ADSL under Linux idea...

[lazygamer]

So I had this idea. I may be able to get my brother's EXTERNAL ADSL modem and his ethernet card(External hooks into that I assume) off him.

So would it be possible to install the ethernet card in my computer, then hook up the external ADSL modem to it, then hook up the external ADSL to the phonejack cord?

So if I did all this, I could get ADSL in Linux much easier right?

[voidmain]

Yes, this is the preferred method assuming your network card is compatible. Do you know what make/model the network card is? Most network cards will work.

[Doogee]

i dont know if this is what your trying to do but:

I have adsl using an external modem which plugs into a filter which goes into a phone line.
Then there are 4 network ports on the back 1 goes to my computer, one goes to dads, one goes to my sisters. Ive installed red hat once and mandrake twice. Both times the network card was found and thats all i needed, adsl works fine. Its extremely easy.

[lazygamer]

Sounds good, perhaps my freedom is at hand!  

[Doogee]

im not sure which distro you use but it might ask you how you connect to the net. dont be tempted to hit xDSL always choose Ethernet.

[pkd_lives]

Connect a dsl filter to the phone jack you want to use, then plug the DSL modem into that filter. This allows other devices to use the phone line at the same time. i.e the phone.

Connect the DSL modem to your computer via the network card, plugged into the PCI slot I would assume.

Start up Linux and that should detect your network card. From there it becomes distro specific.

I ran the configuration program under mandrake and it said detected network card and then asked me my method to connect, selected DSL (so network card and DSL were selected) and the I use Verizon so all I had to do was select DSL method (you will probably use pppoe) enter in the domain and the username and the password, selected start at boot and pow. Never even had to phone them up and ask if I could, just tried it one day and bang it worked.

My card does not seem to work in RedHat though  :confused:

[voidmain]

What card, and which version of RedHat?

[lazygamer]

I don't know the card yet, but I can say Redhat 8 for sure!

[pkd_lives]

quote:Originally posted by void main:
What card, and which version of RedHat?

Linksys Network Everywhere 10/100 Fast Ethernet card and 7.3. (as far as I can tell they are an incredibly Windows biased set of cards).

I am planning on getting RH8.0 soon so I will try an updated version, and I still have LOTS of Linux documentation to read (like the Linux Reference Manual) and distro information.

[voidmain]

Well, it seems there is at least one other person running RedHat 7.3 that has this network card running without any problem:

http://www.tux.org/hypermail/linux-tulip/2002-Jul/0023.html

There are a couple of other messages in the thread that indicate you may need to pass the module a parameter or two in the modules.conf.

It's funny that I don't see any reference whatsoever to this card on the LinkSys web site (unless they call it something other than "Network Everywhere"). I have always had good luck with LinkSys. I've been using the LinkSys PC100 PCMCIA card in my Laptop since the RedHat 6.0 days (maybe earlier, don't remember for sure).

Here is the tulip driver page where you can see the list of driver options (parameters) as well as the list of cards it supports. I am sure this is the driver that others are using with this card.

http://www.scyld.com/network/tulip.html

Hope this helps.

[ November 22, 2002: Message edited by: void main ]

[pkd_lives]

Thanks for that.

The website is here and it seems to be specifically Windows orientated.

Mandrake uses the Tulip driver, so I am guessing I can configure it to work under RedHat. I am looking to get RH working Internet wise because it is much less bloated. And I just prefer the simple view RH offers.

[voidmain]

Hmmmm, it might be helpful to see the output from the "dmesg" command after a fresh boot into RedHat, and the output from the "/sbin/lspci -v" command. I have a feeling it just might need a parameter added to the kernel in the boot loader configuration or in  the /etc/modules.conf.

If done a lot of searching and found lots of successes with this card. But I've also found a lot of people complain that they can not get it to work. I did find some testimonials on the linksys web site stating that the card works great in Linux so...

[pkd_lives]

It would seem that the best chance is to recompile my kernel with the latest tulip driver, the prob. still exists in RH8.0. That seems to be the closest answer with a working result. Which is telling me that the card is a little unstable - Think I'll find some dumb Win user and sell it on.

However I tried to stick my Etherlink III (could be II) and that detected but failed too. Now again this is also a card that seems a bit strange and also it's on the ISA ports, and I cannot guarantee the front end of this card is working properly. And I cannot guarantee my ISA'a are running properly, I think there are track issues - the mobo once got really badly flexed and thrown across a room, and it has been trodden on and a cat likes to sniff at it now and again.

So I am thinking of just teaching myself linux and C++ for a while on this one and getting myself a laptop and retiring this thing - that has been a plan for a while, I just need to get the cash together.

[voidmain]

Wow, you must have problems if you can't get a 3com card to work. I did find conflicting information on that other card. I found testimonials on the LinkSys web site that the card works great under Linux (of course it would on the LinkSys web site). Then I found another site where people said the card was crap. Some even initially rated it highly and came back later and said it sucked. I've been pretty lucky I guess. I've even picked up $10 Dlink cards at best buy and stuck them in blindly and they worked perfectly. I've used about every 3com card there is from the beginning of my Linux days and there has always been great 3com support. Very odd.

[pkd_lives]

Coming at ya from Red Hat 8.0.

Phew. Just goes to prove how chasing GUI is not a good idea - never thought it was, but just goes to show.

Okay it seems that in 7.3 there are tulip driver issues, the wrong one is compiled - this appears not so in RH 8.0, or something.

However I did two things wrong. I do not need to configure network for my DSL line, I just used the System tools Internet configuration wizard ***spit*** and entered the asked for info. When I edited the info last time I changed the provider box to provider.net - well RH does not require the .net extension - as does mandrake.

I activated the xDSL and bang it came up. My network card will still not activate, because it is trying to activate without being connected to a network proper. I think - there is going to be no  DNS and nowhere to DHCP from so to speak.

In fact I think I can remove the network card form the network devices and then I won't have to wait two mins while it fails to activate.

Wow. If I new what I was doing I would not have had to use GUI, and would not have screwed up with a stupid mistake and not spotted it.

Hey Lazygamer, if you get that DSL modem and a network card - it's a piece of cake to get up and running