I've been trying for about 2 weeks to get my Qwest DSL Actiontec modem to work in linux...and have had no luck until now. I noticed, after browsing these forums, tons of other users have had the same exact issue. You can ping websites...but cannot browse...which is extremely odd. Anyway, I found no solution to this problem, what-so-ever. I tried getting it to work on suse, slackware...ANND... fedora core 2. All of them experienced the same problem. I switched back to windows...for about a week...and have hated every moment. I'm just not use to it...and I don't like it. So, I decided to download knoppix, and try it...for one last attempt to get my linux working correctly with my DSL. I tried the live CD...and to my astonishment...it configured my DSL totally...automatically. I opened up a browser to test it out (running on the live cd mind you), and BAM...nice, fast internet access. As I saw, knoppix 3.6 uses the 2.4 kernel...yet also installs a 2.6 kernel along side of it. I installed knoppix to my harddrive...and found this out...because 2.4 and 2.6 are both in the lilo menu. Because 2.6 is newer, I decided to load that kernel up first. Once again...no internet. I was VERY dissapointed. I decided to load up 2.4...and to my surprise it works perfectly fine. So, logical thinking tells me this modem works with 2.4...but not the newest kernel, 2.6. For all of the other 3 distros I tried...each one had the 2.6 kernel. I never thought to try out 2.4.

Slackware 10.0, the latest CD you can get, installs 2.4.26 by default.
The only way you could get a 2.6.X kernel with Slack is to install or
compile it yourself. It is available on the CD, but it doesn't install by
default. So, I don't know if that makes your theory any different or
not, but just for the record from Slackware ...

Glad it's working for you

Knoppix is Debian based. If you want, try the new Debian installer. The default is a 2.4 kernel or you can intstall 2.6 by typing linux26 at the installation boot prompt.

http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer/

I actually had 56k..just a little while ago. I used that when i first installed slackware. I then decided to compile the 2.6.7 kernel on my own . Shortly after, I decided to buy Qwest DSL...and it would not work with slackware. I never thought to try it on a 2.4 kernel, using slack.

yeah, 2.6 has its issues...

But in time...they will be worked out.

Very odd .

I reinstalled slackware...because it is my favorite distro. I left the kernel alone..(2.4.27)...and amazingly enough, the internet works perfect.

I wonder why it doesn't work on 2.6?

Well, I'm glad I figured it out. I hope future kernels fix this problem.

You might (if you've got the time) check the ChangeLogs to see
what's different in that area from 2.4.26 to 2.4.27 - and then look
at the 2.6.? ChangeLogs. Is that modem a USB device by any chance?
If so, that's probably it. USB is significantly different in 2.6.x kernels.

No, it just plugs into my ethernet port.

That sounds very strange. I don't think there's a driver
needed for an ADSL modem that would be in 2.4.x but
not in 2.6.x

Do you use rp-pppoe? If so, have you read this file?
/usr/doc/rp-pppoe-3.5/HOW-TO-CONNECT ?

Wish I could help, but I don't even use rp-pppoe at all
cause my router negotiates the connection.

You might try searching at http://lkml.org for answers/

Actually I just use netconfig...which is very simple (with slackware). I just put in the domain name, and select the DHCP method for my IP status. That's what I've done...for 2.4...and it works right off. For knoppix, I actually didn't have to do ANYTHING. It did it all automatically.

I've tried almost everything on a distro using the 2.6 kernel...with absolutely no luck. What is VERY odd though, is I can ping a web address...and it will recieve packets back. I just can't browse. I have gotten this, for all distros, when using the 2.6 kernel and my Actiontec DSL modem provided by quest. If you check the forums, and search for actiontec...it seems everyone is having the SAME issue with this modem.

Your modem is different than mine. Yours has routing
capabilities. If you can ping but can't browse then it's most
likely a DNS issue. Are you sure the DNS addresses in
/etc/resolv.conf are correct? Well, why would that change
from 2.4.27 to 2.6.x ?

I notice that the Slack setup requires you to give a domain
name for the computer, and then puts "search domain_name"
in /etc/resolv.conf, which only slows it down, at best. I don't
have a domain name, but 2 nameservers. The first thing I do
after installing Slack is adduser, then "pico /etc/resolv.conf"
and remove <domain_name> and replace it with my other
nameserver. (Just did while installing Slack on a lappy.)

Sorry I can't be of further help. If it were me, I'd search at
http://lkml.org for DNS and maybe DHCP issues. I got a new
sata drive, so I've been reading quite a bit about that and
also USB under 2.6.x - and there's a lot of new and strange
things going on with this 2.6.x series kernel. For sure there
seems to be much disagreement, and many changes, on
different issues with the developers. Maybe this is normal
in our open source environment - I've never read threads
there very much before.

Hey there I hope that I'm doing this correctly but I brought up this string as I been trying to migrate to Linux and is been a bumpy experience, at this point in time I have managed to create a dual boot systime I have xp on one partition and suse 9.0 on the other, the issue is that the printer samsung 565p printer MFP, and dsl, are not working on the linux side of the house, seems the printer installation cd has the linux driver in it I'm working on installing that. however I contact Quest who informed me that they do not support linxu, well I pick uo a copu of Knoppix 3.6 at t local Linux meting in Seattle and boot of the cd drive and it configured Quest dsl and it run great ????? so I figure suse linux would be ok with it but no such luck, I notice that you folks indicate that the 2.4 kernl will make dsl work ??? I got to tell you that I'm a total newbie and the c promt comands are practically unusable for me can you give me a step by step as to how the change what i need to change in suse 9.0 personal to make that kernl 2.4 work ??? thanks a bunch

Andres.

2.6 should work fine with DSL...it must just be my specific modem it has trouble with.