SCO Modem dial in 1

[jollyroger]

Please help!!!!
I am having so much trouble over a dialin modem on a SCO unix box.
It sounds simple but we have spent 2 days now with the same problem.
Until last week we had a modem set-up on our SCO unix box which accepted incoming calls, and allowed the operator to access our system.
Now however when ever we connect it comes up with garbled characters, e.g. ; $#'c$ ;`d$<$$`;
G;l$`ó$ÄI''$[nÄc2[llL6oF{[n@
We have checked the configuration files, /etc/inittab, line for our modem is:
Se1A:234:respawn:/etc/getty -t60 tty1A o
and our /usr/lib/uucp/Devices is:
Direct tty1A - 38400 direct
and our /etc/gettydefs file has an entry in for the above:
o # B38400 HUPCL # B38400 CS8 SANE HUPCL TAB3 #\r\nlogin: # o
The settings on our Dial in Software (I am using HyperTerm) are set to:
Port Speed: 38400
Data bits: 8
Parity: None
Stop Bits: 1
and Emulation: vt100.

What can I try to fix this any ideas appreciated.
With regards
Ben

 

[edfair]

ATS0=1. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[Megabitman]

Well... now I'm beginning to suspect that your modem is not on com1 (tty1a). It may be that it is on com2 (tty2a). Try the same steps as above substituting tty2a (and tty2A) where applicable. Post back and I'll try monitoring the board today. I do a lot of work on-site for several clients so I'm not as prompt to this forum as others are.

Ken

 

[EastTexasUser]

Okay, now I'm getting somewhere. I used the ats0=1 command graciously supplied by Ed (thanks, Ed), and I was able to complete the test you described. Here's what I got:

After disabling tty1A, I cu'd to tty1a
issued the at&f, then ats0=1

On windows, I dialed in using 9600 8-N-1

Unix picked up. I was able to type characters on both machines and see them echoed on other & vice-versa.

Interestingly, when Unix connected it said &quot;CONNECT 2400&quot;
on the Win side it said &quot;CONNECT 9600&quot;

So, then I disconnected, re-enabled tty1A, dialed in at 2400 bps, and got garbage again. Ugh!

Also, just as a side note. I have no tty2A (tty2a) device defined in unix. Also, I looked at the back of the server, and the com ports are marked A & B. I have the modem hooked to A. Surely this is com 1???

 

[apeasecpc]

If your cu was to tty1a then it definitely is COM1.

Try the same test, but this time instead of giving the modem the AT&F then ATS0=1, give it this entire series of commands:

AT&F
ATS0=1
ATS2=128
ATS37=9
ATN0
AT&W0

Report back any errors you see or if this series of AT commands causes the test to break (Note: the ATS37=9 and ATN0 should force your modem to 9600 if it is the same zoom 14400 I have worked with in the past).

If that test works, try one more modification to the /usr/lib/uucp/Dialers file (be sure to use the other file modifications for the other files I listed on Aug 23, 2002 above):

zoom9600   =,-, "" \r\pAT&FS0=0V1S2=128S37=9N0 OK\r \dATDT\T CONNECT
&zoom9600  =,-, "" \r\pAT&FS0=1V0S2=128S37=9N0\r\pAT&W0\r
#Explanation of above listed zoom modem AT commands:
#&F     load factory defaults
#S0=0   set auto answer off (used when dialing out)
#S0=1   set auto answer on (used when dialing in)
#V1     send word response codes
#V0     send numeric response codes
#S2=128 disable break
#S37=9  force 9600 connection (when with N0)
#N0     follow S37 setting
#&W0    write settings to dram profile 0 (default ATZ settings)

Note: The change to this dialer string is the V1 and V0 setting which sets the response codes to word or numeric.

 

[EastTexasUser]

I made the Dialer changes &quot;apeaseace&quot; mentioned (I block copied from the post). Still get garbage when I try to log in.

When I issued the at commands while cu'ing, each response was OK. When I dialed in, I recieved CONNECT 2400 again, not 9600. I could type characters on both screens and see them.

Sorry this is taking so long. I'm sure it's a small thing. But, I can't for the life of me figure out what that little thing is. Thanks for trying to help.

Jill

 

[apeasecpc]

Do you have the correct ACU and Direct lines in your /user/lib/uucp/Devices file? Even though you are only setting up for dialin, you need the ACU line for the modem to reset properly.

