basic 'howto's

[sabashuali]

Hi

True to my word I am posting again in this section under..........Windows.
I have the small problem of installing my USB Speedtouch modem.

Also, I need to mount my other non-Linux drives (two in total) and make sure they maount each time the system starts. Both drives do not apear in the mnt directory... if this sheds any light on the matter.

I have Ubantu installed. I got the 'speedbundle' here-http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=3581

In one of the many how-to pages it mentioned that this package should 'just work'. When I extracted it and tried to click on install nothing happened.

Now I am missing a great deal of Linux knowledge, I know. Obviously setting up the drivers is not a mater of just double clicking. My question is this -
Here is an example for a code which I coppied from the following page http://www.linux-usb.org/SpeedTouch/ubuntu/index.html :

unzip SpeedTouch330_firmware_3012.zip &&
chmod +x firmware-extractor &&
./firmware-extractor ZZZL_3.012

This is just an example. Now please bear with me because for most linux users this might sound really thick - do I need to specify to the system exactly where the zip file is as in - unzip /directory/where/the/zip/is/SpeedTouch330_firmware_3012.zip && chmod +x /directory/where/the/firmware-extractor/is/firmware-extractor && /directory/where/the/firmware-extractor/is/ firmware-extractor ZZZL_3.012

I hope all this is making sense. Like I said being something completely different, I am still trying to get to grips with it....

Now if anyone feels an uncontolable urge to send me a fool proof 'how-to' for installing my USB modem I will be forever in their pocket and thrilled with gratitude.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Anti-Trend]

...I have the small problem of installing my USB Speedtouch modem.

Ick, USB modem. the problem here is that the vendor of said device didn't care enough about Linux to release a proper driver so that it could 'just work'. That's the kind of thing that can cause you the Linux migration blues. As a general principle I try to discourage people from using USB modems and routers because of the hit on system performance, the inconsistancies in behaviour, and the crazy driver requirements -- and that goes for Windows as well. Basically what I'm trying to tell you is that your modem has put you in an unneccessarily difficult situation, but things normally don't get this crazy :)

Also, I need to mount my other non-Linux drives (two in total) and make sure they maount each time the system starts. Both drives do not apear in the mnt directory... if this sheds any light on the matter.

I've only had a bit of experience with the Ubuntu distribution and its unique nuances, and even that was on an iMac that was not multibooting. But it seems from what I've seen on other forums that Ubuntu is one of the few modern distros that does not automount your Windows partitions for you. Another strange decision on behalf of the Ubuntu team, but I digress. What you need is the Ubuntu Walkthrough here

I have Ubantu installed. I got the 'speedbundle' here-http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=3581

In one of the many how-to pages it mentioned that this package should 'just work'. When I extracted it and tried to click on install nothing happened.

Yeah, you need to follow the additional instructions. Having it 'just work' would having you entail no installation at all, click 'n go or otherwise. Sorry, but your USB modem is an example of hardware that the hardware vendor doesn't back 100%.

Now I am missing a great deal of Linux knowledge, I know. Obviously setting up the drivers is not a mater of just double clicking. My question is this -
Here is an example for a code which I coppied from the following page http://www.linux-usb.org/SpeedTouch/ubuntu/index.html :

unzip SpeedTouch330_firmware_3012.zip &&
chmod +x firmware-extractor &&
./firmware-extractor ZZZL_3.012

If you're going to break it up into 3 lines like that, you don't need the '&&' at the end of each command. The && allows you to chain a bunch of commands together, so the system reads '&&' like "Then, do this" if you get what I'm trying to say. Anyway the first line is to extract the contents of your archive. The second command is you make the firmware extractor executable so you can run it. The third command actually runs the firmware extractor, letting it do it's thing.

This is just an example. Now please bear with me because for most linux users this might sound really thick - do I need to specify to the system exactly where the zip file is as in - unzip /directory/where/the/zip/is/SpeedTouch330_firmware_3012.zip && chmod +x /directory/where/the/firmware-extractor/is/firmware-extractor && /directory/where/the/firmware-extractor/is/ firmware-extractor ZZZL_3.012

Just like DOS or in any other CLI, you only need to specify the full path if you aren't in the same directory as the file you're working with. otherwise you can leave the path off. Tip: A very useful feature of the Linux shell is that you can hit the Tab key to autocomplete what you're typing. This prevents typos and saves you a lot of effort in the CLI, so try it, you'll like it.

