T-Mobile GPRS via Prolific PL2303 cable in Debian Sarge

Note: this message already posted to the Debian-User mailing list
(and not answered helpfully). Note also: please respond to the
newsgroup, not in e-mail unless there's a good reason to go private.

I'm using Debian Sarge on my laptop, and I'd like to be able to
connect that laptop to the Internet via my T-Mobile GPRS account,
using my Nokia 6800 phone and a connection cable that claims to be a
Nokia DKU-5.

When I plug the cable into the phone, it's detected as a "Data
Accessory". When I plug it into the computer, it's detected as
follows:

Feb 27 00:29:56 localhost kernel: ohci_hcd 0000:00:01.2: remote wakeup
Feb 27 00:29:57 localhost kernel: usb 1-3: new full speed USB device using address 2
Feb 27 00:29:58 localhost kernel: drivers/usb/serial/usb-serial.c: USB Serial support registered for Generic
Feb 27 00:29:58 localhost kernel: usbcore: registered new driver usbserial
Feb 27 00:29:58 localhost kernel: drivers/usb/serial/usb-serial.c: USB Serial Driver core v2.0
Feb 27 00:29:58 localhost usb.agent[3179]: pl2303: loaded successfully
Feb 27 00:29:58 localhost kernel: drivers/usb/serial/usb-serial.c: USB Serial support registered for PL-2303
Feb 27 00:29:58 localhost kernel: pl2303 1-3:1.0: PL-2303 converter detected
Feb 27 00:29:58 localhost kernel: usb 1-3: PL-2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB0 (or usb/tts/0 for devfs)
Feb 27 00:29:58 localhost kernel: usbcore: registered new driver pl2303
Feb 27 00:29:58 localhost kernel: drivers/usb/serial/pl2303.c: Prolific PL2303 USB to serial adaptor driver v0.10

So far so good. However, when I copied the chatscripts and peer file
from this page
(http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/...cellular.html),
I was not able to connect. I replaced his /dev/ttyS2 with
/dev/ttyUSB0 (per the message above from /var/log/messages).
However, the modem never responds to the ATZ with OK, so the script
stalls. I tried Minicom, and there also there's no reaction to ATZ.

I looked at some other postings by people who've used T-Mobile with
this cable, and some of them use the devfs version of the script,
such as "/dev/usb/acm/0". I don't have an "acm" directory under
/dev/usb, so I tried "/dev/usb/tts/0" (per the messages from cable
detection) but pppd doesn't recognize that as a valid device and
doesn't even attempt a connection. Turns out that this directory
also doesn't exist.

The phone/cable combo works fine under Windows XP (if I remove the
BlueTooth drivers, oddly enough).

Any suggestions about how to further investigate or proceed? Thanks.
--
Carl Fink (E-Mail Removed)
Ask me about I-Con 24, April 8-10, 2005
http://iconsf.org

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, Carl Fink wrote:
> I'm using Debian Sarge on my laptop, and I'd like to be able to
> connect that laptop to the Internet via my T-Mobile GPRS account,
> using my Nokia 6800 phone and a connection cable that claims to be a
> Nokia DKU-5.

AFAIK, the DKU-5 does not work at all with Linux or other open systems
(URL: http://gate.intercaf.ru/~lesha/6100/ ).

It needs a special driver and no-one has provided one and the specs are
secret. The DKU-2 cable is just a direct USB cable so the phones are
visible as ACM modems (URL: http://www.linux-usb.org/USB-guide/x332.html
).

I've heard that some third party 'made in china' cables work
in Linux through the Profilic driver.

-Mikko

On 2005-03-01, Mikko Rapeli <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> AFAIK, the DKU-5 does not work at all with Linux or other open systems

Right. And that's why I wrote "claims to be" a DKU-5: it's really a
Prolific chipset.

> I've heard that some third party 'made in china' cables work
> in Linux through the Profilic driver.

But HOW?
--
Carl Fink (E-Mail Removed)
Ask me about I-Con 24, April 8-10, 2005
http://iconsf.org

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, Carl Fink wrote:
> On 2005-03-01, Mikko Rapeli <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> AFAIK, the DKU-5 does not work at all with Linux or other open systems
>
> Right. And that's why I wrote "claims to be" a DKU-5: it's really a
> Prolific chipset.

Now I'm confused. Is it a Nokia original DKU-5
http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,,5445,00.html

or a replica like
http://www.mobileplace.co.uk/product/119 ?

AFAIK, the replica works in Linux but the original does not. They both
have somewhat similar chipsets and USB id's, so I wouldn't count on just
them.

-Mikko

On 2005-03-01, Mikko Rapeli <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Now I'm confused. Is it a Nokia original DKU-5
> http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,,5445,00.html
>
> or a replica like
> http://www.mobileplace.co.uk/product/119 ?

It cost $13 US from a supplier in Hong Kong. Pretty much has to be
the replica.

> AFAIK, the replica works in Linux but the original does not. They both
> have somewhat similar chipsets and USB id's, so I wouldn't count on just
> them.

The kernel recognizes it, but I can't make it respond to Hayes codes.
--
Carl Fink (E-Mail Removed)
Ask me about I-Con 24, April 8-10, 2005
http://iconsf.org

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, Carl Fink wrote:
> It cost $13 US from a supplier in Hong Kong. Pretty much has to be
> the replica.

That clears it, thanks.

> The kernel recognizes it, but I can't make it respond to Hayes codes.

You could go through the kernel documentation
( http://lxr.linux.no/source/Documenta...usb-serial.txt ), try
with different kernels and ask Linux USB users mailing list for
debugging help.

-Mikko