Update or add to the /usr/lib/uucp/Devices file

ACU tty1A - 9600 zoom9600
Direct tty1A - 9600 direct

I also pulled my old zoom modem Dialers file from backup, and found a couple of other settings from that configuration which might help you:

Update or add to the /usr/lib/uucp/Dialers file
zoom9600   =,-, "" \r\pAT&FS0=0V1S2=128S37=9N0 OK\r \dATDT\T
CONNECT
&zoom9600  =,-, "" \r\pAT&FS0=1V0S2=128S37=9N0&C1Q1E0\r\pAT&W0\r
#Explanation of above listed zoom modem AT commands:
#&F     load factory defaults
#S0=0   set auto answer off (used when dialing out)
#S0=1   set auto answer on (used when dialing in)
#V1     send word response codes
#V0     send numeric response codes
#S2=128 disable break
#S37=9  force 9600 connection (when with N0)
#N0     follow S37 setting
#&C1    DCD follows remote modem
#Q1     Disable OK responses
#E0     Disable command echo
#&W0    write settings to dram profile 0 (default ATZ settings)

The new additions are the &C1 Q1 and E0 commands.

After making the changes, disable and re-enable the port, then try your dialin again. I've got my fingers crossed.

I am wondering if your modem might be different than the ones I used to use. Do you happen to have a modem manual for your specific modem? What does the manual say the S37 S-register does? Setting it to 9 should fix the modem speed to 9600. If it's different please tell me.

 

[Megabitman]

Sorry for the delay (business does takes precedence, particularly when clients can't run payroll because of disk failures...). Now I'd like you to enable tty1A at 2400 baud (since the modem continues to report 2400 baud on our little test above) and try connecting again. Additionally, I'd like you to remove the ACU line ( just a # sign in the first column in front of the line will suffix), and then disable and re-enable tty1A. My guess is that since it doesn't appear that you are dialing out with this connection, you don't need the ACU line nor the dialer setup. Let me know the results.

Ken

 

[apeasecpc]

Megabitman, you are wrong about the ACU line and Dialer setup. In addition to dialout, the ACU line tells the modem how to reset when you initialize the port, and that reset configuration string comes from the Dialer setup. All removing the ACU line will do is prevent the modem from resetting when you enable the port, which doesn't solve any problems, it just makes more.

EastTexasUser, if this really is a 14400 baud modem you should be able to get it to work at 9600 with no problems, however I am a little thrown by the manual connect reporting two different line speeds myself. That's why I wanted you to check your modem manual about the S37 S-register because the manual I am referring to for this might be for an entirely different zoom modem, and using the S37 S-register for speed control certainly isn't a universal standard (most modern modems use &N and &U to control speed). If you do want to try 2400 baud, my modem manual says you should set S37=6:

Update or add to the /usr/lib/uucp/Dialers file
zoom9600   =,-, "" \r\pAT&FS0=0V1S2=128S37=6N0 OK\r \dATDT\T
CONNECT
&zoom9600  =,-, "" \r\pAT&FS0=1V0S2=128S37=6N0&C1Q1E0\r\pAT&W0\r
#Explanation of above listed zoom modem AT commands:
#&F     load factory defaults
#S0=0   set auto answer off (used when dialing out)
#S0=1   set auto answer on (used when dialing in)
#V1     send word response codes
#V0     send numeric response codes
#S2=128 disable break
#S37=9  force 9600 connection (when with N0)
#S37=6  force 2400 connection (when with N0)
#N0     follow S37 setting
#&C1    DCD follows remote modem
#Q1     Disable OK responses
#E0     Disable command echo
#&W0    write settings to dram profile 0 (default ATZ settings)

As an alternative you could also try not forcing the modem connect speed at all, which will work at either 2400 or 9600, but you might be more likely to loose data on your terminal with this setting:

Update or add to the /usr/lib/uucp/Dialers file
zoom9600   =,-, "" \r\pAT&FS0=0V1S2=128 OK\r \dATDT\T
CONNECT
&zoom9600  =,-, "" \r\pAT&FS0=1V0S2=128&C1Q1E0\r\pAT&W0\r
#Explanation of above listed zoom modem AT commands:
#&F     load factory defaults
#S0=0   set auto answer off (used when dialing out)
#S0=1   set auto answer on (used when dialing in)
#V1     send word response codes
#V0     send numeric response codes
#S2=128 disable break
#S37=9  force 9600 connection (when with N0)
#S37=6  force 2400 connection (when with N0)
#N0     follow S37 setting
#&C1    DCD follows remote modem
#Q1     Disable OK responses
#E0     Disable command echo
#&W0    write settings to dram profile 0 (default ATZ settings)

 

[EastTexasUser]

I'm going to give the suggestions above a try & report back. But, a question comes to mind. Why would this modem work perfectly on my Digiboard (when I had one), and be such a booger on a regular old com port??? That doesn't make sense to me.

Jill

 

[apeasecpc]

My understanding is that you not only moved from a Digiboard to a COM port, but you also moved to an entirely different server (perhaps you even upgraded your OS in the process, you didn't say). My guess is that when you moved to the server you didn't transport all of the existing (working) configuration files you needed. There is a lot involved in serial communication, and you have to get everything right or it won't work.

