Missing usbserial module prevents Franklin U600 Wimax modem from working

[PJJ]

Things were going smoothly. Therefore I embarked on a new challenge: To get the Franklin U600 modem to work on Virgin Mobie Wimax. VM categorically states that the U600 does not work. Sprint that provides the Wimax network for VM has very detailed installation instructions. I am confident that I can get the modem to work one I have taken the first major hurdle:

There appears to be no usbserial module/driver anywhere.
USB_Modeswitch is installed. I made the required usb_modeswitch.conf files with the data given by the manufacturer and other sources.

The 3G modem shows up with 'lsusb' but does not get installed on any USB port like this:

pj@pj-A45:~$ lsusb
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 1a40:0101 Terminus Technology Inc. 4-Port HUB
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 1fac:0150


dmseg has modem related info like this:

[ 1969.808066] usb 1-3: new high-speed USB device number 2 using ehci_hcd
[ 1969.945147] hub 1-3:1.0: USB hub found
[ 1969.945316] hub 1-3:1.0: 4 ports detected
[ 1974.116137] usb 1-3.2: new full-speed USB device number 3 using ehci_hcd
[ 1974.277591] Initializing USB Mass Storage driver...
[ 1974.277821] scsi2 : usb-storage 1-3.2:1.0
[ 1974.278025] usbcore: registered new interface driver usb-storage
[ 1974.278030] USB Mass Storage support registered.
[ 1975.278868] scsi 2:0:0:0: CD-ROM Franklin Auto-Installer 2.31 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0
[ 1975.318833] sr1: scsi3-mmc drive: 0x/0x caddy
[ 1975.319176] sr 2:0:0:0: Attached scsi CD-ROM sr1
[ 1975.319381] sr 2:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 5
[ 1975.460168] usb 1-3.2: reset full-speed USB device number 3 using ehci_hcd
[ 1975.636136] usb 1-3.2: reset full-speed USB device number 3 using ehci_hcd
[ 1975.812234] usb 1-3.2: reset full-speed USB device number 3 using ehci_hcd
[ 1975.988207] usb 1-3.2: reset full-speed USB device number 3 using ehci_hcd
[ 1976.156180] usb 1-3.2: reset full-speed USB device number 3 using ehci_hcd
[ 1976.332151] usb 1-3.2: reset full-speed USB device number 3 using ehci_hcd
[ 1976.508319] usb 1-3.2: reset full-speed USB device number 3 using ehci_hcd
[ 1976.684217] usb 1-3.2: reset full-speed USB device number 3 using ehci_hcd

Looks like only the mass storage part of the USB device is listed?
Other diagnostics show that flipping the device to modem fails.

I believe that I first must somehow install a USBserial module. However, after I damaged my Kubuntu 12.10 installation attempting to do just that (and erased all of 'apt' in the process) I am reluctant to engage in another attempt tp compile usbserial module(s) into the kernel without some knowledgable guidance.

Can anyone please help me with a few simple and clear step by step instructions that I can follow?
I already looked at Draisberg and the instructions there. But promptly lost track of the web page.

But as I said: I cannot afford to make my data inaccessible by damaging yet another installion. Right now I have all data backed up and in several copies.


Not quite there yet, but we are making progress. Now the 3G modem is recognized.
See the modprobe result below.


pj@pj-A45:~$ sudo modprobe usbserial vendor=1fac product=0150
pj@pj-A45:~$ sudo dmesg | grep -i ttyUSB
[ 1817.268377] usb 1-3.2: generic converter now attached to ttyUSB0

Biggest hurdle taken.
On to bigger and better ventures with this modem, 3G/4G.

4G requires to compile stuff again - and maybe get rid of 'apt'
Just kidding.
P

[PJJ]

I will post how I did 'resolve' this unanswered question soon.

[PJJ]

The answer to my own question.

Once again my query found no takers.
Bad luck or what?

Anyway, I am answering my own question in the following "short" description of how I got my laptop to recognize the Franklin U600 3G/4G modem/storage device.

