Can't set up wvdial or dialup connection

[catchaser300]

I am a BRAND NEW linux user, running Mint 14 Mate, dual installed with Windows XP on separate hard drives. It is very hard to get anything to work in Mint because everything requires internet, and I can't get it online. Our home connection is only dial up.

I have 3 modem options: 1. a PCIe Soft Voice Soft Ring Modem with Smart CP, Manufacturer: CXT
2. a Smart usb 56 voice modem #3 Manufacturer: Smart Link
3. and an older US Robotics PCI modem.

Have tried several options, but with no luck. Followed the advice of several threads in this and other forums, google, etc. Nothing works. Can't get Scan Modem to install. Can't configure through Network connections. I have found that the OS appears to recognize the presence of the devices. That's about it.

I thought it sounded like wvdial is my best bet, but I can't get that to work. I've downloaded the program from 3 different sites, but each time the installation process shuts down. It tells me that these aren't Debian files (even though they are, or at least claim to be). I get error messages. Just don't know where to go from here.

Please--can someone tell me: a. where to go to get the CORRECT wvdial download for Linux Mint 14; b. hOW to install that program in Linux Mint; c. Then how to get it to look for a modem on my computer and then, d. how to actually use it to dial up and get onto the internet? (Or, if there is some other, easier way of going about this)

Thank you!

[jungle_boy]

Wvdial is in synaptic.

Try too gnome-ppp, it is very friendly dial-up tool; you find it in synaptic too...

[catchaser300]

Jungle Boy,
Thanks for the response. I'm doing my best to interpret the lingo, since I'm new to all this, and I've been picking it up here and there, but still pretty unclear about things. Unless I am doing something wrong, from what I've experienced so far, wvdial isn't "in" synaptic. It's available on the internet through synaptic, but you have to have an internet connection to get it. My problem is that I can't access any of the software packages available because I can't get online. Do you know how I could get either of those programs through a different computer with internet, and then get them into synaptic and install them? Or are they actually on my computer already as part of my linux mint 14 installation, and I just haven't figured out yet how to access them?

[OldManHook]

Gnome PPP is on the Mint DVD..You can search the Forum on how to install
Even if you get your Modem to work...It will be too slow to dowmload Updates or Install Programs
Is there any way you could set up your Computer on a High Speed Conn. As Your 1st Update will be Big..Even if you get Dial Up working..don't think it will work Good Luck

[catchaser300]

Thanks, Oldmanhook, for the warning about updating. Shouldn't be any problem to take my unit to a friend's house and hook up to high speed for that. I'll look for directions on installing gnome ppp. I do have to get dial up working, though, in order to do basic everyday stuff--basic web browsing and email, and even just using Mint's help menus, which are all online. But does what you're saying mean I'm not going to be able to get hold of any software at all? With Windows, I'm used to going elsewhere to download iso files for programs, then bringing them home and installing them.

[jungle_boy]

Excuse-me catchaser300;

Really, in synaptic we find a link to wvdial or gnome-ppp; and to install it is necessary network...

Few distros offer dial-up because broadband is now more common. I thing that Ultimate Edition have wvdial and gnome-ppp ( I am not sure), but the LiveDVD has 2,4 GB.

[catchaser300]

Thanks for the further explanation, Jungle Boy. If I can't get Mint 14 to work, I might end up trying one of those other distros you mentioned.

[gene]

Hi,

wvdial, gnome-ppp and all the other required apps are in the DVD edition of LM13.
I would expect them to also be in LM14 DVD edition - but I havent checked this myself.
Advice that suggests to "download these apps from the online repositories", when you are not online with *that* machine is a bit of a Catch 22.

This link below, has instructions to install dialup apps from the LM13 DVD clean install.

viewtopic.php?f=157&t=115291&p=661532&hilit=dialup#p661532

Be aware however, that this instruction set is for External Serial Dialup modem, 56k, connected to Com1 port on computer. This arrangement works.

You have indicated that you have various PCI modems that you want to connect.
The dialup suite of apps I refer you to here (link above) in the LM13 DVD edition, may not help you with your hardware arrangement.

As I understand it, the PCI modems still need drivers to be downloaded/built/installed, to suite your Linux installation, and your modem. A few ppl have noted (as I have also found out), that to make a modem driver requires you to rebuild your Linux kernel. It seems that the LM DVD edition does not have the necessary packages to enable a kernel rebuild, and so you have to walk files from your connected machine, back to the Linux machine you are trying to get connected.

