Can't get online AT ALL with Motorola cable modem

[hinachan]

I used to be able to get online with Knoppix, with no problems. First I started having problems when I used the "myconfig" cheat code, now I can't get online AT ALL with either version 3.7 or 5.0.1, even though I've deleted my configuration file from my hard drive.

I've run ifconfig and lspci, and here are the results.

RESULTS OF lspci -v
=================
0000:00:01.1 Ethernet controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] SiS900 PCI Fast Ethernet (rev 82)

Subsystem: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] SiS900 10/100 Ethernet Adapter
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 64, IRQ 5
I/O ports at cc00 [size=256]
Memory at cfff7000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4k]
Expansion ROM at cffc0000 [disabled] [size=128k]
Capabilities [40] Power Management version 2


RESULTS OF ifconfig -v
=================

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
RX packets:22 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:22 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:1100 (1.0 KiB) TX bytes:1100 (1.0 KiB)


The modem works fine with other Linux live-CD distros and with Windows, so this is a Knoppix-specific problem. Can somebody please explain what I need to do, in order to be able to get Knoppix working properly with my modem again? I've searched the internet till my fingers are numb, read books on Linux and recently bought a book on Knoppix, and none of these resources tells how to configure a cable modem connected via an Ethernet cable (since Knoppix has apparently decided it no longer knows how to do this automatically).

Any help would be appreciated very much.

[Harry Kuhman]

I've waited to let others give you an answer before I get on my soapbox, but it's been over 14 hours and 15 views and apparently no one is rushing to answer your question.

I don't know what your problem is, but I do know the fix. See my answer #4 (http://www.knoppix.net/wiki/User:Harry_Kuhman). And if you are also using Windows, as you indicate you are, this is even more of a critial thing for you to do rather than exposing your computer naked to the Internet.

I do wonder what the problem is. We have seen one report a couple of years ago of Knoppix somehow changing the MAC address on a system and there are some systems where the cable modem will only respond to the mac address it kniows (my suggestion , of course, resolves this issue). Why this happens, if it really does, is not known, Linux can use a mac address other than the hardware default but should use the hardware mac address unless instructed otherwise. But it would be something that you could look at when you reject my suggestion.

[hinachan]

I've waited to let others give you an answer before I get on my soapbox, but it's been over 14 hours and 15 views and apparently no one is rushing to answer your question.
Yes, and quite frankly, I think it's not very courteous of them (I'm not including you in this description). After all, the whole point of a forum is to help people out, particularly the newbies.

When I spend 8 hours a day researching a problem on the internet, I'm hardly a lazy newbie. Yet nobody (until you -- thanks!) wants to take 30 seconds to answer my question, it seems to me that somebody should have the courtesy to help me out. There just aren't that many specific answers offered in the websites and books I read. One example of how vague "explanations" are, from the "Hacking Knoppix" book:

"From the Knoppix menu and choose Network/Internet > ISDN connection. Make the necessary configurations, and away you go."

Um...yeah. Has this guy ever heard of being SPECIFIC about the configurations? If the reader knew what those were, they wouldn't be reading the book, now, would they? That's why people like me end up in forums. So I really don't think it's asking too much for someone to answer a newbie's questions.

I'm not addressing this to you, of course--I'm just hoping maybe other people will stop ignoring people's questions. After all, nobody was *born* knowing Linux or anything else; the way to learn is by asking. They asked questions as they learned...now it's our turn.

OK, I'll get off my soapbox now. I just want people to understand that we newbies are working hard to learn about Linux, so the least we can expect is a helping hand when things get sticky. :)


I don't know what your problem is, but I do know the fix. See my answer #4 (http://www.knoppix.net/wiki/User:Harry_Kuhman). And if you are also using Windows, as you indicate you are, this is even more of a critial thing for you to do rather than exposing your computer naked to the Internet.

Don't worry, I'm aware of this, and do what I can. I use a lot of security software (firewall, etc.), and I don't use any e-mail program--I only use web-based e-mail that has virus scanning capabilities (Yahoo, Hotmail).

By the way, I'm not rejecting your suggestion. I'd *love* to get a router, so we could hook up my old computer to the internet as well, but I'm afraid our family is really hard up for cash. I mean, we literally have trouble buying food toward the end of the month, when the Social Security checks run out. (My aunt is dying of end-stage heart failure, so our household expenses are high. And I'm in the process of applying for disability, so I have no income to help out. When under stress, I bury myself in a hobby, which is why I've started studying Linux more seriously.)

