Get Your ISA PnP Modem Working
I have been meaning to write this file for some time but never got around to it. Well I recently installed RedHat-9 on one of my computers and had to go through this process again and decided to write this while it is still fresh in my mind.
This may be a somewhat out dated way to do it because the newer kernels starting with about 2.4.0 have ISA PnP built in, but it doesn't seem to work for me and I haven't taken the time to figure it out yet. So I added "noisapnp" to the kernel line in grub to disable the kernel's built in ISA PnP support, then installed the "isapnptools-1.26" RPM from my RedHat-7.2 CD because it was not included with RedHat-9.
If in the GUI open a terminal, su to root and enter the following.
# /sbin/pnpdump | less
----pnpdump example output----
# $Id: pnpdump_main.c,v 1.27 2001/04/30 21:54:53 fox Exp $
# Release isapnptools-1.26
#
# This is free software, see the sources for details.
# This software has NO WARRANTY, use at your OWN RISK
#
# For details of the output file format, see isapnp.conf(5)
#
# For latest information and FAQ on isapnp and pnpdump see:
# http://www.roestock.demon.co.uk/isapnptools/
#
# Compiler flags: -DREALTIME -DHAVE_PROC -DENABLE_PCI
-DHAVE_SCHED_SETSCHEDULER -DHAVE_NANOSLEEP -DWANT_TO_VALIDATE
# Trying port address 0273
# Board 1 has serial identifier 6d 00 01 2b 45 20 27 b0 4e
# (DEBUG)
(READPORT 0x0273)
(ISOLATE PRESERVE)
(IDENTIFY *)
(VERBOSITY 2)
# Card 1: (serial identifier 6d 00 01 2b 45 20 27 b0 4e)
# Card 1: (serial identifier 6d 00 01 2b 45 20 27 b0 4e)
# Vendor Id SUP2720, Serial Number 76613, checksum 0x6D.
# Version 1.0, Vendor version 0.0
# ANSI string -->DIAMOND SupraExpress 56I SP V.90<--
#
# Logical device id SUP2720
# Device supports I/O range check register
# Device supports vendor reserved register @ 0x38
# Device supports vendor reserved register @ 0x3a
# Device supports vendor reserved register @ 0x3d
#
# Edit the entries below to uncomment out the configuration required.
# Note that only the first value of any range is given, this may be
changed if required
# Don't forget to uncomment the activate (ACT Y) when happy
(CONFIGURE SUP2720/76613 (LD 0
# Compatible device id SUP2480
# Multiple choice time, choose one only !
# Start dependent functions: priority acceptable
# Logical device decodes 16 bit IO address lines
# Minimum IO base address 0x03f8
# Maximum IO base address 0x03f8
# IO base alignment 8 bytes
# Number of IO addresses required: 8
# (IO 0 (SIZE 8) (BASE 0x03f8) (CHECK))
# IRQ 4.
# High true, edge sensitive interrupt (by default)
# (INT 0 (IRQ 4 (MODE +E)))
# Start dependent functions: priority acceptable
# Logical device decodes 16 bit IO address lines
# Minimum IO base address 0x02f8
# Maximum IO base address 0x02f8
# IO base alignment 8 bytes
# Number of IO addresses required: 8
# (IO 0 (SIZE 8) (BASE 0x02f8) (CHECK))
# IRQ 3.
# High true, edge sensitive interrupt (by default)
# (INT 0 (IRQ 3 (MODE +E)))
# Start dependent functions: priority acceptable
# Logical device decodes 16 bit IO address lines
# Minimum IO base address 0x03e8
# Maximum IO base address 0x03e8
# IO base alignment 8 bytes
# Number of IO addresses required: 8
# (IO 0 (SIZE 8) (BASE 0x03e8) (CHECK))
# IRQ 4.
# High true, edge sensitive interrupt (by default)
# (INT 0 (IRQ 4 (MODE +E)))
# Start dependent functions: priority acceptable
# Logical device decodes 16 bit IO address lines
# Minimum IO base address 0x02e8
# Maximum IO base address 0x02e8
# IO base alignment 8 bytes
# Number of IO addresses required: 8
# (IO 0 (SIZE 8) (BASE 0x02e8) (CHECK))
# IRQ 3.
# High true, edge sensitive interrupt (by default)
# (INT 0 (IRQ 3 (MODE +E)))
# Start dependent functions: priority acceptable
# Logical device decodes 16 bit IO address lines
# Minimum IO base address 0x03e8
# Maximum IO base address 0x03e8
# IO base alignment 8 bytes
# Number of IO addresses required: 8
# (IO 0 (SIZE 8) (BASE 0x03e8) (CHECK))
# IRQ 5.
# High true, edge sensitive interrupt (by default)
# (INT 0 (IRQ 5 (MODE +E)))
# End dependent functions
(NAME "SUP2720/76613[0]{DIAMOND SupraExpress 56I SP V.90}")
(ACT Y)
))
# End tag... Checksum 0x00 (OK)
# Returns all cards to the "Wait for Key" state
(WAITFORKEY)
Now look at the file "/etc/isapnp.conf".
# less /etc/isapnp.conf
If "/etc/isapnp.conf" contains the setup for another card such as a sound card then save the file. Note that "/etc/isapnp.conf" may not exist on your system if there were no ISA PnP cards setup before.
# mv /etc/isapnp.conf /etc/isapnp.conf.old
Now create a new "isapnp.conf" file.
# pnpdump >/etc/isapnp.conf
Now decide which COM port to use. Probably Com 3 because COM 1 & 2 are normally used for external COM ports. Check your COM ports with the "setserial" command.
To check the settings for COM-3,
# /sbin/setserial /dev/ttyS2
If COM-3 is unused the above command should return something like,
/dev/ttyS2, UART: unknown, Port: 0x03e8, IRQ: 4
The usual COM port settings are,
/dev/ttyS0, UART: 16550A, Port: 0x03f8, IRQ: 4 - COM1
/dev/ttyS1, UART: 16550A, Port: 0x02f8, IRQ: 3 - COM2
/dev/ttyS2, UART: unknown, Port: 0x03e8, IRQ: 4 - COM3
/dev/ttyS3, UART: unknown, Port: 0x02e8, IRQ: 3 - COM4
Now use your favorite text editor to uncomment the two lines in "/etc/isapnp.conf" that match the "PORT" and "IRQ" settings of the COM port that you want to use.
Example:
# Number of IO addresses required: 8
(IO 0 (SIZE 8) (BASE 0x03e8))
# IRQ 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12 or 15.
# High true, edge sensitive interrupt (by default)
(INT 0 (IRQ 4 (MODE +E)))
#
You will also need to uncomment the line "(ACT Y)". Make sure that "(WAITFORKEY)" is at the end of isapnp.conf and no where else. Then save
RedHat and most others run "isapnp" by default at startup. You need to add the command "/sbin/setserial /dev/ttyS2 UART 16550A" to the very end of "/etc/rc.d/init.d/rc.local" in RedHat or "/etc/rc.d/boot.local" in SuSE.
Some computers and software will look for the modem at "/dev/modem" so we need to make a link from "/dev/modem" to the Com port used, in this case "/dev/ttyS2".
# ln -s /dev/ttyS2 /dev/modem
Reboot the computer to activate the modem and COM port and you are ready to setup your internet connection through ppp.