Hi,
I am new here and i know nothing about linux.... however i want to lean because it is clear to see that this os is much better than XP.

I recently brought a copy of Mandrake Linux Discovery 10.0 and have not been able to locate a suitable modem that i can use with the system. I was thinking of using my XP box as a server and networking the Linux box to it. I have read in some out dated books that i need to install "Samba" however i am not sure how to go about doing this. If there is anyone who can help me i would be very thankfull because i have been pulling my hair out for weeks now trying to figure it out!

Many thanks,
Neal

What is mandrake linux 'discovery'? I'm just afraid it may be some sort of add-on.. anyhow it should be a 3CD setup, if thats not what you have you can download it at http://www.linuxiso.org/distro.php?distro=29 -- assuming of course you're not on dial up.

Mandrake is probably the easiest of all distros to install and once installed its completely straight forward. It has many advantages over windows (freedom being one) but is not for 3dgaming, thats what consules are for IMO anyway.

once you get it up and running you should check out http://www.icon.co.za/~psheer/book/index.html.gz

Dial up modems are a problem.
ADSL can also be problematic, but not as much as dial up.
Chances are you have a Winmodem in your windows box - these invariably don't work with Linux.
You could try http://www.linmodems.org and see if your dial up modem is listed as being supported.

Samba: The Samba packages should be on your CD's. You'll need to install them first if you haven't already done so.

wow i totaly misread that

Try the Samba questions in the "Linux - Networking" forum.

Any "HARDWARE" modem will work. These are generally external modems. Just plug it in and it will work. You only need to tell KPPP what port it is on and that`s it.

Thanks for that guys.

I have searched around for about 2 months now to try and get a hardware modem but all of my local computer supplies shop can only get winmodems.... which is really annoying so thats the whole reason i was thinking of using the XP box as the server.

Mandrake Linux (as far as i am aware) is a kind of "My first Linux Distro" and is designed to be for people like me, however the manual that comes with it dosent go into much detail appart from how to do an install and some of the basic packages that come with it.

as for downloading another distro..... i cant im on dial up even tho im in one of the UK`s newiest cities most of us cannot get BroadBand but thats another story! lol

I will go and have a look at the networking forum to see if i can find out how to install Samba (please forgive my ignorance!)

Take care,
Neal

Do you mean to say you can`t buy an external modem where you are? Virtually ALL external modems are hardware or "serial" modems.

Have a look on ebay, they should be everywhere

By the way, most shop assistants havn`t the first clue. On the box of an external modem it will still say something about supported operating systems (windows and mac) and supply drivers for those operating systems. They will generally say nothing about linux. But if it is an external modem it will almost certainly work with linux. You don`t need to install any drivers as i said before. You just need to make sure it has a serial connection, if it does (and they nearly all do) it will certainly work.

Don`t be put off by the package saying that it has drivers for windows. If it`s an external modem it`s a hardware modem and will work with linux.

Ahh that sheds some light on the subject!

I do have an old external modem that i tried on the Linux box but i couldnt figure out how to set it up. Am i right in saying that i willnot need a driver for this modem? It is an old serial one if that helps?

Many thanks for your input guys... i would be totally lost without your help! lol

Neal

Yep, should do the job. To get an internet connection with it open the KPPP program (which will be under -networking-remote access) Click on setup and under the accounts section put all your details in. Under the Device section you have to tell KPPP where the modem is . Mine is /dev/modem And set the flow control to"hardware"

Then click on the "modem" button and in that section there is a button that says "query modem". Click on that and it will tell you if everything is fine. If it isn`t it will say something like "modem not responding" . In which case you may have to change some more settings, but you should be fine.

At least you have this modem so it is certainly not going to hurt to try. I can`t see it not working though, as it is a serial modem. If you have any more questions just ask. And no you don`t need a driver.

If KPPP isn`t already installed you will find it on your installation cd`s.

Cheers

FWIW, I used a winmodem (using the linmodems.org driver) with no problems for a long time. It was based on the lucent chipset; you may have no troubles.

wvdial (and its associated wvdialconf) is one of the most straightforward and easy to set up modem dialers. Good luck!

I also used a win modem, an old rockwell/conexant modem with the beta (unlimited) linuxant drivers and Im pretty sure they on the CD of 10oe, if not, the PLF or somewhere else easy to find.

I bought a serial modem from ebay for £13 and ended up sliging the rockwell, you can notice the difference in ease and performance.

Here a links to an internel hardware mode that work in linux:

http://store.yahoo.com/shentech/3cuus56kvpep.html