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Some General Questions About PCLinuxOS

Cluttermagnet

By Cluttermagnet
in Bruno's All Things Linux

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Cluttermagnet

Cluttermagnet

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I'm getting along fairly well with my new install of PCLinuxOS, but this is quite different in the way it does certain things, compared with the more familiar Ubuntu distro.In particular, I'm getting lost trying to figure out how to get user "clutter" some permissions, especially permission to sudo. At times, I have been able to attain 'super-user' status, for example when opening Synaptic, etc. But with dialup, and in particular, wvdial, I have run into a brick wall. On the one hand, it try PPP and I just can't get it to make a 'real' dialup connection. OTOH I try wvdial and I simply can't get past this brick wall... I want to sudo gedit so I can play with wvdial.conf, it won't let me, no matter how many ways I try. I try to simply launch wvdial under gksudo, it asks for a password, I try both my user and root (superuser?) passwords and it tells me "sorry, try again". If I try to sudo, it tells me I'm going to be reported. :thumbsup: I'm kind of stuck. Thought I'd ask here before moving over to the PCLos forums.

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Well I know PCLinuxOS uses su not sudo by default. Try: 

gksu wvdial

or su to root in a console and run wvdial:

$ su password#wvdial
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Cluttermagnet

Cluttermagnet

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Well I know PCLinuxOS uses su not sudo by default. Try: 
gksu wvdial

or su to root in a console and run wvdial:

Ahhh- that explains a couple of things right away. I think I remember typing things like "gksudo" and also, of course, "sudo", but it never would have occurred to me to type "su". I'm fine with using it their way, no strong opinion about having to have sudo just yet. So let me try a couple of things before I ask any more.There is one other thing, I'll post separately below...
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Cluttermagnet

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I've been trying desperately to get logged into irc.equnet.org #CNI for the past few days without success. Have they changed anything about that lately?I had something really bizarre happen here just this evening. I opened xchat and tried to navigate to irc.equnet.org. No luck. I can't even figure out how to run this utility and make it do what I want. It keeps wanting to connect to other networks that are, by default, included on a list in the stock software. I managed to screw up xchat so badly that when I tried to launch it, it briefly opened and then simply vanished, went away. I went into Synaptic and saw there are both xchat and x-chat-gnome, which I had. I got the bright idea to uninstall it and reinstall it. Well, actually, it wouldn't let me reinstall, so I decided to uninstall, then install. So the uninstall went 'OK' I suppose, but then xchat-gnome no longer appeared in the Synaptic list, only 'regular' xchat. I'm not quite sure what to do at this point.On a slightly related topic, I had decided I would bite the bullet and just cave in and install kppp since ppp has proven so useless. The only two items Synaptic could come up with simply did not look right. Neither of them were describing a dialup utility for KDE, near as I could tell. Besides, I figure if I could find the right software, it would also want to install a ton of KDE dependencies. So I'm kind of stuck there, too. I mean in the sense that Synaptic is maybe not finding the 'right' kppp, near as I can tell.I'm getting pretty frustrated. The only reason I'm in PCLos right now is that it did the best job discovering a wireless card when booting into a live CD session (especially as compared to Ubuntu 10.04). Now I'm stuck with the additional burden of learning my way around a new, unfamiliar OS, as well. But I'm having problems left and right with permissions in PCLos right now, untill I better learn my way around it. So I've been stymied in my attempts to make any actual use of "wifi radar" and "aircrack-ng" and such.

