[clug] Vodafone USB modem connect assistance

Sun Feb 3 08:00:08 GMT 2008

Gary said :
> Otherwise, post your ppp config and we'll pick it to pieces :-)

OK, aa. As will become obvious, I really don't know what I'm doing here :-(

As I said, the modem works fine on MSWindows. Here is the connect log from
there :

=====================================================
02-03-2008 17:34:16.703 - File: C:\WINDOWS\system32\tapisrv.dll, Version
5.1.2600
02-03-2008 17:34:16.703 - File: C:\WINDOWS\system32\unimdm.tsp, Version
5.1.2600
02-03-2008 17:34:16.703 - File: C:\WINDOWS\system32\unimdmat.dll, Version
5.1.2600
02-03-2008 17:34:16.703 - File: C:\WINDOWS\system32\uniplat.dll, Version
5.1.2600
02-03-2008 17:34:16.718 - File: C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\modem.sys,
Version 5.1.2600
02-03-2008 17:34:16.734 - File: C:\WINDOWS\system32\modemui.dll, Version
5.1.2600
02-03-2008 17:34:16.734 - File: C:\WINDOWS\system32\mdminst.dll, Version
5.1.2600
02-03-2008 17:34:16.734 - Modem type: HUAWEI Mobile Connect - 3G Modem
02-03-2008 17:34:16.734 - Modem inf path: oem16.inf
02-03-2008 17:34:16.734 - Modem inf section: Modem0
02-03-2008 17:34:16.734 - Matching hardware ID: usb\vid_12d1&pid_1003&mi_00
02-03-2008 17:34:16.796 - 460800,8,N,1, ctsfl=0, rtsctl=1
02-03-2008 17:34:16.843 - Initializing modem.
02-03-2008 17:34:16.843 - CD is high while initializing modem.
02-03-2008 17:34:16.859 - Send: AT<cr>
02-03-2008 17:34:16.859 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
02-03-2008 17:34:16.859 - Interpreted response: OK
02-03-2008 17:34:16.875 - Send: AT&FE0V1X1&D2&C1S0=0<cr>
02-03-2008 17:34:16.890 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
02-03-2008 17:34:16.890 - Interpreted response: OK
02-03-2008 17:34:16.906 - Send: AT<cr>
02-03-2008 17:34:16.906 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
02-03-2008 17:34:16.906 - Interpreted response: OK
02-03-2008 17:34:16.906 - Waiting for a call.
02-03-2008 17:34:16.921 - Send: ATS0=0<cr>
02-03-2008 17:34:16.921 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
02-03-2008 17:34:16.921 - Interpreted response: OK
02-03-2008 17:34:16.921 - 115200,8,N,1, ctsfl=1, rtsctl=2
02-03-2008 17:34:16.953 - Initializing modem.
02-03-2008 17:34:16.968 - Send: AT<cr>
02-03-2008 17:34:16.968 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
02-03-2008 17:34:16.968 - Interpreted response: OK
02-03-2008 17:34:16.984 - Send: AT&FE0V1X1&D2&C1S0=0<cr>
02-03-2008 17:34:17.000 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
02-03-2008 17:34:17.000 - Interpreted response: OK
02-03-2008 17:34:17.015 - Send: AT<cr>
02-03-2008 17:34:17.015 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
02-03-2008 17:34:17.015 - Interpreted response: OK
02-03-2008 17:34:17.015 - Dialing.
02-03-2008 17:34:17.031 - Send: ATDT*##***##<cr>
02-03-2008 17:34:17.031 - Recv: <cr><lf>CONNECT 7200000<cr><lf>
02-03-2008 17:34:17.031 - Interpreted response: Connect
02-03-2008 17:34:17.031 - Receive Connect but CD was low, Waiting for signal
to go high
02-03-2008 17:34:17.062 - After waiting 20ms CD is still low.
02-03-2008 17:34:17.093 - CD has been raised
02-03-2008 17:34:17.093 - Connection established at 7200000bps.
02-03-2008 17:34:17.093 - Error-control off or unknown.
02-03-2008 17:34:17.093 - Data compression off or unknown.
=====================================================

And it's off and running.

Now, my current attempt at connecting on OpenSuse 10.3 is based on doing a
config in OpenSuse 10.3 YAST, and specifying the fields it asks for.

This apparently gives me a file here :
/etc/sysconfig/network/providers/provider0
that looks like this :

=====================================================
ASKPASSWORD='no'
AUTODNS='yes'
AUTO_RECONNECT='yes'
DEFAULTROUTE='yes'
DEMAND='no'
DSLSUPPORTED='no'
IDLETIME='300'
IPADDR=''
ISDNSUPPORTED='no'
MODEMSUPPORTED='yes'
MODIFYDNS='yes'
MODIFYIP='yes'
PASSWORD=''
PHONE='*99***1#'
PROVIDER='vodafone'
REMOTE_IPADDR=''
STUPIDMODE='no'
USERNAME=''
=====================================================

Notice the USERNAME='' line.

>From what I read on the web, and from the YAST questions, it seems I need a
username and password, which seems logical. So I rang Vodafone to ask what
they were. The tech support line said I didn't need one, that the incoming
phone number from the modem was the authorisation. OK, so what should I put
in the username field? YAST dialog edits insist on a value. So, I entered #
temporarily and opened up /etc/sysconfig/network/providers/provider0 with vi
and removed the #. Sounds dodgy already...

Also note the phone number line : PHONE='*99***1#'
I cribbed this from the reading I did on the web. Don't know if it is
correct for Oz.
I note it is the same sort of form as from the MSWindows connect log :
ATDT*##***##

Then, I tried to connect using the kinternet tool that YAST implied. This
gives me the following log :

=====================================================
SuSE Meta pppd (smpppd-ifcfg), Version 1.59 on linux-e.
Status is: disconnected
trying to connect to smpppd
connect to smpppd
Status is: disconnected
Status is: connecting
pppd[0]: Plugin passwordfd.so loaded.
pppd[0]: --> WvDial: Internet dialer version 1.56 (abuild at mandelbrot)
pppd[0]: --> Initializing modem.
pppd[0]: --> Sending: ATZ
pppd[0]: ATZ
pppd[0]: OK
pppd[0]: --> Sending: AT Q0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
pppd[0]: AT Q0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
pppd[0]: OK
pppd[0]: --> Sending: ATM1
pppd[0]: ATM1
pppd[0]: OK
pppd[0]: --> Modem initialized.
pppd[0]: --> Sending: ATDT*99***1#
pppd[0]: --> Waiting for carrier.
pppd[0]: ATDT*99***1#
pppd[0]: CONNECT
pppd[0]: --> Carrier detected.  Waiting for prompt.
pppd[0]: --> Don't know what to do!  Starting pppd and hoping for the best.
pppd[0]: Serial connection established.
pppd[0]: Renamed interface ppp0 to modem0
pppd[0]: Using interface modem0
Status is: connecting
pppd[0]: Connect: modem0 <--> /dev/ttyUSB0
pppd[0]: CHAP authentication succeeded
pppd[0]: CHAP authentication succeeded
pppd[0]: Hangup (SIGHUP)
pppd[0]: Modem hangup
pppd[0]: Connection terminated.
Status is: disconnected
pppd[0] died: A modem hung up the phone (exit code 16)
=====================================================

It looks to me as though it was almost there, but something failed late in
the piece.

Any thoughts? Or suggestions for more reading or a different approach to the
one I used with YAST and kinternet? I previously tried calling wvdial
directly, but the approach above got me (apparently) closer.

Thanks,
James