inability to write a working chat script....
 

I have had an problem dialing in to my isp(s) that i blamed on Worldnet at first, but since I'm having thesame problem with Starpower I'm admitting... it me..... arrgh.

I apologize for not posting the scripts/logs etc. I can later, but maybe describing the problem will be enough.

If this s/b in Networking matrix, I'll move over there, but Im configuring RH so thats why I'm here.

History:
RH7.2 machine uses ATT Worldnet fine for 6 months using ppp-on script advice from ATT WURD tech support.
Intermittent problem (usually around bad electrical storms) cannot log on again for 3-4 days, then auto-magically, it works again.

Crap starts again, and I spend 2 weeks troubleshooting, going through walkthroughs, emailing Bill Unruh directly, between emails, I upgrade from RH7.2 to RH7.3, and it works again (w/ATT). That lasted 2 days, then it crapped out again.

Im so fed up now, I sign up w Starpower and start editing resolv.conf, ppp-on, etc and I got startpower working once or twice, but not consistently.

I have a new Belkin Serial Cable, old USR External 56 K modem, and when dual booting to Win98, DUN works fine with either ISP with same modem and cable.

The indication I get, is the chat script expects CONNECT, gets it, expects ogin: and it never gets it. I've tried combo's of '', "", \d\c, '\d\c', \d\d\d\d\d\c.

I dialed in with minicom, to see its prompting, and see the text they are sending, and I'm expecting the right stuff, I just can't get past the CONNECT 45600/ARQ to the Login: xxxxx. Thats where I'm hanging up. After like 10 seconds, I get a string of garbage with a lot of ^C^L.... (but does not start with ~ or have } in it, so I don't think it is my or their ppp starting. I dont know what it is actually.)

I read something about needing to make sure Echo is on on your modem for chat to work, but why does this intermittently work?

Anybody got a clue, I'm so tired of using my wifes WinME laptop, I need my linux fix. (pun intended)

Slestak

I've checked for irq probs with ttyS0, tried passive mode, tried asyncmap tweaks.

use wvdial
 

Hi,

First of all thanks for posting ur needs in clear format and also for mentioning the steps u took to rectify them.

Now u were right i using minicom. Since it didnt help i guess the best person to help u with the correct "expect" string is ur ISP.

Try searching on google for "chat" script, ur sure to find one but again it boils down to customizing it according to ur isp.

Iam surprised why u dont prefer the "wvdial" software.
Its free, easy to use and no haggling with the connect scripts.
I used to use it and prefer it over anything else.


Regards,
Xanthium.

Hi Xanthium,
ty for your reply.

Update since last posting.

I have tried wvdial. It doesn;t get the login prompt either, so it tries to start pppd anyway, but I have not logged in as a user. Tried options New PPPD, Dumb Mode, remembering these from memory, don't quote me...

I saved off all of my data, and formatted and reinstalled rh7.3, and it still does not work, arrgh. The issue HAS to be related to my inability to get a login prompt from the isp. Mind you, Hyperterm in Win98 dials in on this same pc and gets alogin prompt, i can repeatedly dial in and use this isp fine with toshiba laptop with winme, it is my RH installation, and i had this thing dialing in fine for months.
Before i reinstalled, i had been tinkering with installing squid and diald so my machine could be a dila up server for my wifes laptop of 802.11b wireless ethernet. Worked fine for a few days. Then this mess. That was my main reason for wiping and reinstalling, in case i had potentailly messed up if-up or setup a malfunctioning firewall. I was a little unsure of my ACL settings in squid.conf.
But since the problem lived through a reinstall, I have shown that it is not: squid, abandoned diald install, jabberd (another geeky home lan project), or a rootkit. I had wondered if maybe my machine had been compromised, but no more. What good is an offline borg anyway.
If someone who uses Starpower as an isp could verify just dial in with minicom and give it a few carriage returns, see if you get a login prompt. In windows I will get eh login prompt, I can log in w my user/password, and then it will report back, Starting PPP, IP Address is ....., MTU is 1006. Thats what I am not getting to....

TY again,
Slestak

Hi ,


Well iam surprised that wvdial didnt work out for you ?
It usually figures out the string that the server at opposite end expects! Maybe u made a mistake somewhere .... reverify the wvdial.conf file ! read it man pages or help files!

There are lots of other GUI based dialer as well that could help you ... try searching on freshmeat.org .

Hmmmmm i think the DUN in windows lets u log activity so maybe u could check the log file and see the expceted string (iam sure i had seen one log file with the exact sequence) .... or maybe it was one of the shareware product .... iam not sure .

Regards,
Xanthium.

How about step by step
locate your modem
goto minicom
dial your isp
then try dialup scripts

Noerr ,

He already did it .... he said in his previous posts that he
tried minicom .

Regards,
Xanthium.

update,

i found an old supra 28.8 from college, tried it and it worked first time. so it must be my usr56k or serial cable.

i wonder if i took some lightning damage. funny that it works for win dun but not linux ppp. wonder if there is possibilty of findong out technically the problem and patching ppp source to be a little more "forgiving" may follow up with that.

28.8 stinks, lol

Oops reading/missing too many lines at the time ;(

maybe try to lower speed on you usr56k, but you wont be better-off than supra. Maybe windoze get conected at lower speed too automatically, if signal isn't good.

Yeh Noerr ,

I like that about windoze ..... it works with almost all hardware !
and is also lot forgiving ( good for newbies)

he he.

Regards,
Xanthium.