Sickboy kernel and 3G USB Modem issue

[Xlater]

Hi, I'm Xlater from Italy.

Using my AAO, I need sometime to be able to connect using my Nokia E61 as a 3G USB Modem.

Now i have Crunchbang installed with the default kernel (2.6.27-9-generic) and everything works fine. When i connect my E61 with the USB cable, the system recognize it and i can start the mobile broadband with one clic.

I would like to upgrade to the Sickboy kernel, optimized for AAO, but when i install it the system doesn't recognize the USB modem anymore, and there's no way to connecto to mobile Broadband. I've tried it several time, and always had to switch back to the generic kernel.

Is there a workaround to solve this problem, eg. loading some modules more with the Sickboy kernel?

There's something about Sickboy kernel and 3G USB Modem in the discussion about Sickboy Kernel. But I'm not sure that those solutions suit for my case, and anyway I think could be good to have a single thread devoted to this argument. Quite difficult to navigate between 290 messages...

Thanks.

[Wilb]

You need to compile the cdc-acm kernel module as its not in sickboys kernel.

[Xlater]

You need to compile the cdc-acm kernel module as its not in sickboys kernel.

Thanks. It means that i should recompile the kernel with sickboy config, but adding "USB Modem (CDC ACM) support"?
I'm not so expert in linux. Never compiled a kernel before. But there's always a first time...

[Mister-Magoo]

Yes, you need only add "USB Modem (CDC ACM) support" at Sickboys kernel config

[Xlater]

Yes, you need only add "USB Modem (CDC ACM) support" at Sickboys kernel config

Thanks. It sounds easy, but...

Is there a way to have CDC ACM support as a loadable module? This should require only the cdc-acm module to be compiled, and not the whole kernel. Is it right?
I'm searching for some "how-to" about it, but it's not so simple. Most of kernel and modules "how-to" are written with the user with a PC and a standard Linux distro in mind, not for an AAO 110L user with a custom kernel on it...

Even if I choose to recompile the whole kernel, i guess i should do it on a perferoming machine, not directly on the AAO. Afaik kernel compile is quite a processor intensive task. Is it right?

Any advice?

[Wilb]

If you're running the same version of the kernel as me then mine will work, see attached.
Copy it to /lib/modules/2.6.28sickboy-kuki/kernel/drivers/usb/ and run "sudo depmod -a" - next time you plug in your phone give it a few seconds and type "dmesg | tail". If you see "cdc_acm: v0.26:USB Abstract Control Model driver for USB modems and ISDN adapters" then you know its working.

[ux50]

Thanks so much, Wilb and Xlater

Yes, your cdc-acm.ko works. I am using P1i via USB with GnomePPP.
I couldn't believe it. It worked like a charm indeed.

Again thank you so much.
You are my life saver.

Cheers,

[Xlater]

If you're running the same version of the kernel as me then mine will work, see attached.
Copy it to /lib/modules/2.6.28sickboy-kuki/kernel/drivers/usb/ and run "sudo depmod -a" - next time you plug in your phone give it a few seconds and type "dmesg | tail". If you see "cdc_acm: v0.26:USB Abstract Control Model driver for USB modems and ISDN adapters" then you know its working.

When I run "sudo depmod -a" I get a "WARNING /lib/modules... usb/class/cdc-acm.ko is not an elf object" and when i connect my Nokia E61 to the USB port Network Manager doesn't yet see it as a modem. In dmesg I've something about USB 3-1, but nothing about cdc_acm.

I'm going on with a double boot: Sickboy kernel by default and generic kernel when I know I'm going to connect on mobile broadband. But i'd rather solve this cdc-acm issue, if i knew where to put my hands on...

Thanks!

[spinnekopje]

I'm going on with a double boot: Sickboy kernel by default and generic kernel when I know I'm going to connect on mobile broadband. But i'd rather solve this cdc-acm issue, if i knew where to put my hands on...

You only need to have the different kernels installed to use them, so besides the kernel everything remains the same. If I were you I would try to compile a kernel yourself. Get the kernel source, make oldconfig when booted from sickboys kernel and add the usb modem support and compile it. It isn't that difficult and there are enough tutorials online. I did the same to get the kernel I'm running now.

[Xlater]

Get the kernel source, make oldconfig when booted from sickboys kernel and add the usb modem support and compile it. It isn't that difficult and there are enough tutorials online. I did the same to get the kernel I'm running now.

I'm trying to follow your advice. But when I do "sudo apt-get install kernel-source" it says "Package kernel-sorce not available but is referred to by another package. This may mean that package is missing, has been obsoleted, or is only available from another source"

Surely I don't know which source sickboy compiled. Is 2.6.28 something, but which? Plenty of tutorial out there for first timers like me. But they all give that I have a standard distro with standard kernel, not a custom one...
I'm sure it's not so difficult, but I have these little pitfalls to avoid...

Thanks a lot for your help!