Re: Will Linux driver for Asus USB ADSL modem change the modem's firmware??

From: P Gentry (rdgentry1_at_cablelynx.com)
Date: 02/03/04 

Date: 3 Feb 2004 13:57:15 -0800

Kris <reply@the.group.com> wrote in message news:<h62u10l0a55euobe0j774andd07vgd72c3@4ax.com>...
> I've got Red Hat Linux up and running, mounted various partitions,
> fine, going great, refreshing that old Unix knowledge. Using
> OpenOffice and all that, very refreshing to use a computer without
> crashing every 5 minutes, thank you Linux.
>
> I've located a driver for my Asus ADSL USB modem. I've read some text
> files provided with the driver and it seems to be talking about the

what model # and which files? where did you get the driver? its
version?

> modem's firmware an awful lot. This is getting me a little nervous.
> Does this mean the modem's internal functions themselves will be
> changed to suit Linux? I want to use both Linux and XP at the same
> time, obviously using the modem too. Will this Linux driver change the
> internal settings of the modem so it will become unusable with XP?
> Worried. Messing with hardware's firmware seems an awfully tricky
> business.
>
>
> Kris

Andreas and Tim have a good point re: need more info/more specific
info.

But...

First, any USB device will need a driver to integrate into the sysem.
This driver is likely to read firmware data at startup. Can't imagine
it _writing_ to firmware (basically a flash BIOS).

I've been doing some info scounging the past couple of months. Not
familiar with an Asus -- is it a cable or dsl or dial-up modem (hey,
with USB anything is possible)?

It is common for the firmware in cable/dsl modems to be adjusted by
service providers -- at least those that give out a modem. Also, the
caps (ie., bandwidth, frequency, etc. that should seldom change once
installed) on some modems are set in firmware. Newer ones do all this
with the boot scripts loaded via TFTP.

My guess is that since this is _your_ modem, you are getting info on
all the inside goodies. Dial-up (ie., serial) modems have always
stored some setup info in special registers with init strings (never
heard them referred to as firmware though).

What you may have to do is contact your service provider for proper
parameters to connect to their network and you may have to set some of
these in the firmware.

Get back with specific kind/make/model of modem, the text that has you
wondering, your RH version, confirmation that RH is detecting the "new
hardware" at boot (dmesg USB output).

regards,
prg
email above disabled

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