Linux-Hardware Digest #729, Volume #10 Sat, 10 Jul 99 22:13:26 EDT
Contents:
Re: 3Com USR 56K FaxModem and RedHat 6.0 (Frank Roberts)
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From: Frank Roberts <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: 3Com USR 56K FaxModem and RedHat 6.0
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 01:49:58 GMT
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Please see the following 3 Com Data Sheets for operation and installation
instructions:
Andy wrote:
> I have the same modem and recently got it working under RH 5.2
> Breathe a sigh of relief, it is NOT a Winmodem.
> The board itself is set to IRQ 12 and Address 0x03e8. Use these settings
> in isapnp.conf and configure your /dev/cua2 to these. If you need further
> help doing this, just ask or e-mail me at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Andy
>
> Jonathan Bruce wrote:
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > Can any give me some tips as to how I get get this modem working with
> > RedHat Linux 6.0. It's an internel ISA modem (product code 568702)- so
> > is it a WinModem, thus rendering it useless for Linux ?? I can't seem
> > to find this out from the 3Com site or the documentation :-(
> >
> > If anyone can give me a few pointers as to how I can setup this modem,
> > I'd really appreciate it !
> >
> > Cheers
> >
> > -Jonathan
> >
> > Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
> > Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
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Subject: Document Number 10550
Date: Wed, 7 Apr 1999 21:23:21 -0500
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Optimizing the Windows Serial Interface for High Speed Connections
For optimal data throughput, we recommend setting you communications
software's serial port(baud) rate at the highest possible speed(i.e.
19,200, 38400, 57600, or 115200 bps). Take note, not all computers
have a serial interface that can support the higher connection speeds.
How fast your computer's serial interface can go, depends on what type
of UART chip and communications driver your computer uses. To optimize
your computer's serial interface, you will need to know the following:
* The COM Port your modem is attached to.
* What type of UART(see document 10589) chip is in your computer.
* The Port Address of the COM Port the modem is attached to.
* The IRQ of the COM Port the modem is attached to.
Using MSD
To locate the above information, you can use Microsoft's diagnostics
program included with most versions of MS-DOS. If you do not have
access to DOS, consult your operating system manual for information on
how to access this data. Use the following steps to access this
information in DOS:
1. Exit Windows completely. Do not open a DOS Window.
2. Turn on your modem.
3. At the DOS prompt, type MSD and hit ENTER.
4. Select C to view the serial device settings.
5. Find the line UART Chip Used, and cross over to the COM Port
your modem is on(the COM Port that has both DSR and CTS marked
with a "Yes" is your modem). Write down the UART type and the
Port Address(e.g., 02F8H) on the worksheet below.
6. Press ENTER to exit the COM Ports Window, then press Q to
enter IRQ Status.
7. Locate the line that contains your modem's COM Port(e.g.,
COM2) and write down the IRQ number at the beginning of that
line(i.e., "3").
8. Exit MSD and run Windows again.
Worksheet
COM: ___ UART Type: ________ Port Address:__________ IRQ: ___
After you have successfully determined what type of UART chip your COM
Port is using, run your communications program and set the serial
port(baud) rate according to the following guidelines:
UART 16550 or 16550AF Set your communications software to the highest
serial port rate it allows(up to 115200). If
you encounter problems after changing the
port rate, try lowering it one setting.
UART 16450 or 8250 Set your communications software's port rate to
19200.
Modifying your SYSTEM.INI File
Windows 3.1/3.11(not Workgroup), uses a communications driver called
COMM.DRV. Your modem's performance can be improved by replacing this
default communications driver with a different driver, such as
WFXCOMM.DRV(download off our BBS at 847-982-5092 or FTP Site at
ftp.usr.com) or CYBERCOM.DRV(see document 10251). These files are
placed in your WINDOWS/SYSTEM directory.
Note: Your communications software may have already replaced this
driver. The examples below show you how to check if you are
still using COMM.DRV.
Changing the Communications Driver
The following steps describe the process of replacing the COMM.DRV
setting in your Windows SYSTEM.INI file, with the new driver:
1. Make a backup copy of your Windows SYSTEM.INI file.
2. Open Windows Notepad in the Accessories group.
3. Under File/Open type SYSTEM.INI as the filename, and press
ENTER.
