wade Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 i have an external modem, connected to my first serial port. When i query the modem with kppp i can see the lights on my modem come on so i know it's connected, but the query results are all blank. i tried disconnecting my modem and putting it in my second serial port, when i query it then (having changed /dev/tty0 to /dev/tty1) it comes up as "modem is busy". When i query it on the first serial port (with modem still connected to the second) kppp does exactly as if it were still on the first. I tried re-installing a couple of times, and i've read loads of stuff which is just compounding my confusion - i've been tried to use setserial to check what port it thinks the modem is on but my mandrake 10.0 hasn't got setserial included. i tried querying it with minicom too, to see if that made any difference - i got minicom up and running but i can't even type any commands into that, minicom just sits there and even pressing "ctrl A Z" doesn't do anything. I just want to get my email up and running, i don't have the cash to shell out for XP so any advice would be gratefully received. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarecrow Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 (edited) The very first time you do it, you must run kppp as root. And you may also try "xisp" instead- again run as root first time. Edited March 7, 2006 by scarecrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wade Posted March 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 thanks for trying to help, but i haven't got any further. I re-installed mandrake 10.0, then logged in as root and installed kppp (it doesn't go in as part of the install) - same thing happened - with the modem on the first serial port i queried it, it lit up but the results of the query were blank and when i tried to connect to the internet it just says "expecting ok" after initialising modem and sits there, with the modem lit to show that it's receiving data from the pc. i've tried altering the serial port settings in the bios but if i change it from the default when i query the modem it comes up with "modem is busy" so i'm presuming the IO - IRQ address is correct. The second serial port is not listed in my bios, so i can't alter the settings for that - when i try and query the modem with it plugged into the second port it just says "modem is busy". I haven't found the xisp program either, i can't find it on my pc after installing Mandrake 10.0 and it's not listed as a package to install from the cds. Any suggestions gratefully received.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ixthusdan Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Did you run the actual program as root? Open a console, su to root, and type "kppp", which will launch kppp as root. Reinstalling is generally not necessary with linux because it is not windows. In fact, while kppp seems to be not working, other things are. You're entire desktop could fail but the underlying system is still functioning. Rebooting and reinstalling are aspects of managing windows, not linux! B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wade Posted March 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 I re-installed because scarecrow advised me to run kppp as root the very first time i configured it and i had already been messing around with kppp for some time trying to get it to work ( i did first try running it as root, but this did not work so i thought the "very first time" bit might be significant). what i did was - click on "configure your computer", typed in my root password at the prompt, clicked through the icons to "system" , clicked the icon which opened a black screen, typed kppp which seemed to open the program, then tryed to configure it (through the graphical interface which had opened)... i hope this was the right way, maybe i'm more of an idiot than i thought, i suspect i'm either overlooking something blindingly obvious or everythings knackered and needs a friendly tap with a sledgehammer... any clues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarecrow Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 To run a program with a GUI as root, simply press alt+F2 and then kdesu program ( or in your case, "kdesu kppp" ) Running a program with gui from a root console sometimes fails, because the program complains it cannot find a usable display, and then quits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wade Posted March 10, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 cheers, will give that a go - let you know how i get on after the weekend (typing this from work)... hope i can get somewhere cos i'm trying to resist a mates offer of a dodgy copy of xp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gowator Posted March 10, 2006 Report Share Posted March 10, 2006 Last time I tried the default baud rate was set too high for the serial port. I changed it to 11,5xxxxx or so and it just suddenly started working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wade Posted March 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2006 Last time I tried the default baud rate was set too high for the serial port. I changed it to 11,5xxxxx or so and it just suddenly started working. i've done all of the above, run everything as root, changed the baud rate. I've tried changing the port address on the bios, running minicom, i've reinstalled several times and nothing is working. I've bought the right modem, followed the instructions to the letter and i still have no working connection. My modem lights up when queried but returns no results... i'm struggling to appreciate the benefits of linux right now, all it's got me so far is a lot of wasted time and a feeling of banging my head against a wall... is there any point in persisting with it to try and get my internet connection sorted, or should i write linux off as a bad job? