Guest linemup Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 Hi everyone, I am considering moving over from FC7 because i can't keep it running both my ati x1400 graphics card and my e220 usb modem. The modem in particular has been giving trouble, so i am looking for a new distro. I tried pclinuxos2007, it handled the graphics card fine but had real trouble with the modem, it can be made to work with wvdial, but the kernel is old and i am looking for a distro with a more up-to-date kernel, that at least recongnizes the modem for what it is. So i popped in the Mandriva 2008 livecd and was nearly blown away. The cd automatically detected the graphics card and allowed me to switch on the 3D effects and they worked great. It also detected my modem and allowed me to connect to the web - i couldn't believe my luck, and promptly installed it... However after the install the modem does not connect and seems to be resetting all the time, every 20 seconds or so. With this modem you get a blue led when it has booted and recognised the 3g signal, green LED's mean GPRS signal only or it's just booting up. I don't understand how the live cd can run it fine (and i surfed the web with it for a while), but not the install. Any ideas anyone before i move on an try another distro? Cheers, Sean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarecrow Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 (edited) Do you have a device named /dev/ttyUSB0 present? If not, it should be created. The E220 is a very stupid device (acting both as a storage medium and dialup), and the OS gets confused. Please do some "lsmod" and see if the module "usbserial" is loaded. If not, then you must force it to load- else there will not be any device nodes for the e220. Also- check (with lsmod again) if another module named "option" is loaded or not. Edited October 15, 2007 by scarecrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest linemup Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 it didnt' get confused on the livecd? i will check this when i get home thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ixthusdan Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 I think the point is that the device has issues. Any distro simply needs for you to make some entries in order to assure that the device is setup correctly. A live distro loads a plethora of devices for function; an installation is tailored to only what is needed. If the device happens to be detected correctly, then the distro setup is fine. It is common place to be sure that problem devices have the correct entries so that they are not a problem! :P Unfortunately, you seem to be assuming that Linux has problems. I beleive the device is a problem. There was a day when only hardware modems would work in Linux. Today, most winmodems (Which are not true hardware devices) work, thanks to the efforts of the community. (The manufacturers do not release the appropriate details in these cases!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulSe Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 The problem with the Huawei is in its versatile design :P The device is actually two devices - a USB modem and a storage device that contains drivers and other software. If you look in your sd device listings, you will probably notice an additional storage device - that is the Huawei. So the problem with Linux is it only detects the storage element, but not the modem. The idea is that in Windows you plug it in, load the driver off the storage and then it detects the modem. Nice theory, but not too great for Linux. Apparently if you update the firmware it will fix the problem. You will need a Windows installation to do it in though. Check out the provider that gave you the modem's website for the latest firmware. The Huawei site is useless as this is a total OEM piece of hardware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ixthusdan Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 Ahh. Well, it is a good device to setup, then! :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarecrow Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 Here are some generic instructions about setting a Huawei under Linux. Apparently, it's much easier with a kernel newer than 2.6.19: http://oozie.fm.interia.pl/pro/huawei-e220/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest linemup Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 Here are some generic instructions about setting a Huawei under Linux. Apparently, it's much easier with a kernel newer than 2.6.19:http://oozie.fm.interia.pl/pro/huawei-e220/ I am still not home from work! My own thoughts about this is that it is Mandriva causing the trouble, the modem works fine in windows. I updated the drivers on it about a month ago, so that should be ok as well. It seems to me that Mandriva is trying to access the modem but keeps resetting it - i will give it another day or 2 before i try the next distro (suse 10.3)!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarecrow Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Using the above mentality you will just switch distros eternally, or until you get fed up with Linux. The device works with windoze because ITS VENDOR ONLY CARES IT WORKING UNDER THAT OS. Even under MacOSX its a pain. The instructions at the above link are quite verbose- did you care reading them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulSe Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 Using the above mentality you will just switch distros eternally, or until you get fed up with Linux.The device works with windoze because ITS VENDOR ONLY CARES IT WORKING UNDER THAT OS. Even under MacOSX its a pain. The instructions at the above link are quite verbose- did you care reading them? Actually it works excellently under OS X :P And that's why it is usable in Linux too. Just a little perseverance :) Try using wvdial too - I've found that it has better luck with stubborn modems than other diallers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest linemup Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 I have tried wvdial, but the modem keeps resetting! The same problem occurs with network monitor that can be downloaded - it's really weird, this is the only distro that seems to be causing this kind of trouble - i will start reading the logs and post them as soon as i get some time at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoulSe Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 I have tried wvdial, but the modem keeps resetting! The same problem occurs with network monitor that can be downloaded - it's really weird, this is the only distro that seems to be causing this kind of trouble - i will start reading the logs and post them as soon as i get some time at home. Might be something in the Mandriva kernel. I might get lambasted for this - but why not use another distro? Any particular reason why you must use Mandriva? Th other option is to roll your own kernel for Mandriva using, for example, vanilla sources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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