# HASN'T ANYONE HEARD OF 56K?

## supreme_geek_overlord

Okay, so you have in the documentation the process to get Gentoo up and running on a network. I realize that Linux is a big network OS, but what about my little junker at home running a dial up connection? How do I get that up? (P.S.: I know that my current WinModem won't work with Linux, but I am gonna get another one later). Is 56K so  :Twisted Evil:  that you think if people are dumb enough to have it they should be dumb enough to make their own kernel JUST TO MAKE IT WORK?  :Laughing: 

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## Verbal

Hi.

Last time I checked everyone has to compile their own kernel regardless of their connection.

Bye.

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## NeddySeagoon

supreme_geek_overlord,

A real modem is just a goodie on the end of a serial port and serial port drivers are in the kernel by default.

Many WinModems work under Linux too. (They are called LinModems then). Visit http://www.linmodems.org/ before you scrap yours.

What does /sbin/lspci say about your modem?

Regards,

NeddySeagoon

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## supreme_geek_overlord

So what you're saying is when I try to access an internet resource, Gentoo will automatically go to my modem and connect to my ISP for me? I'm pretty sure it doesn't. What I was getting at was not that it is a WinModem, but the fact that it doesn't say anything about how to configure the modem in the documentation, and if someone could tell me how to.

  I'm a Linux n00b. So shoot me.

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## X

If you've got the live CD, you've got the program wvdial.

To configure wvdial, as root, do this

```
wvdialconf /etc/wvdial.conf

nano -w /etc/wvdial.conf

```

The file you are editing will have lines for your username, password, and ISP phone number.

Once that file is set up correctly, you can connect with the command

```
wvdial
```

These instructions should work with external serial modems.  If you've got a Linmodem, you'll have to go to that site posted above and find instructions on how to set it up.  Once you get it set up, you can change the "Modem =" line in /etc/wvdial.conf to point to whatever the linmodem device is.

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## supreme_geek_overlord

Okay, but what LiveCD are you talking about. I only have Basic. Is it on like 2 or something?

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## X

Something like this is what I meant by live cd: (I ordered my originals from the gentoo store.)

http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/distributions/gentoo/releases/x86/1.4/livecd/

It's what I burn to CD and use to install gentoo on all these machines people leave lying around my university's campus.

But the true test is just booting from whatever you're using to install gentoo and testing if wvdial exists, by typing "wvdial" at the console.

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## supreme_geek_overlord

I know what you mean by a live cd, but there are three different ones. There is the Basic LiveCD (the one I have), the CD1 LiveCD, and the CD2 LiveCD. I am guessing, though, that you wouldn't know, because if you have one that you run around installing it on campus comptuers, it is probably CD1 and/or CD2.

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## klieber

 *supreme_geek_overlord wrote:*   

> I know what you mean by a live cd, but there are three different ones. 

 

Basic should work.  It's the one I've always used.  

Also, this post is a bit dated, but may still prove useful to you.

--kurt

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## NeddySeagoon

[supreme_geek_overlord *Quote:*   

> So what you're saying is when I try to access an internet resource, Gentoo will automatically go to my modem and connect to my ISP for me? I'm pretty sure it doesn't. What I was getting at was not that it is a WinModem, but the fact that it doesn't say anything about how to configure the modem in the documentation, and if someone could tell me how to.
> 
> I'm a Linux n00b. So shoot me.

 

The easy bit first - nobody here is going to shoot you for being  a n00b. We were all there once.

The point I was trying to make is that for modems, you don't have to do anything special in the kernel. You do have to tell the system where to find your modem, the phone number to dial and your user name and password. I was also trying to encorage you to post some info on your WinModem, so that you could maybe turn it into a LinModem. You will have to build a new kernel module for that but it saves you getting a new modem.

Regards,

NeddySeagoon

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## supreme_geek_overlord

ya, i know some work, but it doesn't seem to work with Slackware, so I didn't think it would work with Gentoo. I can't get the details right now, but it is just a generic "Lucent WinModem" (it came with my computer).

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## supreme_geek_overlord

oh, ya, and I know that no one is going to shoot me. I just like being that way.

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## NeddySeagoon

supreme_geek_overlord,

Dialing and authenticating with your ISP, then launching pppd to get TCP/IP running over a dial up link is controlled by a program called chat. I think its in the ppp package. Chat is controlled by a script, you can read all about it with man chat when you have it emereged.

You may as well get the pppconfig package too.

Looking through /usr/portage/net-dialup/ shows that Gentoo has support for hcfpcimodem, hsflinmodem and ltmodem. These are three of the WinModem drivers, so you may get lucky with one of these.

Regards,

NeddySeagoon

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## supreme_geek_overlord

K. I'll try that (once I get Gentoo up and running, that is  :Wink: ).

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