[newbie] Can't open modem

[RJ Friedman]

I installed Mandrake 6.0 last night (Custom) - no problems with the
installation. When I tried to dial in to my ISP, however, (Kppp), I
got a message that a file was missing from my /dev/modem directory. I
had Kppp query my modem and it told me that it could not open the
modem. I tried to check the file, and I don't appear to have a
/dev/modem directory at all.

What do I need to do to get my modem recognized?

TIA