US Robotics internal hardware modem

What is the model number of the US Robotics modem you are using? Reason I asked is that some USR internal modems are "winmodems" and as such aren't much use in Linux without special drivers.

Later,
MYoung
_____________________________________________________________

Yes, I am an agent of Satan. My duties, however, are largely ceremonial.

I'm not sure what model # it is. When I bought it I specifically asked for a "hardware" modem, emphasizing "not a winmodem". I read the box which indicated that it would work with linux. In fact, it was automatically configured with older releases of linux, but the more recent releases I've tried (SuSE 8.2, Mandrake 9.0, and now Mepis) have not made it easy for me. I wish to use it for faxing - I access the internet with an ADSL Modem, which works. I tried faxing a document, and got the following readout:

Sending to fax using: /usr/bin/fax NAME='mark' DEV='modem' PAGE=a4 FROM='' send '416-395-0934' '/tmp/kde-mark/konquerorzvtFhb.ps'
/tmp/kde-mark/konquerorzvtFhb.ps is postscript...
efax: Wed Jan 14 22:55:44 2004 efax v 0.9a-001114 Copyright 1999 Ed Casas
efax: 55:44 Error: can't open serial port /dev/modem: Permission denied
efax: 55:44 failed -> /tmp/kde-mark/konquerorzvtFhb.ps.001
efax: 55:44 done, returning 2 (unrecoverable error)
There were errors (see T416-395-0934.log).

When I check for the modem on the shell, I get this:
ls -l /dev/modem
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 9 2004-01-12 19:50 /dev/modem -> /dev/tty0

I've tried as root user to send a fax, but without any luck. Could there be a problem with my firewall that could be fixed via guarddog? If anyone can help, feel free to either post here, or email me directly.

Thanks.
Sincerely,
Mark Grieveson

http://www.opseu540.info

I just checked this out for myself to make sure. The symlink is pointing to /dev/tty0 when it "should" be pointing to /dev/ttyS0. I changed the symlink and then opened Kppp and setting the device to /dev/modem I could then click on the Modem tab and click on Query modem and it could "talk" to the modem.

You might want to use Kppp to just go down the list of /dev/ttySx to find which one is your modem. Then fix the symlink to reflect that.

Hope this helps,
MYoung
_____________________________________________________________

Yes, I am an agent of Satan. My duties, however, are largely ceremonial.

--Also make sure your userid is a member of groups "fax" and "dialout" in /etc/group.

http://wolfrdr.tripod.com/linuxtips.html

of doing this is to open KUser (K --> System --> KUser) and, after you type in the root password, double click on your username in the opening window. At the top click on Groups and then select each group of which you want to be a member. HINT - DON'T CHECK ROOT! Most of the others are fine, but don't go hogwild .

Later,
MYoung
_____________________________________________________________

Yes, I am an agent of Satan. My duties, however, are largely ceremonial.

How do I change the symlink?

Well, after I posted about doing that, and it working, when I rebooted the symlink was changed back, to the unworking original /dev/tty0, during hardware detection. I'm going to have to check with Warren and/or Stibs about this one.

In the meantime, just have Kppp point to /dev/ttySx and save the setting. I know you shouldn't "have" to do that, but at present that's all I know to do.

However, back to your origianl question of "How do I change the symlink?"

First open a terminal and log in as root. Type in the following:

rm /dev/modem
ln -s /dev/ttyS0 /dev/modem
ls -l /dev/modem

Here is a capture of what this does from my terminal:

mmyoung@0[mmyoung]$ su
Password:
root@0[mmyoung]# rm /dev/modem
root@0[mmyoung]# ln -s /dev/ttyS0 /dev/modem
root@0[mmyoung]# ls -l /dev/modem
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2004-01-17 06:50 /dev/modem -> /dev/ttyS0
root@0[mmyoung]#

What the ls -l is telling you is that this is a (l)ink that root has (r)ead, (w)rite, e(x)ecute access to, that it is "owned" by root and that this link is in the root group, when it was created the name of the link and what/where it is linked to.

HTH,
MYoung
_____________________________________________________________

I don't work here. I'm a consult.

I created the symlink, and checked the group permissions. Still no luck. I queried the modem via KPPP. ttyS0, and ttyS1 report that "modem does not respond". ttyS2, and ttyS3 report that the "modem is busy". I checked the "Info Center":

02:0a.0 Serial controller: 5610 56K FaxModem 56K FaxModem Model 5610 (rev 01) (prog-if 02 [16550])
Subsystem: 5610 56K FaxModem: Unknown device 00d3
Flags: medium devsel, IRQ 11
I/O ports at dcf8 [size=8]
Capabilities:

I have tried faxing as root user, and as regular user. Both failed. If anyone else has any suggestions or insight, feel free to respond. Thanks.

ttyS4? Sometimes internal modems are set up as Comm5. If it is then you would need to try ttyS4.

