Topic: Support for passive ISDN-Cards?

[David Ringhofer]

I would highly apreciate, if the support passive ISDN-Cards as DialOut-Devices could be integrated.
If not, is the how-to at http://internet-sicherheit.net/isdn4es-howto.html working for the current release [E-smith 4.1.1]?

Thanks in advance
David Ringhofer

[Torsten]

Hi there,
first of all: an integrattion of passive isdn cards would be great, fine, super, whatever!!! Especially Teles and AVM cards (very common in germany).

I tried to follow the isdn4es instructions, installed the neccessary parts from RedHat7 CD, and it didn't work.
I got several error messages like:
Warning: modutils is reading from /etc/modules.conf and ignoring /etc/conf.modules. The usage of /etc/conf.modules is deprecated, please remove /etc/conf.modules as soon as possible. Command rm /etc/conf.modules.
/lib/modules/2.2.16-22/misc/hisax.o: init_modules: Device or ressource busy.
/lib/modules/2.2.16-22/misc/hisax.o: insmod /lib/modules/2.2.16-22/misc/hisax.o failed
/lib/modules/2.2.16-22/misc/hisax.o: insmod hisax failed

None of the cards (I tried 3 different ones) worked, I always got that messages.
(In an SuSE7 installation on the same system, just another harddisk, it worked without any probs ...).

I send the detailed infos to the author of isd4es. Maybe he'll have a look at it and can help.

[Charlie Brady]

Torsten wrote:

> I got several error messages like:
> Warning: modutils is reading from /etc/modules.conf and
> ignoring /etc/conf.modules. The usage of /etc/conf.modules is
> deprecated, please remove /etc/conf.modules as soon as
> possible. Command rm /etc/conf.modules.

Have you tried the command "rm /etc/conf.modules"?

Do not create a file /etc/conf.modules. Make your changes to /etc/modules.conf instead.

Regards

Charlie

[Torsten]

Yep. I deleted the conf.modules and wrote all the settings in modules.conf.
But then it doesn't work and some other ressources won't start, too.

I also tried it this way:
booted normally (without any edit-ed file), and started the isdn4es support after an successful boot "by hand" -> the same error messages, except:
/lib/modules/2.2.16-22/misc/hisax.o: init_modules: Device or ressource busy.
/lib/modules/2.2.16-22/misc/hisax.o: insmod /lib/modules/2.2.16-22/misc/hisax.o failed
/lib/modules/2.2.16-22/misc/hisax.o: insmod hisax failed

.. and I'm not enough professional to figure it out myself

Best regards
Torsten

[David Ringhofer]

It's a good feeling that I'm not the only one missing isdn card support in e-smith.
Hopefully someone finds a solution to our problems since I'm a complete linux newbie.

Thanks for your help Charlie and Torsten...
David

[Fred Hage]

We advise all e-smith users to use external ISDN-TA's, not passive cards. For the 100 DM / 50 US$ extra expense you get some nice LED's that give you an idea what is going on and a on/off button to control your dial-in expenses manually, if needed.

You only have to remove or modify some AT-commands in the files 25init and 30dialup in /etc/e-smith/templates/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/chat-ppp0/, because most TA's don't accept specific modem-commands like ATDT (remove the "T") and ATL0 and M0 or let them respond with "". It might be a good idea to include an AT-command in the 25init file that settles the right connection type (mostly PPP or multilink-PPP).


I already suggested that the modem initialisation becomes part of the e-smith manager and hope the e-smith development team will give some attention to the use of ISDN with e-smith. In Europe ISDN-dialup will be the most used type of connection to Internet for a while...

Fred

[David Ringhofer]

Well, which TA would you suggest? Or should I just grab the cheapest one?
Are there significant differences concerning Linux compatibility?

Best regards,
David Ringhofer

[Fred Hage]

At the moment we use the Asuscom TA-200ST. The AT-command to perform PPP-dialup is "ATB4". If you are using 2-channels you must use "ATB41"or "ATB42".  If you put one of these command in the init-templatefile I mentioned in my former email, you are sure that the TA is in the right mode each time it is used by e-smith. It is also quit save to program the non-volatile memory of the TA. You can use Hyperterminal of Windows for this purpose. You set the PPP-protocol by "ATB4", store it as profile 0 with "AT&W0" and e-smith will set profile 0 as the profile to use each time it opens the connection by its reset-command automatically. I think other TA's will be OK too, as long as they support the basic Hayes command-set.  TA's that do not respond with an ERROR-respons but with OK to commands that are not supported would be better: You would't have to changes the template-files at all! Anyhow, using an external ISDN-device makes it easy to test by connecting it to another PC and simple try all the commands that e-smith sends to it when opening the connection to Internet. When there's is no ERROR-response, you can be pretty sure the e-smith server is ready to use it.

Succes,

Fred.