The only reason I have high-speed internet access is that a friend kindly pays for it, in return for me collecting hundreds of pictures of his favorite stars for him every month. (He's a technophobe who has no computer, but can play JPEG images on his DVD player.)

Even if I had the cash, I don't have confidence in my abilities to set up a wireless router and hook up both of these old computers. In your own words, "Wireless networking is not well supported in Knoppix." So I know I'm lost from the start. :) There are too many nightmare reports of people's wireless connections being intercepted and exploited, when the network isn't set up securely. And of course, I can't afford to hire somebody who actually knows what they're doing. So I'm not rejecting your suggestion at all...I'm just basically stuck. :(


I do wonder what the problem is. We have seen one report a couple of years ago of Knoppix somehow changing the MAC address on a system and there are some systems where the cable modem will only respond to the mac address it kniows (my suggestion , of course, resolves this issue). Why this happens, if it really does, is not known, Linux can use a mac address other than the hardware default but should use the hardware mac address unless instructed otherwise.
Well, the weird thing is that I'm online right now, using Knoppix 3.7. I tried several commands that I picked up on various forums, and one of them must have solved the problem. I took screenshots every step of the way, so if I run into this again, I hope I'll be able to solve the problem. If I find out that one of these tricks works consistently, I'll be sure to post it in the hope of helping others who have the same problem.

Sorry about the length of my post, but I needed to explain that I'm not rejecting your suggestion--my hands are simply tied, unless/until I get on disability. And I also wanted to try to make others understand, that we newbies work awfully hard to learn, and deserve better than to be ignored.

Thanks for your time!

[Harry Kuhman]

Even if I had the cash, I don't have confidence in my abilities to set up a wireless router and hook up both of these old computers.
I didn't really advocate getting a wireless router, although many or most of them are now. But that will also get you into additional issues, the added expense of a wireless NIC, getting one that works at all with Linux, and getting Knoppix to work with it (I've given up on getting the latest version of Knoppix to support my wireless NICs and I tend to think I have a good grasp of networking). So my advice is to keep your eyes open for a deal on a cheap router, although a lot of the killer deals seem to have dried up in the last few months. Or even a hand-me-down from someone who went wireless or went to a faster wireless configuration. Even if you think you need wireless because of the location of the second computer, a wired router will give you a lot more protection than anything you can do with a software firewall and caution in your use of the Internet. Of course, I still use caution and a software firewall too, but I would not operate without a hardware firewall.

Setting up a wireless router will not be a problem. You just connect it between the cable modem and the PC and turn it on. You may have to tell it that you use a cable modem rather than DSL, but most seem to default to this mode. In cable systems where they only allow access by a known MAC address it may not connect at first (not all cable systems do that), but there will be a feature to set the router's public MAC address to match your computer's MAC address, so the cable company will not know the difference. After this is done the router takes over the cable connection for you and you can connect and or several computers and the cable company still sees only the router MAC address. Beyond that just turn off UPNP (Microsoft's gift to router insecurity) and either turn off the wireless side until you need to use it, or at least enable encryption (both on the router and on the wireless cards that you use to connect to it). If WPA is available it is much more secure than WEP, if only WEP is available use it but know that it only keeps the riff raft out, not the determined hacker. That's about all you need to know to get started. You may need to forward a few ports for some applications like BitTorrent, but you can get help on that kind of thing here or on other Internet sites when you need it.


Well, the weird thing is that I'm online right now, using Knoppix 3.7. I tried several commands that I picked up on various forums, and one of them must have solved the problem.
Glad to hear that you have it working. Was 3.7 the one that was giving you problems before? I suggest that you make note of your current MAC address (even use Ethereal to see what it is in the raw outbound packets) and if the problem does come back see what it is then. If I'm right about it being an issue where the ISP only allows access by one MAC address, it might not have been anything that you did, some systems time out faster than others and eventually they all seem to let a new mac address in; it's simpler than having a service call everytime someone buys a new computer. And if that is the isssue then you might even see the problem again as you switch back to Windows and get the original MAC address back. If you do learn more about the problem please post back and share your information.

[hinachan]

I didn't really advocate getting a wireless router, although many or most of them are now.
I thought they all were now...shows you how much I know. :lol:

I'm going to save the rest of your post as a text file, for reference whenever I can lay hands on a router. Thanks for the info...heaven knows I need all the help I can get.