4. The SYSTEM.INI file is broken into sections, each separated by
bracketed text. The first section, the [boot] section(pictured
below), is where COMM.DRV is assigned.
Figure 1. The [boot] section of the SYSTEM.INI file:
[boot]
shell=progman.exe
mouse.drv=mouse.drv
network.drv=netware.drv
language.dll=
sound.drv=mmsound.drv
comm.drv=comm.drv
keyboard.drv=keyboard.drv
system.drv=atmsys.drv
Note: If your communications software has already replaced the
COMM.DRV driver with its own driver, you can use that
driver and skip to step 5.
Change the line:
comm.drv=comm.drv
to
comm.drv=wfxcomm.drv
or
If you install Cybercom, the installer will take care
of this for you.
Note: If you are running Windows for Workgroups, Windows 3.11,
Windows 95, or Windows NT, do not replace the default COM
driver.
5. Make changes to the serial interface parameters, as outlined on
the next page.
Changing the Serial Port Interface Parameters
Page down to the end of the [386enh] section of the SYSTEM.INI
file(right before the next set of brackets). There should be a list of
parameters that starts with COM. Below is a list of settings or
parameters for the Windows serial port interface:
1. Check to see if you have the following lines:
COM3Base=3E8h
COM3Irq=4
COM4Base=02E8
COM4Irq=3
If you do, delete them, or remark them out as shown below:
;COM3Base=3E8h
;COM3Irq=4
;COM4Base=02E8
;COM4Irq=3
Note: Only delete or REM out the lines shown above. Do not
REM out any other lines that begin with COM.
2. Consult the worksheet on Page 1 to make the following
additions and/or changes:
Where:
X = the COM Port your modem is attached
BBBB = the COM Port's port address
Q = the COM Port's IRQ
For Windows 3.0 and 3.1, or Windows for Workgroups with any
UART type:
comboosttime=30
comXbase=BBBB
comXirq=Q
comXautoassign=1
comXbuffer=512
comXfifo=0
If you have a 16550 or 16550AF UART chip, make the above
changes, but set the FIFO equal to and add the additional
settings below:
For Windows 3.0 and 3.1: For Windows for Workgroups 3.11:
comXfifo=2 comXfifo=2
comXtxsize=12 comXtxfifo=1
comXrxsize=8 comXrxtrigger=8
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Subject: Document Number 10563
Date: Wed, 7 Apr 1999 20:59:33 -0500
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Configuring U.S. Robotics Modems For use under
Linux/UNIX-Type Systems
Applies to U.S. Robotics Sportster modems
______________________________________________________________________
In order to configure a U.S. Robotics modem for use with your Linux/UNIX
based system, you will need to know the following things:
* Will the modem be used for dial-up, or dial-up and dial-out
(UUCP, cu, tip, kermit, etc.)?
* Is the port defined as using Hardware (RTS/CTS) or Software
(XON/XOFF) flow control?
* Will the port speed (DTE speed) be locked or defined at a
constant speed, or will it change to match the modem connection
speed(autobaud)?
* How many data bits(word length), what parity, and how many stop
bits is the Linux/UNIX port configured to use? (Usually 8, None, 1;
OR 7, Even, 1) .
* Is the port the modem will be attached to considered a modem
control port? (i.e., does it support/monitor the following RS232
pin signals: DSR, CD, DTR?) Also, does the serial cable have at
least 9 pins connected through the cable (1-9 on a DB9 connector
or 2-8 and 20 on a DB25 connector)?
* How many rings do you wish the modem to answer on?
* Do you wish to configure the modem to use error correction, data
compression, and/or any additional features?
You will also need a terminal, PC, or Macintosh, with communication
software to initially configure the modem.
Configuring the Modem:
* If you have a Sportster modem, configure dip switches 3, 7, and 8
Down or On.
* If you have a Worldport, disregard.
* Attach one end of the serial cable to your modem and the other
end to your terminal or PC.
* Configure the terminal or communications software setup to match
the settings of the Linux/UNIX system's getty or port monitor with
regard to port speed (baud rate), parity, data bits, and stop
bits.
* Enter terminal mode of the communications software if its being
used. Type the following:
AT
and press Control-M on the keyboard. The modem should
respond "OK."