I hope all this is making sense. Like I said being something completely different, I am still trying to get to grips with it....

Yes, you're making sense. I hope I am as well. :)

Now if anyone feels an uncontolable urge to send me a fool proof 'how-to' for installing my USB modem I will be forever in their pocket and thrilled with gratitude.

I don't actively use Ubuntu on any systems right now, and I don't have a speedtouch modem either (I have an ethernet modem which 'just works' with my IPCop firewall) but the instructions given to you sound pretty generic in that they should work on any distro.

 

[Anti-Trend]

By the way, I've managed to track down a USB SpeedTouch Driver HowTo for Ubuntu: http://www.linux-usb.org/SpeedTouch/ubuntu/

It looks pretty involved, but workable. Like I said, things normally don't get so weird as far as drivers go, but the directions do look doable and not so difficult to follow as they are long. :P

If you would like some additional general Linux information, I'm hosting a really good book on my home server right now: http://anti-trend.homelinux.org ...it's a great study tool. If you read it cover to cover and apply its principles, you'll know Linux better than you currently knwo anything about computers at all. If you use it as a reference guide, you'll find it provides a distro agnostic look at every general principle of Linux, along with the most commonly used GNU tools. It may be a bit involved if you just want to use Linux as a casual user and not a power user, but if that kind of thing interests you leech away. :)

All the best,
-AT

 

[sabashuali]

Thanks AT for the lengthy, yet very informative reply.
I will definately print out some info from the Walkthrough.

It is funny how everything makes sense and then when I boot into Ubantu I get all disorientated again. Well.... it wil take time.

I am not having the blues as much as being quite bewildered. Some stuff brings back OOP and some brings back good old DOS. But it has been so long since I tried any of this. It is like not jogging for a year and then trying to go for a 10 mile run.... in other words, exhausting....
The curse of being 'cradled' by windows..... I do however have to admit that Linux does get you involved and does get you thinking. So for the moment it is an experiment for me.

It is a bit late and I was up 'til 1:30am last night trying to understand. so forgive the short reply. I have plenty more to ask but will give it a rest for the moment.

Be back soon, via Windows no doubt....

Take care and thanks again for the help!

 

[Anti-Trend]

Thanks AT for the lengthy, yet very informative reply.
I will definately print out some info from the Walkthrough.

Well, you know, "...Teach a man to fish..." :)

It is funny how everything makes sense and then when I boot into Ubantu I get all disorientated again. Well.... it wil take time.

Yes, you really have a more direct access to your system and its resource with UNIX-like systems than with any other operating system. This is a blessing and a curse, but if you like to get under the hood like I do, the hassle will quickly turn from pain to routine to enjoyment to necessity. Half the stuff I do on Linux on a daily basis isn't currently possible on Windows at all. :)

I am not having the blues as much as being quite bewildered. Some stuff brings back OOP and some brings back good old DOS. But it has been so long since I tried any of this. It is like not jogging for a year and then trying to go for a 10 mile run.... in other words, exhausting....
The curse of being 'cradled' by windows..... I do however have to admit that Linux does get you involved and does get you thinking. So for the moment it is an experiment for me.

Yes, I understand. Everybody must start somewhere. I started out as an experienced NT admin with over a decade of Windows under my belt, and it was intimidating at first. To be honest, staring at the CLI I felt like a babe in the woods. :O But after I started using Linux for a while, I was saying, "oh, it was that simple?" more often than "damn, don't know how to do that. Gotta boot into Windows..." Now I don't have Windows at all, on any of my systems. Keep in mind the concepts of the UNIX system were not just thrown together like DOS/Windows, but were designed by scholars with certain goals in mind. To this end Linux makes sense at a very fundamental level, so I think you'll find yourself saying "eureka!" more often than you might expect. Hang in there. :)

Be back soon, via Windows no doubt....Take care and thanks again for the help!

No problem, I know how it is feeling competent in something and then shifting your paradigm. But it's worth it, in the long run.

All the best,
-AT

 

[sabashuali]

Thanks again for the reassuring words and advice....

