Info on local resources for Linux (fwd)

[Mike Bilow]

It depends mostly upon what you mean by "plug and play."  If the modem is
simply jumperless and uses the PnP protocol to set the I/O port address
and the IRQ, then it would be relatively straightforward to get this
working under Linux and there are existing tools which could be made to do
this.  Linux support in this case would be mostly a matter of
documentation and making sure that the user had a properly configured
kernel of sufficiently recent vintage.

If what you really mean is a "winmodem," where the guts of the modem
firmware are located in a Windows DLL, then this is not possible under
Linux.  The issue is not technical, since there is no real reason a driver
could not be written for Linux, but legal, since the programmatic
interface to "winmodems" is usually under non-disclosure from the chipset
manufacturer.  It is impossible within the current licensing framework of
Linux (GPL) to produce a closed-source kernel component.

-- Mike


On 2000-05-26 at 11:52 -0400, John Abreau wrote:

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: 26 May 2000 06:03:27 -0700
> From: rhubbard at worldspy.net
> To: jabr at blu.org
> Subject: Info on local resources for Linux
> 
> I work for Zoom Telephonics in Boston in the technical support department.
> I am still a relative beginner with Linux. I have been given the
> responsibility of testing, documentating and training technical support
> personnnel with installing and configuring all our modem products with
> Linux. I have been asked by management to see if there is way to get at
> least one of our plug and play isa modems working with Linux. According to
> the latest plug and play Howto it looks like it could be a major
> undertaking. Are there any groups in the Boston area I could meet with to
> see if anyone give me some ideas about implementing plug and play modems
> with the current kernal. I must warn you I am not a programmer or know how
> to write device drivers. I have no problem getting isa or external modems
> working. Plug and play with Linux is completely new to me.


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