noisy computer driving me nuts!

[MarkGrieveson]

Well, I got a Dell Optiplex 755.  So, a bit newer than my current loud P4.  I tried to set it up and do a test run with archbang, but I could not connect to the pppoe (the network card).  I have both a crossover cable and a regular cable.  I tried both, but neither worked.  So, I'm back using the loud computer.  I think it's going to explode soon.

The modem I'm using is an Ovislink Ov711c.  It uses a Category 5 cable, but I'm not sure if this is the acceptable cable for onboard network card of the Dell Optiplex...... I'm just scratching the proverbial barrel of my mind trying to figure out why I can't get connected to the internet on this new computer.  If anyone has any ideas, do share.

My P4 has gotten much worse.  It sounds like a vacuum cleaner or lawn mower (gas).  It's gonna explode, I can just feel it.

ETA:  I just downloaded and am going to try to install the latest beta of Vector (VL64-7.1-STD-B3.8).  I'll see how it goes.

[bigpaws]

According to the docs for the modem. It does the pppoe negotiation. So all
you should need to a cat5 to the modem.  The modem should assign an ip
address. I am familiar with the Optiplex 755. Nice systems. The Nic does Cat5.

HTH

Bigpaws

[MarkGrieveson]

Thanks bigpaws.  I'm using the crossover cable.  It worked with WinXP*, so the Optiplex 755 computer can connect.

Well, I tried the beta release of 7.1, and was unable to connect to the internet, so I'm back on the noisy computer.  I installed it using "automatic", and it wiped out the copy of WinXP that the guy at the store set up in another partition (which frankly doesn't matter).  It barrelled ahead and formatted everything into one partition -- it didn't even create a swap drive.  Yeesh.  Then in trying to connect to the internet, I ran "pppoe-setup", which told me that I'd have to install "pppd" before it could set me up.  I noticed that vasm no longer has a firewall set up utility, and so instead I would have to rely on gufw -- which only seems to set up rules for amule or qtorrent or various other programs that aren't installed.  I also noticed that vpackager was missing in action.  Hmm.

I then tried Arch, but it just kept saying to me, "mei_me 0000:00:03.0:reset: connect/disconnect timeout" -- it said this to me hundreds of times slowly, and like a zombie I stared at it, whimpering "please stop".  This went on for some time.

Guess I'll download Debian and see.  I'll have to make sure I have the program pppoeconf.

*not automatically -- I had to use a wizard to set up my username and password for it to work.

[nightflier]

From the link you posted regarding the modem:
"Since its embedded PPPoE client function can establish a connection, no PPPoE client software is required for local computer. A built-in Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server automatically assigns IP addresses to PCs on the LAN"

You should not need to do any configuration on your computer. Normally in these cases, you'd use a straight patch cable, but most new NICs auto-negotiate and adjust as needed.

Maybe you need to log in to the modem through the web gui and configure it that way.

Does ifconfig show an IP address?

[MarkGrieveson]

It's never automatically found a host and/or connected to the internet without me setting up what my user name and password is.  I use an account purchased through the Toronto Freenet (high speed is purchased, whereas brief moments of dial-up are free --> years back all dial up was free with them).

[sledgehammer]

My P4 has gotten much worse.  It sounds like a vacuum cleaner or lawn mower (gas).  It's gonna explode, I can just feel it.

Sounds like you need to visit an Army surplus store and pick up a flak jacket.

As the connection problem, I just don't understand it.  If the cable carrying the data fits into the computer, it should work on first install with no adjustment whatsoever.  I have loaded VL on well over a hundred machines of every make and model, laptop, desktop, whatever and never had your problem except in a couple of cases where the machine's connection was broken or the dsl wire was bad and then I would either put in a separate card with a dsl connection or get a different wire. 

I don't think you should be doing any gambling for a while. 

[bigpaws]

If you need to setup a username and password, it would be my guess that
you are using the modem is what is bridge mode.

You can troubleshoot this one step at a time.

From a working system before you connect to the internet
get the output from ifconfig (Linux) or ipconfig (Windows)

Find the ipaddress also you want to know the default gateway if using Windows.

For Linux you want the output of route -n

Now connect to the internet and repeat the above steps. Save this information for
future reference.

After you have that information you can proceed.

The next step is to find out if you are using dhcp for a connection to the
moden. Almost all of the time a bridged modem does not offer an ip address.

Try assigning an address to your NIC card using the same subnet 192.168.0.12 255.255.255.0
as an example ip.  Use an ip close to the modem ip (The default gateway0).

After that try to connect to the internet.

If that does not work then further testing is needed.

If you are following instructions posting them without username/passwd would
also shed more light, as well as what the Loud computer is using.

Bigpaws

[MarkGrieveson]

Then in trying to connect to the internet, I ran "pppoe-setup", which told me that I'd have to install "pppd" before it could set me up.  

I'm back to the noisy computer, which runs Vector Linux 7.0.  On the noisy computer, when I run "pppoe-setup", it actually works.  As I mentioned above, using 7.1 on the newer computer gives me an error, which to me indicates a bug.  I feel it should work.

I was able to install Crunchbang and connect to the internet via the script pppoeconf.  But I could not get jpilot working properly, so I gave up on Crunchbang.

I tried setting up 7.1 again.

From a working system before you connect to the internet
get the output from ifconfig (Linux) or ipconfig (Windows)

Find the ipaddress also you want to know the default gateway if using Windows.

For Linux you want the output of route -n

I did this.

Try assigning an address to your NIC card using the same subnet 192.168.0.12 255.255.255.0
as an example ip.  Use an ip close to the modem ip (The default gateway0).

I'm not sure where or how I do this.  Do you mean via Network Manager?  I tried entering various numbers (from the output of ifconfig and route -n from the working connection) into the gnome-network-manager on the newer computer on Vector 7.1.  I put these on the DSL and Wired tabs, but this didn't work.  I'm not sure what else to do.  And I don't understand why "pppoe-setup" gives an error message on Vector 7.1 -- in Vector 7.0 it always worked.

[nightflier]

I agree, it looks like pppd is missing from 7.1. Put in a request for the package to be added.

[MarkGrieveson]

I think pppd comes from the ppp package, and I think that was present in the 7.1 installation.  So I don't know why I got that error when I tried to run pppoe-setup.