In RedHat 9.0 modem keeps giving "no carrier"

[Guvenc Gulce]

Hi all,

I would really appreciate any input regarding this problem.

I have recently installed RedHat on my laptop and everything seems to be ok except the fact that I can not connect to internet using my dialup modem.

I have installed the driver of the modem(Smart Link 56K) successfully.

I used kppp, wdial or even the ppp command line.. no joy ! I can hear the modem dialing the number.. I hear the expected modem negotiation noise.. but after 5 seconds or so.. I see the error "No Carrier"

What on earth is the carrier ? I tweaked ppp/options, I changed PAP/CHAP.. etc.. no luck.. (searched in google, tried several suggestions from there but no joy)

I will just drive crazy.. I installed the linux with great enthusiasim and I had the hope to switch to the linux completely in my home use.. but man.. forget it.. If I need to search the web for hours for every single change in the OS, how can I work efficiently.. is this the exaggerated linux bubble ?(Please dont tell me man pages, I am sorry but man and help pages are no help, I know how to use them)

and guess what? my redhat's kde desktop freezes almost everday ?
It is somehow pathetic to tell this but my W2K desktop works without freezing for a month.. (ok that one also gets some annoying worms but at least somehow stable)

summary: linux is far from replacing end user desktops and is not that stable as it is said to be..

ahh.. pls dont forget to give your ideas regarding the "no carrier" issue, I just still want to feel the joy of surfing in internet using dialup and linux.. :-) even it is hard..

Thanks & Regards

Guvenc Gulce

[Steven E. Protter]

Carrier, I think is the wavelength of/or signal that the modem looks for to talk to the Internet/other modem.

Does the behavior happen with all numbers?

Regardless, this is likely to be one of the following issues:

1) Bad modem
2) Bad line
3) Bad driver

I'd look at 3 first to be honest. Going outside of the linux supported zone is hard in the arena of modems. I've done dial up Internet with Linux, but it was with well established US Robotics modems.

SEP

[Guvenc Gulce]

Hi Steven,

Thanks for your prompt response.. but I have also an XP running on my system (dual boot)
and it connects fine to internet using exactly the same ISP, modem and telephone line..

If Windoz can do it, why it is so hard in Linux.. ?

by the way, I should maybe mention again that modem dials the number successfully.. I hear the connection noise.. but then suddenly "no carrier"

and I beleive modem is set up properly 'cause when I click "Query Modem"
in kppp, I get no error.. and I get proper responses to modem commands sent by this tool..

I beleive, I am just missing a tiny setting somewhere in some setting file which only god is aware of..

Thanks for any insight

Guvenc Gulce

[Steven E. Protter]

Suggestion: check the Linux modem driver.

Consider a newer release of Linux with better hardware support.

Suse, Fedora Core. Red Hat AS 3.0

SEP

[Guvenc Gulce]

Hi

I will check the driver once more.. in the mean time, I would post also the settings that I use and exact errors.. Thanks

When I use wvdial with the following wvdial.conf
---------------------------------------
[Dialer Defaults]
Auto Reconnect = off
Auto DNS = off
Init2 = ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
Baud = 460800
ISDN = 0
Init1 = ATZ
Phone = 0192076
Modem = /dev/modem
Username = myusername
Modem Type = Analog Modem
Password = mypassword
Abort on No Dialtone = no
Carrier Check = no
--------------------------------------------
(I tried with Carrier Check=yes as well)

I get the following output
--------------------------------------------
WvDial: Internet dialer version 1.53
--> Initializing modem.
--> Sending: ATZ
ATZ
OK
--> Sending: ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
OK
--> Modem initialized.
--> Sending: ATDT0192076
--> Waiting for carrier.
ATDT0192076
NO CARRIER
--> No Carrier! Trying again.
--> Sending: ATDT0192076
--> Waiting for carrier.
--------------------------------------------


When I manually use the pppd command in debug mode just to see what kind of negation
it requests and what causes the problem:
pppd /dev/modem 57600 debug connect "/usr/sbin/chat -v '' AT OK ATD0192076 CONNECT '\d\c'"

I get this in the logs:
--------------------------------------------
localhost pppd[5529]: pppd 2.4.1 started by root, uid 0
localhost chat[5530]: send (AT^M)
localhost chat[5530]: expect (OK)
localhost chat[5530]: AT^M^M
localhost chat[5530]: OK
localhost chat[5530]: -- got it
localhost chat[5530]: send (ATD0192072^M)
localhost chat[5530]: expect (CONNECT)
localhost chat[5530]: ^M
localhost chat[5530]: ATD0192076^M^M
localhost chat[5530]: NO CARRIER^M
localhost chat[5530]: alarm
localhost chat[5530]: Failed
localhost pppd[5529]: Connect script failed
localhost pppd[5529]: Exit.


Thanks

Guvenc Gulce

[Guvenc Gulce]

You were right Steven,

I am writing this message now from my RedHat connected to the net :-)

I have installed a newer version of my modem driver and it did the trick..

My modem is "Agere Systems AC 97" and drivers
were available here

ftp://ftp.smlink.com/linux/unsupported

and the following page was a great help, in case someone else gets a similar problem
http://linmodems.technion.ac.il/

Regards

Guvenc Gulce

[avimit]

HI,
Learnt that you solved this problem. I am still stuck on the same problem. I tried to install the drivers, but they would not compile on my red-hat linux. How did you managed to compile those driver source codes?
I am very very much eager to run internet on my linux machine as you were, so I hope you will help me out, thanks in advance.
Kr,
Aviral Mittal

[Vernon Brown_4]

Aviral;

We could most likely help you more if you start your own thread so it can concentrate on your specific problem.

I have run RH 6.0 through 7.1 Linux'es with dial up modems; one of the first problems I came across was with win-modems. They need special drivers. Once I had the right driver just tweaking the config would connect and re-connect automatically when the phone line went off-hook.

The carrier in phone talk is the analog signal that "carries" the voice or data tones. No carrier just means there's no connection between the modem and the phone company; the connection either didn't make, or was lost; usually authentication failure.

In the old days it was very tricky to get the expect-send sequence for login: password: timed just right.

Good luck !!

Vern

[avimit]

hi, Vernon Brown,
I dont know how to start a new thread. I was just browsing through the net and I found this message, so I 'registered' and replied to ti. BTW, I had exactly same prob as Guvenc Gulce had.
'NO CARRIER'.
I have an internal as well as external modem. The external one being "US Robotics" Sportster. I managed to at least dial the number of the ISP using 'wvdial' but I got exactly the same prob as Guvenc Gulce had. ie no carrier.
Hope s'body can help me out with this one.
Kr,
Avi

[Vernon Brown_4]

Aviral; simply click "New Message" instead of "Reply" and you will start a new thread.