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The AT&T Quicksilver and Linux

GI322 The Quicksliver is AT&T's latest USB modem.

To get the AT&T Quicksilver working under Linux you need:

The Hso driver
The Ozercdoff utility (it replaces rezero and usb_modeswitch)

For a full Graphical user interface you will also need a connection manager.

With recent versions of Network Manager (>= 0.7.0) you can now connect to the Internet. But if you need a free WWAN Connection Manager with features for the traveller or budgeting then choice is limited. While we wait for a fully integrated solution you can use my HSOconnect application.

Connecting to the Internet - what is different?

The firmware in the Quicksilver is not the same as other Option devices using the hso.ko driver.

There is a difference in the AT commands used for connecting to the Internet, the password and username command is spelt differently. The command is now:

AT_OPDPP

This means that connection managers need to be modified. For example Line 91 of the hso_connect.sh script distributed with the hso driver must change.

From

    if [ -n "$USER" -a -n "$PASS" ]
    then
        echo "OK \"AT\$QCPDPP=1,1,\\\"$PASS\\\",\\\"$USER\\\"^m\"" >> $SCRIPTFILE
    fi
    echo "OK \"\"" >> $SCRIPTFILE

To

    if [ -n "$USER" -a -n "$PASS" ]
    then
        echo "OK \"AT\_OPDPP=1,1,\\\"$PASS\\\",\\\"$USER\\\"^m\"" >> $SCRIPTFILE
    fi
    echo "OK \"\"" >> $SCRIPTFILE

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Showing comments 1 to 4 of 7 | Next | Last

Pat
Posts: 15

AT&T Firmware update from Option - workaround
Reply #7 on : Mon September 14, 2009, 21:15:13

I previously encountered and reported on this site a problem with HSOconnect breakage after applying a firmware patch as instructed by AT&T and downloaded from Option. "Superfire_4.4.0-commercial.exe"

While I don't know the full details of the problem, I now have a quick and easy workaround.

After applying the firmware patch, download and unpack the latest udev tarball from this site, and cd into the udev directory. Then assuming you still have all the required libraries loaded, a simple "make clean && make && sudo make install" will fix the problem.

The base problem is after the firmware patch is applied something in the udev/usb/hotplug system no longer recognizes the Quicksilver as the same device for which it had previously been setup to disable the zerocd, also udev still creates the expected /dev/ttyHS* files but they are unusable.

Reinstalling the udev files seems to clear out the old device info and the zerocd is once again disabled and the ttyHS* files become usable again.

I have no idea where or what specific old info is initially blocking udev from disabling the zerocd after the firmware patch is applied.

So go ahead and install the patch, but expect to reinstall udev after patching the Quicksilver firmware before hsoconnect will work again.

Pat
Posts: 15

AT&T firmware update breaks hsoconnect
Reply #6 on : Thu September 10, 2009, 23:10:16

As an owner of an AT&T Quicksilver, I got a snail mail from AT&T recommending I obtain and install a firmware patch at http://support.option.com/quicksilver/ I did, and downloaded/installed Superfire_4.4.0-commercial.exe as instructed from a non-Linux laptop. After installing the new firmware, which was successful, hsoconnect on my Linux ( eeebuntu ) laptop which was working fine no longer worked. The debug window simply shows a continuous string of "Init Ser" entries all on one line. The hsoconnect tool opens, but the connect button stays grayed out and the unknown scanning never displays the carrier name etc.

So I would strongly recommend delay installing this AT&T recommended firmware patch for now. At least until someone can figure out what it breaks, and how to fix it.

Pat Hickel
Posts: 15

Network Manager - where to change Quicksilver init strings
Reply #5 on : Tue May 05, 2009, 03:34:02

OK I can understand changing the initialization sequence "AT$QCPDPP" to "AT_OPDPP" for the AT&T Quicksilver, but I have hunted all over and cannot find where to make this change under the "Network Manager" tool. The HSOConnect tool works fine other than Firefox always assumes there is no network connection and defaults to "offline " mode.
I would really like to get the "Network Manager" tool working with the Quicksilver, so I'd appreciate any clue on where to make this init sequence changes.

Ted
Posts: 15

works with hso connect
Reply #4 on : Sat May 02, 2009, 18:09:50

just as an update, i D/L shoconnect installed it and it connects well, Thank You

Showing comments 1 to 4 of 7 | Next | Last

The AT&T Quicksilver and Linux

Connecting to the Internet - what is different?

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