every time I try to install the modem software I get:

laprakr@laprakr-desktop:~/Desktop/pctel-0.9.7-9-rht-10$ sudo ./setup
checking for running kernel version...2.6.28
checking for ptserial...ptserial-2.6.c
checking for gcc...4.3.3
checking for kernel gcc version...4.3.3
searching for kernel includes...found at /lib/modules/2.6.28-14-generic/build/include
checking for autoconf.h.../lib/modules/2.6.28-14-generic/build/include/linux/autoconf.h
checking for asm/mach-default...** error
include/asm/mach-default directory could not be found
you probably need to configure your kernel, please read the FAQ
about no include/asm/mach-default directory.
** compilation error
please read the FAQ about reporting compilation problems
and report this problem. A transcript of the build process
has been saved in src/make.log. When reporting problems to
the development team, please send us this file.

I boldfaced the problem area.

make log says:
make: *** No targets specified and no makefile found. Stop.

any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you for your time,
neonwv

Hi Neonwv
I am about as green as it gets when working with Linux but I have managed to get dialup working on Etch and Ubuntu so I will help as much as I can until someone with more knowledge joins in.
first what kind of modem do you have and where did you get the driver?

Great attitude, Raybo and congrats on your modem success!

Also, it looks from the name of the driver source directory that the OP has a driver intended for a RedHat system. I'm not too sure this is going to be an easy installation, if that's the case. It's looking for (as best as I can tell) a symlink which does not exist on the OP's system.

I have two PCtel modems here myself, and I never did get either of them to work with Linux, unfortunately.

To help Raybo & I, please give us the output of the following command. You can either copy & paste the whole thing (good), OR just the chunk about the modem (better). Please wrap [code][//code] tags around the stuff you paste in for us (just one slash in the closing [//code] tag):

So, we need to see the modem info from this command, executed in a console:

shell$ sudo lspci -vv

Thanks,
Sasha

00:00.0 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C693A/694x [Apollo PRO133x] (rev 44)
Subsystem: Giga-byte Technology Device 0691
Control: I/O- Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort+ >SERR- <PERR+ INTx-
Latency: 16
Region 0: Memory at d8000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=32M]
Capabilities: [a0] AGP version 1.0
Status: RQ=8 Iso- ArqSz=0 Cal=0 SBA+ ITACoh- GART64- HTrans- 64bit- FW- AGP3- Rate=x1,x2
Command: RQ=1 ArqSz=0 Cal=0 SBA- AGP- GART64- 64bit- FW- Rate=<none>
Kernel driver in use: agpgart-via
Kernel modules: via-agp

00:01.0 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C598/694x [Apollo MVP3/Pro133x AGP]
Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
Status: Cap+ 66MHz+ UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort+ >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
Latency: 0
Bus: primary=00, secondary=01, subordinate=01, sec-latency=0
I/O behind bridge: 00009000-00009fff
Memory behind bridge: da000000-dbffffff
Prefetchable memory behind bridge: dc000000-dcffffff
Secondary status: 66MHz- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- <SERR- <PERR-
BridgeCtl: Parity- SERR- NoISA+ VGA+ MAbort- >Reset- FastB2B-
PriDiscTmr- SecDiscTmr- DiscTmrStat- DiscTmrSERREn-
Capabilities: [80] Power Management version 2
Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1- D2- AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
Kernel modules: shpchp

00:07.0 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C596 ISA [Mobile South] (rev 23)
Subsystem: Giga-byte Technology Device 0596
Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping+ SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
Status: Cap- 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
Latency: 0

00:07.1 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C586A/B/VT82C686/A/B/VT823x/A/C PIPC Bus Master IDE (rev 10) (prog-if 8a [Master SecP PriP])
Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
Latency: 64
Region 0: [virtual] Memory at 000001f0 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=8]
Region 1: [virtual] Memory at 000003f0 (type 3, non-prefetchable) [size=1]
Region 2: [virtual] Memory at 00000170 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=8]
Region 3: [virtual] Memory at 00000370 (type 3, non-prefetchable) [size=1]
Region 4: I/O ports at a000 [size=16]
Capabilities: [c0] Power Management version 2
Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1- D2- AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
Kernel driver in use: pata_via

