session on the Linux side. The 'services' panel shows ACPI and acpid both running from boot. This is a bit confusing, especially after yesterday's apparent success with ACPI. I guess the result of today's effort is further familiarization with the Linux file system, and how 'sharing' the FAT32 drive with WinXP and Linux allows Linux to access files without issuing mtools commands. Pointers Appreciated! Regards, Al

I downloaded the kernel during MNF last night. It took about 2.5 hours. Not bad! The phone company cleaned up my phone line a couple weeks ago, and that bumped up the (connect too) download speed to 5Kbps. Now I gotta figure out how to get that rpm and a modem file over to the Linux partition from the FAT32 partition. Time to read some more documentation. Regards, Al

One minor success to report, so far! :) While trolling some Linux websites today I noticed that someone had trouble with his/her ACPI and fixed it by running <urpmi acpi acpid> from the root. So I tried it and 'ACPI installed' was returned! (MDK requested that CD1 be inserted in the CDRW/DVD drive) Then I went to the MCC panel for configuring stuff, and clicked on 'Start' and confirmed that the 'Start on Boot' option was checked. The ACPI was now reported 'running', but I rebooted just in case. I decided to read some more Mandrake Documentation about USB and working with DOS FAT32 partitions. The fan just kept running and running, and I just about gave up on thinking ACPI was fixed, when the fan shut off for a while then cycled on again. Finally some small success! The same was not true for APM, however. No big deal at this point. I guess I'd better format that FAT32 drive I created yesterday and get the kernel download going soon. The book I use for reference has a list of 'mtools' commands to use to access DOS partitions. Does MDK use the same syntax? That is, prefixing the DOS command with an 'm'? Maybe Partition Magic creates AND formats a new partition. I'd better check that too. At least there need to be a couple directories created. Of course, when all else fails read the documentation! Regards, Al

Thanks ArTee! I can deal with 40MB. Heck, just the 'upgrades' to WinXP Pro were 33MB!!!!! I just got this new laptop, and hated to spend $200+ for XP Pro, and $375+ for Office XP. It took about 8 hours to get the 33MB, so I'll plan on doing this 40MB download overnight. I see there's a link to a kernel mirror at psu, so that's pretty close to home, on a global basis! I'll probably get routed thru Timbuktu, tho! I just set up a FAT32 disk partition so I can download there and copy over to the Linux extents. Gotta love that PartitionMagic 8. Thanks again for the info. I can't wait to get my modem working on the Linux side! Regards, Al

How big is the kernel source download? I'm stuck on a 56K modem which never gets much over 2K on a download. I figure on 1MB every 10 minutes, on downloads. This is really a pain for a newby, who has some drivers to install to get Mandrake working/useable. (modem, usb floppy, touchpad(not critical)) Nor even worried about the printer, yet. Reagrds, Al

I just found another problem, that should have been previously noted. The cooling fan runs constantly. I'm pretty sure I enabled APCI during install. Makes for a cool PC, BUT I don't want to replace fans in a laptop too often! Just finished 'reading' the Mandrake Documentation manual, but found no help for the modem set-up. Once this gets setup properly, I think I'll enjoy getting back into Unix/Linux with the current desktop environments. But ther's still nothing like the old CLI. Later. And TIA for any help on the growing list of needed tweaks. Regards, Al

Over the weekend I was doing alot of research into my install problems. I was in Gnome and started looking thru the Mandrake Documentation tab, and found almost the exact same screenshots and walkthrough. Just goes to prove that 'if all else fails, read the documentation'. Anyway, your work is still excellent! :) Regards, Al

Hi Steve, I don't know where to start. First I don't know how Brucer425 ID got on my original post. They're doing ALOT of 'tweaking' on this site the last few day, and it looks like things are a bit skewed. For example, I had to Register on this site 3 times in the last 3 days! Anyway. I've spent ALOT of time since my original post gathering as much info as possible on my modem. And, BTW, thanks to the link for the driver. :) Here's what I found out. I went to Gateway's online support and entered my Model and Serial Number and gained access to the exact modem in my machine. It is a Broadcom model, relabeled by Gateway as a GTW v.92. The Broadcom modem uses the Intel Chipset specified, Intel 82801 DB AC. I found a website www.modem-help.com and searched for '82801' and got the EEPROM ID: PCI\VEN_8086&dev_24C6&subsys_24C68086. Other information from that site indicates that support for this chipset is already in Mandrake kernel v5.03.27 (beta). So its NOT a new modem configuration, but maybe never got into a stable kernel release. From the Mandrake documentation I learned about the /proc/pci command and got an IO port and IRQ. Then I used the 'set serial' command to try to get the modem to respond. It did not respond, although I might not have gotten the set serial command quite right. At one of the "Linux on Laptops" websites I read how others were able to get some older Gateway notebook modems to work. Although my modem is a couple years old (labelled as a 'Mature' product on the Intel site), none seemed to be an exact match with mine. But some were successful using Smartlink HAMR5600 drivers. (Later I found that this could also work with mine) At modemsite.com/56K/bcm.asp I found that Dell created a driver for RedHat 7.3 enabling modems using the same chipset ref#, but manufactured by Conexant, NOT Broadcom. I think the link you posted points to this Linuxant(conexant) firmware driver. I'll probably try this driver also, unless an exact match comes up. It seems like each manufacturer that uses this chipset programs the EEPROM slightly different. Remember how Radio Shack computers used to use a different pin for ground on their parallel printer port? I wonder if a similar problem could arise here. (but until I try it, it will remain a mystery) BTW, this website has a list of AT commands and valid responses. Next I did a Google search for the PCI\VEN EEPROM code given above. This leads to the use of the Smartlink HAMR5600 driver OR the Smartlink SmartRISER56 AC- Link v.92 driver, OR to the Conexant chipset(again). Somewhere I found a report from someone, maybe a university prof, who reported that Broadcom doesn't even admit that they make 'old tech' modems on their website. I checked out both the Broadcom part number and the chipset on their website and the prof is correct. So there's no help there, or a Gateway, since they supply only the Windows drivers(3 .exes, 2 .sys, and one .dll) In conclusion, I don't think there's an exact match for my modem and the drivers found. I'll just try the driver for the Conexant chipset, the RedHat driver from Dell and the SmartLink HAMR5600, to find any modem response. I'm not sure how to assign one of these drivers to the modem, but that's for another day. FYI, the USB2 floppy I got is a Sony Model MPF82E with an Intel 82371 controller. That's as far as I got on that problem, so far. I did find out from the Gateway support site that my Touchpad is a Synaptic, and at pclinuxonline.com there is a driver to make it fully functional. It works OK as a psaux device, but the 3rd button is not supported. Links to this driver are also at tuxmobile.org/touchpad_driver.html and at compass.com/synaptics . Thanks again for your input. Regards, Al