[arch-general] wvdial and ppp configuration

[Fons Adriaensen]

On Sun, Sep 11, 2011 at 05:31:44AM +0800, Ray Rashif wrote:
 
> wvdial needs to start pppd to connect. Without pppd, wvdial is
> useless.

??? wvdial only starts pppd *after* having made the connection.
It certainly doesn't need pppd to make the connection.

> The ppp0 is the proper device (registered by pppd), and not
> usb0. I don't know which brings that one up, but I suppose it's the
> usb_modeswitch thing.

Usb_modeswitch just switches the USB device into a different mode.
Then some magic in the system recognises a network interface and
creates usb0. Usb_modeswitch can't do that, it just looks for a
particular USB device and if it finds it sends a string of bytes
to it. That's all it ever does.

> A dhcp client is used at the end, after dialling, after connecting.

Indeed.

> The man page has a good explanation of this process in the first few
> paragraphs, which might also explain the don't-know message. You can't
> optimise your connection any further. If it works, it works.

Yes it works. But it also seems that this modem is able to
provide a network interface directly, without needing ppp,
and only needs the connection to be set up. The question is
how to use it, maybe it requires some as yet unknow modem
command.

Ciao,

-- 
FA