I can't get my hardware modem to work and I don't know enough about the command line, so I'm going to have to conatct a company to see if they can configure it. unless anyone knows anything about GNET hardware modems.

Connect it to your ethernet port, then download, burn, and boot into KNOPPIX, a wonderful distro with superb hw detection. If you don't want to, try doing as root 'ifconfig eth0'.

What model of GNET hardware modems?

If it has an RJ-45 (ethernet) connector, you can use that to your NIC (network interface card). You will may have to setup DHCP services to automatically get an IP address. This connection is dangerous if you do not set up a firewall ASAP. I suggest a router with a built-in NAT firewall to stop intruders.

If it has an RS-232 (Communication port or serial port), connect that to one of your com ports. Also make sure they are enabled in the BIOS or by jumpers. Then use any ppp program that comes with your distribution.

The modem is a dial up hardware modem MD0321. Is there a setserial Command that I would have to use? The modem is a topic chipset TP560i. I got instructions from the company and in it they mention something about a setserial command. I'm not sure if there is such a command in Mandrake 10.0. I also have Knoppix WFTL Edition, and SuSE Per. 9.1. So Switiching to a dif. distro. is always an option.

All external modems work preety same (and well) with all distros.

Things to check:
is the serial port enabled in BIOS,
are you using correct serial cable

Then just use the PPP program that came with your distro, as stated above.

There should be a command called setserial in Mandrake. If you can not find it, install it from the installation discs.

I just installed SuSE Per. 9.1 and I followed the following instructions, and everything appeared to go alright until I got down to minicom but when I type in minicom in the konsol it doesn't work.

TOPIC chipset Linux User’s Guide

1. Find file pci from path /proc , then use vi editor to find Topic vender ID

"151f" and the I/O-address, IRQ-number that Linux assigns to Topic

modem.

For example : cd /proc

vi pci

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

Vendor id=151f. Device id=0.

Medium devsel. IRQ=5.

I/O at 0xe400 [0xe401].

(Then type q to quit vi)



2. Under path /dev, type setserial tty-number uart 16550A irq IRQ-number

port I/O-address

For example: setserial ttyS2 uart 16550A irq 5 port 0xe400



3. Under path /dev, firstly, remove the default settings that the modem may

linked to, and then link the modem to the tty that you assign on step 2.

For example: rm modem

1n -s ttyS2 modem



4. Now, you can use minicom to test the modem and type ATI3 to check the

type of this modem.

For example : minicom

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

ATI3