I have Slackware 9 up and running on my pc. I got X configured and I am now trying to get my modem and sound working.

The modem is an external 56K serial modem. I know it works with Linux, as I had it going with SuSE. I am getting stuck on Slackware though. I ran PPP setup and tried ppp-go and am told the script failed. I read today that I should also run netconfig. If this is correct, and I run netconfig, will I have to run pppsetup again? As I long time windows user I am a little lost in the network end of things. How do I tell if the o/s even "sees" the modem. SuSE spoiled me (as did windows) as it autodetected everything and ran graphical wizards etc. I want to learn it, just not sure where to go.

As for the sound, I have an old isa soundblaster awe 64. I noticed on the boot log that it sees it. It says there is an awe32, fine, I can take that. How do I get it to turn on/work?

Thanks for your patience If I missed looking somewhere I should have, I apologize.

John

Run netconfig and select loopback for the network interface. You may have to redo pppsetup. Also at installation slackware will sometimes setup a symbolic link /dev/modem -> /dev/ttyS3. You may need to delete the /dev/modem link and reset it to the com port you have your modem on. com1 = ttyS0 com2 = ttyS1 com3 = ttyS2 etc.

Sound is now a different matter. Linux is in the process of changing sound drivers. The 2.4.xx kernels use drivers from the Open Sound System days (OSS) The new 2.6.xx kernels will use the ALSA drivers and I noticed that the new Slackware 9.1 release candidates include the alsa drivers.

Some of the more common sound cards can be loaded simply by editing the /etc/rc.d/rc.modules file which will cause the appropriate module to load at boot.. Some of the soundblaster 64 cards used the ensonic1371 chip. Run lspci as root and look for for output concerning your sound chip. In Slack 9.0 you may be able to do it easily.

Thanks. How can I tell which port my modem is on? I did not have it with windows; I bought it when I decided to switch to Linux as I had an old winmodem (that was fussy in even windows) so I have no frame of reference on that.

Anyone know where to start for my soundblaster? I know it sees it as it is in the boot log. I just can't figure out what to do from there.

John

for the sound you must open /etc/rc.d/rc.modules, look for Sound Blaster 16 (or something like that) and remove the #

Shepper: Will lspci show the card? It is an isa awe64. I will try the edit rc.modules first.

Drawhla: I will try that tonight when I get home from work.

Once I do these, will I have permissions problems for audio on the user side? Or is there a group I can use that takes care of this like wheel does for su?

I am not sure about isa devices. The command lists your pci devices and will save you from trying several different sound modules. Failing that you can open the case and look at the chipset on the card itself.

I have the same card and I worked perfectly, no permission problems at all

Sound works great! Thanks for the tips.

As for the modem. I tried the netconfig. Then did pppsetup again but that did not work. Is there any way to tell where the modem actually is? It is a serial modem. I am not sure which COM it is on. Is there a way to tell, or should I just try all of them?

John

If you only have one com port it will be ttyS0. If that does not work then ttyS1 should. Most people set up the modem to link to the correct com port in which case you chose /dev/modem during your pppset


To set up the link "ln -s /dev/ttyS0 /dev/modem"

If that does not work then "rm /dev/modem" and
"ln -s /dev/ttyS1 /dev/modem"

Thanks for all the help, but, I gave up. After working on it for a couple more hours I just decided it is not worth it. I do not mind learning a new operating system but I have found much of Linux to be a nuisance to navigate.

I managed to install and configure X without much trouble. What I found difficult is modems. A lot of the how to's seem more oriented to LAN and ethernet connections (granted linux is more for networks I guess than solo desktops).

What I did find interesting is that, after I got frustrated, I fdisk'd and reinstalled windows and was on the internet in less time than it took to install SuSE and about the same as my slackware install.

Thanks for all the help on this forum. I really wanted Linux to work for me. I've downloaded pdf's of books and read more than ever. Just too frustrating. I could have managed with other bits going wrong, missing depends and such, but I could not even get my modem to work....oh well...

John