installing linmodem in redhat 7.2

[akmsr]

hi,
i have an aopen fm56-pm controllarless pci modem that uses conextant hcf p85 chip. i searched linuxmodems.org and found out that its called linmodem so it may work in linux. at last found drivers there somewhere. one is binary rpm and other is source rpm package. installation instruction says:

If your Linux distribution supports RPM (RedHat Package Manager),
and has a recent libc, it is easiest to install the binary RPM package
with METHOD A. If your system has RPM but the distributed binaries are not
suitable, you may use METHOD B. METHOD C is for distributions without
RPM support, or those who prefer not to use RPM.


METHOD A: BINARY RPM PACKAGE (*.i586.rpm)

If you have obtained the driver package in RPM format:

1. install the rpm with "rpm -i hcflinmodem-.i586.rpm"

2. run "hcfconfig" to complete the installation and configure your modem.


METHOD B: SOURCE RPM PACKAGE (*.src.rpm)

If no pre-generated binary RPM package is adequate for your system,
you may download the source RPM package and:

1. generate a new binary RPM package for your platform with
"rpm --rebuild hcflinmodem-.src.rpm"

2. install the new binary RPM package as described in METHOD A.

now i tried method a. when running "hcfconfig" i get error saying rebiulding module or kernel something.
so when i tried method b i get like no prebuilt modules are available for my kernel which is linux -2.4.7-10-i686-redhat-7.2-modvers. somewhere there it asks for the directory of c header files that match my kernel.

i know its messy 'cause i'm new but what should i do any ideas?
thanx
akmsr

[jglen490]

Ah, the joys of RPM !!

But not to fear, just take it one step at a time.

What it's looking for are the header files from your kernel source. RedHat (Mandrake and others) do not, by default, install the kernel source during the setup process. However, since the source for your current kernel is an RPM, you can find it on one of your installation CDs and RPM it. Based on the error messages that you quote, you will NOT need to re-compile your kernel, all that the linmodem package is looking for are the source code from the kernel headers to complete its own build.

When you RPM your kernel source, if it complains about other packages being needed, run the RPM again and add "--nodeps" to the options.

Then follow your linmodem instructions again. If everything is clean, you can "un-RPM" your kernel source (again with the --nodeps option) as you won't need it (until you get into the kernel compiling mode that most folks seem to desire !!)

If you have success, or if you need some more help, please come on back.

[akmsr]

ok i checked the installation cd it has 9 rpms.
athlon (which is my cpu)
i386, i686, kernel headers*i386 etc.
this is my second day with linux so please bear with me. so should i use athlon one?
and the driver rpms which one i should use? i586 or src. i mean method a or method b?
thanx

[jglen490]

RPM the athlon kernel package.

For the linmodem package, for now, I would RPM the i586 binary. The .src package could be used later to create your own optimized linmodem driver. So if you have enough free space on your hard drive, you could leave the kernel source out there until you've tried the modem and are satisfied (or not). Then sometime later if you want to experiment with compiling, you could start with the linmodem package. But for now, just get it working, then you can make it better!!

For me (as I enter into op-ed mode), that's part of the joy of Linux. Having a system that is yours to make or break is so much more satisfying than the attitude of "here it is, my way or the highway" exuded by the other large but closed and monopolistic operating system !!

[akmsr]

ok this is what happened.
i tried to rpm both athlon and kernel-header but it said that both of them are already installed.
then tried the binary it installed , typed /usr/sbin/hcfconfig
same thing , no pre moduled etc. asking for directory where the kernel files are. suggested in a bracket like /usr/src/linux but in my machine its not there. i noticed before that its looking for something like /include/autoconfig.h so i found it manually somewhere i forgot i guess /usr but it says thats not right and no prebuilt modules are available for my kernel which is linux -2.4.7-10-i686-redhat-7.2-modvers. etc. so back to square one
when i rpm the kernel rpms where do they physically go in what directory? thanx for ur patience.

[akmsr]

when i installed i did full installation i.e. selected everything. c development tools etc.instead of /usr/src/linux i have /usr/src/redhat.is that what u were asking?
i checked the installation cd it had 9 rpms about kernel. since my cpu is athlon, i tried two. athlon.rpm and kernel-headers*.rpm it says both are already installed.
to be sure i did a fresh install last night and first thing i did was checked whether the above mentioned two rpms were installed. then i rpm the binary package of the driver(method a). it says please run hcfconfig or /usr/sbin/hcfconfig. i did the second. then i get this errormessage "no prebuilt hcf modules are available for your kernel = linux-2.4.7-10-i686-redhat-7.2-modvers. where is the directory of c header files that match your kernel?[/usr/src/linux]" this is the exact message.
since i don't have /usr/src/linux instead of linux i have redhat(if thats same?) whatever i type it says it failed and to check an error log that states, "modules should never use kernel-headers system headers, but rather headers from an appropriate kernel-source package. change -i/usr/src/linux/include(or similar) to -i/lib/modules/$(uname -r)/build/include to build against the currently-running kernel"
in the first message it says my kernel is "linux-2.4.7-10-i686-redhat-7.2-modvers". so i checked the installation cd and found a rpm called kernel-i686 and tried to rpm it but i get like 25 different conflicts. so thats the situation. any ideas? thanx again.

[akmsr]

well good news this time. somebody suggested to install kernel-source rpm, i couldn't find it so i put in the second cd and it was there. after that everything is fine and linux recognizes my modem. i want to thank jglen490 for your assistance.

about isp's. do they have to support linux or if you have an account you could log in.

[OOPS!]

As far as Tech support, most isp's probably won't have a clue. But unless they are making you use some propritory software, 'ala AOL, then you can just configure ppp to dial in and go.

OOPS!

[akmsr]

hi i opened an account today to a dial up isp. i can connect to it using windows but when i swich to linux i think it does not work. i mean i searched in google and tried coule of ways well it connects but when i launch a browser i can't go anywhere. why do u think it is?

[jglen490]

I'm not real familiar with RH 7.2, but in the GUI there should be a configuration screen where you enter your ISP info, much like you would in Windoze. Have you found anything that looks like that?

[akmsr]

i configured kppp and modem according to some guieds found in google. i can now connect to my isp. i mean the status window says its connected and exchanging data etc. but when i launch mozzila and for example write www.google.com it does not go anywhere after like a minute it says "couldn't resolve host www.google.com". i even created a profile in mozzilla according to the guide that i downloaded. kinda messed up huh.