connecting to internet via usb modem dongle[solved]

luddite · **Posted:** Thu Jul 22, 2010 10:32 am

Hi

As someone relatively new to Linux have found Zenwalk a great Distro, virtually everything works out of the box. I had no real problems when using internet via Ethernet. Now I have to try and use internet access via a Huawei E220 dongle using t-mobile chip.
(I now don't have Ethernet)
I'm on here using windows xp on laptop , but want to get connected from desktop using Zenwalk.

On another distro was in the same situation and got connected using a kppp dial up, basically prefix number was *99# and then just entering pin number and long number on SIM as user ..that as it.

Not sure with Zenwalk have only WiCd as network manager. So far have got hold of usb_modeswitch-1.1.2-i486.txz

Have installed this as root using installpkg and got no dependancy
problems. From terminal typing usb-modeswitch -h ran and gave a long list; but at least it shows package is is there.

Ok my problem.. this is all very complicated.. what is the simple way to proceed and get a conection. ?

guess getting some data using lsusb would help

any pointers appreciated

stillborn · **Posted:** Thu Jul 22, 2010 10:40 am

did you try with wvdial and wstreams? also google found this http://www.techonia.com/install-huawei- ... -slackware and lot's of others.

HER0_01 · **Posted:** Thu Jul 22, 2010 2:51 pm

I would think that using wvdial would work. I use a sprint phone tethered to my computer with wvdial and it works just fine...but it seems there is software made specifically for your device.

A quick google search made me almost repost the same link as stillborn

luddite · **Posted:** Fri Jul 23, 2010 12:35 pm

ok thanks for posts.....

I guess there's nothing like trial and much error in learning Linux;
, had a go at wvdial and stream, output was clock skewed install incomplete.

Also played with usb_modeswitch

Finally remember having previously using gnome-ppp successfully..you know how we beginners panic on a command line and reach out for a friendly GUI!

Anyway installed tar.gz file with ./configure , make and make install no probs.Is wvdial part of gnome package?

From set up just used long sim number as user, pin as pin, *99# as prefix, also clicked "detect modem" which it did..looking promising ..
Got some interesting results as normal user log file stated permission denied to /dev/ ttyUSB0

so logged out and logged in as root. Ran gnome-ppp from menu and as far as can see it
worked:

gnome-ppp log was:

--> Ignoring malformed input line: ";Do NOT edit this file by hand!"

--> WvDial: Internet dialer version 1.61

--> Cannot get information for serial port.

--> Initializing modem.

--> Sending: ATZ
ATZ
OK

--> Sending: ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
OK

--> Modem initialized.

--> Sending: ATM1L3DT*99#

--> Waiting for carrier.
ATM1L3DT*99#
CONNECT

--> Carrier detected. Waiting for prompt.

--> Don't know what to do! Starting pppd and hoping for the best.

--> Starting pppd at Fri Jul 23 10:11:02 2010

--> Pid of pppd: 903
--> Using interface ppp0

--> local IP address 188.28.52.84

--> remote IP address 10.64.64.64

--> primary DNS address 217.171.135.1

--> secondary DNS address 217.171.132.1

, but browser couldn't connect to server.is that due to security and accessing internet as root ?

logged back as normal user and tried from terminal: chmod 777 /dev/ttyUSB0
to try and get round permission denied problem.
this time gnome-ppp started.. the error was no carrier. getting there the hard way as usual
am googling definition "no carrier". ..mm maybe should try bling ... or what ever its called if any one has a quick anwser please let me know

whats the best way and making gnome-ppp useable to normal user. Shoukld I have chmod a+x before installing ?

HER0_01 · **Posted:** Fri Jul 23, 2010 4:27 pm

I'm not sure about the ttyUSB0 permissions problems. Maybe you should see what group is belongs to and if you (your user) belong to the same one. Or change the group to match yours. I'm not sure.
Now that I think of it, I always run wvdial as root, because I made a series of scripts that connects my phone and requires root to install drivers.
If you want, I can post my scripts and help you adopt them to your needs. They aren't very elegant, but they (usually) get the job done.

As root, it seems to have connected properly.
You may be able to fix the "Don't know what to do! Starting pppd and hoping for the best." by turning on stupid mode in wvdial. In the configuration file (default is /etc/wvdial.conf), add

Code:

Stupid Mode = on

Also, for the "no carrier" error, you can try adding

Code:

Carrier Check = no

As for it being connected, but not working for anything, it could be that it isn't set as the default route, and/or the dns isn't set properly on your computer.
After connecting to the internet, can you post the output of

Code:

cat /etc/resolv.conf

and

Code:

su
route -n

If you decide you want to try my scripts, they automatically fix these two problems.

