[GTALUG] Advice -- Building Debian 8 PC To Replace Win XP PC;

[Russell Reiter]

On Aug 1, 2016 10:54 AM, "Steve Petrie, P.Eng. via talk" <talk at gtalug.org>
wrote:
>
> Hello Russell,
>
>
> Thanks for your message.
>
> My comments are inline below.
>
> Steve
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Russell Reiter" <rreiter91 at gmail.com>
> To: "GTALUG Talk" <talk at gtalug.org>; "Steve Petrie, P.Eng." <
apetrie at aspetrie.net>
> Sent: Saturday, July 30, 2016 10:48 AM
>
> Subject: Re: [GTALUG] Advice -- Building Debian 8 PC To Replace Win XP PC;
>
>
>> On Jul 30, 2016 1:28 AM, "Steve Petrie, P.Eng. via talk" <talk at gtalug.org
>
>> wrote:
>>
>> <snip>
>>>
>>>
>
> <snip>
>
>
>>
>> This device looks promising to me. New Old Stock is the reason I go to
>> Above All etc.
>>
>>
http://m.ebay.ca/itm/US-Robotics-56K-USB-Modem-Windows-Mac-Linux-/272305326036?nav=SEARCH
>>
>> http://support.usr.com/support/5637/5637-ug/install.html
>>
>> Here's a snippet from the support page.
>>
>> "Linux Kernel 2.4.20 and Higher
>>
>> You need a USB modem driver (CDC ACM) compiled into a Linux kernel 2.4.20
>> or higher or as a loadable module for your kernel. Installation of the
>> modem under these kernels is fully automatic provided your kernel has the
>> Plug and Play module enabled (default). You do not need to install any
>> drivers off the USRobotics installation CD-ROM. "
>>
>
> Thanks for this !! Looks very promising !!
>
> Seems that USB support for modems is being kept up-to-date in Linux, as
the usb modem driver source code is present in linux 3.16 kernel (used by
debian 8):
>
>   drivers/usb/class/cdc-acm.c
>   drivers/usb/class/cdc-acm.h
>
> Also, I see a web page with a Linux patch notice dated 17 November 2014
"[3.16.y-ckt,stable] Patch "USB: cdc-acm: add quirk for control-line state
requests" has been added to staging queue".
>
> Now that I think on it, didn't you mention earlier on this thread,
getting access to a mobile device (cell phone?) modem from Linux?

Yes that's true. Most GSM phone devices can physically tether for file
transfers, a very few cannot. A cellphone is really just an always on
modem. I did an install a few years ago debian or Fedora, I can't remember
which. The device relied on Windows networking to switch from block to
character mode. You'd tether the device retrieve the windows connection app
and bobs ur uncle. I tried it once at a friend's place

In my case I just reinstalled with the device tethered and linux set up the
serial tty. However on the next boot the device was stuck in block mode.

There is usbmodeswitch to handle that switching tho. UDEV handles /dev
hotplugging. So a simple rule handles the switch from block to character
mode. There is a serial string which the device must send to identify
itself. Pop that in a UDEV rule and you were set to go.

>
> Using Google, I found lots of documentation on getting USB modems to work
on Linux (including the PPP stuff for the dial-up Internet link).
>
> So I will try a USRobotics USR5637 56K V.92 USB modem.
>
> <snip>
>
>
>>
>>> <snip>
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>>
>>
>> Russell
>> Sent from mobile.
>>
>
> ---
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Russell
Sent from mobile.
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