Regarding your Smart USB 56k modem, you *also* may, or may not, have to do something to get Gnome PPP software to see your USB port as a usable serial port. In my installation, my Gnome-PPP *does* see the 4 USB ports alongside the serial ports, (whether they are properly usable or not, I do not know, I haven't checked), but in other Linux distros, MacPup, Ubuntu, for instance, the USB ports are not even seen by the dialup apps there.

In my internet browsing, I also found a much older post elsewhere, that the Linuxant modem drivers, for Conexant hsf/hcf/etc modems, simply do not work (refuse to be built) past Linux kernel 2.6-ish. Something to do with changes in the kernel. This post was dated somewhere around 2007-8, when this connexn problem was probably first discovered.

If anyone can correct me and can also post an instruction set for the OP problem, *please do*, as the OP has a problem which is similar to my current task; to get a Conexant USB 56k modem connected.

My reason to find a solution is because...
- if you still have, or can only use dialup,
- and serial ports are fazed out on newer hardware, and while
- some current and future Linux distros support the dialup process in software, but,
- there is no support for current computer hardware (ports and external devices),
- and your old computer hardware then dies, then
- you're stuffed.

G

[jungle_boy]

Thanks gene;

Now I know that LM13 DVD edition have wvdial and gnome-ppp.

[catchaser300]

Thanks, Gene, for that response. A lot of helpful info. I have become aware that it's possible none of my current modem options may work because of driver issues. It's just been really hard for me to use the information I've gathered from forums to determine if I CAN use any of them, because I can't get past the initial steps, like using scan modem, or setting up wvdial or gnome ppp. There's a Robotics USB modem that I've seen recommended, but it's not exactly cheap, and I didn't want to invest in it until I figured out whether I can get any of this other stuff to work--or whether it's really worth it to stick with Linux in the first place.

That's helpful to know that wvdial and gnome ppp are included on Mint 13. I can now say with some confidence that they aren't on the Mint 14 DVD (I put it in and went looking). Would you recommend that I just start over with 13?

Jungle Boy--I did a short search about Ultimate Edition, and it sounded like it might be a really good option for someone wanting to try Linux who doesn't have a high speed connection at home, since it is pre-loaded with a lot of programs. I'm going to try to find out more about it.

Thanks everyone for trying to help. This issue with being limited to dial up might end up being a deal-breaker with me and Linux, at this point at least. But I am already really impressed with the community it makes you part of.

[jungle_boy]

OK, be welcome to the Linux world!

[gene]

Hi,

. . . . . . . . . . . .
> I can now say with some confidence that they aren't on the Mint 14 DVD (I put it in and went looking).
. . . . . . . . . . . .

If you check my instructions you will see that the applications for dialup connexn are located in the 'local-repository' in your fresh install of LM13.

ummm, that statement is a bit misleading. Lets try that again....

The .deb files which are the compressed packages of the software applications which *will* give you the necessary dialup applications, but only if/when you extract/install them, are found in the local-repository in your clean LM13 installation. Five x .deb packages need to be installed into your clean LM13.

The local-repository containing the .deb files in LM13 DVD Edition, is located via Terminal at :
/usr/share/local-repository/binary

(or )

The local-repository containing the .deb files in LM13 DVD Edition, is located via the GUI at :
Places->Computer->usr->share->local-repository->binary

The dialup apps are not visible in your clean install of LM13.
You still have to do work to install them.
The wording by LM spruiking dialup support in the LM13 distro I found to be unclear or, if intentional, then just diabolical.
And then not provide any instruction set to do that installation; I found that for a new Linux user, is not a good start.

But anyway... to be clear :
The software 'is' in your LM installation but not actually installed when you do a clean LM " i n s t a l l a t i o n ".

You CAN find this local-repository and the .deb files in the unistalled LM13 DVD by just navigating.
It is there. I just did this. I would expect this to be the same/similar in the LM14 edition.


. . . . . . . . . . . .
> There's a Robotics USB modem...
. . . . . . . . . . . .

I'm using an old-school RS232 external dialup modem, probably the same as Discovery brand, but this one is unbranded.
These modems are called hardware modems, and many ppl have had success on Linux with hardware modems.
The USRobotics USB5637 USB modem is also described as a hardware modem, so I expect this would also have similar success. Yes they are expensive.

. . . . . . . . . . . .
> using scan modem
. . . . . . . . . . . .

Your external USB modem you can also plug into a Mac if you have one, and do something like About this Computer or something like that I forget, anyway...