A shot in the dark,
MYoung
_____________________________________________________________

I don't work here. I'm a consult.

I checked KPPP and there is no option for ttyS4; so, I created the symlink, as you suggested earlier, to ttyS4, and, in root, tried to fax a message. It didn't work, BUT, the modem did make some that faxing noise briefly (which is promising). I got the following error message:

Sending to fax using: /usr/bin/fax NAME='root' DEV='modem' PAGE=a4 FROM='' send '4163950934' '/tmp/kde-root/konquerorS48Jjb.ps'

/tmp/kde-root/konquerorS48Jjb.ps is postscript...
efax: Sat Jan 17 23:02:56 2004 efax v 0.9a-001114 Copyright 1999 Ed Casas
efax: 02:56 removed stale lock /var/lock/LCK..modem from pid 21317
efax: 02:56 opened /dev/modem
efax: 02:58 using U.S. Robotics 56K FAX INT V5.22.45 U.S. Robotics 56K FAX OK OK in class 2.0
efax: 02:59 dialing T4163950934
efax: 03:16 remote ID -> " 4163950934"
efax: 03:16 connected
efax: 03:27 Error: wrong response after command: +FDT
efax: 03:27 failed -> /tmp/kde-root/konquerorS48Jjb.ps.001
efax: 03:27 done, returning 3 (invalid modem response)
There were errors (see T4163950934.log).

Anyway, I feel I'm getting closer. Any further suggestions will be most appreciated.

This just in from Warren. Seems the symlink is "supposed" to be pointing to /dev/ttyS0 in the fist place, so the autodetection is wrong.

To solve your problem here is what you need to do.

Open a terminal and su to root. Now, using your favorite editor, open the following file:
/etc/modutils/modem

Now add the following to this file:

pre-install serial rm /dev/modem
post-install serial ln -s /dev/ttyS0 /dev/modem

In your case you will want to use /dev/ttyS4. Save the file and close your editor. Next, still as root, type in:

update-modules

After that is run, reboot.

According to Warren what this does is it "tells modutils to run the specified commands during boot but this will happen after the autoconfig and therefore will override autoconfig."

Now as far as it not faxing sounds like to me that it connected but they weren't talking to each other. Did you look in the T4163950934.log file? Was this a number that you have to use a 1 in front of to connect? If not, is there any reason to put the area code in the dial strig?

Just wondering,
MYoung
_________________________________________________________

I don't work here. I'm a consult.

here: http://www.mepis.org/node/view/902#3270

...and see if that helps. In my experience wvdial is much better than kppp.

--Also:
[[ efax: 03:16 connected
efax: 03:27 Error: wrong response after command: +FDT
efax: 03:27 failed -> /tmp/kde-root/konquerorS48Jjb.ps.001
efax: 03:27 done, returning 3 (invalid modem response)
There were errors (see T4163950934.log).
]]

--Check the fax config file; it may have an invalid modem-init string in it.
Check /tmp/kde-root/konquerorS48Jjb.ps.001 for error messages, as well as that T*.log file.

http://wolfrdr.tripod.com/linuxtips.html

Hi all,
I've tried the suggestions above as well and my US Robotics PCI Modem won't work. Mepis recognizes the device, according to scanpci. But, lsmod doesn't show it as loaded, but maybe it isn't supposed to, I'm relatively new at this. When I query ttyS0, ttyS1, etc, in KPPP, it indicates that it is querying the modem, but nothing is returned for the ATs, fields 1-10 are blank. I know the modem works, because I'm using Win98 to connect to this forum. Win98 indicates that the modem in on Com 5.
Any help greatly appreciated.
Jim Adams
Maysville KY USA

I bought a PCI Intel Hardware modem and it did work in Linux, but I had to go to Intels site and get Linux drivers for it. Got tired of that because until Mepis I switched distros like my wife changes her mind, often. So I went to www.pricewatch.com and ordered an external modem (CenDyne) for like 18 dollars, works a heck of a lot better.

I have the same problem with the same modem on my dad's box.?? I had set up Libranet on it and it was working, but I wanted to give him a taste of Mepis.?? Not much good w/o an internet connection, though.??

I found instructions to setup this modem in Libranet here:

http://libranet.com/support/2.7/0045.txt

Only problem is one of those steps requires using Libranet's Adminmenu.?? Someone brighter than me may be able to figure out a way to use those instructions in Mepis.?? If so, please post it here,??

