How-To Internal Modem Installation guide for 6.5 / 7.0?

Submitted by SunWorks on Thu, 09/20/2007 - 16:51. Internal Modems
Posts: 12

I've got numerous people who would like to use MEPIS as the OS, they are ready to switch from Windows.

Only problem is, I am not able to install an internal modem. I've got LOTS of internal modems around with a variety of chipsets to choose from Lucent 1646, SV92, PCTel, Broadcom, and one purchased that has been tested on Ubuntu and others, it has a Smartlink chipset.

However, I am not smart enough, patient enough, whatever enough to make it work.

Does anybody have a step-by-step how-to-install guide? Or can anybody make one?

I WANT to learn how to do this, but I work by myself and need some detailed guidance right now.

Would be gr8 to get these people switched to Mepis, but the modem thing has to be solved first.

thanks in advance.
Clinton

This may help

Submitted by JimCockfield on Thu, 09/20/2007 - 20:17.
Posts: 1109

Internal Modems are pretty much hit and miss, since many are Winmodems versus true hardware based modems.

But, SimplyMEPIS has a reputation of supporting more than most distros.

Here is a page about modems that you may find helpful:

http://www.mepis.org/docs/en/index.php/Modem

Jim C.

Here's How ...

Submitted by burdicda on Fri, 09/21/2007 - 13:25.
Posts: 311

http://www.mepis.org/docs/en/index.php/Lucent(Agere)_LT_Winmodem/Stratitec_IA56_Internal

Copy and paste the entire url into your browser or it won't
go to the correct site...

I spent 2 weeks working out this step by step guide
and it works perfectly...

burdicda

I seem to be missing

Submitted by jhthayer on Fri, 09/21/2007 - 14:18.
Posts: 5

I seem to be missing something here. The problem I have is, that without a working modem, I see no way of getting the kernel headers to which you referred. I could not find them anyplace on the distribution disk, and haven't yet seen any direct comment on this. I suspect that with a working modem, they'd be pulled in by synaptic/apt-get, but my whole problem is that the modem doesn't work.

The only thing I see on the website is the selection to order the source DVD for $35, and I don't even know if I want to use MEPIS yet. And if I were to order the DVD, I'd want to get the next distro in October.

Can you help me out here?

jht

I seem to be missing something here myself

Submitted by Jerry Bond on Fri, 09/21/2007 - 14:27.
Posts: 305

You have multiple internal chipsets available? Have you tried one (such as the Broadcom) following the Wireless Basic Steps that are in the Documents folder of the 6.5 LiveCD and posted in the Wiki?

http://www.mepis.org/docs/en/index.php/Adjust_the_wireless_connection

One of the collection should work fine with MEPIS without problem, if I understand what you are saying.

Jerry

The way I interpreted his

Submitted by kmathern on Fri, 09/21/2007 - 16:16.
Posts: 45

The way I interpreted his post was that he was talking about dialup modems - not wireless (i.e. internal pci winmodems)

makes more sense

Submitted by Jerry Bond on Fri, 09/21/2007 - 16:25.
Posts: 305

thanks

Internal PCI Win(Lin)Modem

Submitted by jhthayer on Fri, 09/21/2007 - 17:27.
Posts: 5

More specifically, one that uses the Intel 536EP chipset, otherwise known as a HaM (Hardware-assisted Modem), so it is of the same generally undesirable sort as he was speaking of. There are some modem installation and configuration sites that describe the process for Linux, in general, but his procedure is easy to understand and very much similar.

All the recommendations require the kernel header files, though, since you need to compile the driver interface to be consistent with the particular set of options used when the kernel was compiled. Otherwise, you recompile the whole thing, but that would also assume you had the kernel headers, or at least the knowledge of how they were set up.

jht

jhthayer,If you currently

Submitted by kmathern on Fri, 09/21/2007 - 17:43.
Posts: 45

jhthayer,

If you currently have another Operating System on your machine (um lets say uhh ... Windows) that will make your modem work and will allow you to connect to the internet I can probably come up with links to the header files you would need.

You would download the files in the other o.s. and then reboot to run Mepis.

Once running in Mepis, mount the partition to which you downloaded the header files to earlier and install those files with kpackage.