Hope that helps

luddite · **Posted:** Sat Jul 24, 2010 8:25 am

thanks hero_01,

try your scripts....?, i should coco to get connected i would be willing to dance round a candle chanting geronimo if it can get my internet connection working.

Anyway logged in at the desktop log in user screen as root gnome-ppp
connects; paid attention to connection log and it flicks in and out of "idle" and "sent"
As root gnome-ppp output was:
-> Ignoring malformed input line: ";Do NOT edit this file by hand!"
-> WvDial: Internet dialer version 1.61

--> Cannot get information for serial port.

--> Initializing modem.

--> Sending: ATZ
ATZ
OK

--> Sending: ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2
+FCLASS=0
OK
--> Modem initialized.

--> Sending: ATM1L3DT*99#
-
-> Waiting for carrier.
ATM1L3DT*99#
CONNECT

--> Carrier detected. Waiting for prompt.

--> Don't know what to do! Starting pppd and hoping for the best.

--> Starting pppd at Fri Jul 23 10:11:02 2010

--> Pid of pppd: 903

--> Using interface ppp0

--> local IP address 188.28.52.84

--> remote IP address 10.64.64.64

--> primary DNS address 217.171.135.1

--> secondary DNS address 217.171.132.1

then from terminal

root[~]# cat /etc/resolv.conf

nameserver 212.23.97.2
nameserver 212.23.97.3
nameserver 202.188.0.133 #kppp temp entry
nameserver 202.188.1.5 #kppp temp entry
root[~]#
root[~]#
root[~]# route -n
Kernel IP routing table
Destination Gateway Genmask Flags Metric Ref Use Iface
10.64.64.64 0.0.0.0 255.255.255.255 UH 0 0 0 ppp0
127.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 U 0 0 0 lo
0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 U 0 0 0 ppp0
root[~]#

as for normal user found an unticked box in user priveleges, ticked that and tried connection as normal user, output was :

gnoring malformed input line: ";Do NOT edit this file by hand!"
--> WvDial: Internet dialer version 1.61
--> Cannot get information for serial port.
--> Initializing modem.
--> Sending: ATZ
ATZ
OK
--> Sending: ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
OK
--> Modem initialized.
--> Sending: ATM1L3DT*99#,*99#
--> Waiting for carrier.
ATM1L3DT*99#,*99#
CONNECT
--> Carrier detected. Waiting for prompt.
--> Don't know what to do! Starting pppd and hoping for the best.
--> Starting pppd at Fri Jul 23 20:16:47 2010
--> Warning: Could not modify /etc/ppp/pap-secrets: Permission denied
--> --> PAP (Password Authentication Protocol) may be flaky.
--> Warning: Could not modify /etc/ppp/chap-secrets: Permission denied
--> --> CHAP (Challenge Handshake) may be flaky.
--> Pid of pppd: 2699
--> Disconnecting at Fri Jul 23 20:16:47 2010
--> The PPP daemon has died: No root priv error (exit code = 3)
--> man pppd explains pppd error codes in more detail.
--> I guess that's it for now, exiting
--> The PPP daemon has died. (exit code = 3)

looks like that would work, but for a permission problem.

HER0_01 · **Posted:** Sat Jul 24, 2010 4:33 pm

You should just stick to running it as root.
As I suspected, pppd is not setting the connection as the default route, nor is it adding the dns' ips.

Luckily I commented my scripts a lot, so they shouldn't be too hard to understand. I will help you change them to your needs. All of these should be copied into files and be placed in the same directory, then be made executable.

This first script is the one you should use to start the modem. You should change the line "cd /home/her0/.phonehack" (line 6) to the full path to the directory containing all of the scripts. It basically prompts for the root password if you are a normal user, then lets the others take over. There is no output as that is redirected to a file that one of the other scripts needs.
This can be named whatever you like, and doesn't have to be in the same folder as others, but it's neater that way. You can always link to it or point a .desktop to it.

Code:

#!/bin/bash
# Scripts to use the WM5 Sprint PPC 6700 as a modem
# Doesn't work as a non root user in a non graphical environment.

# Change to directory containing the scripts
cd /home/her0/.phonehack

# Make sure that the temporary file from a previous run isn't there, as
# it may cause problems. This step might be unnecessary thoug, and it is
# annoying because as a normal user you have to type in your password twice.
#if [ -e /tmp/wvdial.out ]; then
   #if [[ $UID = 0 ]]; then
      #rm /tmp/wvdial.out
   #else
      #gksu rm /tmp/wvdial.out
   #fi
#fi

# Launch scripts with root permissions Unfortunately there is no output.
if [[ $UID = 0 ]]; then
   $PWD/start-modem 2>/tmp/wvdial.out
else
   gksu $PWD/start-modem 2>/tmp/wvdial.out
fi

echo "Exiting"
exit

This next script must be named "start-modem" or the previous script won't work. This also wont work if you run it by itself, even with root permissions. You can probably comment out everything up to line 19 (sleep 1) as all that stuff is specific to my phone (loading drivers, plugging my phone in only after certain conditions have been met). For you, this script will simply run the other 2 scripts along with wvdial.
On line 27, where it starts wvdial, you can comment out the argument if you are using the default wvdial.conf found in /etc. Otherwise, change the path to the correct one. Unedited, this script looks for one in the same directory as the scripts.

