I have an external usb us robotics 56k faxmodem, and I want to know if its possible to use it with Mandrake 9.1... and if so how?

Welcome to LQ, Pawnee.

If it connects to your computer by the serial port, then it almost certainly will - I have not yet found a serial model that doesn't work with Linux.

Assuming it does, then you'll need to know the following: What would be called a COM port under Windows/DOS is called a ttyS under Linux. Use the guide below to help find out which 'port' to use. I can recommend using kppp to connect to the internet - it might not be installed on your system, but it should be on the 3rd install CD, and if you can't find it, you can get it from Mandrake's website. It is a great dial-out tool. As for how to use it! Mandrake should recognise it upon booting up, so you should just plug it in, turn on the computer and fire up kppp and configure your ISP and modem details. That easy!

COM1 = /dev/ttyS0
COM2 = /dev/ttyS1
COM3 = /dev/ttyS2
COM4 = /dev/ttyS3... you get the idea

Good luck.

Pawnee20 specified that it was a USB modem.

According to http://www.qbik.ch/usb/devices/showdev.php?id=1929

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Details for: U.S. Robotics 56K Faxmodem USB Status
( 56K faxmodem ) ( Category: Comm )
ID 0x0baf:0x00ec
Driver acm
Linux-USB link
Vendor link http://www.usr.com/support/product-t...asp?prod=5633A
Comment Per USR help desk, this is actually a Winmodem. As of June 03, USR has no USB modems that support Linux.
Submitted by jrv <at> vanzandt.mv.com
Submitted on Thu, 5 Jun 2003 23:45:16 +0200
Last edited on Thu, 5 Jun 2003 23:45:16 +0200

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Does this answer your question?

I found this information using Google with search words
"usb linux modem", clicking on the 4th entry in the search results

USB Support for Linux
http://www.usbman.com/linuxusb.htm

clicking on the link on that page

Linux USB Device Overview
http://www.qbik.ch/usb/devices/

entering robotics into the search box

and then clicking on show next to the line for

U.S Robotics 56k Faxmodem USB

Could Pawnee20 have done this search?

well thank you for the information... certainly brings up alot of questions. But nevertheless thanks for the information.

Hey Pawnee20, you are welcome.

And I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

If you had just tried doing a Google search with

usb us robotics 56k faxmodem linux

you would have learnt that there are other people out are asking how to get this modem to work with linux because their attempts have failed.

Is there any possibility of getting your USB modem changed for a
US Robotics Serial 56k faxmodem? Obviously, you would have to pay
the difference because of its higher price, but as indicated above,
serial modems are very compatible with linux, and I have been using a
US Robotics Courier 56k serial modem with linux for 5 years without
any problems at all.

I have a Actiontec 56K external fax/modem. I paid about $40.00 for it. It was about $50.00 the last time I checked. It works great. The model is EXV9212-01 and I bought it form techdepot but do a froogle.google.com search etc and find the best price/company to buy from. It was a breeze to install in Mandrake 9.1. I have had no problems since. At least not when the phone works anyway.

D'oh! I read that as USR us robotics... I guess I should drop my resolution down from 1600x1200, or pump up the font size!

Sorry buddy. Good call, Greg.

I am a Linux newbie, have purchased a barebones system and have installed SuSE 9.1 fairly painlessly. It seems as though the system (Asus A7N8X-E-Deluxe motherboard) and the external modem (US Robotics Courier V.Everything [model 002806-00], 56kbps) are not communicating with each other. The computer is new, the modem was purchased used from a computer surplus store. When I try to link to www.suse.com, it gives the message "an error occurred while loading http://www.suse.com/: unknown post". SuSE did not recognize the modem when it was intalleinstalled at I cannot find it listed with the identified hardware). I manually created a modem setting at tty0 with an initialization string of AT&F2&H2&I2&B1S0=2&K1&M4. On the DIP-pin switch on the bottom of the modem, switches 3,5,8 and 10 are ON (down) and 1,2,4,6,7 and 9 are OFF (up). When power is supplied to the modem, two lights come on: MR (Modem Ready /Power) and CS (Clear to Send). A dial tone can be heard on a phone connected to the telephone out jack of the modem.

When the KInternet (KDE) button is clicked, the following log is recorded:
SuSE meta pppd (smpppd-ifcfg) version 1.16 on Linux
Status is : disconnected
trying to connect to smpppd
connect to smpppd
status is :disconnected
status is :connecting
pppd[0] : Plugin passwordfd.so loaded
pppd[0] : --> wvdial:Internet dialer version 1.54.0
pppd[0] : --> Initializing modem
pppd[0] : --> Sending AT&F2&H2&I2&B1S0=2&K1&M4
pppd[0] : --> Sending ATQ0
pppd[0] : --> Resending AT&F2&H2&I2&B1S0=2&K1&M4
pppd[0] : --> Modem not responding
pppd[0] : Connect script failed
status is :disconnected
pppd[0] died : Connect script failed (exit code 8)

When I tried to update off the CD later it gave the following message:
Kernal messages
logger: Begin of Yast2 lnternet test
pppd (2732) : Plugin passwordfd.so loaded
kernel: CSLIP : code copywrite 1989 Regents of the University of California
kernel: ppp generic drive version of 2.4.2
pppd (2732) : pppd 2.4.2 started by root, uid0
pppd (2732) : connect script failed
pppd (2732) : exit
logger : End of Yast2 Internet test.

I tried changing the initialization string slightly several times, and also tried ATZ with the same result. I also tried changing the position of pin 1 on the switch, but that did not seem to have any effect. I put the initailization string together from information on US Robotics website (www.usr.com): Configuring U.S. Robotics Modems for use under Linux-Type Systems (Applies to USR Sportster and Courier modems [Worldport also listed]).
Can anyone out there help?
Thanks.


p.s. Unrelated issue : The BOIOS (Phoenix-Award BIOS v6.00pg A7N8X-E Deluxe rev 1011) shows the CPU temperature. What is a resonable range for this (AMD Athlon XP 2800+)? Can this be viewed from SuSE/KDE/Gnome? Thanks.

Looks like SuSe does something different. Mine doesn't do like that so I'm not sure what is up there.

BUMP.

I have not yet found a serial model that doesn't work with Linux.



I have Mandrake 10.1 and external hardware modem with Intel chipset MD566X which will not dial up.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I found this:

http://freewebhosting.hostdepartment...565x_566x.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/mdw/HOWTO/Serial-HOWTO.html

http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Modem-HOWTO.html

That helped someone else get theirs working. I did a search and found it here on the forums. Google for Linux is great.

Hope that helps. It it is a serial modem, it should work.

Later

Got it going. Was a simple problem in the end device pointing to wrong place.
Cheers
Rosemary

Sounds typical. It's so simple when you figure out what it was.

Glad you got it going though.

Later

Since we are on the subject of external modems (sorta), can anyone who has a USRobotics external modem tell me what the voltage and amperage is on their power adapter? I have one without the adapter and would like to get it going. USRobotics tech support has yet to email me back and it's been over a week.
Thanks!

Hmmmm. Choices, choices.

http://forums.pcworld.co.nz/archive/...p/t-16684.html

http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/sam/aapsfaq.htm

From that one above, since it is a long one:

Houston, we may have a problem. Looks like there may be more than one option. Pick the right one. If the smoke gets out, no more worky.

Later