This just tells you about the modem such as [ProductID:1300 / VendorID:0572] so that you can then go to maybe, the Linuxant website, where they may have driver software to download to suit these modem details, which you will probably find you will need to 'make', which wont be possible until rebuild your kernel, which wont be possible until you get some more files from I think the last time was the ubuntu .deb repositories, which you will install, only to try to 'make' the modem driver again, without success, and then you might ask here in this forum but no-one will offer any proper solution, then you might go elsewhere and find in some other forum, someone back in 2007 complaining that the Linuxant modem driver just wont be compiled into the new linux kernel, and no-one responding.

I'm just sayin.....

G

[catchaser300]

Gene, thanks for that extra help. I will see if I can use what you posted to dig up those programs in the Mint 14 install. Still have a lot of figuring out how things work to do.
I had to chuckle at your explanation of the likely process with scan modem and my current modems. Yeah, I get you, there...

[m_pav]

Here's what I did to get a USB modem working in LM14 Mate on a netbook for a customer that has Mint 14 Mate on his netbook
Purchase a USB ACM compatible modem, they should be only a few dollars at ebay or similar.

Open up a terminal window and type the following, then press enter to see the results.

Code: Select all

dmesg |tail

Now plug in the modem, wait 2 seconds and press the up arrow key and enter again, you should get some info like the example below

Code: Select all

$ dmesg |tail
[   21.622946] init: anacron main process (1072) killed by TERM signal
[   22.191207] init: plymouth-stop pre-start process (1353) terminated with status 1
[  583.712291] usb 2-1: USB disconnect, device number 2
[  616.268215] usb 2-1: new full-speed USB device number 3 using uhci_hcd
[  618.866215] usb 2-1: New USB device found, idVendor=0572, idProduct=1329
[  618.866234] usb 2-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
[  618.866247] usb 2-1: Product: USB Modem
[  618.866259] usb 2-1: Manufacturer: Conexant
[  618.866270] usb 2-1: SerialNumber: 24680246
[  618.869738] cdc_acm 2-1:1.0: ttyACM0: USB ACM device

This clearly states that the modem is assigned a block device ID of ttyACM0, which will be found in in the /dev folder as /dev/ttyACM0

Install gnome-ppp and configure a dialup. enter your username, password and the calling number, then click on Setup.
Under Device, click detect and if the device ID of the USB modem is found for your modem, all well and good, but I have never seen this happen, so onto to stage 2 of the process.

find a broadband connection and install kppp, it will pull in 30mb worth of supporting libs. Open kppp and click the configure button. Don't touch the accounts tab, go straight to the Modems tab and create a new device, give it a modem name, then click on the combo box for Modem device and choose the block device you discovered in the dmesg command above. Click on the Modem tab, then on Query Modem and hopefully, you should get some satisfactory results, even if there's not much in the resulting boxes.

Close out of kppp, then back to the terminal and remove and reinstall gnome-ppp This was the only way I could get it to pick up the new USB device.

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get remove remove gnome-ppp && sudo apt-get install gnome-ppp

Reboot with the modem inserted and when you re-try gnome ppp and ask it to detect the modem, it should find the device, in my case, /dev/ttyACM0 and allow you to paddle down the super highway.

Mike P

[gene]

m-pav, you have a USB ACM usb modem.
The Abstract Control Model USB modems try to emulate a serial port over USB.
These were made I think to accomodate the change from RS232 to USB.

Can you post the make and model of the USB dialup modem you used, so we know what works and how?

cheers G

[m_pav]

The modem is an unmarked chinese model that uses a Rockwell/conexant design, the Vendor ID is 0572, and the Product ID is 1329 as seen in the output of dmesg, but apparently, any type of USB ACM modem should work equally. I asked the provider to send me with the header lines from the Windows 2K/XP inf file and below is what I got.

;******************************************************************
; Copyright (C) 1996-1998, Rockwell Semiconductor Systems, Inc.
; Copyright (C) 1999-2008, Conexant Systems Inc.
;******************************************************************
;
; PACFUSB5.inf
;
; Version: 2.0.17.50
; Capabilities: Data Fax ACF USB Modem with SmartCP
;
;******************************************************************

I was told by a guy that leaves me for dead in the realm of Linux to get any USB ACM modem and to get him a few too so he could have stock in case one failed. He is still on the first one and has 2 spare after 2 years.

The customer returned today to say the modem connects beautifully, but the line is terminated about 30 seconds after the connection is made.

I've seen this before with another distro, and the fix was easy, but the same fixes don't apply here as they appear to already be in place, so I am a little in the poop here. I know it's a software configuration issue and that is is resolvable, but have you ever tried to search these forums for the scenario I have, the results are either not there, or I am blind, or overtired.