Code:

#!/bin/bash
# Do not run this directly, it has a far lower chance of success!

# Checks if dialog or Xdialog should be used
if [[ "$DISPLAY" && "$(which Xdialog 2>&1 | grep -v "which: no")" ]]; then
   dialog="Xdialog --wrap --left --auto-placement --icon serviceconfig "
else
   dialog="dialog"
fi

# Start ipaq driver
modprobe ipaq vendor=0x0bb4 product=0x00cf

# Ask for the phone to be plugged in
$dialog --wrap --left --title "Modem" --msgbox \
"Please plug in your phone now, with the modem started." 0 0

# Wait to make sure that the phone is detected
sleep 1

# Dial up with helper scripts
# If wvdial.conf is not in the same directory as the scripts, either change
# the path to the correct one, or (if it's in /etc/wvdial.conf) comment out
# the --config $PWD/wvdial.conf argument altogether.
($PWD/fix-route) & \
($PWD/fix-dns) & \
wvdial --config $PWD/wvdial.conf

exit

This must be named "fix-route" for it to be run by the previous script. This is the only one besides the first that can be run by itself (as long as you are root). You shouldn't need to modify this.
It will make the ppp0 connection the default route for your computer.

Code:

#!/bin/bash
# Sets a connection named ppp0 as the default route. Can be run by itself
# as long as the user has root permissions.

# Wait for ppp0 to appear in the ip routing table
until route -n | grep -q ppp0; do
   sleep 0.5
done

# Remove meaningless default route
route del default

# Find remote ip address and set to default
REMOTE=`route -n | grep ppp0 | head -1 | cut -f 1 -d ' '`
route add default gw $REMOTE

exit

Again, this must be named "fix-dns" or it won't run. This also cannot really be run by itself, and it shouldn't need any editing to work for you.
This will add the dns address to your resolv.conf. If there are already servers named there, it will exit (to prevent adding tons of redundant entries) but this means that of an incorrect one is named, this won't fix it. Just make sure that none are named before you run this. I should probably edit this script to fix that...

Code:

#!/bin/bash
# Checks if at least one dns server is named (or tries to) and if not, it
# adds any found in wvdial.out. Cannot be run by itself if /tmp/wvdial.out
# does not contain lines with "dns" that have the servers' ip at the end.

# Check if any dns servers are already listed. Exits if true.
if [[ "`grep nameserver /etc/resolv.conf | head -1`" == "nameserver *.*.*.*" ]]; then
   exit
else
# Waits for DNS address to be named
   until grep -i -q dns /tmp/wvdial.out; do
      sleep 0.5
   done
# Finds primary and secondary DNS servers and adds them to resolv.conf
   DNS1=`grep -i dns /tmp/wvdial.out | head -1 | cut -c 27-`
   DNS2=`grep -i dns /tmp/wvdial.out | tail -1 | cut -c 27-`
   echo "nameserver $DNS1" | tee -a /etc/resolv.conf
   echo "nameserver $DNS2" | tee -a /etc/resolv.conf
fi

# Waits so that you may look at the wvdial.out if you're fast enough.
sleep 60
# Removes temporary file (no littering, people)
rm -f /tmp/wvdial.out

exit

And that's it, everything else is up to the config files. I hope these work for you. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask.

luddite · **Posted:** Sun Jul 25, 2010 5:38 pm

Ok thanks if we can get this working will put experience for others on wiki. Copied files and saved them as : scriptone.sh (first script)
fix-dns.sh
fix-route.sh
start-modem.sh

in folder "modem" which is in root home folder .
on line 5 where it has cd to file commented out since after logging in as root at boot up screen ran terminal ,which is already #prompt
to modem folder and tried #sh scriptone.sh output was just
line 26: syntax error: unexpected end of file,and nothing else. Have I goofed somewhere ?