Glad to hear that you have it working. Was 3.7 the one that was giving you problems before?
I actually started having problems with 5.0.1 when I saved a configuration file and a persistent Knoppix home directory to my HD. Despite erasing those files, the problem continued, and then v. 3.7 started acting up! I thought it might be my modem, but I was able to use both Win98SE and Puppy Linux to get online with no problems, within minutes of using Knoppix.


I suggest that you make note of your current MAC address (even use Ethereal to see what it is in the raw outbound packets) and if the problem does come back see what it is then.
In v.5.0.1 I found how to create a root password so that I can access this info, but in 3.7, I can't find the same item on the K menu. (I'm also having trouble reading the instructions in the help file...I have vision problems....)


If I'm right about it being an issue where the ISP only allows access by one MAC address, it might not have been anything that you did, some systems time out faster than others and eventually they all seem to let a new mac address in; it's simpler than having a service call everytime someone buys a new computer. And if that is the isssue then you might even see the problem again as you switch back to Windows and get the original MAC address back.
If that happens, I'll call Cox Communications' tech support to see if that's the case. I'll keep a printout of your post on hand, so I'll know what to ask.


If you do learn more about the problem please post back and share your information.
Will do. Thanks for your input!

[Harry Kuhman]

Sounds like your problem may have been due to the persistent Knoppix home directory rather than the MAC address thing. I can't say for sure, but lots of network problems happen with Knoppix when it is installed and it's not hard to make the leap to expecting some may show up with a persistent home directory. I wouldn't rush to call cox if it shows up again until you are sure it's not this; that level of tech suport people have problems with even the simple stuff, are unlikely to resolve a real technical problem that is Linux related.

It's always good to take a little more time to give all of the details up front. If you had mentioned that Knoppix had worked at first someone might have jumpped to the persistant home directory quicker.

My vision is starting to weaken with age too. I hope you use Firefox and know about using ctrl-plus to step to a larger font.

I'm not sure about youir password problem, in particular I'm not sure why you think you need one; I centainly never need one to run ethereal. You should be able to run anything as root by prefixing the command with sudo. Or you can issue the command su at the console to run as root. If you really have some application that asks for a root password then you can set one once you are root with the passwd command. See this post (http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11500) under the General forum for more details.

[Jacky]

hinachan,

First of all I apologise if you feel people should have replied sooner. But there are a number of reasons for this. For one, there's the time-zone thing -- some of us are halfway around the world. Your online time could be our sleeping or at work-time. Certainly, by the time I saw this thread, you had said that the problem had been solved, and that you were online again. Secondly, as a fellow newbie, I like to test and check what I say so it will always take me more than 30 seconds, may be an hour. Considering how much time you spend learning Linux, I am probably newbie-er than you, so I hope you don't mind if what I say appears to be dumb suggestions.

Referring to your first post, I notice that lspci shows that the ethernet adapter is definitely there. But the ethernet did not show up when you did ifconfig -v. It only shows the local loopback device. You should normally expect to see something like eth0 or eth1. This would suggest that the ethernet adapter is for some reason "down". ifconfig -a will list all devices, even those that are down, while ifconig -v only lists the devices that are "up". The fact that the ethernet device was down could have been the source of the problem.

Somewhere among the several commands you tried must have been something to bring the device up. This would have been "ifup" or "ifconfig eth0 up" or something like this.

This never happened with Knoppix for me, but strangely, did happen once on a Debian. After boot, I discovered that my eth0 was down. I did not know what to do next, so I used ifconfig to bring it up, and then typed "pump" and everything started working again. I tested this on Knoppix by bringing the device down with " ifconfig eth0 down" and then bringing it up again. I then used the Network Card configuration option in the Knoppix menu to get it going again.

Well, this is all water under the bridge, since you got it going. But next time it happens, maybe you can try and see if the device is "up", and if not bring it "up".

I am sorry to hear of your aunt. Take care.

[hinachan]

Sounds like your problem may have been due to the persistent Knoppix home directory rather than the MAC address thing. I can't say for sure, but lots of network problems happen with Knoppix when it is installed and it's not hard to make the leap to expecting some may show up with a persistent home directory.
That did seem to start the problem...I made a persistent home directory using v. 5.0.1, and the problem was intermittent. Then it became permanent, even when I used the earlier version.