Here is an example of what is happening.
I managed to find a very detailed process of how to install the speedtouch drivers and firmware - http://cvs.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/*checkout*/speedtouch/speedtouch/INSTALL?rev=HEAD

So I downloaded all the necessary files, put them all in the same directory in my desktop, opened a terminal and entered the following lines -

sudo tar zxvf speedtouch-1.3.tar.gz
cd speedtouch-1.3
./configure
make
make install

What I got was a 'no such file or directory' error message.

Next I tried - sudo dpkg -i speedtouch_1.3-1_i386.deb

But again got the same message.

To me it looks like Ubantu does not know where are the files I am talking about. So what do you recon? How do I make this text work?

Time for another lesson AT......

 

[Addis]

Just put them into your home folder, and then change to the correct directory in terminal. You can check you're in the right one with

dir

Then when you're typing the folder/file name, simply press tab and the terminal should fill in the rest of the name for you.

 

[Anti-Trend]

Actually, the proper command in UNIX-like systems is simply

ls

...as in 'list'. That will actually list the contents of the directory structure, so you can see what the file is really named. What's happening here is that you're following their walkthrough exactly to the letter, while the version of the drivers you've downloaded is probably a different version than the one in the example they gave, so the filename is different. Just like in any other OS, you need to either navigate to the directory the file is in, or else use full paths, e.g. /home/$USERNAME/Desktop/$FILENAME. Remember to list files and also to use the Tab key for autocompletion -- that way you never have to guess at filenames. Otherwise you're just stabbing in the dark. :)

-AT

P.S. - I've mentioned this before, but you will get a lot from at least skimming to book LINUX: Rute User's Tutorial and Exposition. But please if nothing else read this page, as it contains a lot of information that will help you out a lot with the concept you are currently struggling with.

 

[sabashuali]

Right....

I managed to install the drivers.... It did not feel like eurika.....
Never mind. I started the modem but i have no way of checking if I am truely conected. However, when I start firefox, I cannot go to the internet.
I still need to try the modem_run command. Just as long as I figure out what to put in the comand line.....

One day, Ubuntu, one day......

You know it is funny how I had all the files on the desktop and the terminal kept telling me it could not find the files. All of a sudden, after changing the directories once or twice (cd /blablabla) I went back to desktop (~) and then all of a sudden the terminal saw all the files... what is all that about???

The saga continues..... (enter the twilight zone theme music....) ;)

 

[Anti-Trend]

USB Modems

Yes, I've learned my lesson well about buying Linux-friendly hardware. But it really doesn't cost any more that way, just a little time to research up on certain hardware before you buy it. Of course, that's a good practice anyway. In fact, as I've stated before, I don't recommend USB modems/routers on any platform, and Linux is no exception. My honest advice to you would be to get rid of your USB quagmire (be it by return or otherwise), and replace it with a standard ethernet modem/router instead. That way you can share the connection to multiple PCs seamlessly, and all you have to do is literally plug it in and go. Having said all that, I am sorry you're having a tough time getting that modem going in Linux.

All the best,
-AT

 

[sabashuali]

Hi

Thanks again for replying, AT.

OK, so lets say I do the wimp thing and give up on the old USB modem (I am one of the greatest wimps by the way...).
What are my options and how do I check Linux compatability? Bearing in mind that the SpeedTouch modem is supposed to work under linux? Are PCI internal modems any good. I need to keep costs down. Hell, I have none to spare but maybe I might unearth a diamond on eBay or sumfink.....

What I am trying to acertain is how do I know for sure that the maker of the modem is not just saying it is Linux compatable? Or that linux compatability means trying like I am at the moment with the USB ST modem?

Thanks again for your patience.....

 

[Anti-Trend]

Thanks again for your patience.....

No problem, you're not trying my patience at all. I spend most of my time helping people remove virii and spyware, so this is a welcome change.

What I am trying to acertain is how do I know for sure that the maker of the modem is not just saying it is Linux compatable? Or that linux compatability means trying like I am at the moment with the USB ST modem?

No, Linux compatibility typically means you plug something in and it works. If you get an ethernet modem, it will just work. Plug it up to your ethernet port and go. Most DSL modems you can buy commercially have an integrated NAT routers and switches, so that would be a good choice. Especially so if you own multiple PCs or plan on owning multiple PCs in the future.