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ixthusdan Posted March 17, 2006 Report Share Posted March 17, 2006 Is plug and play off in your bios? Is your motherboard determining irq assignments? A query that lights up but gives no returns in data sounds like an irq issue. Also, when I encounter a problem that seems to imply the impossible, e.g., linux will work for everyone but me, I go back the the beginning and note every step. Sometimes I catch myself thinking that I am following an instruction when I am not. I have found that the fault lies with me rather than linux or the hardware. Does the modem work on another machine? Flashing lights seems to be input rather than output. Of course, if the modem will not communicate out, then the problem is hardware related. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gowator Posted March 17, 2006 Report Share Posted March 17, 2006 Also, when I encounter a problem that seems to imply the impossible, e.g., linux will work for everyone but me, I go back the the beginning and note every step. Sometimes I catch myself thinking that I am following an instruction when I am not. I have found that the fault lies with me rather than linux or the hardware. This is really important... I find myself doing the same thing, its the 10th time you tried and you end up on autopilot and hardly read what its asking. Secondly last time I used Mandrake (before it was called mandriva) I found that the setup wizards had lots of faults and if you made an error it would bork up stuff for later. When you are experienced its not such a big deal but for noobies its a killer! I would recommend a clean install with the modem plugged in... presuming you haven't got much to loose yet. If this doesn't work try a different distro .. id recommend downloading kanotox (http://kanotix.com/Downloads.html) because the autodetection works very well and setting up modems etc. is covered by 'non destructive' scripts. Its a live distro so you can try it first and if it works you are flying... then you can do a hard drive install. You can probably also use the settings it generates for mandrake as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wade Posted March 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2006 Ixthusdan, Gowater, thank you for trying to help. I am sure that you are correct, and that these are my failings rather than anything else, but linux doesn't make it easy for the technically inept if they veer from the straight and narrow. I'm fairly sure the modems ok, it's not that old and has worked before. My plan of action now is - print off these posts, take them home, re read them very carefully, re read the modem how to i printed, giving the section on irq particularly close scrutiny. Then calmly and with deliberate precision i will disconnect everything and make sure there are no bits of fluff on the pins or something stupid like that. Then i'm gonna plug it all back together, switch on and go into the bios, re-set to "optimized defaults", make sure OS plug and play is off, then with everything connected and switched on i will try re-installing mandrake 10.0 once more. If it still doesn't find my modem i'll try and configure it as best i know how (running all programs as "root", natch), if none of this works i'll try the alternate distribution suggested and give this a go. If this still doesn't do the trick, i'm either gonna have to shoplift an xp or give up on home computing for a while. I am very grateful for everyone who has tried to help, if i don't respond to your posts very quickly it's because (obviously) i can't get on t'internet at home and i'm not in the office everyday (and i'm fairly sure i'm breaking company internet protocols anyway by posting on a board in work time, but wtf). Anyway, thanks again, and if anyone reads over this and thinks of something obvious that's been overlooked please chip in. i will definitely put this as "solved", from my pc at home, if it ever finally is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bvc Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 (edited) *cough What modem? We can't assume because it is external and serial that it should work in linux, obviously. Could save a lot of time. scanmodem tool http://132.68.73.235/linmodems/index.html#scanmodem for http://www.linmodems.org/ but...why not? http://www.devidal.tv/~chris/winmodems/pci_list.html oh...and I recommend wvdial Edited March 21, 2006 by bvc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wade Posted March 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 *coughWhat modem? We can't assume because it is external and serial that it should work in linux, obviously. Could save a lot of time. scanmodem tool http://132.68.73.235/linmodems/index.html#scanmodem for http://www.linmodems.org/ but...why not? http://www.devidal.tv/~chris/winmodems/pci_list.html oh...and I recommend wvdial on the box it says - "phonic pro v.92 external serial modem" - i thought all external modems worked ok. i haven't been able to get wvdial running either.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ixthusdan Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 Their site says the modem has its own controller and is compatible with linux. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.