SURVEY: Recent TP modem support in Linux

[Brian Wallen]

I've found two threads that complain about T60 modems not working in Linux. One user didn't mention the distro he was using, the other mentioned trying the SLED 10 tools.

My T43 uses an Intel 82891FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) AC'97 Modem Controller. I can't get a dial connection in Xandros 4.

How many people here are having modem problems in Linux on recent TP models?

If this is a widespread problem, how do we put our weight behind getting it resolved?

[christopher_wolf]

Ubuntu and the more recent SuSE distros have worked fine with the modem on my T43 as well as all the other Thinkpads I have put them on. Although I can say that you do have to fiddle with it depending on how the distro set it up to begin with.

To even think about getting weight behind it, one needs to prove that it deviates from the expected performance even after following what, should be, the recommended/standard way to configure it under a given distro. What is standard and what is normal, however, varies from distro to distro.

[Brian Wallen]

Nightstorm reported that he couldn't get the modem to work using openSuSE 10.1 on a TP 60p; I think he was implying that he was using the Thinkpad tools that IBM/Lenovo have recently made available for SLED. http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=29140 I'll try installing openSuSE on an extra partition on my T43 to see if the standard dialup feature will work.

I'll see if Xandros Tech Support has any recommendations.

If SuSE/SLED reliably work, then I don't imagine that Lenovo will be very concerned.

Thanks.

[Brian Wallen]

I have not been able to get the T43 modem to work in either Xandros 4 or openSuSE 10.1, which I just installed and am unfamiliar with.

In TP BIOS, both the modem and serial port are enabled.

Xandros Hardware Detection reports the correct modem and that has loaded an snd-intel8x0m driver. The Xandros dialer seems to succeed in initializing the modem, but then reports no dial tone. There is one.

In SuSE, hardware detection finds the modem and presents a message that NetworkManager is enabled and that I might want to use kinternet instead. Detection shows the correct modem, referring to it as modem0, mode=unknown, started manually. I've entered a provider and I've set up kinternet. Clicking the kinternet icon causes it to attempt a connection, but that fails. kinternet log shows that it tries to initialize the modem, but the modem doesn't respond. I've tried kppp. It reports that it can't open the modem.

The hardware works. Booted with a W2k HD, I can connect to two different ISPs.

I dumped the SuSE detection log; here are a couple of sections that refer to the modem which may be meaningful to someone that understand this detection protocol:

------------------
.
.
baum@/dev/ttyS0[0]:
>> modem.1: serial
****** started child process 16852 (15s/120s) ******
>> modem.2: init
>> modem.3.1: at test
>> modem.3.2: at test
>> modem.3.3: at test
>> modem.3.4: at test
>> modem.4: init string
>> modem.5: speed
>> modem.5: pnp id
----- serial modems -----
/dev/ttyS0
not a modem
----- serial modems end -----
****** stopped child process 16852 (120s) ******
----- serial modems -----
/dev/ttyS0
not a modem
----- serial modems end -----
.
.
27: PCI 1e.3: 0703 Modem (Generic)
[Created at pci.300]
UDI: /org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/pci_8086_266d
Unique ID: iL_V.Xtsmqk0NHgE
SysFS ID: /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1e.3
SysFS BusID: 0000:00:1e.3
Hardware Class: modem
Model: "IBM 82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) AC'97 Modem Controller"
Vendor: pci 0x8086 "Intel Corporation"
Device: pci 0x266d "82801FB/FBM/FR/FW/FRW (ICH6 Family) AC'97 Modem Controller"
SubVendor: pci 0x1014 "IBM"
SubDevice: pci 0x0576
Revision: 0x03
I/O Ports: 0x2400-0x24ff (rw)
I/O Ports: 0x2000-0x207f (rw)
IRQ: 217 (no events)
Module Alias: "pci:v00008086d0000266Dsv00001014sd00000576bc07sc03i00"
Driver Info #0:
Driver Status: snd_intel8x0m is not active
Driver Activation Cmd: "modprobe snd_intel8x0m"
Config Status: cfg=no, avail=yes, need=no, active=unknown
-------------------------------------

[JohnDrake]

Here are some Linux drivers for the T60p, including the modem

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 5367#modem

[Brian Wallen]

I have tried John's suggestion and the technical complications of kernel sources, libraries and recompilation was more than I was comfortable with. In addition, Nightstorm reported earlier that he tried the SLED tools and found that they didn't correctly detect the modem.

After three rounds with Xandros technical support, we seem not much nearer to finding a solution.

christopher_wolf, you said you hadn't had problems with recent distros. Did that include openSuSE 10.1? My "fiddling" has been limited to port names and trying kinternet and kppp dialers. Other suggestions for SuSE?

[Brian Wallen]

Xandros Tech Support has been unable to find a solution to the modem not being recognized correctly by Xandros 4.

I find this Xandros announcement ironic:

NEW YORK, NY-- Xandros, the leading provider of easy-to-use Linux alternatives to Windows, today announced an immediate solution for the 50 million 'disenfranchised' Windows 98, 98SE and ME customers left without support and security patches. In response to the recent announcement by Microsoft to suspend support to these customers, Xandros is providing affected users a special opportunity to upgrade their now unsupported and vulnerable Windows systems to Xandros' recently released Desktop Home Edition or Home Edition Premium, a secure and stable Windows alternative with full support and online update facilities.

I guess that the modem not working is part of the security--it's harder to get infected if the machine can't be connected to the Internet--but is this really enfranchisment?