I don't recall the note about PCI bus modems, but I do know that ALL
internal modems have some hit-or-miss characteristics under Linux. So ...
1. What is the make and model of the modem?
2. Does setserial report a UART type for the appropriate device, or just a
port and interrupt? (The latter two don't prove anything; setserial is just
reporting the port and interrupt the /dev/ttyS* entry is set to use, as you
can verify by checking seterial against a /dev/ttyS* entry that has no
associated physical device, like /dev/ttyS16, which is usually set to access
a port in a multiport serial card. On the other hand, if it reports a UART
type without your having set the UART type first, it really found a physical
device on the /dev/ttyS* .)
3. The core problem with internal modems is that many of them are
"Winmodems." These are not real modems, just a board with a DSP that
requires specialized software to act like a modem. The manufacturers write
the drivers for Windows but not for other OSs like Linux, and I know of no
Linux drivers available for any of these sort-of modems. The (new) Modem
HowTo at sunsite explains this better than I just did.
4. Number 3 may or may not apply to the actual modem you bought, but you
should look at the documentation that came with it to see if it addresses
this issue. It is unlikely to apply to any ISA modem you may buy, but you
should check there as well.
5. The (new) Modem HowTo at sunsite says this about PCI modems:
"A PCI modem card is one which inserts into a PCI-bus slot on the
motherboard of a PC. On the net, it's claimed by some (but not all) that
Linux doesn't support PCI modems. Of course if it's a Winmodem or if the
interface doesn't emulate a serial port, it's not supported. All PCI modems
that I've seen for sale state the Windows is required. After you install a
PCI modem, look at /proc/pci and if you see an IRQ and an I/O address that
is under 0xFFFF ??, then it might work OK. If instead of an I/O address you
see a high memory address, it probably works by shared memory which is not
supported by Linux. The fact that some people have gotten PCI modems to work
under Linux indicates that it's possible in some cases." You might try the
check of /proc/pci suggested here.
Hope some of this helps. I use an external modem myself, but I wish it were
straightforward to get a good, moderately price internal modem that worked
with Linux. So good luck, and do let us know if you get something working.
At 05:28 PM 12/22/98 -0600, Eugene R. Worth, M.D. wrote:
>Advice and comments ...
>
>I purchased an internal PCI bus PnP modem. The BIOS recognizes the modem,
>and setserial identifies the port and interrupt for the modem.
>
>Minicom acts like it is trying to put the modem on-line ... but nothing
>happens. As I work my way through the modem, serial, and ppp HOWTOs, I came
>across the parenthetical comment that PCI bus modems are not supported and
>may not function. Thanks for that buried nugget of wisdom ... :>{
>
>Has anyone made a PCI modem work? Any suggestions as to how to proceed. My
>next step will be to purchase a Practical Peripherals or 3Com modem of the
>ISA bus variety.
>
>Thanks in advance for you comments.
>
>gene
>
>
>
------------------------------------"Never tell me the odds!"---
Ray Olszewski -- Han Solo
762 Garland Drive
Palo Alto, CA 94303-3603
650.321.3561 voice 650.322.1209 fax [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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