| Infodoc ID |
|
Synopsis |
|
Date |
| 12687 |
|
Modem setup guide for Solaris |
|
21 Jun 1996 |
Solaris 2.3/2.4 Modem configuration and Bi-direction Port Configuration
(Version 1.8b, 12/20/95 Christopher Kovacs)
I. Introduction.
The steps in this guide are designed to solve the most common modem
configuration problem, which is no login prompt on dialin or garbage
on dialin. The solution to this problem is to initialize the modem
with the tip command before attempting a dialin session. The commands
to initialize the modem are in the appendix at the end of
this document. The modem must be initialized before the port login
is enabled, or you might be denied access to the port because of the modem
forcing the login to activate and own the port. The modem must
be reinitialized if the power fails because the modem will then usually
reset itself to factory defaults. The initialize string command must be sent
at the same baud rate as the login speed. If the tip command does not
use the same baud rate as the login, the modem will not work for dialin
but will work for dialout.
The following information provides very basic and minimal modem
installation instructions. These instructions give details on
installing a modem on a Solaris 2.3 or 2.4 Sun system using the standard
ttya or ttyb port. It describes a common method and should prevent any
issues or problems that might arise. Follow the procedures in sections
II, III, and IV to install a modem.
II. Initial Sun setup.
1. Install the modem on the Sun system. Use either ttya or ttyb and
make sure that the rs-232 cable is a "straight through" cable with
pins 1-8 and pin 20 provided. (You can also use an all 25 to 25 pin cable.)
Do NOT use a null modem (cross over) cable or a null modem gender adapter
cable.
If you are using a system that shares ports a and b, such as the
sparc 10, Classic/LX, etc, and you would like to use port b for
the modem port, you must use a splitter cable. This splitter
cable is available from SunExpress. (p/n: X985A or 530-1869/C9.
2. Add the following entries to the "/etc/ttydefs" file. This file is used
by the system for modem port speeds.
38400m:38400 hupcl:38400 hupcl crtscts::38400m
19200m:19200 hupcl:19200 hupcl crtscts::19200m
9600m:9600 hupcl:9600 hupcl crtscts::9600m
Remember, the 14000 and 28800 baud rates are modem-to-modem speeds and
do not correlate to the actual modem port speed.
3. Verify that there is no port monitor service on the port that is being
configured by entering the command:
pmadm -p zsmon -l
PMTAG PMTYPE SVCTAG FLGS ID <PMSPECIFIC>
zsmon ttymon ttya u root /dev/term/a - -
/usr/bin/login - 9600 ldterm,ttcompat login: - vt100 y #Terminal
zsmon ttymon ttyb u root /dev/term/b - -
/usr/bin/login - 9600 ldterm,ttcompat login: - vt100 y #Terminal
If a service is present, as indicated by the above output, remove
the service by entering:
pmadm -p zsmon -r -s <SVCTAG value from above, i.e. ttya or ttyb>
III. Modem Setup.
Modem setup is the responsibility of the customer. This is because the
various of types of modems and modem manufactures. The customer must
review the modem documentation and setup the modem according to the
guidelines required by the Sun system (see section V). If there are
questions regarding modem setup, refer to the modem manufacture's
documentation and their support. Appendix B contains examples of modem
initialization/register setups. This information has been gathered and
can change because of modem firmware version levels, modems models and
added features. Use this only as a guide.
To set the modem registers up correctly, you must be able
to access the modem and its port.
1. Prepare to communicate with the modem using the tip utility program.
tip -9600 /dev/cua/a should work and does not require editing
/etc/remote. A different speed can be substituted as well
as a different device name. You must specify a speed or the default,
300 baud, will be used.
a. Modify the "/etc/remote" file and add the following
entry to the file after the "hardwire:\" entry.
Always use the same speed to tip to the modem as
the login process is set to use.
