My neighbour is running Windows 98 and wants to have a play with Linux. I have set up Debian (Progeny version) on his machine but cannot get the modem to work.
He has an external US Robotics 5630 (56k) which works perfectly with windows. After running pppconfig to set up a connection and using pon to dial out I can see the ATZ sent with an OK response from the modem then I see the dial string and immediately the modem returns NO CARRIER. There is a very short burst of noise from the modem before the NO CARRIER message but it won't dial.
After this even the initialisation string has no effect until the power to the modem has been turned off and on again.
I have never had modem problems with Linux before and I'm stumped.
Going back into Windows (now wash your hands), after trying to dial out through Linux, the damn thing works perfectly.
Some advice would be heavily appreciated.
Barry Samuels
Hiya. I've had Debian running on my laptop, but then the hard drive died. This was in the middle of a I've-got-to-do-this-by-yesterday panic (ain't that always the way!) The Debian CDs wouldn't boot and my old, 2.0 disks wouldn't play with the newer CDs, so I slapped Mandrake onto the new disk. I partitioned this: 256M Win95 256M Swap 1.5G Root ReiserFS ~18G LVM/ReiserFS Now the deadlines are passed and the projects done (in that order ;-) and Mandrake might be a pretty place to visit, but it just feels slow (P133, don't ask) so I'd like to get back to Debian. I got the Woody boot disks and tried. Hmm. The kernel uses an old, forward-incompatible, version of ReiserFS. OK, install on the Win95 partition and worry about Reiser/LVM later. Nope. Can't use my 2.2 CDs. OK go over the modem. I've got a Xircom RealPort Ethernet/Modem combo, very nice, but Debian insists on using eth0 in preference to ppp0. All that's on eth0 atm is the printer... So, I'll have to build custom boot disks with my own kernel, and burn Woody CDs. Downloading and compiling at work at the mo, but is there a *better* way???
Thanks, Bill
On Fri, 11 Jan 2002, wbh wrote:
So, I'll have to build custom boot disks with my own kernel, and burn Woody CDs. Downloading and compiling at work at the mo, but is there a *better* way???
Probably ;)
What happened with the 2.2 floppies? (If you tried them...) It's often worth trying one of the hybrid floppies.
Try rescue/root from: http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/disks-i386/current/images-...
If that doesn't work, try safe rescue with the root from above, the idepci images, and the compact images.
I presume if it's a P133 laptop it's fairly old, so it *should* be supported. If you're able to boot off any of the floppies, you can then point it at the cds for the rest of the install...
Good luck!
Andrew.
On 11-Jan-02 bsamuels@beenthere-donethat.org.uk wrote:
He has an external US Robotics 5630 (56k) which works perfectly with windows. After running pppconfig to set up a connection and using pon to dial out I can see the ATZ sent with an OK response from the modem then I see the dial string and immediately the modem returns NO CARRIER. There is a very short burst of noise from the modem before the NO CARRIER message but it won't dial.
After this even the initialisation string has no effect until the power to the modem has been turned off and on again.
Going back into Windows (now wash your hands), after trying to dial out through Linux, the damn thing works perfectly.
Clearly Linux is initially able to make contact with the modem.
One approach I could suggest takes the following line. The "ATZ" command resets the modem to "default" state. However, as a rule this is not "factory default" but whatever default has been stored in the modem's NVRAM[*]. Your story suggests that Windows has set this up in its own inimitable way.
[*] An old US Robotics modem manual ("Sportster 14400") tells me that
ATZ: Software reset to NVRAM settings if DIP switch 7 is OFF, to factory settings if DIP switch 7 is ON. Also initiates new settings of DIP switches 1-6.
I hope you have the modem user's manual with a complete listing of its Hayes "AT" commands. What I'm suggesting, if you really get stuck in the fog, is that you use a program like 'minicom' (which allows you to converse directly with the modem in a terminal window), and read out the "S-registers" or other stored info, in order to find out what has been happening. When you know what state the modem has been left in, then you can use other "AT" commands to set it up as it ought to be (preferably as an initialisation string in the Linux dialup config, if the modem is going to be used in both Windows and Linux, otherwise next time Windows gets to it ... ).
Maybe you have a DIP switch option like the above on your model, maybe not ... If you do, then this might give you a simple solution. In any case you should be able to use the "AT&F" command which, on Hayes compatible modems, should reset to factory defaults (and I always put this at the start of the init string, just in case, even though I don't let Windows near my modem); but you still have to check that this one works on your modem.
I hope this helps, thought it's a bit of a shot in the dark. And the search in the S-registers could be rather tedious!
Good luck, Ted.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: (Ted Harding) Ted.Harding@nessie.mcc.ac.uk Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 167 1972 Date: 11-Jan-02 Time: 12:22:58 ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------
Barry
Windows uses an 'inf' text file for each modem type/model - usually stored in a subdirectory of the windows directory. AT strings read from this are passed to the modem to initialise it, thus over-riding the stored settings.
Easy way to find out what it is doing (in windows) - look in the properties of the modem (Control Panel) and find the check box for writing a log file. AFAIR you can go back and view the log file from the same place after making a connection. That should give some clues.
