# No dial up connection

## taf1982

Hello all. This is my first post here and this is my first time using Linux. Since I only have 56K dial up I chose to do a Networkless install. My main problem is I don't know how to set up my modem or make a connection to the Internet. I did lspci and my modem showed up in the list so I figured that must be good. I don't know how to configure it though. I realize that I can't update anything without a connection to the Internet. If it matters at all my modem is an Intel 537EP V.92 PCI modem. What do I have to do to get my connection working? I really don't want to uninstall/delete Gentoo just because I can't get online. I'm willing to learn how to use it. Hell it took me literally over 40 hours to download the LiveCD and several days and tries before I even got it installed successfully. I'm determined to use Gentoo. Please help a total Linux noob.Last edited by taf1982 on Sat Feb 24, 2007 11:09 am; edited 2 times in total

----------

## bunder

hello and welcome to linux, more specifically gentoo.

hope this helps:

http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Setup_a_Dialup_Connection

cheers

----------

## taf1982

 *bunder wrote:*   

> hello and welcome to linux, more specifically gentoo.
> 
> hope this helps:
> 
> http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Setup_a_Dialup_Connection
> ...

 

I read and printed that so I could refer to it while in Linux but it's still not helping me. I can't use the emerge command to download anything.

I tried to follow the part where it's titled The best way: Gentoo's Network Configuration but when I get to the part where it says Next, edit /etc/ppp/chap-secrets and add a line (if it doesn't exist already):

<ISP_username>*<ISP_password>

I don't have a ppp folder in /etc and I can't find any files named chap-secrets.

I ignored the next few steps and skipped to the the part where it says /etc/init.d/net.ppp0 start but then it gave me an error:

```
starting ppp0

Configuration not set for ppp0 - assuming DHCP

No DHCP client installed
```

I'm at my wits end here. Anyone else have any ideas on what I should do?Last edited by taf1982 on Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:51 am; edited 1 time in total

----------

## bunder

i'm at a loss, as i have never used a modem in linux.  may i suggest changing the title of the thread to "no dialup connection", maybe more modem users will pipe up.   :Wink: 

cheers

----------

## taf1982

 *bunder wrote:*   

> i'm at a loss, as i have never used a modem in linux.  may i suggest changing the title of the thread to "no dialup connection", maybe more modem users will pipe up.  
> 
> cheers

 

Good idea. 

Done.

Thanks anyway for trying to help.   :Smile: 

----------

## wynn

taf1982: you say you haven't got a file /etc/ppp/chap-secrets â after "emerge net-dialup/ppp" and running

```
equery files net-dialup/ppp
```

showed (among others)

```
/etc/ppp

/etc/ppp/chap-secrets.example

/etc/ppp/ip-down

/etc/ppp/ip-up

/etc/ppp/options

/etc/ppp/pap-secrets.example
```

so it looks as if your emerge hasn't run properly (equery is in app-portage/gentoolkit).

emerge'ng ppp also gave a list of kernel configuration options which are missing from this kernel

```
 * If the following test report contains a missing kernel configuration option that you need,

 * you should reconfigure and rebuild your kernel before running pppd.

 * Checking for suitable kernel configuration options...

 *   CONFIG_PPP:         missing PPP support (REQUIRED)

 *   CONFIG_PPP_ASYNC:   missing asynchronous serial line discipline (optional, but highly recommended)

 *   CONFIG_PPP_SYNC_TTY:        missing synchronous serial line discipline (optional; used by 'sync' pppd option)

 *   CONFIG_PPP_DEFLATE:         missing Deflate compression (optional, but highly recommended)

 *   CONFIG_PPP_BSDCOMP:         missing BSD-Compress compression (optional, but highly recommended)

 *   CONFIG_PPP_MPPE:    missing MPPE encryption (optional, mostly used by PPTP links)

 *   CONFIG_PPPOE:       missing PPPoE support (optional needed by rp-pppoe plugin)

 * Please check to make sure these options are set correctly.

 * Failure to do so may cause unexpected problems.
```

You may find this useful.

----------

## taf1982

 *wynn wrote:*   

> taf1982: you say you haven't got a file /etc/ppp/chap-secrets â after "emerge net-dialup/ppp" and running
> 
> ```
> equery files net-dialup/ppp
> ```
> ...

 

I can't run any emerge commands. I need to know specifically what files I need to edit and where they are located so I can make a working dial-up connection to my ISP and then get everything I need for my system via the emerge command. Without a connection to the Internet I'm pretty much stuck with a useless OS.

Edit: After messing with some config files the error I now get is 

```
No loaded modules provide "ppp" (ppp_start)
```

How do I fix that?

----------

## wynn

 *taf1982 wrote:*   

> I can't run any emerge commands. I need to know specifically what files I need to edit and where they are located so I can make a working dial-up connection to my ISP and then get everything I need for my system via the emerge command. Without a connection to the Internet I'm pretty much stuck with a useless OS.

 Sorry, I thought the LiveCD installer would have its own portage tree with distfiles which it used when "Networkless" was selected â but it appears not.

The GRP packages which are installed when "Networkless" is selected appear to have just

```
net-dialup/bpalogin net-dialup/mingetty net-dialup/minicom net-dialup/penggy net-dialup/pptpclient net-dialup/rp-pppoe
```

no net-dialup/ppp.

 *taf1982 wrote:*   

> Edit: After messing with some config files the error I now get is 
> 
> ```
> No loaded modules provide "ppp" (ppp_start)
> ```
> ...

 I think this the other modem problem: AFAIK all PCI modems (plug in card modems) are WinModems which are expected to use Windows code to work. You can look on http://linmodems.org/ and scan their database with the information you've got from lspci but this seems the only way to get your modem to work. You will also have to get ppp somehow and install it.