For ttya port:
hardwire:\
:dv=/dev/term/b:br#9600:el=^C^S^Q^U^D:ie=%$:oe=^D:
modem1:\ <--- add this and next line
:dv=/dev/cua/a:br#9600: after above entry
^
|_ appropriate baudrate*
must match the login speed
For ttyb port:
hardwire:\
:dv=/dev/term/b:br#9600:el=^C^S^Q^U^D:ie=%$:oe=^D:
modem1:\ <--- add this and next line
:dv=/dev/cua/b:br#9600: after above entry
^
|_ appropriate baudrate*
must match the login speed
* When using a 28.8k modem, use 38400; for a 14.4 modem,
use 19200; and for a 9600 modem use 9600.
b. Change the permissions and owner of the modem port:
chmod 666 /dev/cua/a ; chown uucp /dev/cua/a
-- or this for port b --
chmod 666 /dev/cua/b ; chown uucp /dev/cua/b
c. After modifying the "/etc/remote" file and changing the
permission of the port(s), start up a shell tool (if using
openwindows) and issue the following command:
tip modem1
you should get a "connected" message. If you get
anything else, for example, "all ports busy",
check the "/etc/remote" device entry.
d. Verify that the modem is responding to commands type
typing:
at (cr)
you should see an OK displayed.
Note - Execute tip in a shell tool that does not have
scrolling enabled, otherwise a carriage return (cr) is not
sent.
If not, check the connection and see if the RD or SD
lights dimly flash when typing on the keyboard. If
not, check the cable connection between the serial port
and modem.
2. Modem register/initialization
a. Refer to Appendix B, Common Modem Initialization Strings,
and see if the modem type is referenced. If so,
set the dip switches, then use that string to initialize
the modem. For example, the US Robotic Courier Modem string is:
AT&F1&B1&C1&D2X0S0=1&W
b. If you do not know the initialization string, refer to
the modem manuals. The following lists the guide lines
to set the modem registers. If you still can not figure
out the initialization string, refer to the modem manufacture's
technical support.
c. After setting up the modem, exit the "tip" utility by
typing the following sequence:
<CR>~.
The above sequence is a "carriage return" followed by a
"~" character and a "." character.
IV. Starting the Login Process.
The following creates a port monitor service to allow login
from a modem.
1. Using the Administration Tool program (admintool), add a bidirectional
modem service. If you cannot use the admintool, refer to appendix A.
a. Click on the "Serial Port Manager" icon.
b. Highlight the desired port with left mouse button.
c. With the right mouse button, press the edit button once. Then,
with the right mouse button, press the "Modify Service" field.
This will display a new pop-up menu.
d. Press the "Use Template" menu button with the right mouse button and
select the "Modem - Bidirectional" menu item.
e. Press the "Baud Rate: " menu button and select "Other".
f. A new pop up-window will appear. Enter either 38400m, 19200m, or
9600m according to the desired baud rate of the modem. Then press
the "Apply" button.
Note - Use the 38400m entry for 28800 baud modems,
the 19200m entry for 14400 baud modems, and 9600m entry
for 9600 baud modems.
g. Enter the type of terminal that is going to be logging into
the system, i.e. vt100.
h. Verify all fields that data was entered and then press the
"Apply" button.
i. Quit the admintool and it's windows.
2. Verify that a port monitor was configured by typing the following
command:
pmadm -p zsmon -l
PMTAG PMTYPE SVCTAG FLGS ID <PMSPECIFIC>
zsmon ttymon ttyb u root /dev/term/b b -
/usr/bin/login - 9600m ldterm,ttcompat login: - dialup n #Modem -
Bidirectional
If a port monitor is not listed for that port, go back to setup 3 and
try again, make sure that when completing the fields, press the "Apply"
button. If the port monitor still is not listed, call Sun support
for further help.
V. Modem Guidelines.
Sun's policy on support of modems is strictly to give guidelines
and not set up individual modems and modem registers. The following
guidelines are given below:
o Make sure the modem uses data terminal ready (DTR). When
the system drops DTR, the modem should hang up. If the DTR
signal is not asserted, the modem should not answer.
o Use hardware carrier detect (CD). The modem raises the CD
line only when there is an active carrier signal on the phone
connection. When the carrier drops, either because the other
end is terminated or the phone connection is broken, the system
is notified and acts appropriately.
o Modems should only send result codes in answer mode or not
at all.
o The modem serial port speed must be at a fixed baud
rate. If the modem does not support this feature, do not
use it on a Sun/Unix system.
o Hardware flow control must be used between the Sun system
and the modem. Turn off the modem's software flow control
if available.
A P P E N D I X A
The following procedure is provided for users who do not have access
to the OpenWindows interface and cannot use the Admintool.
Setting up Bi-directional modem service from the command line.