Determining What Modem Initialization Command To Use
The modem initialization command will begin with AT&F. Use the
following information to determine what additional modem commands
should be appended to this command.
* Flow Control
XON/XOFF (software) flow control: &H2&I2
RTS/CTS (hardware) flow control: &H1&R2
If you're not sure what kind of flow control to use, use &H2&I2.
Most Linux/UNIX type systems default to Software flow control.
* Port Speed
Locked port (DTE) speed (=> 19200): &B1
Port speed matches connect speed (< 9600): &B0
If you use &B0, your getty or port monitor should not be set at
speeds greater than 9600 bps. If you're not sure which to use,
select &B1. If the port speed is set lower than the maximum
capability of the modem, turn off the high speed ranges with the
following commands:
For V.34 modems with S-Registers that go into the fifties:
Add S54=196 (turns off V.34 and V.FC 16800-28800)
For V.34 modems with S-Registers that go into the thirties:
Add S32=28
All modems: Add S34=7 (disables 14400)
All modems: Add S27=4 (disables 9600)
Number of rings to answer on: S0=2 (i.e., answer on 2 rings)
* Data Compression
Use V.42 bis or MNP5 data compression &K1
Use V.42 bis data compression only &K3
Use MNP5 data compression only &K1S27.5=1
Use no data compression &K0
If you're not sure what kind of data compression to use, select &K1
* Error Correction
Use MNP or V.42 error correction &M4
Use MNP only and not V.42 error correction &M4S27.5=1
Use V.42 only and not MNP error correction &M4S27.4=1
If you're not sure what kind of error correction to use, select &M4.
* Other Options
You're using a modem control port: &S1S13=1
Dial in only: S2=255
Saving The Settings In Your Modem's NVRAM
Append &W to your modem init string to write the settings to NVRAM. To
verify that the settings are stored in NVRAM, use the following AT
command: ATI5.
You are now done created your modem initialization string.
For example: Locked port speed, RTS/CTS flow control, all data
compression and error correction, answer on one ring,
dial in only, and a modem control port:
Sportster:
AT&F&H1&R2&B1S0=1&K1&M4&S1S13=1S2=255&W
AT&F1&S1S13=1S2=255&W
World Port 14.4:
AT&F&H1&R2&B1S0=1&K1&M4&S1S13=1S2=255 &C1&D2V1Q1E0Y0 &W0
Type in your modem initialization string and press Control-M. The
modem should respond "OK." This does not apply to the Worldport
however. With the Worldport modem, you should verify the settings
using the ATI4 command, for the result codes or commands will not be
shown with this modem.
Now your modem is programmed and you can attach it to your Linux/UNIX
system. Put dip switch number 4 down (ON) and the rest up (OFF). If
you also plan on calling out, put dip switch number 8 down, or in the
ON position. If you're NOT using a modem control port, put dip switch
number 1 down (ON). Enable the port on the Linux/UNIX system and you're set!
Linux/UNIX Troubleshooting
If you are having trouble receiving calls, perform the following test
to determine if the Linux/UNIX settings are conflicting with the modem's.
* Power off the modem and disconnect it from the Linux/UNIX machine.
* Position DIP switches 1 and 4 down, and put the rest up. Power
on the modem.
* Call the modem. If it answers and connects, then it is a conflict
between the Linux/UNIX and the modem settings that is causing the
problem. You need to verify that you are using the correct
settings.
Verifying the modem's settings
1. Power off the modem.
2. Set DIP switches 3 and 8 down.
3. Access the modem using a communications program and verify the
following by typing ATI5<enter>:
4. The baud rate of the modem equals that of the Linux/UNIX port.
5. The proper flow control, either XON/XOFF or RTS/CTS, is selected.
6. Also, if you are using hardware flow control (RTS/CTS), verify
that you have the proper cable.
7. Remember to reset the modem's DIP switches before returning the
modem to the Linux/UNIX machine.
8. If you are setting your Linux/UNIX system to autoanswer and are
finding that it is not answering the incoming call, set dip
switch 8 up and see if that helps.
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Subject: Document Number 10589
Date: Wed, 7 Apr 1999 21:22:49 -0500
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
All about UARTs
Definition
The UART(Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter), is a large
scale integrated circuit which contains all the software programming
necessary to fully control the serial port of a PC.
