Getting the modem of a Dell Inspiron 4100 to play nice in
Linux
Ok, i got my dell inspiron 4100 about a three weeks ago (may, 2001)... i installed
linux a day later... so far so happy... (i never use windows anymore - everything works in linux)
See here for a new update (and the old mbsi driver).
Since there is lots of info elsewhere on how to install linux on this notebook, i'll focus on the modem
installation.
machine specs:
mostly stock inspiron: 1.0 GHz pIII, ati radeon m6, sxga+, 16x cdrw
nothing else of interest.
linux distribution:
redhat skipjack beta (pre7.3)
kernels 2.4.18/19/20/21/22
so far:
everything works beautifully... full 3D accelleration (1400x1050), external monitor (with
auto-resolution(!)), sound, nic, usb, suspend (and wake-up!), pointer, glide pad, etc...
all this worked out of the box with the skipjack dist.
Update: After nearly a year of linux use (with several
kernel/desktop updates and configs) everything still works like a charm
and I almost never boot into windows... mostly only to test things...
i haven't yet tried the pcmcia but i have confidence!
(be sure to read the www.linux-on-laptops.com/dell.html links... thanks to all of them!)
anyways, surprisingly, i got the modem to work! so here's how:
Notice: contrary to what others have suggested, the modem in my 4100 is not a PCTel nor is it a lucent
modem... apparently, dell uses several different modems in this
model...
mine's an intel/conexant modem (The
bottom modem i.d. plate says: "actiontec MD560RD" as the
model.). i got the driver from:
i used the generic rpm. It fails to find any friendly hardware but, no
worries, it just recompiles using the
kernel headers and then asks you to supply the following info: (you may have to run /usr/sbin/hsfconfig)
vender id: 8086
pci device id: 2486
get these numbers from "/sbin/lspci -n".
then i used option "4) /etc/hsf/inf/linux_intel_smartmc.inf" although others may work (?)
then just follow the prompts and yer surfin', as they say...
(oh yeah, afaict, you'll need to rerun hsfconfig (to recompile the modules) as root each time you change your kernel)
Update: Now I just make this from source...(i.e. no
rpm) Be sure to use the
same compiler and libs you used to make the kernel. The newer driver
editions work very well and find the hardware correctly (so you no longer
need the lspci stuff above).
Take home message: you need the conexant soft modem driver.
if you need anymore info, feel free to email me at: