Configuring a SUSE Linux 10 modem

Winmodem support has improved considerably, and some previously unsupported modems now work with Linux enterprise systems. SUSE Linux 10 supports at least the SmartLink and Lucent ltmodem types. During the installation, if YaST detects that you have a supported winmodem, it will install the necessary package to provide driver support.

Assuming that your modem is supported, YaST asks you for the necessary information to set up the modem and your dial-up connection. In the first screen of the setup you are asked for a dial prefix if necessary (a prefix you might need to get an outside line, for example) and to choose between tone dialing and pulse dialing (tone dialing will be the correct choice unless your telephone exchange is very antiquated). The other two choices here (Speaker on and Detect Dial tone) you will almost certainly want to leave as they are (selected by default).

The next screen asks you for your country and offers a small selection of preconfigured providers (ISPs). This means that the access number is already known to the system for these providers. One or two have gone further and enable you to use a preconfigured username and password to sign up with them, or even to get full anonymous access with payment being collected through your phone charges.

If you already have an account with an ISP that is not listed, you need to press the New button and add the details of the provider's name, the access phone number, and your username and password.

When this is done, press Finish and the modem configuration should be complete. You will then be able to connect using the kinternet program, which you can access through the KDE menu (Internet➪Dialup). You can set kinternet to run whenever you log in to KDE; if you do this, you can log in by clicking its tiny icon, which will be resident in the system tray area of the KDE panel (by default in the bottom-right corner of the screen).

More information about using winmodems under Linux enterprise systems can be obtained from w w w .linmodems.org. You may be able to obtain a driver for your modem from this site, even if it is not supported by SUSE Linux 10. You can also download a tool called scanModem, which detects the exact type of modem that you have. When you know this, you can search the site for information about whether it is possible to get it working.

Running your SUSE Linux 10 installation

 Home: Introduction
 Step 1: Configuring your root password
 Step 2: Configuring your network access
 Step 3: Setting up your host and DNS addresses
 Step 4: Configuring the default gateway
 Step 5: Testing your connection and online updates
 Step 6: Configuring your modem
 Step 7: ISDN and ADSL connections
 Step 8: Adding a new user
 Step 9: SuSEconfig
 Step 10: Reviewing the release notes
 Step 11: Configuring your hardware
 Step 12: Graphics and sound card configuration