HER0_01 · **Posted:** Sun Jul 25, 2010 5:55 pm

Yes, the files don't need the *.sh. If you want to keep the names that way for easier identification you can, but I'm pretty sure you have to remove the suffix if you want it to just work. Also, make sure that you made all the scripts executable

Oops...I just found an error in the fix-dns script. On line 7 it should read

Code:

if [[ "`grep nameserver /etc/resolv.conf | head -1`" == "nameserver *.*.*.*" ]]; then

I also decided that on the first script that starts it all, everything between line 11 and line 17 is unimportant (the part that deletes the temporary file), so I commented it out.

luddite · **Posted:** Sun Aug 01, 2010 7:03 pm

Hi

have had another go at scripts, due to downloading with windows
files downloaded as .txt even when choosing "all files"

Opened with vim and re-saved removing txt , scripts show as "cog" type icons so assume they
are in correct format. Ran from terminal and getting syntax error "unexpected end of file"
.

Also played with usb_modeswitch from lsusb got 12d1:1003 for
Huawei E220 (E156G) dongle. After installing usb_modeswitch ran using
usb_modeswitch -v 12d1 -p 1003 -H
system accepted but output was no serial number data entered or words to effect.

Played with wvdial and found wvdial.conf in /usr/src/wvdial-1.61/wvdial.conf and
also /etc/wvdial.conf

on running got waiting for prompt.. etc ..connecting then exit code = 2 (something mutually
exclusive) assumed some clash and a duplication so then tried
wvdial -C /usr/src/wvdial-1.61/wvdial.conf but same thing happened.Also ran wvdialconf
/etc/wvdial.conf - didn't help much

(At least i've learned a lot about wvdial and conf files!)

Googled about exit code 2, plently of posts but didn't find one where they knew the answer.
Apparently Gkdial is better config wise but couldn't see one in packages and guess since
using gnome desktop might clash. What about using wine and trying to get it to work like windows using drivers inside modem ? not sure where to go from here. Due to fly out to Ghana 15th August .They
have cellular routers with ethernet connectors on back , so maybe give modem dongles a rest
and try router when out in Ghana.

HER0_01 · **Posted:** Mon Aug 02, 2010 7:14 pm

With script gave the error, and what line did it say it ended on? This never happens to me, so it probably has to do with how you commented them. If you get the scripts working, this will be a lot easier.

luddite · **Posted:** Wed Aug 04, 2010 7:45 pm

hi Hero

I installed Zencafe 2.2 and am now connected with a huawei E220/ E156G on a three.co.uk usb modem.

Cutting sections from your scripts and pasting directly into terminal window , things started engaging but couldn't get as far as browser up. Also I tried every permutation to run scripts such as $ bash script, sh script.sh and ./script but got couldn't get them to run.

On a parallel effort came across a he220rc2 Huwaei installer , unpacked it , etc .. it put a lot of dtat

Best i can do for any other lost souls is to post copy of any of my config files they want to look at

output from terminal was:

ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 +FCLASS=0
OK
--> Sending: AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","internet"
AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","internet"
OK
--> Modem initialized.
--> Sending: ATDT*99#
--> Waiting for carrier.
ATDT*99#
CONNECT
--> Carrier detected. Starting PPP immediately.
--> Starting pppd at Wed Aug 4 19:24:11 2010
--> Pid of pppd: 1321
--> Using interface ppp0
--> pppd: ló[06][08]
--> pppd: ló[06][08]
--> pppd: ló[06][08]
--> pppd: ló[06][08]
--> pppd: ló[06][08]
--> local IP address 10.53.85.220
--> pppd: ló[06][08]
--> remote IP address 10.64.64.64
--> pppd: ló[06][08]
--> primary DNS address 172.31.140.69
--> pppd: ló[06][08]
--> secondary DNS address 172.30.140.69
--> pppd: ló[06][08]

HER0_01 · **Posted:** Wed Aug 04, 2010 8:48 pm

Did you give the scripts executable permission?

luddite · **Posted:** Thu Aug 05, 2010 6:46 pm

yes on right clicking file , properties, permissions, there is a tickable box stating allow this file to run as a programme, which i left clicked to get the tick entered.

However have had another play with scripts , this time copying and pasting using Zencafe system now i'm on line,straight from your forum post and using mousepad to save. The first of your scripts i named "script_one" output of terminal was :

root[modem]# bash script_one
Exiting
root[modem]#

thus "Exiting" is your echo output, and no errors. Previously I could only get online with Windows, copied your script and pasted into notepad, using windows , then to a usb pen drive, then to Zenwalk/ Zencafe .

The only thing I can think of for the difference in output now, and previously is that somehow the windows notepad, then subsequent transfer involved some corruption to the end file- thats my greenhorn theory anyway !

haven't played with other scripts yet but its looking more positive. Will have to box up this last desktop soon and ship out abroad, so could be a couple of weeks to post findings.

HER0_01 · **Posted:** Thu Aug 05, 2010 9:52 pm

Hm...maybe windows saves it in a different encoding $:-\$ well if you get it to work then thats great. As always, ask if you need help.

connecting to internet via usb modem dongle[solved]

Who is online