# Satellite internet!

## man

hi everybody, i've just  had a one way satellite installed.. that is outward via 128k isdn and incoming 512k via satellite. all's working under bloze without too much effort but how do i go about it in gentoo? i cant imagine where to begin. how do i turn on the internet incoming satellite signal? please. can someone point me in a direction. 

man

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## chunderbunny

I've used a satellite connection myself, but i could take a guess at how to configure it if you can give me some details on how the hardware is set up. 

How does the Satellite connect to your computer? Where does the ISDN line plug into? 

I'm guessing that the satellite connection works just like a normal modem, in which case you either need basic ethernet support or you might need a special driver for the hardware (in which case we will need to know the hardware model numbers so we can find out if any drivers have been written.

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## man

hey all, thx 4 reply chunder. I have a satellite modem that handles the download and a terrestrial isdn modem that handles the uploads. Under bloze all works well but, i can only use the isdn componenet under linux. This is a pain as everything that goes through the isdn modem is judged upload and after 300 mb uploads i pay 15c a mb. for instance, a monthly emerge -u world using the isdn modem would use all my upload megs for the month in one session plus more and none of the  satellite download (2gig) used.

There is a  project on sourceforge called direcpc that has a driver but it's pretty dodgy at the mo. Interestingly Ubuntu detected the satellite hardware where as gentoo and debian did not (yes i know ubuntu is sarge based) but i know not how to activate it. I'll try more stuff over the next days and hopefully after posting i'll get some help. it is a major pain having to use bloze all the time. Both modems are usb and i have no ethernet.

man

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## chunderbunny

You can use the command "lsusb" to get information about the devices connected to the USB ports (I think it's part of the gentoolkit package if you don't already have that installed). If the satellite modem shows up there then it has been 'detected' in gentoo, next we just need to find a driver for it.

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## Syntaxis

 *man wrote:*   

> (yes i know ubuntu is sarge based)

 

Nope. Ubuntu releases are always based on Debian Unstable/Sid:

 *http://www.ubuntulinux.org/ubuntu/relationship/ wrote:*   

> As Ubuntu prepares for release, we "freeze" a snapshot of debian's development archive ('sid'). We start from 'sid'

 

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## man

 *Syntaxis wrote:*   

>  *man wrote:*   (yes i know ubuntu is sarge based) 
> 
> Nope. Ubuntu releases are always based on Debian Unstable/Sid:
> 
>  *http://www.ubuntulinux.org/ubuntu/relationship/ wrote:*   As Ubuntu prepares for release, we "freeze" a snapshot of debian's development archive ('sid'). We start from 'sid' 

 

Well I didn't know that. Perhaps that's why I'm finding ubuntu not at all stable.

thx chunder i'll give that command a  whirl.

man

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## man

hey all, still trying. when i get it all going i'll leave a how to. until them oh woe is me i am using bloze and it blows. first time in 5 years or so that i've experienced linux so poorly lacking that i can't use it as my main os. so-so hardware detection and lack of driver provision by manufacturers leaves linux users at a real disadvantage.. nonetheless it is a fantastic operating system and i want to get back to it. 

man

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## man

i admit defeat. linux satellite project on sourceforge all but dead. tried everything, no hope. i am ashamed to say i now run a windows box but i have no options. linux has a long long way to go. fun while i perceived linux might catch up. not so much fun when it doesn't. imo linux is destined to be a curiosity for people with a lot of time.

believe me, i don't enjoy booting into bloze.

man

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## Arplar

I use Gentoo Linux exclusively on my network, and have no problems using my Sat Internet connection.

However, I am using a 2-way sat internet connection... Most 1 way only sat internet has been completely phased out..

It's not linux that is behind the times..

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## man

hey, yes arplar you're of course correct, it's not linux trailing just some software. i can only blame being thwarted at every turn for  :Smile:  for my negative comments. anyway, i missed my beloved linux so much that i've ditched the satellite and gone back to isdn. another day on bloze and i would have had a stroke or at least an adverse mind event! for me, using bloze every day was just too frustrating and disempowering. the choice/freedom was missing! 

man

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## Noven

I've got a one way sat system with ISDN modem {both devices usb} working under smoothwall. The theory for gentoo can't be that different.

DirecPC works, even though development stopped ages ago. You'll need to grab some files from the windows driver to make it work... dpcnet5u.dat and .sys from memory. There is a dpcstart script that needs to be run to initialise it, and I could get a nice screen that showed me the signal strength etc. The routing was easy too.

I can't remember everything I did off hand, but I could get back into the box and grab all the files I used to install it off {yes, it's still up and working in the TeleCentre. The uptime would be grand if they didn't insist on shutting it down every night to save power....} If you want to persist let me know and I can grab you a tarball of everything I used to do it. Although personally I recommend getting a 2-way sat with an ethernet connection

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## man

thx noven, i appreciate your help. two way sat. in australia is prohibitively expensive which is why i never had it in the first place. even 1 way in aus; only allows 300 mg of uploads and that includes email and file swapping! telstra, a majority owned gov't telco company sucks normal aussies dry. i was paying way over $100 per month for a sub standard service. tyranny of distance (i live on a farm) or a disgraceful rip off? i tried all the stuff you suggested but was never able to get a successful compilation to happen. the sat. sucked arse anyway.. always dropping out and my standard speed was not what they promised (surprise!). i get 15 k's a sec with isdn which is adequate. thx again.... now for that dvd that won't work.

man

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## Noven

I live in rural Australia too. Top of the Northern Flinders Ranges. You should check if you are eligible for HiBIS - www.dcita.gov.au/tel/higher_bandwidth_incentive_scheme_hibis . 

My ISP is Bordernet - www.bordernet.com.au . With HiBIS I paid $0 install and pay $90/month for 512/128 {and normally am within 85% of that} and 2GB transfer. Latency is very high but otherwise the connection is great - only time it's gone down the sat decoder box overheated. I know thats still expensive compared to the city but it does bring it down to the 'tyranny of distance' range rather than the 'disgraceful ripoff' {which I agree Telstra is}. And no expensive ISDN rental or calls.

Telstra are technically as well as commercially inept. The one way sat I set up was in one of those Rural Telecentres that were part of the deal to sell off the second wave of shares. They had the gateway set up as a win 98 box with *no firewall*, apache as a proxy {two people couldn't visit hotmail without a reboot after the first visit} and ICS. File and Print sharing was enabled, and the administrative share on $C was not password protected. If I'd set up a network like that at school I would have failed. But there you have it - our great national telco. 

I say sell the bastards off and use the money to invest in fibre optic lines to *every* house in Australia. Then the private market can work out the service provision over those lines.

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## man

hey, thx 4 the offer nov, but i've had a gutful of telstra. i did get connected with the hibis originally. i broke the contract after 3 months and they didn't charge me the breaking contract fee! i imagine this because i complained to the telco ombudsman. you know what it's like in the bush. no phone for a week with snakes and other nasties that us aussies enjoy is not on. and despite being only 10 k's from the mobile tower i have to get on the roof to get a signal. not sure i could do that if a big brown gives me the big bite!

man

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## Noven

I love the ombudsman. It's just sad he has to be called in so much - and sadder that many people don't and just suck it. Took them three months to connect my phone initially. So they sent us out a CDMA 'temporary service'. However we don't get CDMA service in town either. They're a travesty of an organisation.

Make sure you bounce through an anonymous proxy, the type 'telnet mail.bigpond.com 25' . Fun ensues  :Smile: 

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## man

lol, very perspicacious.

man

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