Linux loves what some refers to as real modems. The new modems that are being made today are mostly win-modems. One of the ways you can tell if you have a win-modem is by looking at the driver or the modem components. I use a HSF Voice, Data, Fax, and Speakerphone Conexant soft56k PCI modem. In Windows 98 the program uses an emulator while in Windows 2000 Professional the does not use the emulator. The emulator is one sign that you have a Win-modem and the driver.vdx is another sign.

    I have been talking about Win-modems and I have not defined what it really represents. A win-modem is a software modem; the older type modems have supporting hardware for its operation. With the Win-modems the CPU does the work of the supporting hardware. Now you ask yourself this question, "Wouldn't that mean that the CPU now has to do more work when I'm using the modem to go online?" The answer would be yes. For the manufactures this is the cheapest way to make modems. The manufactures write drivers for Windows based operating systems. Unix, Linux, and other OS users have to avoid these modems because the manufactures don't write drivers for these operating systems. If you are interested in getting a modem I would tell you to look for a Hard Modem. These can be identified by the port jumpers, and memory addresses jumpers on the modem itself and this can be either PCI or ISA.

     With my win-modem I was able to go to Conexant and download the drivers for my specific Linux Mandrake distribution. This HSF modem sometimes carry the same id as the HCF. If you are not sure about weather you have a HSF or HCF then do what I did, download the both of them. More of the manufactures are writing drivers for Linux and Unix users for their modems both in source code form and RPM form. If you have problems with the PRM packages then download the source code and compile a make file for your self. You will have to use the terminal for the configuration of the modem because there is no GUI for the configuration program. See the Modem button on the menu on the left for what the configuration program parameters are like. Noticed that I typed "hsfconfig --info /etc/hsf in the terminal window. The config file you are running is hsfconfig for the HSF modem and hcfconfig for HCF modems. After the config file name I have the parameters which is "--info" and where the file can be found. After installing the drivers the folder hsf or hcf will be created in the /etc folder.