1. Check to see if a zsmon process is running under SAC by typing the
following command:
# sacadm -l
PMTAG PMTYPE FLGS RCNT STATUS COMMAND
tcp listen - 0 ENABLED /usr/lib/saf/listen tcp #
zsmon ttymon - 0 ENABLED /usr/lib/saf/ttymon #
2. If you do not see a zsmon entry under PMTAG, execute the following
command:
sacadm -a -p zsmon -t ttymon -c /usr/lib/saf/ttymon -v `ttyadm -V`
Check again to see if the zsmon entry is present (STATUS will be
STARTING, this is normal).
3. Check to see if a zsmon port monitor is present by executing the
following command:
pmadm -p zsmon -l
PMTAG PMTYPE SVCTAG FLGS ID <PMSPECIFIC>
zsmon ttymon ttyb u root /dev/term/b b -
/usr/bin/login - 9600m ldterm,ttcompat login: - - n #Modem - Bidirectional
4. If a port monitor for zsmon is present, remove it by executing the
following command:
pmadm -r -p zsmon -s <SVCTAG>
Note - the <SVCTAG> value is found by using the output of the previous
command. In the above example, this value will be "ttyb".
5. Now configure your port monitor:
a. Create or edit a file called pm_script. A sample pm_script is
below.
Note - remember to change the service name, port, and baud rate
of the script to match or installation environment.
---- begin script -------
#!/bin/sh
# script to add a port monitor
PATH=PATH$:/usr/sbin:
export PATH
# Below is the ttydefs entry for baudrate usage. Use one of the
# following, 38400m, 19200m, or 9600m
ttydefs=9600m
# Below specifies the port to use. Use either "/dev/term/a" or "/dev/term/b"
mport=/dev/term/b
# Below specifies the service name. Use either "ttya" or "ttyb" depending
# on the port being used.
service=ttyb
# Note that the single quote characters in the command line below are a
# "back quote", or "back tick". This is normally found below the "~"
# "tilda" key. This is noted for clarity since some printers do not
# print this character correctly and is printed as a "forward quote" or
# "forward tick" character.
pmadm -a -p zsmon -s $service -i root -fu -v `ttyadm -V` -m "`ttyadm -Sn
-d $mport -b -m ldterm,ttcompat -l $ttydefs -s /usr/bin/login`" -y
"Modem - Bidirectional"
------- end script -----------
6. Change the permission of the file for execution and execute the
script (chmod 755 pm_script).
7. Verify that the port monitor is present:
Note - The entry should look like the output below, but the
baudrate and service tag might be different.
# pmadm -p zsmon -l
PMTAG PMTYPE SVCTAG FLGS ID <PMSPECIFIC>
zsmon ttymon ttyb u root /dev/term/b b -
/usr/bin/login - 9600m ldterm,ttcompat login: - - n #Modem - Bidirectional
A P P E N D I X B
Common Modem Initialization Strings
The following contains modem initialization strings to initialize modems
for use as dialin and dialout on Sun Solaris systems.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Hayes Optima/Acura, Generic Modems:
Use This entry for modems not listed in this file.
AT&FN0Q2X0&C1&D2S0=1&W
---------------------------------------------------------------
US Robotics Courier Modems:
AT&F1&B1&C1&D2X0S0=1&W
dip switch settings:
Switch Setting
1 OFF
2 OFF
3 ON
4 OFF
5 OFF*
6 OFF
7 ON*
8 ON
9 OFF
10 OFF
---------------------------------------------------------------
US Robotics Modems:
AT&F1&B1&C1&D2X0S0=1&W
---------------------------------------------------------------
Telebit Modems:
WorldBlazer, T3000, or T1600 modem:
AT &F3 E1 X0 &S0 S2=255 S45=255 S48=0 S58=2 &W
AT SO=1 S59=15 S68=255 S111=255 S180=2 &C1 &W
T2500, TrailBlazer Plus, T2000 or T1000 modem:
AT &F X0 Q4 S45=255 S48=1 S51=254 S52=2 S54=3 &W
AT SO=1 S58=2 S64=1 S66=1 S95=2 S97=1 S106=1 S131=1 &W
---------------------------------------------------------------
GVC 288 V.34 Modem:
AT&F2E0Q1S0=1&C1&D2&W&W1
---------------------------------------------------------------
Black Box Corporation, Modem 144FX:
ATN0S37=0S0=1Q1&C1&D2&K3&W
---------------------------------------------------------------
A P P E N D I X C
Troubleshooting Advice
This section gives advice about the most common problems of installing a modem
on a Sun Solaris system. Most of all problems are the result of having
the modem incorrectly configured.
