Re: Multiple device files for multiple modems

[Jason Flatt <jason@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thank you, Marv, for the thorough explanation.  I am somewhat disheartened,
now that I've found one that works, that I'll have continue searching.


On Fri, 4 Nov 2011 19:42:28 -0400
Marvin Stodolsky <marvin.stodolsky@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Jason,
> 
> This is an issue explored long ago.
> For Controller Chipset (hardware) modems, all of the signal processing
> occurs on the modem card with each having its own port/device and no
> deleterious overlap of functionality in the CPU.  Thus multiple
> hardware modems can be serviced on a single PC.
> 
> However the so called softmodems (which you likely have) were designed
> as cheap consumer devices, and the supporting software was NOT written
> with sophistication to maintain separate data streams in the CPU,
> which does carry increasing amounts of the signal processing in the
> AC'97 modem family, and almost all the processing for the more current
> family of modem chips hosted on High Definition Audio cards.  For
> these modems, the modem hardware has two major roles:
> 1) providing the physical interface to the phone line
> 2) specify the software package to be used under Microsoft.
> 
> A few members of this List wrote additional software to create
> separate ports for multiple Lucent/Agere modem cards, but this alone
> proved to be inadequate.
> The precompiled ltmdmobj.o component of the code (which we could not modify)
> just did not maintain separate data streams during concurrent modem usage.
> 
> Our contacts at Lucent/Agere recommended that for reliable service,
> it was indeed necessary to use hardware modems.
> 
> MarvS
> scanModem maintainer
> 
> On Fri, Nov 4, 2011 at 6:52 PM, Jason Flatt <jason@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > Hello all.
> >
> > I have a computer that I'm setting up as a fax server, and I've installed
> > two US Robotics PCI Express modems (they use the Agere Systems chip set)
> > in it.
> >
> > Both devices work fine separately.  The system recognizes them, creates the
> > device file and symbolic link.  setserial, wvdial, and minicom all work
> > with both of them.
> >
> > The problem I have is that only one device file is created, so I cannot use
> > the two of them simultaneously.
> >
> > I have searched the Internet, and especially the archives for this list to
> > no avail.  Apparently, no one ever installs two of these devices into the
> > same computer (or I don't know how to search, which is also entirely
> > likely).
> >
> > So, my question is, how do I get a second device file created, or create
> > one myself, that will allow the two modems to operate at the same time in
> > the one computer?
> >
> > Thank you.
> >
> >
> > --
> > Jason Flatt
> > Computer and network service and support: http://www.flattandsons.com/
> > Father of seven: http://www.flattfamily.com/ (Joseph, 18; Cramer, 16;
> > Travis, 14; Angela; Harry, 11; William, 5; and Dolly, 3) Linux user:
> > http://www.ubuntu.org/ Drupal fanatic: http://drupal.org/
> >


-- 
Jason Flatt
Computer and network service and support: http://www.flattandsons.com/
Father of seven: http://www.flattfamily.com/ (Joseph, 18; Cramer, 16; Travis,
14; Angela; Harry, 11; William, 5; and Dolly, 3) Linux user:
http://www.ubuntu.org/ Drupal fanatic: http://drupal.org/