Hi, when I installed Redhat, every hardware worked perfectly, except the ones for internet. I was fine with the ethernet not working, since I would be using the linux pc away from that anyways, but the 56k modem didnt work either. There were drivers, but I couldn't get them to work.

What would be a good internal modem readily available that would work easily on linux (or even specifically, redhat 9)? The cheaper the better, as long as it works.

Or would any external modem work out of the box?

External one should work out-of-the-box. Experience with one that I've forgotten the name of and with a CNET (type unknown).

For internal ones, no idea.

BTW, it might be a good idea to describe your hardware. Now now someone will advise you a PCI one while you're using a laptop.

For an internal modem, try Smart Link, they make Linux drivers, and you can generally install the driver packages from your application manager, it is called slmodemd. I found one of the modems for $15 US.

External are much easier to get working as they do not require drivers. I have a Zoom 3048. They are more expensive, I paid $60 US for this one, but you generally get more functionality out them, eg. caller id and voice capabilities.

Thanks for the reply. It's not a laptop, only an older AMD athlon 900 in the back room; memory 256MB; some old Nvidia v-card and the standard sb live sound. I only want to get on the net there because it's easier to learn linux when you can access info.

I will look into the smart link brand. If not I'll just get an external one. I figured it will 'just work', I hope.

I have 2 of those Smartlink winmodems/linmodems. I have downloaded the driver from www.Smartlink.com. I cannot get the modem working. Their software is no good as I still cannot get the modem? to work. Their software "slmodem-2.9.10.tar.gz" is flawed and defective. I have tried to build it into a RPM file but the spec file is faulty. It says it cannot find version 2.9.4. Other ways of trying to install it do NOT work either. Either their Readme text file is extremely flawed and just plain wrong and full of mistakes and errors or their instructions are not correct and are not detailed enough. I bought 2 modems that DO work. I bought an external serial-port modem with its own power supply. It was a Best Data brand model #: 56SX-92. It died on me but it worked out of the box perfectly. I bought it at Best Buy. I also ordered a US Robotics PCI internal hardware, controller-based modem that works perfectly. It cost me some money. I bought it online from Walmart.com. You also can buy it or order it from Circuit City or Compusa or Best Buy. A little harder to get working but once you get it working it works great. I also bought a Type II pcmcia? PC card modem for my [now] Linux laptop a Dell Latitude C600. It was by Dynex. Bought it at Best Buy. It cost me some money but works great! Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

JeanBrownHarrell a/k/a Jbrowncalif@hotmail.com

I'm using a Smart Link modem i don't have any kind of trouble. It's not the easiest modem to install but if i can do it, everybody can.
When i installed linux i had the same problem and i bought this modem without knowing a thing, a week later the modem was running.
If you bought a Smart Link and don't know how to install it, mail me and i'll try to help you. It's not so difficult.

Good luck.

Dear Lier: Thanks for the information! I got as far as getting slmodem to work and querying the modem with KPPP and getting details but it still would not connect. It got as far as trying to dial but then it would say "No carrier" & "Error". At that point, I gave up and ordered online a hardware, controller-based internal PCI modem: "US Robotics 56K Performance Pro" modem Product Number: USR5610B. Upon booting up I had to open a terminal and do "su - root" and type "ln -s /dev/ttyS4 /dev/modem" and it works great! To the system [and Linux] it is recognized as "/dev/ttyS4" but in order for it to work properly under Linux you have to first remove the link to /dev/modem and then create a new symbolic link for /dev/ttyS4 to /dev/modem. If necessary first open a terminal and type "su - root" then "rm /dev/modem" and answer yes when it asks if you want to remove /dev/modem. Then type "ln -s /dev/ttyS4 /dev/modem" to create the symbolic link from it to /dev/modem for KPPP [and any other internet connection programs(?)] to work properly. It cost some money but it is well worth the $70+ it costs and shipping & handling of about $15 for a total of $85. Other places sell it for $99. Anyway I had tried to build slmodem-2.9.10.tar.gz into a RPM file but it would not do it. It kept giving an error message about "unable to find version 2.9.4" which is listed in the spec file included in slmodem-2.9.10.tar.gz and the spec file should list it as 2.9.10; not 2.9.4. So if you know how to get it to work I will be happy to hear the details as the Readme file included with slmodem-2.9.10.tar.gz does not have enough details about how to install the modem or it is riddled with errors. I have followed their instructions to the letter and still the modem(?) will not work. Also for my Dell Latitude C600 laptop I bought a Dynex DX-M200 56k V.92 PCMCIA Type II 16-bit PC Card modem for $85 total at Best Buy that works fine on my now-Linux ex-Windoze 2000 Professional Laptop. If there is anything I can help you with let me know.
Sincerely,

Jbrowncalif@hotmail.com

Ok, first to all, i never tried to make a RPM because when i first installed it i didn't know how to made one, and after that the modem works.