If you can get hold of a modem which plugs into the serial port, you can bypass all this modem driver stuff as all you have to tell ppp is which serial port it is plugged in to.

Linux Online - Configuring your modem and serial port

Modem-HOWTO: Serial Port and Modem Basics

----------

## taf1982

I found Linux drivers for my modem here: http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scripts-df-external/filter_results.aspx?strTypes=all&ProductID=1230&OSFullName=Linux%2A&lang=eng&strOSs=39&submit=Go%21, but none of them are for Gentoo. Is it possible that any of them will work anyway (or with a little file editing)? If yes which one should I download?

----------

## wynn

Good work!

The best one to download seems to be Intel-537ep-2.70.95.0.tgz which is

```
15.   

Intel-537ep-2.70.95.0.tgz (1481KB)

   2.70.95.0   8/30/2005   Download

   Contains the base, partial open source, UNCOMPILED IntelÂ® 537EP V.92 modem (PCI) chipset driver.
```

on the list displayed by your URL.

It's the latest and uncompiled which means that it isn't going to expect a particular kernel: this is vital as otherwise you would be forced to try and find an old Mandriva, RedHat or SuSE kernel to run it.

I've downloaded it and run a compilation under 2.6.17-gentoo-r8, which is near the LiveCD kernel (2.6.17-gentoo-r7, AFAIK) but it fails with a compilation error: it looks as though the kernel has changed one of it's structs and the 537 code expects something which is no longer there.

I can only suggest that you go to http://linmodems.org/ and join the mailing list to get help.

----------

## taf1982

 *wynn wrote:*   

> Good work!
> 
> The best one to download seems to be Intel-537ep-2.70.95.0.tgz which is
> 
> ```
> ...

 

My kernel is 2.6.17-r5. Could you try this one?

```
5.   Modem Chipset Driver (Uncompiled) - [INTEL-537EP-2.60.80.0.TGZ] (1518KB)   2.60.80.0   8/9/2004   Download

   Contains the base, partial open source, UNCOMPILED Intel® 537EP V.92 modem (PCI) chipset driver.
```

I realize it's older but it's worth a shot.Last edited by taf1982 on Mon Feb 26, 2007 11:44 pm; edited 1 time in total

----------

## taf1982

Edit: Oops, sorry for the dp.Last edited by taf1982 on Mon Feb 26, 2007 11:45 pm; edited 1 time in total

----------

## NeddySeagoon

taf1982,

You need sneakernet to get the files emerge needs using another operating system, or even another PC.

----------

## taf1982

 *NeddySeagoon wrote:*   

> taf1982,
> 
> You need sneakernet to get the files emerge needs using another operating system, or even another PC.

 

Stupid question but why can't I just use the URLs returned after I fail to download something? I put them all in a text file (although I can't print anything yet) and was planning to try them in one of my Windows web browsers or my download manager.

----------

## wynn

 *taf1982 wrote:*   

> My kernel is 2.6.17-r5. Could you try this one?
> 
> ```
> 5.   Modem Chipset Driver (Uncompiled) - [INTEL-537EP-2.60.80.0.TGZ] (1518KB)   2.60.80.0   8/9/2004   Download
> 
> ...

 Ok, I tried that but it fails to compile as well.

I downloaded the two kernels which were current at the time: 2.60.80.0	8/9/2004; linux-2.6.7.tar.bz2 - 06/16/04 and 2.70.95.0   8/30/2005; linux-2.6.12.6.tar.bz2 - 08/29/05.

2.6.7 wouldn't boot but 2.6.12.6 did: trying to compile 2.60.80.0 under this kernel failed, the kernel had changed too much in a year. 2.70.95.0 compiled under 2.6.12.6 but this is no immediate use to you: trying to run such an old kernel (and being stuck with it) would be too much trouble â you'd have to install an older compiler (gcc-3.4.6) just to compile it.

I'll have a look at the differences between 2.6.12.6 and 2.6.17-gentoo to see if there is something obvious that can be done.

----------

## NeddySeagoon

taf1982,

You way will only give you one URL at a time. When thats satisfied, it will complain about the next URL.

```
emerge <target> -pf 
```

is --pretend --fetchonly, so it gives you a complete list of URLs that you need to fetch in one go. For a single file, there is no difference, for a few files you would get by. However, a few users maintain Gentoo with no direct connection at all - not even a modem. Imagine fetching 100s of files, one at a time.

----------

## wynn

I've had a look at the compilation errors that Intel-537ep-2.70.95.0 displays when compiled under 2.6.17.

Some of them are cosmetic and can be fixed but the show-stopper is the change to the tty buffer format from 2.6.12 to 2.6.17: the code which accesses the buffer must be rewritten â and I don't know how to do that.

If you wish to get your modem working, I still think that subscribing to the linmodems.org mailing list and asking for help is a good idea: there are sure to be people there with the necessary knowledge and one of them may have enough spare time to help you.

Sorry I can't help.

----------

## taf1982

 *wynn wrote:*   

> I've had a look at the compilation errors that Intel-537ep-2.70.95.0 displays when compiled under 2.6.17.
> 
> Some of them are cosmetic and can be fixed but the show-stopper is the change to the tty buffer format from 2.6.12 to 2.6.17: the code which accesses the buffer must be rewritten â and I don't know how to do that.
> 
> If you wish to get your modem working, I still think that subscribing to the linmodems.org mailing list and asking for help is a good idea: there are sure to be people there with the necessary knowledge and one of them may have enough spare time to help you.
> ...

 

No problem. I'll subscribe to that mailing list and cross my fingers.

Thank you for taking the time to try to help me.

----------