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I've never used sudo, always just su to root. I think that is more of an Ubuntu thing? Do any of the other major distros use it?
I am pretty sure Ubuntu and its derivatives are the the only major distros that uses sudo by default although you can set it up in any distro.
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Cluttermagnet

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Ahhh- that explains a couple of things right away. I think I remember typing things like "gksudo" and also, of course, "sudo", but it never would have occurred to me to type "su". I'm fine with using it their way, no strong opinion about having to have sudo just yet. So let me try a couple of things before I ask any more.
[clutter@localhost ~]$ su wvdialsu: user wvdial does not exist[clutter@localhost ~]$

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

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Cluttermagnet

Cluttermagnet

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[clutter@localhost ~]$ su wvdialsu: user wvdial does not exist[clutter@localhost ~]$ suPassword: [root@localhost ~]# wvdial--> WvDial: Internet dialer version 1.60--> Warning: section [Dialer Defaults] does not exist in wvdial.conf.--> Cannot open /dev/modem: No such file or directory--> Cannot open /dev/modem: No such file or directory--> Cannot open /dev/modem: No such file or directory[root@localhost ~]#

:thumbsup: BTW my modem is at /dev/ttys0. I haven't yet been able to 'get in' to set the modem port, dialout number, ID, and password.P.S. This is weird, but I can't even find wvdial.conf in /etc. Not even when showing hidden files. It has appeared all along that it just never has been made. Almost makes sense, as I have yet to open wvdial in Terminal under PCLos. :thumbsup:

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Well there ya go. Su is the command to become root and not to placed before the command like sudo. It looks like your problem with wvdial is that it is not pointed to the correct device. Can you post the output of lspci? We need to identify what the modem is recognized as so we can set it up correctly.

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Cluttermagnet

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Can you post the output from:
 # cat /etc/wvdial.conf

Hmmm...
[clutter@localhost ~]$ suPassword: [root@localhost ~]# gedit /etc/wvdial.config[root@localhost ~]# gedit[root@localhost ~]# cat /etc/wvdial.confcat: /etc/wvdial.conf: No such file or directory[root@localhost ~]#

Synaptic showed wvdial as installed. I even reinstalled it because I couldn't believe the results I was getting.

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Cluttermagnet

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# locate wvdial

?

[root@localhost ~]# locat wvdial-bash: locat: command not found[root@localhost ~]# locate wvdial/etc/ppp/peers/wvdial/etc/ppp/peers/wvdial-pipe/usr/bin/wvdial/usr/bin/wvdialconf/usr/share/man/man1/wvdial.1.bz2/usr/share/man/man1/wvdialconf.1.bz2/usr/share/man/man5/wvdial.conf.5.bz2[root@localhost ~]#

An ahah moment. Hey, I just made up a saying...

gedit that!
:thumbsup: Edited by Cluttermagnet
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Aha:

Making a New Connection 1. Run wvdialconf to generate a configuration file containing information on your modem and ISP information. The output should look like this: [root@blah /root]# wvdialconf /etc/wvdial.conf Scanning your serial ports for a modem. ttyS1: ATQ0 V1 E1 -- OK ttyS1: ATQ0 V1 E1 Z -- OK ttyS1: ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 -- OK ttyS1: ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 -- OK ttyS1: ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 -- OK ttyS1: ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 S11=55 -- OK ttyS1: ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 S11=55 +FCLASS=0 -- OK ttyS1: Modem Identifier: ATI -- 28800 ttyS1: Speed 2400: AT -- OK ttyS1: Speed 4800: AT -- OK ttyS1: Speed 9600: AT -- OK ttyS1: Speed 19200: AT -- OK ttyS1: Speed 38400: AT -- OK ttyS1: Speed 57600: AT -- OK ttyS1: Speed 115200: AT -- OK ttyS1: Max speed is 115200; that should be safe. ttyS1: ATQ0 V1 E1 S0=0 &C1 &D2 S11=55 +FCLASS=0 -- OK ttyS0: ATQ0 V1 E1 -- ATQ0 V1 E1 -- ATQ0 V1 E1 -- nothing. Port Scan: S2 S3 Found a modem on /dev/ttyS1. 2. As you can see, wvdialconf probes your comm ports, looking for a modem, and determine the capabilities of any modems it finds. 3. If your output looks different, check that your modem is plugged in, turned on, and connected to a com port.Configuring WvDial 1. Once you have run wvdialconf, you need to edit the /etc/wvdial.conf file to reflect the phone number to dial, and your username and password....................
http://support.real-time.com/linux/dialup/wvdial.html
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Cluttermagnet

