[AuckLUG] RE: Installing Linux

[David Bowen]

Richard Innes wrote:
>
>
> Now to the solution to my problem. For whatever reason Ubuntu does not 
> support dial up modems. I got as far as configuring the pppd but 
> failed to discover how to connect,activate/ turn on the demon. Someone 
> suggested adding it as an applet which I tried without success.  The 
> on line help is useless in these kind of situation sand I agree with 
> the recent comparison of Ubuntu with Vista that the help provided in 
> Linux is written by geeks who have no concept of how non geeks view 
> their programs. Fortunately I stumbled on a site, Ubuntu Geek through 
> Google (I Googled 'dial up' in Ubuntu), where not only was there a 
> concise, easy to follow directions on how to configure ppp (which I 
> had already managed) but which went to the next step and told one how 
> to connect/activate or this case turn ppp on and off. These simple 
> commands - pon, poff - were followed with examples of how to add the 
> provider command and thus get the thing working. Now why couldn't that 
> be covered in the help file? Though the wording given wasn't quite 
> compatible with my set up it took just a few minutes of experimenting 
> and viola! I had a working internet connection. After declining the 
> updates (over 83mb) I immediately set about down loading, installing, 
> and configuring Gnome ppp, which, since Ubuntu is supposed to be a 
> Gnome based distro, should have been included in the installation.
>
> I know dial up is rapidly going the way of the old trusty floppy 
> drive, but there still will be circumstances when such a connection 
> maybe the only way into the internet. 

Hi Richard

The easiest method I found is to use Modem lights.
Right click on the application launch panel at the top of the screen and 
click on add to panel.
Under "*system and hardware*" select "*modem monitor*" and "*network 
monitor*" is a good idea too.
Right click on the modem monitor icon and select properties and set up 
the ISP etc.
Then right click and click launch to dial.
It can be a bit flaky at times so if that happens you may have to go to 
the System, Administration, Networking menu and right click on there to 
get it to dial if it gets confused after the modem drops off by itself.
If your modem is not set up as /dev/modem you can delete that from the 
setup of Modem monitor and type in for example on mine I put /dev/536ep0 
for an Intel 536 chipset.

Hope that helps

David