1999/06/22 Kernel 2.2.5-22 And PPP Last week I upgraded from RH Linux 5.1 to RH Linux 6.0. There were no apparent problems. Specifically, tests of Netscape Communicator through Network Configurator PPP through /dev/modem, all through Gnome over X Windows, worked without problems where all the files were from the distribution CD-ROM. I then began upgrading to the latest files. The first few upgrades worked without problems. Then I got to the Kernel upgrade from 2.2.5-15 to 2.2.5-22. At this point, Network Configurator failed to dial out through /dev/modem. When the connection is "activated" the modem's DTR light comes one momentarily and then goes down without dialing. I've seen this problem before trying to up grade RHL 5.1 from kernel 2.0.35-x to 2.0.36-x and I never did resolve it. I tried "dmesg" to see what I could and this is the result: "Linux version 2.2.5-15 (root.redhat.com) (gcc version egcs-2.91.66 19990314/Linux (egcs-1.1.2 release)) #1 Mon Apr 19 21:39:28 EDT 1999" [Note: The above does not match the Kernel which had already been upgraded to 2.2.5-22] . . . [Removed stuff that's unlikely to be relevant] "Linux NET4.0 for Linux 2.2 Based upon Swansea University Computer Society NET3.039 NET4: Unix domain sockets 1.0 for Linux NET4.0. NET4: Linux TCP/IP 1.0 for NET4.0 IP Protocols: ICMP, UDP, TCP, IGMP Initializing RT netlink socket Starting kswapd v 1.5 Serial driver version 4.27 with MANY_PORTS MULTIPORT SHARE_IRQ enabled ttyS00 at 0x03f8 (irq = 4) is a 16550A ttyS01 at 0x02f8 (irq = 3) is a 16550A pty: 256 Unix98 ptys configured apm: BIOS version 1.1 Flags 0x07 (Driver version 1.9)" . . . [More stuff removed] "tty_io.c: process 649 (pppd) used obsolete /dev/cua1 - update software to use /dev/ttyS1 tty_io.c: process 695 (pppd) used obsolete /dev/cua1 - update software to use /dev/ttyS1 tty_io.c: process 703 (pppd) used obsolete /dev/cua1 - update software to use /dev/ttyS1 tty_io.c: process 779 (pppd) used obsolete /dev/cua1 - update software to use /dev/ttyS1 tty_io.c: process 787 (pppd) used obsolete /dev/cua1 - update software to use /dev/ttyS1" I then continued to upgrade according to the later errata. Upgrading "dev.2.7.7-2.i386.rpm" got rid of the "tty_io.c: . . ." reported by "dmesg" listed above, but the serial ports still don't work with the "2.2.5-22" kernel. From the last few lines it seemed that I could probably point "Network Configurator" directly to "/dev/ttyS1", bypassing "/dev/modem". But I tried this and it didn't work. I'm now in the process of upgrading XFree86 as per the last errata note I have, dated June 17, 1999. However, this is unlikely to help this problem. ------- Additional Comments From 06/27/99 20:27 ------- I went over the Errata page and the referred URL http://www.redhat.com/corp/support/docs/kernel-upgrade/kernel-upgrade.html and realized that I'd failed to complete the installation process. I wondered why my earlier upgrades worked, then I remembered that I had in fact done the complete upgrade procedure before. But I didn't keep my previous upgrade notes. Since I don't work with Linux often (yet), I simply forgot the issues of checking linux.conf and running lilo -v. As far as I'm concerned, this issue is resolved, though the matter of the obsolete "/dev/cua1" etc. might be worth looking into.