How to get a dial-up 'net connect with Linux on a laptop?

[jerry davis]

On Saturday 24 December 2005 04:44 am, Josef Lowder wrote:
> Thanks to all who responded ...
> My follow-up comments and questions interspersed below:
>
> == One wrote:
> > You say modem in one moment, and wireless in another.
> > Maybe you should tell us what hardware your using for
> > the connection, then we'll be able to help you out.
> > Besides, it wasn't Microsoft that supported that hardware,
> > it was HP that chose it and packaged the drivers for it.
> > Remember, the manufacturers of the hardware make the drivers.
>
> I referred to both modem and wireless because I want to be able
> to connect both by modem and by wireless.  I wrote that I wanted:
> "... to get one that can connect to the 'net with an internal modem
> and [also] get a wireless connect" ...  Obviously, wireless only
> access is useless if and when there is no wireless signal available.
>
> The HP laptop that I purchased has the following:
> - Athlon 64 processor, 512 meg ram, 60-gig hd
> - Broadcom 802.11b/g Wlan
> - Internal modem AC97 Data Fax Soft Modem with Smart CP
> 	on PCI bus0, device 20, function 6
> I chose it because of what I thought was a good price/value at $799.
>
> == Another wrote:
> > 1. unless the "internal" modem is one which is a well known
> > device to linux. it is a hopeless cause.
> > 2. you are better off getting a pcmcia modem
> > 3. go to http://linuxlaptops.org for all things laptop'ish
> > 4. for internal wireless, that is usually, the same as #1
> > EXCEPT for the Intel Wireless 2950ABG.
> > I bought a no-name laptop (had one made actually) and I specifically
> > said I wanted a Intel Centrino "M" chip and an Intel Wireless 2950ABG.
> > This worked OUT OF THE BOX with Mandriva 2005.
>
> Where did you get this laptop and what is the rest of its config
> and what price?  Is the Centrino "M" chip superior to the Athlon 64
> for this purpose?
>
> Can you also modem connect?

I am a recent transplant from Milwaukee, I bought it there at a local PC fixit 
place. I ordered it from them.  One of the fixit guys actually superficially 
knew linux. Generally, I like to do business with the small mom and pop shop 
(because they need the business more than a big outfit, who doesn't care -- 
you're just another customer to them). I hope to find a small mom and pop 
shop out here, when the time comes again.

I don't have any of the paper-work (its in a box)
But I pulled most of this out of dmesg:

I got 768MB memory
Centrino Intel Pentium M processor 1.86GHz
TSSTcorpCD/DVDW TS-L532A
Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG
5 USB ports, (I use one of them for my garmin GPS60cs)
and an internal modem and internal Ethernet port.
(The internal Ethernet port works, I don't know about the modem -- I haven't 
used one of them in years)

Got it all for $1400.00 6 months ago. I thought it was as good a deal as any. 
I might have paid a little more than the "bargain of the moment" at a big 
store, but they did exactly what I wanted, I got good parts, and I knew I was 
helping to put 'taters on the table' for the owner of the store. Literally, 
Mom worked the counter and did the paperwork while Dad did the work. So this 
was literally a Mom and Pop store.

I deal the same way with all outfits, I prefer little Mom and Pop outfits for 
most things.

Sorry for the off topic-ness of some of my response ...
It just gives you some insight into my thinking.

I hope this helps.

Jerry

>
> > Well not quite out of the box ... let me explain ...
> > The wireless device came up as eth2, and Mandriva 2005 out of the box,
> > configured it correctly but ALSO configured the Shorewall Firewall at
> > the same time. The Firewall kept me from getting to the outside world
> > with eth2. After some head scratching and googling. I figured out how to
> > add eth2 to my firewall configuration, and immediately it "worked".
>
> Thanks again for the very helpful feedback and information.
>
> Joe
>
> -------------------
>
> I originally wrote:
> > On Friday 23 December 2005 06:52 pm, Josef Lowder wrote:
> > > I've tried, Mandriva, PCLOS, Mepis, Xandros, and Ubuntu on my new
> > > laptop, and none of them seem to be able to provide a modem connect to
> > > the 'net.
> > >
> > > Why does this have to be so incredibly complicated?  Do I need to take
> > > this new HP Pavilion ZV6100 back and get something different in order
> > > to get one that can connect to the 'net with an internal modem and
> > > get a wireless connect?  Why should one have to waste so much time
> > > jumping through so many nuisance hoops to try to solve this mystery?
> > >
> > > While I hope to avoid M$ as much as possible, I do have to give them
> > > credit in the fact that everything works, "out of the box" on this HP.
> > >
> > > Isn't there some Linux distro that can match that performance
> > > on a laptop at a reasonable price?

-- 
Hobbit Name: Pimpernel Loamsdown
Registered Linux User: 275424
 
Today's Fortune: I owe, I owe,
It's off to work I go...