/usr/lib/uucp/Dialers
/usr/lib/uucp/Devices
/etc/inittab
/etc/conf/init.d/sio (or Digiboard equivalent)
/etc/gettydefs

I had a similar thing happen to me a few weeks ago. All I did was upgrade my OS, and my modems stopped working right. The problem turned out to be that the driver for my multi-serial board (rocketport) does not work with the new OS.

If you still have access to the files from the old server, it would certainly be worthwhile to see how you had them configured.

 

[Megabitman]

I'll just wait to see what happens. If your modem profile has been saved, then you won't need the Dialers or the ACU line.

Ken

 

[EastTexasUser]

apeasecpc,
It is true, I did move to a different server (from a Proliant 2500), but all I did was restore my old system to the new server (what a nightmare that was - but that's another story). I had to load different hardware drivers into the kernel of course. But that's all.

When the modem was working on the Digiboard, I never did anything to the Dialers file, or any other file except the epca (equivilent to sio) file, & inittab. It just worked. Plus, I had the thing running at 19200, not 9600.

I'm sure you're right. It's got something to do with this new server. On the old server I had even set up a 2400 bps dial-in line on tty1A, which worked great. It just shouldn't be this hard.

But, I'm going to keep plugging away at it until one of us (the server or me) gives up!

Thanks,
Jill

 

[apeasecpc]

You say you never dealt with the Dialers or Devices file with the Digiboard? Usually the only time you do anything with these files is when you first install the board, or add a modem. Are you the person who originally installed the Digiboard on the system? It is possible that the Digiboard software managed these files for you behind the scenes.

If I am understanding you right, what you did for your system migration was restore the backup from the old server onto the new server, then configured the new hardware drivers into the kernel. How did you accomplish this? Did you restore directly to the root, or did you restore to a temporary directory and then move the applicable files to their final locations?

I've gone through two system migrations plus two OS upgrades myself, and I cannot help but wonder if your problem is a result of how you did your migration. Whenever I do a major system change I never restore over the top of the new system. After I load the OS from the CD, I reinstall all additional software and drivers from their master diskettes, then I restore my backup to a temporary location and only move specific configurations such as user accounts, modem configurations, and printer configurations over the top of the newly installed OS. I never copy a hardware driver file or any other part of the kernel from my backup, but always install fresh from the master diskette.

Since you seem to be unfamiliar with some of the technical basics for UNIX modem configuration and obviously did not know which files were important to restore or where to put them (I mean no offense), it is possible there are also other files related to the serial port drivers that aren't installed correctly (i.e. a new system might not work right with the serial drivers from an old system). This is just a long shot since you are able to cu out to the port, but it may be worthwhile removing and re-installing the serial port drivers.

Regarding your comment about port speed, once you get the modem working for dialin you should be able to tune it back up to the 19200 baud rate you were getting with your digiboard. It's just easier to troubleshoot modem problems when you aren't also having to deal with fifo buffer issues caused by high speed serial.

 

[edfair]

I would probably work with the port without a modem on it until the speed issue is resolved. This assuming you have another serial port you could get working, or a terminal you could use. Sure would help resolve whether it is a kermel/inittab problem or a serial port problem. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[EastTexasUser]

apeasecpc,
You have a point about the Digiboard software doing all of the dirty work behind the scenes. I set it up a very long time ago. It's very possible.

Here's the quick version. A little background: we are a very small company. Have had a SCO server for 9 years. One server. I set it up myself with a little help . I'm actually an Oracle programmer. But, I also do all of the SCO stuff.

I use Lone-tar to back my system up. When my Proliant 2500 died, it was a major big deal. I was able to get an ML350 quickly. So I used the Lone-tar documentation to go through the steps of restoring my system to a new computer. Boot-time loadable drivers, etc. I did not do a fresh OS install first. After getting /root set up, I was able to create the other file systems, and restore. Time was definitely of the essence. It was a rocky three days, but I got there. So far, it works great. This modem setup has been the only real issue so far.

Compaq provides a package (EFS) of the drivers for this computer for SCO. You remove the old EFS for the other computer, re-link, then install the new EFS, re-link, restart. That's about it.

You are correct that I'm no expert in setting up modems on SCO. I basically downloaded the document from this web site for configuring modems, followed the steps. When that didn't work. I tried other things to no avail. I guess that's where I am now.

Ed, I really like your idea about trying to get a terminal to work first. I will do that. That makes alot of sense.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to you and Ed Fair for working with me to reslove this problem. My company is located &quot;way out&quot;. There are not any Unix resources available besides the internet. So far, I have found that I can fix almost any problem with alot of creative thinking

Thanks!

Jill

 

[edfair]

You're not that far out. The last major one I helped was on Guam. Now , that's far out. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.