Alternatively: as Ted suggested, try AT&F as the init string instead of ATZ. This will restore the factory default without permanently re-writing the existing values held in the modem nvram. The snag with this is that the manufacturers defaults are not always the most useful.
Another tactic is to start up hyperterminal set to talk to the modem comm port. As this is a windows program it will use the inits from the .inf file. If you now issue the command AT&W, from hyperterminal, the current values will be written to the modem nvram and thus become the new defaults set by ATZ. Then if all is going well and the wind is with you, ATZ in linux will put the modem in a working condition.
And of course you can change any settings you want from within hyperterminal before writing them to nvram.
I am working from memory, although none of the above should be modem specific since they are all part of the original Hayes command set - but please check manufacturers documentation before use. Modern modems aren't even heavy enough to make a decent doorstop :)
HTH Syd
First a thank you to both Ted and Syd for trying to help.
Syd Hancock syd2@toufol.com wrote:
Barry
Windows uses an 'inf' text file for each modem type/model - usually stored in a subdirectory of the windows directory. AT strings read from this are passed to the modem to initialise it, thus over-riding the stored settings.
Doesn't seem to be an .inf file for the modem.
Easy way to find out what it is doing (in windows) - look in the properties of the modem (Control Panel) and find the check box for writing a log file. AFAIR you can go back and view the log file from the same place after making a connection. That should give some clues.
Did that and copied the very long initialisation string into the modem initialisation part of the dialup configuration.
The result was exactly the same. An instant "NO CARRIER".
We tried other variations of the initialisation string with the same results.
Alternatively: as Ted suggested, try AT&F as the init string instead of ATZ. This will restore the factory default without permanently re-writing the existing values held in the modem nvram. The snag with this is that the manufacturers defaults are not always the most useful.
That also gave the "NO CARRIER".
Another tactic is to start up hyperterminal set to talk to the modem comm port. As this is a windows program it will use the inits from the .inf file. If you now issue the command AT&W, from hyperterminal, the current values will be written to the modem nvram and thus become the new defaults set by ATZ. Then if all is going well and the wind is with you, ATZ in linux will put the modem in a working condition.
And of course you can change any settings you want from within hyperterminal before writing them to nvram.
I am working from memory, although none of the above should be modem specific since they are all part of the original Hayes command set - but please check manufacturers documentation before use. Modern modems aren't even heavy enough to make a decent doorstop :)
HTH Syd
I'm assuming that this modem is a 'proper' modem as it's an external one and not a winmodem It's a bit of a mystery.
Barry Samuels
The result was exactly the same. An instant "NO CARRIER".
Instant, huh? Sounds like something isn't waiting for the modem to answer before trying to send more data. Can you post your /etc/chatscripts/provider (or whatever you're using instead) please?
In case it helps, mine goes:
# This chatfile was generated by pppconfig 2.0.5. # Please do not delete any of the comments. Pppconfig needs them. # # ispauth PAP # abortstring ABORT BUSY ABORT 'NO CARRIER' ABORT VOICE ABORT 'NO DIALTONE' ABORT 'NO DIAL TONE' ABORT 'NO ANSWER' # modeminit '' 'ATZ' #OK-AT-OK 'ATW1' # ispnumber OK-AT-OK ATDT08089977001 # ispconnect CONNECT \d\c \r \d\c # prelogin # ispname # isppassword # postlogin # end of pppconfig stuff
I am suitably amazed!
My neighbour recently looked at the US Robotics site and there was apparently a place to post details of problems. The amazing part is that Linux was in the operating systems listed.
He has posted a query and I'm going to wait now to see what response he gets before taking this any further.
Many thanks to all those who offered help. I may be back.
Now a warning!
I am in the process of updating my machine based on a Tyan Tomcat main board with twin 233MHz Pentium processors.
The new version will be based on a Tyan K7 Thunder with twin Athlon 1.3GHz processors in an Antec full tower case. It will still be running the 3 SCSI hard drives from the old machine.
I am having some problems with it but I have not yet given up trying to solve them myself. I may need to bend a few (email) ears in the foreseeable future.
Barry Samuels
MJ Ray markj@cloaked.freeserve.co.uk wrote:
The result was exactly the same. An instant "NO CARRIER".
Instant, huh? Sounds like something isn't waiting for the modem to answer before trying to send more data. Can you post your /etc/chatscripts/provider (or whatever you're using instead) please?
Hi Barry
Stating the obvious then but it doens't seem to be a modem initialisation problem - sometimes the S register settings or country-specific settings in nvram can cause odd symptoms when dialling (looking for diiferent dial tones etc).
Unless it is something very obscure then I go along with Mark - it seems likely to be something to do with the s/w handling not the h/w. At least you have established that systematically and thoroughly.
I'm assuming that this modem is a 'proper' modem as it's an external one and not a winmodem It's a bit of a mystery.
Have you tried using a comms terminal program such as minicom (I think Tom also suggested this) and simply sending it AT to see if you get a response?
Best wishes and good luck! Syd
-
Andrew Savory -
bsamuels＠beenthere-donethat.org.uk -
MJ Ray -
Syd Hancock -
Ted.Harding＠nessie.mcc.ac.uk -
wbh