How to install a modem in Linux?

[Nuclear Krusader]

I'm a complete noobster in Linux so please, bear with me.

I need to install my modem, it's a Conexant SoftK56. I'm using Mandy 9.0 and the Gnome interface.

What do I need to do?

TIA for your input.

[jglen490]

Welcome to Linux-land !

The controllerless modem presents a real challenge to Linux developers. Linux has been, to this point in history, very much at the mercy of Winmodem manufacturers to come up with a Linux driver, or the extreme efforts of various very smart Linux developers to figure out the hardware interface for Winmodems.

There are now SOME drivers available for these controllerless modems. You can check a couple of resources such as the linmodems site and this site that is Conexant-specific for the status of drivers.

Once you get a driver, then go into the Mandrake Control Center menu. There you will find options to configure such things as hardware. You can also open up a terminal and enter:

harddrake (you will need to be your root user)

and let it help you configure your modem.

[Nuclear Krusader]

This package does not contain pre-built modules suitable for your system:
Distribution: Mandrake-9.0
Kernel arch: i686
Kernel version: linux-2.4.19-16mdk
Please obtain the appropriate variant of this package for your system
or try the generic RPM or tar version.

What does it mean? That I did something wrong?

[jglen490]

Which link did you download from? The HCF (controllerless) or the HSF (soft modem)?

[Nuclear Krusader]

HSF.

[jglen490]

After clicking on the HSF link, and passing through the Agreement page, you them should have clicked on the link with "Mandrake 9.0, 8.2, 8.1, 8.0" name, and them picked the version for "2.4.19-16mdk" to match your kernel version.

If that's exactly what you did, then you should report what you found to the mailing list, and then try to download and compile the source package. If that's not what happened, or if your not sure, then try the download again (making sure the MD5SUM is correct on the downloaded file).

[aym]

Hi
What is your kernel version? Are you sure it's 2.4.19-16? Try the command uname -r

[Streams]

you will also need to install the riptide driver from that conexant site. Then load up Kppp make sure the device is set to modem or ttySHFS0

and also make sure hardware control is set to XON/XOFF.

[aym]

To Nuclear Krusader:
Did it work or you just gave up?

[Nuclear Krusader]

I gave up.

I installed Linux on my home PC, but it's momentarily on the office and it's using the HSF modem.

However, when I return it home, it will be using my USR 2974 winmodem.

Do you know if this USR modem is supported in Linux?

[jglen490]

Very likely, not. Winmodems are, by nature, software driven not hardware. You should really check this site and see the discussion about the status of winmodems/linmodems. Again, there are SOME drivers available for SOME software driven modems, but getting there is difficult. The site listed above has links to other sites where people have listed specific experiencs with various modems and how they work in Linux -- or don't.

The best thing you can do is follow through on some of these sites and just see where it leads you, but manufacturers have not done anyone any favors by replacing hardware-based modems with controllerless, software-driven modems. Yes, they cost less to begin with, but now they've moved the operation and control of the modem from the modem itself to the CPU and have required the use of proprietary software controllers.

[aym]

I don't know if the USR modem is supported or not, but I think that you can get the Conexant one to work by using drivers from the site jglen490 mentioned, I have a Conexant modem too, and it works well under RH8 using those drivers.
Good luck.