00:07.2 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 11)
Subsystem: First International Computer, Inc. Device 1234
Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
Latency: 64, Cache Line Size: 32 bytes
Interrupt: pin D routed to IRQ 10
Region 4: I/O ports at a400 [size=32]
Capabilities: [80] Power Management version 2
Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1- D2- AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd

00:07.3 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C596 Power Management (rev 30)
Control: I/O- Mem- BusMaster- SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
Status: Cap- 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
Kernel modules: i2c-viapro

00:08.0 Ethernet controller: Accton Technology Corporation SMC2-1211TX (rev 10)
Subsystem: Accton Technology Corporation SMC2-1211TX
Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
Latency: 64 (8000ns min, 16000ns max)
Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 11
Region 0: I/O ports at a800 [size=256]
Region 1: Memory at dd000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256]
Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1+ D2+ AuxCurrent=375mA PME(D0+,D1+,D2+,D3hot+,D3cold+)
Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
Kernel driver in use: 8139too
Kernel modules: 8139too

00:0a.0 Modem: PCTel Inc HSP MicroModem 56 (rev ff) (prog-if ff)
!!! Unknown header type 7f
Kernel driver in use: serial

00:0c.0 Multimedia audio controller: ESS Technology ES1969 Solo-1 Audiodrive (rev 01)
Subsystem: ESS Technology Device 8888
Control: I/O+ Mem- BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
Latency: 64 (500ns min, 6000ns max)
Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 11
Region 0: I/O ports at b000 [size=64]
Region 1: I/O ports at b400 [size=16]
Region 2: I/O ports at b800 [size=16]
Region 3: I/O ports at bc00 [size=4]
Region 4: I/O ports at c000 [size=4]
Capabilities: [c0] Power Management version 1
Flags: PMEClk- DSI+ D1+ D2+ AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
Kernel driver in use: ESS ES1938 (Solo-1)
Kernel modules: snd-es1938

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc 3D Rage IIC AGP (rev 7a)
Subsystem: ATI Technologies Inc Device 0087
Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping+ SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
Latency: 64 (2000ns min), Cache Line Size: 32 bytes
Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 11
Region 0: Memory at dc000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=16M]
Region 1: I/O ports at 9000 [size=256]
Region 2: Memory at db000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4K]
[virtual] Expansion ROM at da000000 [disabled] [size=128K]
Capabilities: [5c] Power Management version 1
Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1- D2- AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
Kernel modules: atyfb

OK So I did some Googling, and it appears I was wrong regarding the package you have being a RedHat package (I'm not 100% but let's hope I'm wrong) so we'll assume the package will work for your Ubuntu system..

To my limited Ubuntu knowledge, Ubuntu does not come with all of the pieces needed in order to build source code. So, you need to use your package manager to make sure you have ALL of the pieces, such as kernel-source-archive, kernel headers, and whatever else might be needed. An Ubuntu user will have to advise you as to how exactly to get this stuff using your package manager, because I don't use Ubuntu so my advice would be bad

After having installed the stuff mentioned, try to compile the driver again. At this point, the error you got should be resolved. However, it's not to say something else will be messed up, but if so, just post back for us with what happened.

Also: I should mention again that even if the driver DOES build, and installs properly, that still isn't the proper way to install something on a Linux with a package manager, so hopefully the same person who can help you get your kernel sources and all, can also advise how you can make a proper package of your driver.

PS - On my 32 bit machine, the 'asm' symlink is in <kernel-source>/include/asm and points to the asm-x86 folder in the same directory.

Best of success,
Sasha

I dont know if this will help but what I did was go to linuxant.com, grabbed a copy of scan modem (there will be a link on their web page) find out what driver you need, and go from there. That worked for me but your modem is different so I dont know if this will help.

did some research too I think you got the right driver, just need to do as GrapefruiTgirl suggested and install the extra kernel headers/sources for your kernel and try again.

You probably have already been to these sites checking on your Modem, but here they are just in case you havent.
http://pctelcompdb.sourceforge.net/index.php
http://132.68.73.235/linmodems/pctel-linux/welcome.html
they have some great info on your Modem and Drivers.
hope you find something that will help.