Dialup

[Paul Howarth]

Thomas W. Cranston wrote:
> Hi
> 
> I am Linux newbie. I am A+ certified (I know-big deal)
> 
> I just installed Fedora Core 3 2004-11-03. I used System Settings - 
> Network - Query - entered Password for root - Network Configuration - My 
> USR internal hardware Modem shows up as ppp0.
> 
> Nothing happens when I activate it. Its volume is set at very loud.
> 
> I can get out on the web using that machine, running Damm Small Linux 
> (DSL)form the CD player and RAM, so that tells me that there is not a 
> hardware problem.
> 
> I do not see any way to select authentication methods from the Network 
> Configuration. (PAP, Chat, or CHAP) I do not see an option to configure 
> my modem to .......S4 (comm 5) Where USR Modems usually configure to. 
> This is where I place it when running DSL. I find it odd that a lot of 
> Linux distros automatically configure the modem to .....S0 (comm 1), as 
> most hardware modems are USR (at least in this part of the world), and 
> they configure to ....S4. How do I make these choices?
> 
> Now comes the big question
> 
> I tried tail -f /var/log/messages, and got permission denied.
> 
> I am assuming that I have root permissions, as I created a root password 
> during the installation, as well as a User name and a password. I use my 
> root password to use the network configuration application.
> 
> How do I log on as root?
> 
> I do not see anywhere to log on as root. After I boot up, I am asked for 
> my user name, and then my password. I do not see anywhere to log on as 
> root.

You can log on as root by using the username "root" instead of your own 
username, and then enter root's password. However, this is generally a 
bad thing to do because it's easy to do lots of damage by making 
mistakes when running as root.

Instead, you could open a terminal window in your regular session and 
enter the command "su -"; when prompted for the password, enter the root 
password. This will switch you to root for just that terminal window. 
You'll be able to run "tail -f /var/log/messages" in that window.

You could also try the command-line program "wvdial" as an option for 
setting up an Internet connection.

Paul.