127 lines
5.6 KiB
HTML
127 lines
5.6 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN">
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<TITLE>Linmodem-HOWTO : Linmodems</TITLE>
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<A HREF="Linmodem-HOWTO.html#toc2">Contents</A>
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<HR>
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<H2><A NAME="s2">2. Linmodems</A></H2>
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<P>
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<H2><A NAME="ss2.1">2.1 What is a Linmodem?</A>
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</H2>
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<P>A Linmodem is the Linux implementation of a "winmodem" (see disclaimer).
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These devices are 'less than' a modem in the sense that they depend
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on software to perform, to a greater or lesser extent, the functions traditionally
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handled by modem hardware. The rationale for this is, of course,
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that software is cheaper than hardware, and can be
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upgraded/expanded/improved without
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the use of screwdrivers (usually); however, for the modem to
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function at all, one requires software that can
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run on one's preferred operating system.
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<P>
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<H2><A NAME="ss2.2">2.2 Which Linmodem hardware is supported?</A>
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</H2>
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<P>An ever-growing number of winmodems will work under
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Linux. Each chipset for which a driver is known to exist has a
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section in this document, below, describing its installation.
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Any other chipset has <EM>no known support</EM> under Linux
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(at least, not known to us).
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<P>
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<P>
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<H2><A NAME="ss2.3">2.3 How can I find out if my GeeWhiz 9.8.7 Modem / Laptop has one of these chipsets?</A>
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</H2>
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<P>
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<H3>Information from the system</H3>
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<P>
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<P>The information about installed hardware using commands such as:
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<UL>
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<LI> PCI: <CODE> cat /proc/pci </CODE> and <CODE> lspci </CODE></LI>
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<LI> ISA: <CODE> pnpdump </CODE> and <CODE> isapnp </CODE></LI>
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<LI> Internal PCMCIA: <CODE> cardctl ident </CODE></LI>
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<LI> General: <CODE> dmesg | more </CODE> and <CODE> cat /proc/interrupts </CODE></LI>
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</UL>
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<P>MarvS notes that the Device Manager under Windows can provide similar information,
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but it should be
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noted that a manufacturer will often simply put its brand name on a built-in modem, so
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this information may not be as useful as you might hope (e.g., what chipset does
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a "Compaq Internal 56k" modem have?). Additional information may sometimes be
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obtained by making a modem log, implemented under MS Windows as a check box
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option within the Dial Up Networking menus. The file produced is
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<CODE>C:\WINDOWS\MODEM.LOG</CODE>. It will contain the modem initialization strings,
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and perhaps also the name of the modem configuration file, which may also contain
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other useful information.
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<P>
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<H3>Modem names and identification numbers</H3>
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<P>If you know the precise name of your modem, you can try searching
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the large Linux Modem Compatibility
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<A HREF="http://www.idir.net/~gromitkc/winmodem.html#Database">Database</A>
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at
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<A HREF="http://www.idir.net/~gromitkc/winmodem.html">Rob Clark's site</A>.
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The color/letter code on the left side of the table will indicate if
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your modem is known to function or not under Linux. The code "LM" indicates
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a Linmodem, and the modem notes should indicate which driver you need.
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A "WM" means it's a winmodem, but no Linux support is known to exist.
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Be careful not to assume that modems with similar names will contain
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the same chipsets, or will necessarily behave similarly whatsoever!
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Your WhizBang LX56
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and your friend's WhizBang GT56 could have entirely different innards.
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<P>If you do not know the precise name of your modem, you can search based
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on the identification number of the modem (
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on every modem there must be printed a registration number,
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which may either be the board producer's designation, or,
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alternatively, an FCC registration number.
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An example photo of such an ID number on a modem board can be found at
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<A HREF="http://www.idir.net/~gromitkc/fcc1.jpg">http://www.idir.net/~gromitkc/fcc1.jpg</A> on
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<A HREF="http://www.idir.net/~gromitkc/winmodem.html">Rob Clark's site</A>.)
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Use your web browser's "Find in Page" to search his
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<A HREF="http://www.idir.net/~gromitkc/winmodem.html#Database">table</A>
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of modems and FCC ID's
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to obtain chipset/driver information. Alternatively, you can directly
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search the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) database at
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<A HREF="http://www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid/">http://www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid/</A>.
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Read the directions carefully, and be careful not to confuse O (the letter)
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with 0 (the number), and other possible mixups.
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<P>
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<H3>Laptops with internal modems</H3>
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<P>You may not be able to obtain the FCC ID number if you have a laptop
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which you prefer not to open up, or are looking to buy a particular
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machine and the vendor has not been polite enough to provide you
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with the information nor a sample box for you to take apart and play with. In these
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cases, you might try:
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<UL>
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<LI>Kenneth Harker's
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<A HREF="http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/kharker/linux-laptop/">Linux on Laptops</A> site indexes a large number of user-created sites
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describing their experiences with Linux on particular laptop models.</LI>
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<LI>Werner Heuser's
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<A HREF="http://mobilix.org/modem_linux.html">Mobilix: Linux Modems</A> and
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<A HREF="http://mobilix.org/minipci_linux.html">Mobilix: Linux Mini-PCI</A> pages include lists of specifications for laptops
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with internal modems and NIC's, as well as useful tips for obtaining more
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information in case the model is not listed there.</LI>
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<LI> The computer vendor's manual, web site, or (horrors!) technical support.</LI>
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<LI>
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<A HREF="http://www.google.com">http://www.google.com</A>
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<P>
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</LI>
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</UL>
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<P>
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<HR>
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<A HREF="Linmodem-HOWTO-3.html">Next</A>
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