Open SuSE Linux Instructions

This explains the process to download and install the mobile broadband connection manager packages onto a Open SuSE 11.1 Linux operating system.

This will involve downloading a compressed archive, un zipping this file, and running several commands to install the software packages onto your machine. You will need to have administration privileges to complete, and be familiar with running commands on a terminal window.

All of the instructions contained within this page are also contained with the package itself, so you can if you wish simply get the package and follow the readme file contained within the archieve.

This package has been created for Open SuSE 11.1 running on chip sets compatible with Intel 386 architecture.

Downloading

Download the openSuse111.tgz compressed archive to a temporary directory on your machine with the download button.

Assuming that we are inside your temporary directory uncompress the archive.

This will produce the following directory and files on your machine.

Installing Packages

We are going to install the packages in reverse order. In other words if a package depends on another package we install the dependancy first.

OpenSuSE 11.1 provides a software packaging tool called zypper that we will use to install some of the dependancy packages.

First we need to install the needed dependacies not provided by standard openSuse 11.1 distro.

Install the usb_modeswitch package.

Install ozerocdoff package.

Install the two python packages needed and included as part of this archive file.

Install Vodafone Mobile Connect

Setting up User Privileges

Running as adminstrator ( with ROOT privileges ) you will allways be able to run the application. However, you will need to provision a normal user with higher access privileges on your system. To do this we will add a standard user to the groups: uucp and dialout. Replacing user_name with your user.

For the changes to take effect you can either start another terminal window or type the following on the termianl you are on with your user_name replaced with the user you have updated:

Running the Application

To run the applicatoin you can run from the command line in normal or logging mode with the commands:

To start the application from your menu, choose applications, then internet.

File Description

The archive contains 6 files. One is a 'read me' file which also explains it's contents and how to install. The other five files are software packages which are packaged up as a rpm (redhat package management) archieve. OpenSuSE uses this format to install software components.

vodafone-mobile-connect

This package contains the main component of the broadband mobile connect manger. It depends on all other packages to work as well as the following:

• wvdial
• hal
• lsb
• python-serial
• python-twisted
• python-twisted-conch
• python-notify
• python-sqlite2
• python-pytz
• python-dbus
• python-cairo
• pythoncrypto
• python-gtk
• python-gnome

Python Modules

Python-tz and Python-sqlite provides python packages that allow communication between python programs and the sql database used to store user data.

usb_modeswitch

This package is required to flip some USB devices from storage device mode to modem mode.

ozerocdoff

This package is used for modems which use the HSO kernel driver. It also flips this type of modem from storage device mode to modem mode.