I wouldn't rush to call cox if it shows up again until you are sure it's not this; that level of tech suport people have problems with even the simple stuff, are unlikely to resolve a real technical problem that is Linux related.
I'm certain they wouldn't have a clue about Linux, LOL...they even refuse to support browsers other than IE. (I use only Opera when using Windows, and Konqueror in Knoppix...I can't make the fonts look sharp in Mozilla or Firefox, so the print strains my eyes.) I just figured they might know about the address thing you mentioned...all I know about it is that I do have a static IP address.


It's always good to take a little more time to give all of the details up front. If you had mentioned that Knoppix had worked at first someone might have jumpped to the persistant home directory quicker.
Well, actually, I did make an earlier post in this forum which contained more details...it didn't get any replies, either. I made that post when the problem was intermittent; when it became permanent, I realized that I had a whole new problem, hence the new thread. (Sorry if I was supposed to put it on the same thread, but I didn't think my subject title was specific enough to reflect what had changed.)


My vision is starting to weaken with age too. I hope you use Firefox and know about using ctrl-plus to step to a larger font.
Sorry to hear about that. My vision problem is actually neurological; the big problems I have with Linux distros is 1) trying to make the fonts sharper, more Windoze-like, 2) making sure I can boot at 640x480 resolution--because anything higher affects the nerves around my eyes, and 3) making sure I can adjust the refresh rate. DSL, for instance, has a refresh rate of 60, which is very painful to my eyes; I need a refresh rate of 100.

This is actually one big reason I want to learn Linux--I hear you can customize it to your needs. It's just that I've got a lot to learn, I know. But anyway, I'm getting off the subject....


I'm not sure about youir password problem, in particular I'm not sure why you think you need one; I centainly never need one to run ethereal.
It prompted me for a password, LOL. I didn't run Ethereal from the command line, but from the K menu...maybe that's where I went wrong. I'll look into what you recommended in your post, and print out what I need for future reference.

Thanks again!

[hinachan]

First of all I apologise if you feel people should have replied sooner. But there are a number of reasons for this. For one, there's the time-zone thing -- some of us are halfway around the world. Your online time could be our sleeping or at work-time.
As I mentioned earlier, I'd posted a similar thread a few days ago, and it didn't get any replies, either. I only posted this thread because the situation had changed since the problem first arose, and the subject line of my first thread didn't really describe my problem anymore. :(

I realize people can't respond right away, depending on their circumstances. But there does seem to be a pattern, where newbies' posts are ignored, and that's what's frustrating.


Secondly, as a fellow newbie, I like to test and check what I say so it will always take me more than 30 seconds, may be an hour.
I'm sorry if it sounded as if I were referring to fellow newbies. Actually, I was trying to speak on behalf of the newbies who weren't getting answers (I'm just one of them). I was trying to appeal to those "in the know" that people like you and me are trying hard to learn, but we can't do it alone. :)


Referring to your first post, I notice that lspci shows that the ethernet adapter is definitely there. But the ethernet did not show up when you did ifconfig -v. It only shows the local loopback device. You should normally expect to see something like eth0 or eth1. This would suggest that the ethernet adapter is for some reason "down". ifconfig -a will list all devices, even those that are down, while ifconig -v only lists the devices that are "up". The fact that the ethernet device was down could have been the source of the problem.
Well, you definitely know more than I do, LOL! I ran these commands, but had zero idea of what the results meant. You don't find them in a book, and I sure didn't find them online. I also have no idea how to copy and paste from the root shell--I had to type up the results in a text editor! I know how to copy text in the Konsole terminal program, but not in the root shell. :(


Somewhere among the several commands you tried must have been something to bring the device up. This would have been "ifup" or "ifconfig eth0 up" or something like this.
I didn't know about those commands, but I'll note them for future reference, just in case.


Well, this is all water under the bridge, since you got it going. But next time it happens, maybe you can try and see if the device is "up", and if not bring it "up".
Well, as promised, I'm going to post what I did to wake up the device.

As root, I ran the following command: netcardconfig
At the prompt about DHCP, select "Yes".

The result I got was:

knoppix@2[knoppix]$ netcardconfig
Sending DHCP broadcast from device eth0 OK.
auto lo eth0

I don't understand what that last line means--all I know is that I was able to get online once I saw "eth0 OK".


I am sorry to hear of your aunt. Take care.
Thank you, and thanks for your help. :)[/code]