A UART is a Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter electronic
circuit which transmits and receives data through the serial port. It
converts bytes into serial bits for transmission, and vice versa. It
also generates and strips the start and stop bits appended to each
character.
Once a connection is established, the UART then reconstructs a byte of
data based on the receiving line. If parity is in use, the UART will
also check the parity for correctness and strip the parity bit off of
the byte being passed to the computer.
SingleByte FlFO's
The Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitters(UARTs) in most PCs,
up till recently, used 8250 or 16450 UARTS. These are singlebyte
FlFO(FirstIn,FirstOut) buffers. Below is a table of how fast the
computer would have to respond to the different rates. The column
'Characters', is how often a character arrives at the listed speeds.
COM port(bps) Characters
2400 4 milliseconds
9600 1 millisecond
19200 520 microseconds
38400 260 microseconds
If the computer can not retrieve the data at the above speeds, then it
will be overwritten. If this occurs, then that character will be lost.
The UART does not only handle serial communications, it also takes
care of other tasks, like disk interrupts, keyboard interrupts, screen
refresh cycles, and many other items that involve timing with your
system. So as you can see, the UART is doing a lot of other things
which can limit how much incoming data it can handle. If the system
can not keep up, this is when you see block errors and UART overrun
errors. If you receive these errors, it's time to start looking into a
buffered UART, such as a 16550.
16Byte FIFO
Buffered UARTs, used in most newer systems today, like the 16550 UART,
can deal with more tasks, due to it buffering abilities. The nice part
about the 16550 UART, is that it has a 16 byte FlFO(First in, First
Out) buffer. What this means, is the system processor only has to
respond to the incoming data every sixteen bytes. As you can see, this
is far better then the system having to deal with every character as
it comes into the system.
You may be wondering why you need a 16550 UART. Have you ever been on
a bulletin board system and found that characters were dropping from
the text being displayed? Or had UART overruns, or SubPacket to long
errors when downloading files? If this is the case, chances are you
need a better UART. DOS is less graphics intensive then Windows or
OS/2, so the 16550 UART is not as important, but can still be needed
depending on the speed of your modem. If you are running Windows or
OS/2, and have background tasks running while doing data communication
or faxing, chances are you will need one. In general, if you have a
modem that is faster then 14.4k, you will need a 16550 UART. Also, the
slower the machine, the more need there is for a 16550 UART, for as
stated before, the UART frees the computer to do other tasks.
At some point you are going to be asking the question 'What type of
UART is in my system?'. With U.S. Robotics internal modems, the UART
on the modem board are all 16550s. Externals do not have UARTS on
them. With an external modem, you need to have a serial controller in
the system, with the appropriate UART on it. Now a days, a lot of
motherboards are coming with the UART on the main board. If you are
not sure what type of UART is in your system, you can run Microsoft
Diagnostics(MSD) and that will tell you what type of UART is in your
system. To run this, assuming you have DOS 6.0 or higher, just type
MSD<enter> and it should come up. If not, then go into your DOS
directory and run it from there. If you do not have DOS, consult your
operating system manual for information on how to check this.
The early non 'A' 16550 UART(UARTs without an 'A' after the 16550)
chips, are known to be buggy, so try and stay away from them. One
problem they had was there were problems with the FIFO not working
correctly. Nowadays, it's common to refer to a 16550AFN as a
16550(without the revision letters).
UART History
The Original UART was the 8250. By today's standards, this is a very
slow chip. The 8250A revision added an extra register which allows
software to detect that it is indeed an 8250 UART. Next was introduced
the 16450 UART. It was faster then it predecessors, but not by much.
One thing you need to look out for, is that software can not detect
the 16450. It comes up as an 8250, so you may have to look at the chip
to be sure what type it is. As mentioned in the last section, next
came the straight 16550 UART. This chip has some issues with it and if
you happen to still have one of these, you should not enable the UART.
It should run without a problem in this state. The next group to come
out are the 16550A('A' series), 16550AF(Fast), and the 16550AFN(new
ceramic chip). Currently, these are the best chips to have. There
buffering abilities are far superior to the 8250 and 16450. Work is
currently being done on a 16650 and 16750 UART, but these are not
readily available, and drivers that support them are limited.