To install the kernel headers for Mepis 7 beta4 32bit you need to download the following files (you need all 3 of them):
ftp://ftp.mepis.com/mepis/pool/main/l/linux-kbuild-2.6/linux-kbuild-2.6.22_2.6.22-1~mepis1_i386.deb
ftp://ftp.mepis.com/mepis/pool/main/l/linux-2.6/linux-headers-2.6.22-1_2.6.22-6mepis1_i386.deb
ftp://ftp.mepis.com/mepis/pool/main/l/linux-2.6/linux-headers-2.6.22-1-mepis-smp_2.6.22-6mepis1_i386.deb

Install these files with kpackage in the same order as they are listed above. (the last file depends on the first two files all ready being installed)

You also need to create a symbolic link:
1. open Konsole
2. type su and then root password when prompted, and then type (or copy&paste from here):
ln -sf /usr/src/linux-headers-$(uname -r) /usr/src/linux

If you want to install the headers for a different version I may be able to come up with the links you would need.

I noticed your reply

Submitted by kmathern on Fri, 09/21/2007 - 18:12.
Posts: 45

I noticed your reply mentioning that your modem uses the Intel 536EP chipset (you must have posted it while I was writing my earlier post)

Mepis 6.5 32bit has a pre-compiled package for the Intel 536EP chipset. http://apt.mepis.org/mepis32-6.5/pool/linux-modules-2.6.15/intel536/intel536ep-modules-2.6.15-27-desktop_4.71-1+2.6.15-27.50.1mepis4_i386.deb

You would install it in a manner similar to what I described earlier (download in another o.s then reboot and install with kpackage in mepis). I don't think this would require kernel headers.

Sorry, there doesn't seem to be an Intel 536EP package available (at this time anyway) for Mepis 7.

Thanks for the info

Submitted by jhthayer on Fri, 09/21/2007 - 22:41.
Posts: 5

I saw your post just after I finished mine, but had to leave and just returned.

Your info is the sort of thing for which I was looking, although my version is 2.6.15-27-desktop.

I do have the Intel packages 4.68, 4.69, and 4.70, which would require compilation of the interface, but if it's already available, then, as you surmised, I can use my old Win98 machine FIC VA503+, AMD K6 400, and a flash drive to transfer it.

I had tried Xandros on this (FIC VA503+) machine a couple of years ago but the machine is a little too slow for it.

New one (no longer new) Gigabyte K8NSpro AMD 64 3000+, with an nVidia FX5200 graphics card which has caused trouble with everything I tried, until MEPIS. Though had other probs, mbd bad caps, power supplies with bad caps, etc., to say nothing of a bad OS, or perhaps it's the company (MS).

Has been a long slow road. Thanks for your help!

jht

If the version your using

Submitted by kmathern on Fri, 09/21/2007 - 23:45.
Posts: 45

If the version your using has the 2.6.15-27-desktop kernel, then you are using is Mepis 6.5 32bit. So that precompiled package I mentioned should do the job.

Yes, thanks, the file name

Submitted by jhthayer on Sat, 09/22/2007 - 00:17.
Posts: 5

Yes, thanks, the file name suggested that.

I've downloaded the file, but I haven't had a chance to do the rest yet. Much other stuff to attend to tomorrow, but I'll get back to it by evening.

jht

Installing compiled package

Submitted by jhthayer on Sat, 09/22/2007 - 23:15.
Posts: 5

I've tried just about every variant of installation (I couldn't think of many, but tried every superstitious permutation), but cannot get kppp to find the modem.

After using kpackage to do the install (which seemed to succeed) attempting to configure the modem doesn't seem to make any difference, nor do any of the changes in parameters seem to take.

Since it couldn't find the driver at the expected location, I provided a symlink to do it, but still no joy.

Checking the filelist seems to indicate that not all the files that are supposed to be installed (2 out of 4) are installed.

Next step will be recompilation of the interface, if I can't find what I'm doing wrong.

Does anyone have any suggestions about this?

Thanks,

jht

My suggestion would be

Submitted by carlops on Sun, 09/23/2007 - 02:41.
Posts: 2299

My suggestion would be pragmatic. If you really depend on a modem and wish to use Linux, I recommend getting a modem that is natively supported. Winmodems will always be a pain, and you cannot rely on drivers that are nothing more than an afterthought.

Newbie or not Newbie, there's always a question

Ok...

Submitted by burdicda on Sun, 09/23/2007 - 07:31.
Posts: 311

The only reason I spent so much time on getting an internal
winmodem working in mepis was it p*ssed me off...LOL

I think I would suggest you buy or borrow an external
serial modem from somewhere.
Get your box on line
Come back to this issue later...after you've gotten
Mepis up and happy....

I really don't believe there is a modem of any kind anywhere
that could not be made to work with Mepis...or for that
matter any Linux...

I just set up a friends brand new Dell (super high dollar model) and to my surprise it was the same one Michael Dell
uses with ubuntu and Dell tech support online had the driver
in deb format for download...I downloaded it
doubleclicked it and wham the proprietary internal winmodem
was up and running perfectly...