152Part II:Internet Now! Setting Up the HardwareBefore you (Web server logs)
152Part II:Internet Now! Setting Up the HardwareBefore you get too comfortable in your chair, you must physically checksome items that may require you to do some low-level maneuvers (such ascrawling under your desk): Cable modem, DSL modem, or any other fancy contraption:If you haveone of these babies, you need to make sure that: An Ethernet cable (like a phone cable but the connector is wider) is plugged into your computer s Ethernet card and into the specialcable, DSL, satellite, or ISDN modem your ISP installed. Beware of devices posing as modemsI try to save you from some frustration andyour computer from your ball-peen hammer. Many Linux newbies have become irritated bynot being able to communicate with their inter- nal modems. After all, the newbie reasons, the same hardware works when I was runningMicrosoft Windows. Well, here s the story: Years ago, hardwaremanufacturers developed a device, called asoftware modem,in an effort to reduce hard- ware costs. The idea was to trim some respon- sibility from the modem and relegate thesetasks to the operating system. The result was aninexpensive modem that routed signals to pro- prietary software that operated only underMicrosoft Windows. In short, these so-calledmodems, also known as WinModems,aren treally modems at all, but, rather, are telephonecable interfaces to Windows. The following list shows methods you can useto determine whether you have a softwaremodem: The model number has a HCF-, HSP-, orHSF-in front of it. The packaging refers to the device as aWinModem or designates that it workswith only Windows (though sometimesthese labels can be misleading becausesome manufacturers just don t bother to listother operating systems even though theirhardware will work with those operatingsystems). Windows recognizes your modem, butLinux doesn t. In short, if you determine that you have a soft- ware modem, Linux simply doesn t work with it. For the adventurous out there, the LinModemproject (linmodems.org) has successfullywritten Linux drivers to work with a few of thesesoftware modems. I encourage you to becomeinvolved in this type of project, if you re somoved. These explorers drive the wonderfulworld of freedomsoftware, which Linux is aprominent part of. The bummer in all this is that, although youprobably saved a few bucks by buying amachine with a software modem, you mostlikely need a real modem to use with Linux(unless you are lucky enough to have aLinModem). Your best bet is to purchase anexternal modem so that you can leave the soft- ware modem in place and have the external onejust for Linux (or any other computer you maywant to move it to later).