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Most all system-wide configuration files are in /etc. Only the executables are in /usr/bin.
Well, Synaptic did this...(or, in Smothers Brothers parlance)
Dad liked you best
Seriously, though, what do I do? Rip it out and reinstall yet again? It seems bound and determined to put it in /usr/bin. Can it be left in there and worked with in there?Move it out of there and into /etc? Edited by Cluttermagnet
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Yup, that link looks like it may help you to setup wvdial. I figured you knew about /etc and it was a joke, but then again...you never know. :thumbup: Let us know how it goes.

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Cluttermagnet

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Yup, that link looks like it may help you to setup wvdial. Let us know how it goes.
OK, when I get this tower back home I will try, but what do you think- just leave the config file in /usr/bin and work with it (gedit) in there?
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Cluttermagnet

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Nah- I'm too unsophisticated a Command Line user to joke about this stuff. :rolleyes: Hiding it in /usr/bin is not something I could just make up. :thumbup:

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Nah- I'm too unsophisticated a Command Line user to joke about this stuff. :rolleyes: Hiding it in /usr/bin is not something I could just make up. :thumbup:
:rolleyes:....:medic:
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Cluttermagnet

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I would run the command from the link and then edit the config file it generates in /etc/.
Ah, OK- this one
[root@blah /root]# wvdialconf /etc/wvdial.confScanning your serial ports for a modem.

No, no. Waidaminnit. That is not going to work. It doesn't live in /etc.Looks to me like I'd have to modify the command above to reflect the actual location in /usr/bin??? PCLos has been telling me all along it ain't in /etc. Wishing it there ain't going to get it there.This is all Synaptic's fault, you know. :rolleyes: :thumbup: I may still not be completely understanding what you're trying to tell me.

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wvdialconf /etc/wvdial.conf

generates the wvdial.conf file in /etc.

Doesn't that create some sort of conflict? So far, wvdial/conf doesn't live in /etc. Would the file in /usr/bin just sort of get 'orphaned'?
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Ok, by default there is no configuration file in /etc/ for wvdial. The command above generates this configuration file. After that if there is a problem, you simply edit the /etc/wvdial.conf file with your editor of choice using su to become root.Executables are not the same as configuration files. Executables are generally in /usr/bin and configuration files for the executables are in /etc (most of the time). Like in windows, the file you click to launch is not the same file you edit to configure. But with Linux all configuration files are usually in /etc instead of being in the registry, system32, and other scattered places.

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Cluttermagnet

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[clutter@localhost ~]$ wvdialconf /etc/wvdial.confEditing `/etc/wvdial.conf'.Scanning your serial ports for a modem.ttyS0<Info>: Device or resource busyModem Port Scan<*1>: S0   ttyS1<Info>: Device or resource busyModem Port Scan<*1>: S1   ttyS2<Info>: Device or resource busyModem Port Scan<*1>: S2   ttyS3<Info>: Device or resource busyModem Port Scan<*1>: S3   Sorry, no modem was detected!  Is it in use by another program?Did you configure it properly with setserial?Please read the FAQ at http://open.nit.ca/wiki/?WvDialIf you still have problems, send mail to <wvdial-list@lists.nit.ca>.[clutter@localhost ~]$

(Sigh!)This sent after booting back into 98SE. I'll read a little more at the linked site above. Maybe I can figure out what they mean by "setserial".My modem is on /dev/ttys0 COM1. Working fine for Windows.I think they're shooting themselves in the foot, not writing into Linux some real 'can do' automatic functionality like you see when it latches onto an Ethernet pipe. I can see where others have said that a newcomer would have given up real fast when they encounter this sort of nonsense.BTW you asked, Josh- the external serial modem is a Best Data Smart One, model no. 56SX-2.Oh, and get this- I still cannot find wvdial.conf anywhere in /etc.

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