Using UMIST Dial-Up with Linux

These notes are based on a RedHat 7.2 installation. ISD supports only RedHat.

As a rule, get a "real" hardware modem, not a "winmodem" --- much of the work of the hardware modem is carried out in software in the latter case. There are significant difficulties in getting winmodems to work with non-Microsoft operating systems.

Hardware Installation and Configuration

RedHat 7.2 is good at hardware detection. Simply switch off your machine, install the modem, or plug it in if its an external model and switch your machine on --- boot into Linux. The Kudzu hardware detection and configuration tool should detect the modem and set up drivers for it. If it does not then ISD can offer little help except to point your towards the resources section, below.

Most hardware modems will work fine with Linux, but is a good idea to ensure that a suitable driver is available before parting with your hard-earned dosh (see the resources section, below).

Once the machine is booted, start X and Gnome or KDE, if necessary.

KDE

First, you'll probably want to configure KPPP to talk to UMIST Dialup. To do this:

1. From the "K" menu, choose Internet -> Internet Dialer and enter the root password in the dialogue box (assuming you're not logged in as root).
   
   
2. From the KPPP window choose Setup, then New and then Dialogue setup (the Wizard does not understand UMIST Dialup).
   
   
3. From the resulting New Account window enter a Connection Name in the box provided (e.g., UMIST Dialup), then choose Add and enter the Dialup number, 08450510013. Authentication should be set to PAP/CHAP. Click OK to return to the main KPPP Configuration window.
   
   
4. At the KPPP Configuration window click OK to return to the main KPPP window.
   
   
5. In the Login ID and Password boxes type your eUMIST username and password, repectively.
   
   
6. Before clicking on Connect, at least for this first time, it is a good idea to get access to some diagnostics incase something goes wrong! First ensure the Show Log Window box is "checked"; secondly, in a terminal window (either an xterm or KDE shell will be fine) type tail -f /var/log/messages.
   
   
7. Now click on Connect and sit back and send positive waves towards you machine. The main KPPP window will be replaced with one entitled Connecting to: UMIST Dialup; messages within this should identify each of the following steps: Modem Ready, Initialising Modem, Dialling (at which poing the Log/Debug window should show a message Expecting CONNECT), Logging on to Network. Assuming the PPP daemon authenticates successfully the KPPP window will minimise. The output of /var/log/messages should look something like

       pppd 2.4.1 started by root, uid 0
       Feb 11 12:52:44 pinback pppd[2976]: Using interface ppp0
       Feb 11 12:52:44 pinback pppd[2976]: Connect: ppp0 <--> /dev/ttyS0
       Feb 11 12:52:48 pinback pppd[2976]: local  IP address 194.66.31.7
       Feb 11 12:52:48 pinback pppd[2976]: remote IP address 194.66.31.251
       

   
   
   
8. A successful connection attempt can be confirmed by making use of the netstat command:

       netstat -r
       Kernel IP routing table
       Destination    Gateway        Genmask         Flags  MSS Window  irtt Iface
       194.66.31.251  *              255.255.255.255 UH      40 0          0 ppp0
       127.0.0.0      *              255.0.0.0       U       40 0          0 lo
       default        194.66.31.251  0.0.0.0         UG      40 0          0 ppp0
       

   One would expect to see a ppp entry with a particular IP address (first of the three data lines) together with ppp as the default network route (last of the three data lines).

Gnome

Coming soon...

• Configuring pppd in Linux, Part I, Linux Journal, 2002 February and Configuring pppd in Linux, Part II, Linux Journal, 2002 March: these articles cover, in great low level detail, how to get your modem talking.
  
  
• The Linux PPP HowTo.
  
  
• The Linux Modem HowTo.
  
  
• The purpose of this page is (I quote) to identify consumer-grade modems systematically and to note compatibility with Linux as reported by you, the users.