ISA modem works except with ifup or rh-config-network

Simon Bridge · 05-24-2005, 06:29 AM

I have a dynalink (remember them?) ISA modem in a RH9 box (2.4.20-6 kernel) which is on a network with a FC2 machine as an NFS server.

I'm setting up the machine for someone else and the network (a crossover cable - only 2 hosts) is so I can save on sneakernet time.

The modem is detected and configured with kudzu as a generic serial device.

It is detected at /dev/ttyS1 OK and will dial out from minicom or terminal commands.

From redhat-config-network, I get "Cannot start network device: ppp0".

If I try:

# ifup ppp0

I get: "Failed to activate ppp0 with error 8" ... which I know to mean that there is no connection (i.e. no dialtone) ... but the cable is connected, a dialtone is heard via a handset, and minicom hears the dialtone and can dial out OK.

I suspect a routing problem. Maybe this will go away when I disable the LAN on this machine? But where is it? (Everything goes fine on the FC2 server.

willhollins · 05-24-2005, 11:08 PM

I suspect that you have not correctly setup the chat scripts, the error means that it is unable to start a ppp connection on the line.

Simon Bridge · 05-25-2005, 03:17 AM

/etc/ppp/ppp.chat does not exist on either machine (though the chat program does)... bear in mind that the FC2 machine dials out fine without this file. The RH9 machine will dial out and establish ppp connection via minicom but not ifup (dosn't dial - returns error 8) nor redhat-config-network (dosn't otherwise comment).

Hmmm <thinks>, assuming a chatscript-type problem, it might exit without dialing if there were no number to dial ... also returning error 8. However, the number to dial is correctly entered and saved by redhat-config-network.

[post edit]
Wrong again (setting dialup options to "auto"): All the auto option does is allow other programs to do the dialing. The FC box is set to "manual dialing" and it works fine... this was not it.

So ... same issue still.
Where does RH keep it's chat script - what does it call it's chat script?

Simon Bridge · 05-25-2005, 09:27 PM

Update: problem still persists. See previous post.

However: if I try to use the network control daemon, while I'm lookin at my logs, I see this... (took me long enough didn't it?)

Code:

May 26 14:23:07 hauora3 pppd[3831]: pppd 2.4.1 started by root, uid 0
May 26 14:23:07 hauora3 ifup-ppp: pppd started for ppp0 on /dev/ttyS1 at 19200
May 26 14:23:07 hauora3 wvdial[3846]: WvDial: Internet dialer version 1.53 
May 26 14:23:07 hauora3 wvdial[3846]: Warning: section [Dialer testcnx] does not exist in wvdial.conf. 
May 26 14:23:07 hauora3 wvdial[3846]: Initializing modem. 
May 26 14:23:07 hauora3 wvdial[3846]: Sending: ATZ 
May 26 14:23:07 hauora3 wvdial[3846]: ATZ 
May 26 14:23:08 hauora3 wvdial[3846]: OK 
May 26 14:23:08 hauora3 wvdial[3846]: Modem initialized. 
May 26 14:23:08 hauora3 wvdial[3846]: Configuration does not specify a valid phone number. 
May 26 14:23:08 hauora3 wvdial[3846]: Configuration does not specify a valid login name. 
May 26 14:23:08 hauora3 wvdial[3846]: Configuration does not specify a valid password. 
May 26 14:23:08 hauora3 pppd[3831]: Connect script failed
May 26 14:23:09 hauora3 pppd[3831]: Exit.

So it would seem that I need to enter the login name et al into wvdial.conf ... however, I see from wvdial.conf that all this stuff is in there all right.

~/.wvdialrc dosn't exist. However, there is no information local which could be different to the wvdial.conf options.

I'm a little miffed to discover that my password appears unencrypted in wvdial.conf!

Anyway, I've included a default section.
Running wvdial from CLI ...
The default section goes fine, but the system dialup section (created by redhat-config-network) chokes on the initialisation string.

It seems it does not like the "&F" (reset factory defaults) at the start ... ??? Odd - remove offending bit - now the NDC will dialout and get to the handshake - and stalls... (the modem picks up and hangs up repeatedly (click click click click ...) only a full shutdown stops it.)

I can dialout and login on the defaults OK ...

So - under the dialer heading used by the NDC daemon, I deleted everything and added "inherits=dialer defaults" - this fixed it.

Good greif.

I've has issues with redhat-config-network before ... I think I'll just manually edit the wvdial.conf file in future. Now to create section "test CNX" (atz - atz)

(Now just wait for a future sysadmin to run the dialog...)