After reading dozens of websites related to the subject and even more regarding Linux commands and installation procedures I came to realize that my first thought was the correct one:
No usb_serial driver installed.

But that was to quick and simple a solution. So, I went on the above wild goose chase. At the end of it I realized that usb_serial is one of the modules that are not always automatically installed in the kernel. Some devices require a very specific usb module. A list of devices is at
http://www.mjmwired.net/kernel/Docum...usb-serial.txt

If a device is not listed there, the advice given is to use the 'generic serial driver'.

I used information from
http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2010/11/...mand-examples/
to double check for modules loaded.
The site has useful commands to check on the modules available and loaded, etc
In my case USB_serial was not among them.

Using location info from yet another site I went to /lib/modules/3.2.0-generic/kernel/drivers/usb/serial where a long list of drivers is displayed. Among them is the infamous usbserial.ko.

The geekstuff also told me how to install the driver (without the need to compile and do other annoying stuff):

sudo modprobe <driver name>

lsmod | grep <driver name> verifies whether the module is loaded or not.

In my case it was. Woooooohhhhhhhoooooooooooo

To remove a currently loaded module you use:
modprobe -r <driver name>

That is the command Sprint lists in their installation instructions for this modem. Followed by
'sudo modprobe usbserial vendor=<0x4348> product=<0x5523 >' to install it.


lsusb had given me the informatin I posted earlier above. After the installation of the driver I did a

dmesg.

The result looked almost like this:

usbserial_generic 1-1:1.0: generic converter detected
usb 1-1: generic converter now attached to ttyUSB0

Success. My 3G/4G modem now is connected and registered to USB port ttyUSB0!!!
Just as suggested in the Sprint Installation Guide for Linux.

Now I am supposed to us KPPP to make the actual 3G connection. But I believe it should be possible to use Network Manager alone to establish a connection. At least that is what I did with my 3G only U760.

If this is all successful then I will have to follow Sprint Linux Installation Instruction for 4G Modems slavishly to get the driver drvxi314 (or so) and another binary file installed in the kernel. I have both files ready to go from a Debian installation package of the Sprint linux package. Maybe I can just copy them over to their correct locations. That would save me from damaging another Kubuntu installation.


In addition to the above referenced sources I also found the following quite instructive and useful:

forums.reprap.org/aread.php?12,4546

http://wiki.debian.org/usbserial_generic (they tell where to find drivers on your machine at /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/drivers/usb/serial/

and
http://www.draisberghof.de/usb_modes..._reference.txt with very good information on usb_modeswitch which is, of course, another force to be reckoned with.

Furthermore I made a (previously not existing) file usb_modeswitch.conf by adding vendor/ product ID for 3G modem to a (in my case new) file and placed it in etc/usb_modeswitch.d.

The following may be overkill, unnecessary or even harmful. But I also went to etc/udev/rules.d/ and added a new file called 'descriptive-name.rules' to the existing rules files.
The new file has a rule I found on one of the websites. It will be implemented after all other rules have been followed.
Maybe that will mess up things, but I will find out sooner or later.


Text of usb_modeswitch.conf:


#usb-modeswitch text/info from http://www.draisberghof.de/usb_modes..._reference.txt


# Franklin Wireless U210
#
# Contributor: Adam J. Porter

DefaultVendor= 0x1fac
DefaultProduct=0x0150

TargetVendor= 0x1fac
TargetProduct= 0x0151

CheckSuccess=20

MessageContent="555342431234567824000000800108df20 0000000000000000000000000000"


Question answered.
Problem solved.
I hope.

[PJJ]

Well, usbserial driver )generic) installed. ttyUSB0 registered. Network Manager still does not recognize modem. Also: According to Sprint if the modem is connected via PPP using the generic serial driver speed is limited to about 500Kb/sec.
No good.
Back to work.
Maybe I shoudl just excahnge the modem for the 3G/4G mobile hotspot at the same price.