"Garbage from Sun system with remote system logging in"
This usually is an indication that the modem speed and the configured
port monitor speed is not matched. Check the modem speed and make
certain that it matches the speed of the Sun system. Connect back to
the modem, using tip, and verify the modem configuration. Remember, the
modem must be able to lock the modem speed and match the port monitor
speed (the speed configured using the admintool).
---------------------------------------------
"When I make a call, the remote modem answers, I can hear the modems
negotiating, then the modem hangs up CALL FAILED."
This is probably down to a setting on one or both modems forcing it to
use a particular connect speed or compression protocol - if one modem
can't manage to connect up to the other modem, the modem will hang up.
Check settings of BOTH modems.
---------------------------------------------
"What does `all ports busy' from the tip utility mean?"
Another process has the port open; this might be another tip session
or another program like lp. It could also be a port monitor.
The way to find out is:
As root if the device is /dev/cua/a
fuser /dev/cua/a
/dev/cua/a: 652o 651o <---- These are the processes using
this port.
You can now use ps -ef to get the program that is using the port.
Note - PID's are 652 & 651 ( drop the o )
If the process using port is /usr/bin/login or ttymon then:
1. Somebody has dialed into your machine; the modem will be active.
2. Modem is asserting DCD all the time. The modem must be configured
so that the Data Carrier Detect is asserted only when a carrier is
detected from the remote modem. Refer to the modem documentation.
---------------------------------------------
"What does 'permission denied or link down' message from the tip utility
mean?"
Make sure that you have "dv=/dev/cua/a" or "dv=/dev/cua/b" in the
hardwire entry of the "/etc/remote" file. Check also in
"/var/spool/locks" for a lock file LCK.* and remove that file.
Check the permissions on the serial device (/dev/cua/a or
/dev/cua/b) and ownership.
---------------------------------------------
"Modems do not disconnect properly or a user stays logged in even after
disconnecting."
The modem is not configured correctly. The modem must be configured
so that the Data Carrier Detect is asserted only when a carrier is
detected from the remote modem. Refer to the modem documentation.
---------------------------------------------
"Nothing happens when we try to tip to the modem"
Check the cabling to the modem. Make sure that the proper port is being
used.
Also, make certain that "tip" is being used from a shell tool and NOT
from a command tool.
"When dialing into the Sun, the modem never picks up the phone."
The modem is not configured properly. Check to see if the modem is
setup for auto-answer (usually S0=1). Make sure that the DTR
or TR light is lit on the modem, indicating that the Data Terminal
Ready is asserted from the Sun. If it is not, the ttymon process is
either hung or is not running. Try re-initialing the port for
bi-directional modem use.
---------------------------------------------
"Parity problems"
I get a login but its corrupted, (Logn: or Logi ) if I press <RETURN>
nothing happens but it does if I press <LF> or "control-J".
Reconfigure the remote computers serial port setup for 8 data bits,
1 stop bit, and no parity.
---------------------------------------------
"I can't log in; password fails."
This is a parity problem. The originating terminal or tip session is
using a parity that is different from that used by the ttymon.
---------------------------------------------
"When do you modify the eeprom settings?"
Don't change the eeproms unless you are trying to get a terminal
working at boot prom level.
---------------------------------------------
"No login prompt"
Check to see if a ttymon process is started and enter the command below:
ps -ef | grep ttymon
root 208 204 80 Sep 21 ? 0:01 /usr/lib/saf/ttymon
root 17258 208 2 10:42:43 ? 0:00 /usr/lib/saf/ttymon
The pid of 208 is the parent ttymon process and the pid of 17258 is
the child process for term/b.
Call into the system and see if the ttymon process TTY has changed
from "?" to "term/b". See below:
ps -ef | grep ttymon
root 208 204 80 Sep 21 ? 0:01 /usr/lib/saf/ttymon
root 17258 208 6 10:42:43 term/b 0:00 /usr/lib/saf/ttymon
If this does not occur, check to see of the serial port has been
configured properly and the port monitor service is present by
entering:
pmadm -p zsmon -l
PMTAG PMTYPE SVCTAG FLGS ID <PMSPECIFIC>
zsmon ttymon ttyb u root /dev/term/b b -
/usr/bin/login - 9600m ldterm,ttcompat login: - tvi925 n #Modem -
Bidirectional
Also verify that the port monitor service baud rate matches
the modem baud rate. Use the tip utility and connect back into the
modem.
Top
Sun Proprietary/Confidential: Internal Use Only
Feedback to SunSolve Team