I wonder if I could just copy the appropriate portions of init strings (usually inserted in the windows registry) from the windows inf file the the gnome-ppp setup for the modem? The driver disk does have a Linux .deb and the source too, so I wonder if I could search through that to find them, or am I just heading on the totally wrong tangent.

HKR, Init, 1,, "ATZ<cr>"
HKR, Init, 2,, "AT&F+IBC=0,0,0,,,,,0;+PCW=2;+PMH=1<cr>"
HKR, Init, 3,, "ATE0V1S0=0&C1&D2+MR=2;+DR=1;+ER=1;W2<cr>"
HKR, Init, 4,, "ATS202=1<cr>"
HKR, Init, 5,, "AT-TTE=,,,150<cr>"


Mike P

[gene]

Gnome PPP will terminate a connexn unless [X] Ignore terminal settings (Stupid mode) is checked on.
Find this in the Gnome PPP GUI under Setup -> Options tab.
(Note 4 in my instructions.)

I also added Stupid Mode = yes in the wvdial.conf file, just to be sure, but I think this instruction is redundant.

cheers G

[phelest]

An analogue dial-up modem does connect via Gnome-PPP in LinuxMint (after having set "sudo adduser $USER dialout" [!]), but the necessary DNS stuff is not done automatically any more! In Ubuntu 10.04.4 LTS the Gnome-PPP previously had a tab in the config settings for covering also DNS automatically, which has been skipped in LinuxMint, so any analogue modem POTS Dial-Up is now possible, but does not allow surfing until the DNS entry has been fixed manually.
Why to change a stable running system?
For me it seems that these residual problems are "only" related to DNS in these *resolv* files ( - where it is very unclear for what they are really used) :

peter@peter-P5W-DH-Deluxe ~ $ find /etc -ls | grep 'resolv'
1828717 4 -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 409 Mar 29 2012 /etc/network/if-down.d/resolvconf
1828725 4 -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 525 Mar 29 2012 /etc/network/if-up.d/000resolvconf
1826937 4 drwxr-xr-x 5 root root 4096 Nov 5 22:59 /etc/resolvconf
1835010 4 drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Apr 25 2012 /etc/resolvconf/update-libc.d
1835014 4 -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 249 Dec 17 2011 /etc/resolvconf/update-libc.d/avahi-daemon
1835009 4 drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Nov 5 22:59 /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d
1835013 4 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 151 Mar 29 2012 /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/head
1835012 0 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 0 Mar 29 2012 /etc/resolvconf/resolv.conf.d/base
1828936 4 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 172 Mar 29 2012 /etc/resolvconf/interface-order
1835011 4 drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Nov 5 22:59 /etc/resolvconf/update.d
1835016 8 -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 5093 Mar 29 2012 /etc/resolvconf/update.d/libc
1835015 4 -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 3195 Mar 29 2012 /etc/resolvconf/update.d/dnscache
1828380 4 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 457 Mar 29 2012 /etc/init/resolvconf.conf
1829119 0 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 Sep 8 17:10 /etc/init.d/resolvconf -> /lib/init/upstart-job
1827611 4 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 544 Mar 31 2012 /etc/bash_completion.d/resolvconf
1829116 4 -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 486 Sep 8 00:05 /etc/ppp/ip-down.d/000resolvconf
1829117 4 -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 515 Sep 8 00:05 /etc/ppp/ip-up.d/000resolvconf
1828222 4 -rw-r--r-- 1 root peter 52 Feb 13 21:57 /etc/ppp/resolv.conf
1828787 4 drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Dec 13 2011 /etc/ppp/resolv
1835635 4 drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 May 3 2012 /etc/xml/resolver
1835636 4 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2325 Oct 9 2004 /etc/xml/resolver/CatalogManager.properties
1828098 4 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2845 Mar 29 2012 /etc/dhcp/dhclient-enter-hooks.d/resolvconf
peter@peter-P5W-DH-Deluxe ~ $

[phelest]

peter@peter-P5W-DH-Deluxe ~ $ more /etc/ppp/resolv.conf
nameserver 195.129.111.50
nameserver 195.129.111.49
peter@peter-P5W-DH-Deluxe ~ $ more /etc/resolv.conf
/etc/resolv.conf: No such file or directory
peter@peter-P5W-DH-Deluxe ~ $

Why do I have "/etc/ppp/resolv.conf" which DNS does not work - and "/etc/resolv.conf" which is not filled ?

[phelest]

Since "/etc/ppp/resolv.conf" is filled - and may be used, but "/etc/resolv.conf" is necessary :
I would like to link "/etc/resolv.conf" -> to "/etc/ppp/resolv.conf" - but what would be the pros and cons ?