Linux - NewbieThis Linux forum is for members that are new to Linux.
Just starting out and have a question?
If it is not in the man pages or the how-to's this is the place!
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
Hey people. I am kinda new to Linux. Had 7.2, Just downloaded Mandrake 8.0 cuz I heard it has USB support. The biggest problem I have is getting online. If I could get online I could fix the other problems as I go.
I have an Alcatel Speedtouch USB modem. I have read numerous tutorials on doing this. It seems you have to install a couple RPM packages, and write scripts? I dont understand where the script goes. I want to get off this 98 machine and switch over, but I cant until i can get online.
Any help with settting this up is greatly appreciated. I have spent hours and hours on this and it still dont work.
The other problems are peripheral probs.
Could someone tell me about how and where drivers are loaded in Linux? Do these Rpm packages install automaticcaly when executed?
Alot of questions--just tryhing to crossover to the otherside.
you might have to hack the kernal, i don't think usb modem support is enabled as it comes from mandrake. post again if you want me to give you the step by step.
I've not a lot of (successful) experience with kernal hacking/recompiling/etc but I believe that that USB support would probably be available as a kernal routine (that loads on start-up) or as a module that you _can_ load on start-up, or at runtime.
I'm still on Mandrake 7.2 and don't have any USB devices, but do use modules a fair bit for my sound-card, and other things.
Read the How-to's first (K>Documentation>How-to's), and if there's no help there, under Win (presuming you're still running it) go the the manufacturer's web-site. Search around a little as there is a high likelihood that they will have either the Lin packages you require (in .rpm or .tar.gz, or the like) or will have links to more information on where you can get your modem/usb system to work.
Distribution: Slackware 10, Fedora Core 3, Mac OS X
Posts: 617
Rep:
'drivers' in linux speak are modues that are loaded into the kernel when they are needed. they get put there by a program called modprobe (most usual). this is controlled by a file in the start up scripts in the /etc/rc.d folder (this is what happens in my machine because i use slackware which uses the bsd style start up not the sysV which is what you use). this script invokes modprobe with the correct module for your hardware and with the correct arguements. unfortunatly i have no idea how it is done in the sysV way.
this folder (/etc/rc.d) is also the place for the scripts you wrote (in the one true folder there [not the link ones])
you'll have to get someone else to tell you more about these start up jobbies so that you know where to stick the script.
tell us your peripheral probs and we'll try and help
Alex
P.S. yes RPM packages install themselves to the right place. use the package manager (in the K>System bit or configuration or something like that.) it is called Kpackage .
I have an alcatel usb modem too.
I'm trying since two weeks to make it surf on the vroom
--> It works with redhat 7.1
* kernel 2.4.4 + sarlib 0.2.2 patch and pppoatm patch and * * speedtouch module
* modutils 2.2.4
* latest hotpluging package
* binary from alcatel
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.