Linux (knoppix) Compatible Modems??

[knopbill]

Hello to the group. I am new to the world of Linux (Knoppix). I have a Dell L550r that I am trying Knoppix on. It works great except that I have an MDP 3880-w(u) Winmodem. And I am discovering that Linux does not like Winmodems. I am going to replace the Modem with a Linux friendly Modem. But I dont know which one to get. Anybody recommend a decent Modem I can get that will work with Linux (Knoppix)? and is compatible with my computer? My Thanks in advance.
Bill

[fingers99]

Your safest bet is an external serial modem. I use a Diamond Supra Express 56e Pro which works just fine.

You could always find a modem (there are cheaper external serial ones than the Diamond) and buy it on the explicit understanding that if it doesn't work with Linux you can take it back.

Alternatively, do a google for

your modem linux

and see if anyone has a workaround.

[ktheking]

I share the same view.
Choice : spend 48h (or more) on making a winmodem work or buy a external serial modem (about 50$),which works immediately.
But you'll see ,it's the best 50 buks you'll ever spend.
You can ALWAYS use an external modem.

If you go for it (becoming a linux freak check out this site :
http://linmodems.org/ : resume on a lot of winmodems under linux. (positive AND negative results :cry: )

greetzzz,

[knopbill]

I would prefer a Internal Pci card. Are all Internal Pci modems win modems? If so I guess I can go External I just wanted to keep it all in the box. Thanks for the input guys. Bill

[RockMumbles]

There are a few pci modems that are not winmodems, and they will work fine in linux. But they use non standard serial ports and therefore need to be configured manually, which is not a problem if you are doing a hard drive install, because you'll configure them once, if you are running from cd you will need to make a script to set up the serial port and run it from floppy, zip etc. before you can use the modem.

Here is "The List" of modems in linux (http://www.idir.net/~gromitkc/20030513a.html). You may also want to look at the associated main page (Introduction). Look for modems that have the green OK in the far left column and have PCI in the second from the far right.

The only problem with external modems is that serial ports are being removed from some newer hardware, as everything is going to usb. An advantage of external modems is that they use irq 3 or 4, standard serial port irq's that are available without having to deal with or worry about irq sharing problems if you have a bunch of cards installed.

HTH

rock

[LinuxAmateur]

Is your winmodem a 'lucent'? If so try http://www.linmodems.org/. Download the ltmodem driver & install it. If your modem is compatible, it will install easily & you're up & running. (It will check if the modem is compatible). The only problem with the installer is that it checks for the ltmodem driver & the kernel both being installed with the same gcc version & kicks you out if they're not. This doesn't really seem to matter (works ok even if they're not compiled with the same gcc) , but it maybe once did so the check is still there. Easiest fix is to edit the install script so that it doesn't exit you out, just does the check & continues.

[knopbill]

It is a connexant I think. I could not find my model number on the webpage you provided, But there were some similar model numbers listed. I did some looking around and found http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00006B7A8/qid=1053935582/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/002-1545247-2256800?v=glance&s=electronics&n=507846 this modem on Amazon.com. Rockmumbles you mention that it would need to be configured manually. How hard is this for a Linux newbie?

[RockMumbles]

It's not that hard actually, you have to find out where the modem is located as far as address and irq, and then assign it to a serial port, once you have a working command string, save it to a floppy, zip disk, or hard drive so you can run it as a script.

For example here is a page regarding setting up a 3Com 0727 pci modem (http://www.pla.net.py/home/oliver/3com.html).

Here is a quote I found from a suppliers page:
Our favorite PCI modem for Linux is the 3COM (USR) 56K PCI modem part number 2976 using the 3COM/TI chip set (http://www.tdl.com/~netex/modem/modem.html)

My Dad has one of the first Actiontec PCI Call Waiting (controller) modems and I "had" it running in Redhat 6.1, but it is not real reliable, it looses it's setup with reboots, probably because the BIOS is set for pnp OS. Also it seems to have problems handshaking and connecting, a friend tried one in his windows machine thinking it would be better than his winmodem but it wasn't. I've just done some searching on Amazon and there are rave reviews and bad reviews of pci controller modems in linux it may depend on your motherboard, and other installed hardware, if your pci modem will be sharing an irq with another device you'll probably have disconnects. If you would disable COM2 in your BIOS and the pci modem goes there and uses irq 3 there will be no problems, my Dad's Actiontec modem is on /dev/ttyS1 (COM2) but I had to use windows to put it there, also it uses a high irq (9, 10 or 11) I don't remember offhand. You may have to play with the modem in different pci slots to get it to work the best.

BTW, I only use ISA and external modems.

rock

[EPS]

Well, we all know crippled and fake modems are just a big conspiracy to lock people into Windows. Here's what Microsoft has to say (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dndevice/html/softmodem.asp) about them:


Keep soft modems out of retail. The installation problems of controllerless modems in retail are well known. Most end users don't have the computer skills needed to solve the problems that arise, generating support calls that exceed the cost of the extra hardware. Computer store salespeople report that they don't like to sell soft modems because they have a high return rate.

In a nutshell, the primary reason these things exist is because they let the manufacturers shave a few dollars off the cost of production, and the typical consumer prefers lower cost over performance and reliability. There's also the prevalent myth that "dialup is dead" and "everyone" is switching over to broadband. In reality, broadband adoption is stagnating, and 40-60% of all users still want the ability to use conventional telephone lines.

The traditional advice to "just use an external modem" is threatened: first, there are "fake" external USB modems on the market. Second, there's a push for even-more-cost-reduced "legacy free" PCs--that's a euphemism for getting rid of serial ports, parallel ports, floppy disk drives, etc.

That said, it is still possible to obtain "real" internal modems. Probably the easiest to find (in the U.S. and Canada; I can't speak for the rest of the world) is the USR V.92 Performance Pro (http://www.usr.com/products/home/home-product.asp?sku=USR5610B). You can order it direct from their web site, or find it at places like Office Depot (http://www.officedepot.com/) or CompUSA (http://www.compusa.com/). CompUSA also stocks an IBM-branded controller-based product. The highest-quality products on the market are probably the Multi-Tech MultiModem ZPX (http://www.multitech.com/PRODUCTS/MultiModemZPX/) line. For other possibilities, I'd look at shopper.cnet.com (http://shopper.cnet.com/), click on Modems, then Internal modems, then Sort by Lowest Price, and work my way up, skipping anything described as a "winmodem," "softmodem," or "controllerless modem." If it says it works with Linux--or, even better, DOS or "all operating systems"--you have a winner.

If you're going to use an internal modem in a desktop machine, it really ought to be a genuine, controller-based product regardless of what operating system(s) you choose. The only reason to even bother with controllerless/softmodem support is for laptop/notebook computers, where having to carry around yet another device creates at least as many problems as it solves.