Thanks to Sridhar - I have posted that information to the support forum. Glen's post is great information. As I understand it, I need to set up a udev rule to load the proper productID, and an XML HAL entry to ensure NetworkManager gets notified when the device is plugged in. After that, I'm hoping NetworkManager "just works" and connects me. (I'm hoping it isn't fatal that I/NM do not know the NMEA 'sentences'.) Thanks, Tom
> Tom Deckert wrote: > > Hi, > > > > The 3G USBModem I purchase does not work when I plug it > > in to Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex. I want it to "just work". > > I emailed here, and Ubuntu Forums, and then finally thought > > to contact the manufacturer, ZTE. > > > > I told them adding Linux support would be easy, all they needed > > to do was provide information about their devices to the Linux > > community. > > > > On their support forum, they responded: "What information do you need?" > > > > > > So, what information do I need? To whom do I need to provide it? > > I know: > > > > Model: MF626 > > > > VendorID = 0x19d2 > > ProductID = 0x2000 (Storage) > > ProductID = 0x0031 (modem) > > > > A person at the ZTE forums reported the Device Map: > > > > DIAG VID=0x19D2,PID=0x0031 MI=00 > > NMEA VID=0x19D2,PID=0x0031 MI=01 > > TCard VID=0x19D2,PID=0x0031 MI=02 > > Modem VID=0x19D2,PID=0x0031 MI=03 > > > > The modem commands are: > > AT+ZOPRT=5 - makes the device to stay in online mode > > AT+ZCDRUN=8 - disables auto-run > > AT+CGDCONT - configures the correct APN profile > > These devices look like a modem to Linux. Like a modem > you issue AT commands and use PPP to establish the Internet > link. > > That's an illusion of course, since the PPP connection > terminates on the card itself, and the card communicates > with the telco infrastructure using another set of protocols. > > You can get a view of that world from the DIAG port, and the > protocol for that port is vendor-specific. Usefully, the DIAG > port will cough up received signal strength information. > > The NMEA port is a USB serial device view of an artificial > NMEA device (NMEA is the serial protocol used to network > boat electronics). The NMEA protocol could be used to access > the timing signal of the GSM protocol, or there might be a > full GPS receiver in the USB stick. You'll need to ask, and > you'll need specs on what NMEA "sentences" activate which > features. > > The Tcard is your USB storage device. Typically manufacturers are including > these to give distributors a simple way to distribute their driver > software with the device. I've only ever seen one device where this > also held the firmware for the device -- more typically the firmware > is upgraded through the DIAG port. > > > > I'm not sure who's job it is to figure out that when a > > MF626 is plugged in, it should ignore the USB Mass Storage > > and just set up the modem to run. > > You want all of the on-board devices to come up: you just > need to push the IDs into the USB serial driver (there's > module options if you want to experiment prior to coding). > > For the modem and NMEA serial devices you want the features > and the AT commands or NMEA sentences to use those features. > Sierra Wireless gives these out in their manuals, and they > are a nice example to provide your manufacturer. > > > Question: Should I file A) HAL bug report, B)NetworkManager > > bug report, C) HAL and NetworkManager bug reports? > > D) Something else? > > If the serial driver doesn't automatically load, then it needs > IDs added, and this involves udev. > > If it does load then it's up to HAL to organise the correct > user-space response. For the GSM modem that's sending a > D-Bus message with the serial device ID, which Network > Manager receives. Later NM understands GSM modems. > Although that sounds a lot of work, copying the XML > HAL configuration from another GSM modem is simple. > > As you can see, udev and HAL duplicate some functions, > and there's a move to combine the two. > > For the NMEA device, HAL doesn't understand these at all. > Which is a shame, as there's a growing need for applications > to share info from location and time devices. Without > developing all that, ensuring udev loads the USB serial > driver and you can see the sentences in a terminal emulator > is about all which can be done. > > The DIAG port will need a driver. From what I've seen to > date, this can be a trivial module layered over USB serial. > > The storage works, as it should. Would be worthwhile seeing > if there's a HAL option to hint to the desktop system not > to bring this device to the user's immediate attention > (ie, create desktop icon, but don't open the file manager). > > -- > Glen Turner <http://www.gdt.id.au/~gdt/> -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
