Quoting Volker Kuhlmann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
> > Use the scanmodem program from linmodems.org to identify the hardware,
> do not
> > trust that the client knows exactly and correctly what all the details
> are.
> > Use google to verify the PCI id codes.
>
> Surely that's overkill?
Maybe, but I'd rather not waste time any more time fooling around on wild
goose chases because somebody did not know exactly what brand of modem and the
chips it used they had installed.
> There aren't that many different losemodem
> chips around (3 I believe - lucent, conexant, intel).
In addition to those you mention there are:-
Two sorts from Conexant. hcf and hsf - drivers from Linuxant.
Smart Link. slmodem
Motorola. sm56
There are also several which do not, and never will, have suitable Linux
drivers. I have also come across wierd Modems of anonymous east asian origin.
Let's not forget that the dear old POTS was designed to carry voices and the
whole business of data on POTS using modems is one huge cludge, Winmodems on
POTS is even worse. It's a miracle it ever works at all.
> lspci should tell
> you that much. Where e.g. knoppix might indeed help is to check whether
> any specific driver options may have to be used.
>
> > In effect this means getting a known good kernel archive and compiling
> it
> > yourself.
>
> I would never go that far. Use a better distro.
Indeed, but so far as I am aware _all_ Linux distros are a bit lacking in the
QA dept. Some are better than others, but those which get it correct for one
set of hardware fail somewhere else and others get it around the other way.
imho, it's a total waste of time and disk space farting around being a distro
jockey.
> Also, there should be no
> need to compile the whole kernel anyway, binary-only drivers these days
> should be a .o which is linked with some other glue code. You should
> only need to install the kernel headers and compile only the
> driver module (sometimes you can do this in any directory too).
_should_ is the operative word here. So far, my maxim has been "In Linus I
trust", and it has stood me in very good stead. Thus if I have to install an
external module I have had a very satisfactory degree of success rebuilding
the kernel and its modules from scratch so that it all links together without
problems.
On a modern machine, doing that is quicker than drinking a mug of coffee. I do
my thing while the machine does its job. All over in 20 mins or so. Look how
long people have had to fiddle and curse since the 'fest and they are _still_
doing it apparently. Compiling kernel sources is nothing to be frightened of.
> > Etch into your memory that the acronym RPM stands for Really Piss-poor
> Method.
>
> No comment
Pity. I thought I'd get a rise - congratulations.
> > That is the reason why most modem drivers are distributed as tar
> files.
>
> Now you're losing your usually good judgement. I can think of plenty of
> other reasons to explain the same effect. Scientifically that means
> your reasoning is unfounded.
May be, but it's really very valuable to be able to recompile driver sources
so that the linking loader can do its thing without screwing up. The modem
driver writers are well aware of that fact.
--
Sincerely etc.
Christopher Sawtell