Windows Changes
Once you have a 16550 UART, you need to change your Windows setup to
utilize the new UART. Essentially what you will be doing, is turning
on the buffering capabilities of the 16550 UART. In order to do this,
you will either have to add or change the COMxFIFO line in the
[386enh] section of your Windows SYSTEM.INI to read COMxFIFO=1 or
COMxFIFO=2. The difference is, when COMxFIFO is equal to 1, it
automatically assumes you have a 16550 UART and turns buffering on. If
the UART is not there, it just ignores the line. When COMxFIFO is
equal to 2, it detects whether or not you have a 16550 UART, and acts
accordingly. If you know that you have a 16550 UART, then just set
this equal to one. Remember that you replace the 'x' in COMxFIFO with
the COM Port the modem is on.
There are several communication drivers out there that can help fully
utilize your 16550 UART. A couple of these are WFXCOMM and Cybercom,
which can be downloaded off our BBS at (847)982-5092 or FTP Site at
ftp.usr.com.
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Subject: Document Number 13001
Date: Wed, 7 Apr 1999 20:58:33 -0500
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Linux/UNIX Installation and Setup
DIP Switches 3, 5, 8 DOWN (ON)
Before beginning the installation, you need to create a boot disk and
a root disk on 3 1/2" floppies. Choose the appropriate disk set for
your installation type and hardware. Depending on where you downloaded
your disk sets from, you may need to gzip these files before
rawritting them. If the boot or root disks have a .gz extension,
chances are you need to gzip them. Some later revisions, including the
one we tested, only needed to be rawritten, even though they had the
.gz extension.
Note: If you gzip and rawrite the files to disk, and experience
loading problems, then re-download the original files and
rawrite them to disk, skipping the gzip process.
After you load the boot disk, then the root disk, log in as root when
instructed to do so. Depending on how much memory is in your system,
you may need to create a swap file. It is suggested to create a swap
file if you have less then 8 megs of RAM, however, we found that even
8 megs ran slow without the swap file. We created two 20 meg swap
partitions.
Once logged in, type fdisk. Next you will create your swap partition
or partitions. Press n to add a new partition. We chose to created two
more primary partitions, so next we typed 2 or sda2. Then you need to
change the partition's system id or t, and selected 2(partition to
change), then 82(Linux swap). This process should be done for as many
Swap partitions you want to make. Last, you will want to make a Linux
native partition to place the operating system and it's files into.
Follow the previous steps for creating a partition, except this time
you will select 83 for the partition type. After you are done, hit w
to write the partition table out to disk. If the last step is skipped,
your changes will be lost.
Next, run the setup utility by typing SETUP. Here you will choose
which disk sets you want to install and their file locations. When you
start to install, it will ask you what type of file system you want.
If you are not using the UMBDOS disk setup, which runs over DOS, we
recommend the EXT2FS file system. Select the disk sets to install,
then highlight Install and hit <enter>.
After this part of the installation is complete, you will be given the
opportunity to create a boot disk. This is highly recommended,
especially on SCSI drives, where the cylinders tend to be different
than the standard 1024. This can cause problems in Linux when multi-
booting operating systems. The boot disk can also be used if something
goes wrong with the operating system and it needs to be repaired.
The next section involves configuration of your modem. You will be
asked the following question:
Would you like to set up your modem([Y]es, [n]o)?
Answer Y to this question. Next you will be asked what port the modem
is on. Unix/Linux works as follows with respect to standard
DOS/Windows Com Ports:
Com Port DOS/Windows Com Port Linux/UNIX
COM 1 /dev/ttyS0
COM 2 /dev/ttyS1
COM 3 /dev/ttyS2
COM 4 /dev/ttyS3
Next you will install your mouse driver and select the default font.
Make sure to pick a font that is easy to read. We found that some of
the more graphical fonts, although appealing at first, were harder to
read over the long run.
Next you will be asked to set your modem speed. Set your port rate to
38400 for our 28.8k or faster modems, and 19200 for our 14.4k modems.
The port rate can also be adjusted later, by typing SETSERIAL at the
command prompt.
Last, you will create LILO, make config, make dep, and make clean.
Make sure to follow the instructions for your particular version.
Symbolic links usually need to be entered manually, so this part of
the installation process can find certain files you need.
You are ready to start running software under Linux!
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End of Linux-Hardware Digest
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