Ok here is what i have done:
1- Unpack the .tar.gz file (tar zxvf slmodemd-2.9.10.tar.gz)
2- Go to the unpacked folder (cd slmodemd-2.9.10)
3- You need to find out where it's your kernell dir (generally it's in "/usr/src/linux-<version>", in the readme file says something about). In my case its in "/usr/src/linux-2.4.21-99-include/default", i know it's the right location, because when i was trying to install the drivers that was the only one that gives me no error when i wrote "make", when i use the others (like/usr/src/linux/) the "make" script give me some errors. So you need to try until the "make" script gives you NO error. I know it isn't the best, but never know how to find it.
4- Open the file "Makefile" and there will be a line with "KERNEL_DIR:=/lib/modules/$(shell uname -r)/build", erase the dir and put yours (in my case KERNEL_DIR:=/usr/src/linux-2.4.21-99-include/default).
5- As a user, open a terminal, go to the unpacked folder and write "make". If gives you no error, then you put the right "KERNEL_DIR", otherwise you'll need to keep trying until you find the one.
6- As root (su), write "make install" and then (always as root) write "modprobe slamr" if it's a AMR/CNR/PCI modem or "modprobe slusb" if it's an usb modem (in my case something about Tainted kernel warnings appears, but don't worry, i'm using it with that for 2 month and nothing happen)
7- Now, as root, write "slmodemd --country=USA /dev/slamr0", now should appear a message saying at the end "TO CLOSE THIS APPLICATION PRESS CTRL-C" or something like that. This it's the software who makes the modem run. IMPORTANT: DO NOT CLOSE THIS APPLICATION UNTIL I TELL YOU, SOME STEPS AHEAD.
8- As root, write "ln -s /dev/ttySL0 /dev/modem" (while the step "7" still running)
9- Now open KPPP, go to "Setup...", then to the tab "Device" and verify if in "Modem device" it's "/dev/modem" if it's not, change to it; after that go to the tab "Modem" and click on "Query Modem...", wait until this finish and then go out of "Setup...".
10- You are ready to enjoy it, just write your name and password and then connect.
11- When you close the slmodemd application (the one you open on the step 7) KPPP wont recognize the modem any more, you'll need to run the application every time you want to connect.

It's very annoying to run the slmodemd every time you want to connect, so i found a file that runs every time linux start it's "boot.local" (it's in /etc/init.d/) and wrote in the file this line:
slmodemd --country=USA /dev/slamr0 &
now slmodemd will be running every time i turn on the computer, and when i want to connect just go to KPPP and click on "Connect".
But i think this it's only on SUSE, i don't know if it's the same file (boot.local) on Fedora, i know that in other distro the file it's call "rc.local" you can ask in the forum.

I'm using SUSE 9.0(32 bit) , i have an internal modem (PCI), and my kernel it's 2.4.21-99. I don't know if it'll be the same for you, i hope it will.

If there something you don't understand, reply this mail and i'll try to explain you in some other way.

PLEASE TELL ME IF IT'S WORKING.

Dear Lier:

I get as far as querying the modem with KPPP and it shows a modem but when i go to connect, it shows in the Login Script Debug Window after the number is dialed it instantly says "NO CARRIER" and the next line below that it says "ERROR". I try redialing again and the same thing: "NO CARRIER" and "ERROR". Now if you can get me past these error messages, the modem should work. However, it doesn't work at all. I even tried the "slmodemd --country=USA /dev/slamr0" in the terminal window as "su - root" and it says "error: mdm setup: cannot open dev `/dev/slamr0': No such device error: cannot setup device `/dev/slamr0' "--I even tried to do "ln -s /dev/slamr0 /dev/modem" and it does not work. I even tried "ln -s /dev/ttySL0 /dev/modem" and it still doesn't work. Every time I try "slmodemd --country=USA /dev/ttySL0 Iget the error message "error: mdm setup: cannot stat `/dev/ttySL0': No such file or directory error: cannot setup device `/dev/ttySL0' ". So what else can I do? I wish I had never bought this winmodem. I purely hate Windoze and I have built a Windoze-free system but the Smartlink winmodem will ONLY work under Windoze not Linux and I have been trying for almost a year to get the accursed thing to work but it does not work at all. Hope you have a cure for it. I give up. I just cannot make it work. My kernel is Fedora Core 2 -the 32-bit version with Kernel version 2.6.5-1.358 installed off the Fedora Core 2 DVD that came with the book "Fedora Linux 2 for Dummies". The darned thing simply will NOT work no matter what I do. HELP!!! I am using my US Robotics Performance Pro PCI internal hardware/controller-based modem and IT works GREAT!!!

Sincerely,

Jbrowncalif@hotmail.com

The most important thing right here, it's that to make the modem works you have to run "slmodemd" because this program creates some files and links to make the modem works, otherwise it'll need for files that never existed.

Tell me how you install it????

If the modem works, when you click on "Query Modem..." (step 9) it should appear a new windows with some data of your modem, like this:

ATI: SmartLink Soft Modem
ATI1: SmartLink Soft Modem, 2.9.10 Smart Link Ltd.
ATI2: SmartLink Soft Modem, 2.9.10 Smart Link Ltd.
ATI3: /dev/slamr0 modemap driver
ATI4: s00=000 s01=000 s02=043 s03=013 s04=010 s05=008 s06=002 s07=060 s08=002 s09=006 s10=007 s11=100 s12=050 s13=000 s14=001 s15=001 s16=001 s17=000 s18=000 s19=000 s20=000 s21=000 s22=000 s23=000
ATI5: Stored Profile 0:
ATI6: Stored Profile 1:
ATI7: Country: USA

something like that, maybe it's not the same.
The problem it's that your not installing the soft (slmodemd) right.
Send me how you install it.