Is a modem model:SF-1156IV/R9A a Win modem or is it Linux compatible? Looking to us it on a slug of a PC for a tiny personal ubuntu server (to make some files available when I am not at home).

From a quick search it is a Conexant WinMODEM. You can identify the MODEM using the utilities from the link below. What are you going to use on the other end?

http://www.linuxant.com/drivers/index.php

Welcome to LQ!

I suspect that your SF-1156IV/R9A will show as having VendorID 14f1 and ProductID 1036 in the output of '/sbin/lspci -kvn'. For other possibilities http://linmodems.technion.ac.il/arch.../msg02230.html
Linuxant provided a Linux driver for that device for old kernel versions (2.4 and 2.6). http://www.linuxant.com/drivers/hcf/index.php

I have a Conexant HSF 56k Data/Fax Modem that used to work with the Linuxant driver, but I gave the whole device up as a bad joke, when the driver no longer worked on later kernel versions.

Network connectivity has come a long way since then. My advice is to look at other networking alternatives.

A POS external USB Fax modem on a winblows laptop, until I can get Linux running fully on it as well (mostly as a 2nd primary OS). Can you recommend a good PCI Linux compatible modem? (Rely need it mostly to log into an HP Managed switch remotely to turn on & off access to the actual file source machine/device).

I also agree that it probably will not work on later kernels. You could try it with CentOS 6 since it is an older distribution that still uses a 2.6 kernel. If that does not work you might have to use a USB MODEM.

Can u recommend a modem & the best place to get it inexpensively? (Note I did NOT say cheep!)

I have a Zoom 3095 USB MODEM. Been awhile since I've played with it but never used it to automatically answer. Checkout Newegg and Amazon.

Many Thanks
Will check...

Are you really going to download your files via dialup or just configure the switch?

Just config switch

Ok, that begs the question why do you want to use a dialup MODEM?

Air gap of sorts.

Conexant WinMODEM - I used to use one of these!

I think I was using Knoppix at that time, (version 4 or 5).

Using ubuntu, the 1 machine has a true air gap, this one I intend to not connect directly to the net just us it to turn another system to the net or just to private network & to turn net on & of remotely by connecting a serial port to the managed switch to manage the blades & ports. it's a rather small network however I do prize my personal data & don't trust it to hackers as they once wiped 5 systems in a single night just for grins & giggles & I lost data going back to the early 90's including legit OS's that I had collected over the years.

Given that you had collected this data over years, it would seem surprising that you hadn't kept backups on other forms of media. Also noting that "collected OS's" would be the very type of thing which you would keep on a secondary drive or media storage since you'd need a clean install disk to re-install the OS should it suffer some sort of problem where it was non-recoverable.

Regarding your original topic and where you're going with a serial modem, why not use the AT command set directly and write some custom software to do this. You also can just use minicom or any other serial communications terminal for Linux where you can send and receive the ASCII AT commands directly. Minicom is ideally suited for this, take the time to check the settings. With the obvious expertise you're demonstrating here, it should be very simple for you to contend with that modem's command set, and as you likely also know, that would be far better than relying on a software package to do this for you, plus also likely, more secure.