Broadband Connection
 

I'm using a home wireless system to connect to internet, consisting of a wireless access point connected to my computer via RJ45 LAN cable. Under Windows, I use windows wizard to make a 'Broadband Connection' (or PPPoE) and enter user name and pass word (given to me by the local provider). I could not manage to find similar tool in Linux. I have Mandrake 10.1 installed, where, the only tool available (as far as I can discover), is through Mandrake control center. Where a wizard for making a new connection is located. The nearest choice for the thing I need is through ADSL connection. It takes me through a series of questions to a 'false' connection. Where it states that I'm connected to Internet (even if I write a random user name and pass word). So when I run a network monitoring tool, it states 'not connected'. I've also tried several new live CDs like Mandriva, Ubuntu, Suse, etc. and still no success. Isn't there a GUI tool? How to make this kind of Internet connection?
I'll appreciate your help.
Thank you.

More details needed please. Eg what type of "wireless access point" (exact makes & model numbers). Do you mean you have a wireless modem/router which also has ethernet connections, and you're trying to get a connection through the RJ45 LAN cable?

I thank you Tredegar for replaying,
I'm using Micronet SP918GK wireless access point to be connected wirelessly to a local internet provider (Internet cafe actually). The access point is connected to my computer through RJ45 cable.
I hope you'll be patient enough in helping me to work this out.

Thanks for the info. I took a look at their site, here:

http://www.micronet.com.tw/model_det...s_no=6&sno=131

The picture on that page shows the SP918GK plugged into a router, and PC's receiving signals from the SP918GK via a Cardbus adapter, a WLAN PCI Adapter or WLAN USB adapter.

So I have an uneasy feeling that you have got old of the wrong "end" of the kit.
Your internet cafe needs a SP918GK, or similar, and you need a PCI wireless card (for desktop) or PCMCIA card (for laptop). You can check the HCL on this board to get an idea of compatability.
Do not go for anything with USB - linux hates these.

Meanwhile, I'll try and find a manual for your SP918GK, and get back to you if I am wrong.

Update:
Wait. I have downloaded the manual for the SP918GK. It'll take me a while to digest it (& I'm currently hungry for real food), but it looks hopeful - Page 15 (of the PDF):

"Station Mode" is used to let a network device with only wired Ethernet function to have wireless LAN communication capability....

So we are in business. And it works with ethernet = good.
So I'll get back to you, but hunger (& real life) are calling me.

In fact the connection that I'm using is something opposite to the picture that you see on the page. And it is exactly as I described (i.e. connected wirelessly to the internet café), but by using an external high antenna (outdoor antenna). This type of utilization of access points is common in the surrounding internet stations. I use it quit simply under windows to connect the same computer to the internet (where I have windows XP installed beside Mandrake 10.1).
Thank you.

BTW
The access point is set at 'Station-Infrastructure mode'
Few days ago, I've found a tool in 'Joath Notix' live CD which connected me to the interne through DSL connection. But the surfing performance was extremely bad and slow

You have set the SP918GK for "Station Infrastructure Mode", and you can get connected via windows. So no further configuration of the SP918GK should be necessary.

Your internet cafe probably wants you to connect using DHCP, so their network can assign you an internet address.

You'll need to be root to do all of this.....

Bring eth0 down (In case it is already partially configured):

ifdown eth0

Edit your /etc/network/interfaces file to look like this:
Now bring the interface back up:

ifup eth0

...You should be connected.

If not, then maybe you need to enter details of your cafe's network in /etc/network/interfaces, (I thought that this was maybe stored in the SP918GK, but maybe not), like this:
Then restart eth0 like this:

ifdown eth0
ifup eth0

There may be several reasons for this:

• You are far away, and have a bad wireless connection, or there is interference
• The cafe has limited bandwidth, and other users are taking up most of the bandwidth
• You need to disable IPV6 protocols (Search this board for many threads on how to do this)

Why are you using live CD's? You should be able to do all this with Mandriva10.1

If you are determined to go the GUI way, kubuntu has wlassistant, which is very simple, I expect you can get something similar for mandriva using your package manager (urpmi? - it's a while since I used mandriva).

Hi,
I couldn't find "/etc/network/interfaces" file. There isn’t "network" directory in "/etc/" either. Should I make these myself? Or there is something wrong?
Today I was digging in Suse live CD. And I managed to connect (nicely) to the internet by using a wizard for configuring ADSL. But, still, no luck with my installed Mandrake.

Ooops!

I forgot Mandrake/riva is different. I think it uses /etc/sysconfig/something for setting up networks. Sorry, I can't help you there.

But maybe it's time to backup your personal data files, and install a newer version of linux (eg Suse if that worked nicely for you). Mandrake 10.1 is quite old and may not have all the things needed for wireless connectivity (eg wpa_supplicant and all that stuff). Newer distros handle wireless much better.

Do you have enough disk space to triple-boot win, mand10.1 and Suse(latest)? That would make for a graceful migration, and I always hang on to my old distro until I am completely satisfied with my new one.

If you do this, I'd suggest you put your suse /home either on the suse / partition, or a partition all of its own. Sharing /home/myusername between distros can cause confusion because not all those hidden .Something_configuration files will be the same between different distros and you'll end up in a muddle.

I'll try to install Suse with the rest (win and Mandrake). The internet café provide another option for wireless connection. Which is VPN (Virtual Private Network) Connection. I used it for a while under windows before changing to Broadband connection (because I couldn't make it under Mandrake). Do you have ideas about it, and how to arrange it in Mandrak?

I do not use VPN, so can't help you here either. I think it's just a way of tunnelling your connection securely. But if you're using WPA encryption, I think you should be OK (someone else may correct me). However, as you are using someone else's intrenet connection, your traffic may never be entirely secure, because the cafe knows the passphrase(s).

Final thoughts about installing Suse: As I recall, mandrake used lilo as the bootloader. Most modern distros have switched to grub. So make a careful note (on a piece of paper!) of where your mandrake / /boot /home and /swap are mounted before you start. Otherwise you might "loose" your mandrake installation. So if when you reboot after installing Suse, and you are only offered win or Suse, don't panic, because you'll have the information to tell grub where to find mandriva and boot it
Swap partitions can happily be shared between distros, if it is not a laptop and you are not using "Suspend to disk" (so you'll only need one swap partition).

Hope it goes smoothly. Remember to backup your personal files. OS's can always be reinstalled.

I'll remember your notes.
Thanks for your effort.

You're welcome. Let us know how you get on.

Hi,
I finally connected Mandrake 10.1 to the internet using Broadband connection. Two things to be considered, 1) the wireless access point should be configured to be connected to the service provider before attempting to connect, and, 2) in the new network wizard (in Mandrake) choose DSL connection.
It worked for me this way.