I have a U. S. Robotics PCI modem that Windows 98 shows at COM5, irq 9, port 0xd800.?? I have read numerous postings in many forums in which some Linux users are able to get this modem installed and working (it is not a Winmodem), and many in which they are not able to do it, but they all seem to boil down to using "setserial" to configure it.?? I am becoming convinced that the problem is that "setserial" simply rejects "ttyS4" as an argument, which is a problem when the PCI modem appears as COM5.?? I am attempting to install it in SimplyMEPIS 3.3.?? The following shell dialog shows this problem.?? In this shell, I am able to use the setserial command with ttyS1, but not with ttyS4 or any ttyS* higher than 3.?? I?? have abbreviated the outputs from "lspci" and "cat /proc/pci" to just show the modem.?? I have attempted to install the modem on one of ttyS0 through ttyS3, but attempting to use them as the modem in KPPP results in "modem busy" errors, I suppose because COM1 through COM4 are actually already occupied by other things that are busy.?? I would appreiciate any help anyone can give me with this.

Regards,

dr9873

root@1[dev]# lspci

0000:00:0b.0 Serial controller: 5610 56K FaxModem 56K FaxModem Model 5610 (rev 01)

root@1[dev]# cat /proc/pci

PCI devices found:

??Bus 0, device 11, function 0:

?? Class 0700: PCI device 12b9:1008 (rev 1).

?????? IRQ 9.

?????? I/O at 0xd800 [0xd807].

root@1[dev]# setserial ttyS1

ttyS1, UART: 16550A, Port: 0x02f8, IRQ: 3

root@1[dev]# setserial ttyS1 port 0x02f8

root@1[dev]# setserial ttyS1 irq 3

root@1[dev]# setserial ttyS4

ttyS4, UART: unknown, Port: 0x0000, IRQ: 0

root@1[dev]# setserial ttyS4 port 0x0000

Cannot set serial info: Invalid argument

root@1[dev]# setserial ttyS4 irq 0

Cannot set serial info: Invalid argument

root@1[dev]# setserial ttyS4 port 0xd800

Cannot set serial info: Invalid argument

root@1[dev]# setserial ttyS4 irq 9

Cannot set serial info: Invalid argument

-- end of posting --

I have found a lead on solving this COM5 PCI Modem problem, typically for a U. S. Robotics PCI modem (non-Winmodem), at the following site. I believe it is for some other Linux distibution and it involves changing some kernel configuration settings and recompiling the kernel. I haven't had an opportunity to try it with my MEPIS 3.3 installation yet.

http://linux-sxs.org/networking/modem3.html

(see the post of Wed, 25 Sep 2002 13:36:21 GMT)

If anyone gets to try it before I do, please post the results. I'll do the same.

Regards,
dr9873

PS - The above was originally posted by me on 3/9/2005 at 02:45 but was apparently lost with the recent site work (which also seems to have left the search function broken).

I would now add that this fix is fairly drastic and may not be correct for the situation I am encountering since ttyS4 does already exist in the SimplyMEPIS-3.3 installation; I just can't setserial to it.

More to come.

Regards,
dr9873

--- end of posting ---

I have this modem. In Simply Mepis 3.3, I had to use the older kernal. I had to uncheck the lock file and change the speed to 115**. Then I set it to ttyS4 and clicked "save." Then I could go and query and things started working. This is the first time that I've had to save the settings before querying. My user had rights to Dip and Dialout, altho I didn't check Fax. I am typing this from memory, it's been quite a while since I messed with it, hope that I'm accurate. I've got it working and I'm scared to go back there again, heh, heh...
The Tramp

It turns out that the setserial command needed the baud_base parameter to be set to 115200 in order to accept any other settings for ttyS4. Having done that, I was able to confirm what is reported above, that the modem does work if you boot the 2.4 kernel instead of the 2.6 kernel (which are both included in the MEPIS disk).

So, if your modem is on COM5, you can run lspci or cat /proc/pci and find the interrupt and the IO address. COM5 corresponds to ttyS4. You can put the arguments for the setserial command in the following file so that they always get executed at startup:

/etc/serial.conf

In my case the modem is a U. S. Robotics 2976, which is an OEM version of the 5610A. My line in /etc/serial.conf looks like this:

/dev/ttyS4 uart 16550A port 0xd800 irq 9 ^fourport ^auto_irq skip_test baud_base 115200 spd_vhi autoconfig

The irq 9 actually gets mapped as irq 2. I don't know if you need to set up the /dev/modem link to point to /dev/ttyS4 since you can choose /dev/ttyS4 as the modem in KPPP. After this, all that was left was to set up KPPP following already published instructions.

I would like to eventually get the modem to work with the 2.6 kernel.

Regards,
dr9873