Hi all folks,

RH8.0
KDE desktop
Internal Modem
==============

Lately kppp went to problem after installation of printer (I use generic
printer). Modem got lost.

Before installation of printer the modem worked without problem
Setup -> Device -> Modem Device=/dev/modem

Now clicking 'Connect' popup a warning 'Sorry, can't open modem'

Changing Modem Device=/dev/ttyS0 or /dev/ttyS1, query modem worked showing modem detected. But clicking 'Connect' showed 'Initializing Modem' and hanged there. A warning popup

Error while 'Fetching Mail'
Host lookup failed: pop3.xxx.com unknown reason.

# ls -l /etc/modem
ls: /etc/modem: No such file or directory

Kindly advise how to rectify this problem.

B.Regards
satimis

There is no /etc/modem

You should start your search with:
ls -l /dev/modem

Hi jailbait,

Thanks for your advice.

$ ls -l /dev/modem
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 Apr 22 12:24 /dev/modem -> /dev/ttyLT

It is there. How to fix my problem? Before installing the printer HPdeskjet 690C, query modem worked detecting the modem.

Now if I select
Setup -> Device -> Modem Device=/dev/modem

Query modem could not find it.

Do you know how to fix it?

Thanks in advance.

B.R.
satimis

I have never used kppp or Red Hat. You would be best off to have somebody who uses kppp in Red Hat to describe how to fix the problem using the kppp and Red Hat configuration utilities.

When you started looking at /dev/modem you began working your way by hand down the logic chain for connecting to a modem. I know how to do that and I can explain the next step of checking out the logic chain. However if you change anything by hand you will probably end up working at cross purposes with kppp and Red Hat and end up thoroughly entangled.

That said; the next things to look at are:

/dev/ttyLT is a Lucent Technologies winmodem. If that is what you have installed then /dev/ttyLT is the correct device. If you have some other type of modem installed then you need /dev/modem to point to some other device.

If you really have a lucent winmodem installed then you need something like this in /etc/modules.conf:

### lucent winmodem
alias /dev/ttyLT* lt_modem
alias char-major-62 lt_modem
add probe lt_modem lt_serial

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Changing Modem Device=/dev/ttyS0 or /dev/ttyS1, query modem worked showing modem detected. But clicking 'Connect' showed 'Initializing Modem' and hanged there.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------


A dial-out modem is often installed on /dev/ttyS0 (com1) or /dev/ttyS1 (com2). If your modem is a winmodem and installed on /dev/ttyS0 or /dev/ttyS1 then it might respond to query modem as existing. But it cannot possibly be on both /dev/ttyS0 and /dev/ttyS1 and respond as existing on both addresses.


If you address your modem as /dev/ttyS0 or /dev/ttyS1 then Linux will use the drivers for a real (i.e. logically complete hardware) modem instead of using the drivers for a winmodem (i.e. a modem that is only partially hardware and software making up the deficit). If you use a winmodem driver then you need a specific driver for that brand of winmodem because each winmodem manufacturer skimps on the hardware differently. That is why you need the /etc/modules.conf entries to tell the kernel exactly which drivers to load for this particular winmodem.


It will do you no harm to explore the path of the modem logic, but please don't change anything by hand. Hopefully somebody who knows the kppp setup program and the Red Hat hardware configuration program will come along and explain how to do it.