Adventures in Installation

[al_chemyst]

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

[Steve Scrimpshire]

I'm not 100% familiar with your situation, so I will attempt to answer some of your questions. When you install the kernel-source, the source is put in

 

/usr/src/linux-<<version number here>>

 

If you installed the Conexant driver, usually, you have to run a command to get it to recognize the modem and set it up. As root in a console, try these two things (or one of them, actually, depending on the type of modem).

 

If it is an HSF modem, open a console and as root type this (what I put inside [ brackets ] is an action, of course and you don't actually type it):

 

hsf[hit the tab key]

 

One of your choices to complete the command should be something like hsfconfig. Finish typing that and hit return and it should configure your modem and creat a link to it under /dev/modem.

If you have an hcf modem, you would do something similar:

 

hcf[hit the tab key]

 

find the command that is closest to hcfconfig and finish typing it and hit enter and it should configure your modem. I hope I haven't misunderstood your questions.

 

If you want to know what files an rpm installs on your system, run these commands in a console as root (I'll use the xsane-gimp as an example and I'll show you my command prompt, which, of course you don't type in):

[root@omarserenity omar]# rpm -qa | grep xsane-gimp
xsane-gimp-0.91-1mdk
[root@omarserenity omar]# rpm -ql xsane-gimp-0.91-1mdk
/usr/bin/xsane-gimp
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane-WIN32-compilation.txt
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.ACCELKEYS
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.AUTHOR
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.BACKENDS
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.BEGINNERS-INFO
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.BUGS
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.CHANGES
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.COPYING
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.INSTALL
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.LANGUAGES
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.LOGO
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.NEWS
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.ONLINEHELP
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.PROBLEMS
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.REMOVE
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.ROOT
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.RPM
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.TODO
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.VENDOR-STRINGS
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.lang
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.spec
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.spec.in
/usr/share/doc/xsane-gimp-0.91/xsane.spec.in.old

[al_chemyst]

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!

[Steve Scrimpshire]

I went over there and read your reply to that topic on LinuxQuestions.Org. Unfortunately, I don't know the answer to that one, but the linuxant driver should work for you if you run the hsfconfig command and get it all set up.

[al_chemyst]

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

[al_chemyst]

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