Useful 3G modem 'mode switching' script

[jamesc]

The next thing to try is adding the below line to the firewall config to test whether pfSense will switch the modem before it does the PPP dial:

<shellcmd>usb_modeswitch -c /usr/local/etc/modem.txt</shellcmd>

[stephenw10]

If not then try <earlyshellcmd>instead.

Steve</earlyshellcmd>

[jamesc]

It does respond to AT commands on cuaU0.2  :)

My question is, what is cuaU0.1 which is also available to assign under PPP

Also, when I assign the PPP to an interface, I also see cuaU0.0 and cuau0 in the 'Modem Port' dropdown list so i'm a little confused  ???

[stephenw10]

Probably due to the way pfSense finds the serial ports to display:

$serialports = pfSense_get_modem_devices();

I can't find that function but if it relies on, for example, sysctl dev.u3g then they won't appear there.

The reason that the modem provides several serial ports is not obvious to me but it seems it's possible to get stats from the modem on one interface whilst connected via another, signal strength, baud rate etc.

Steve

[jamesc]

Thanks Steve.

I found a simcard, there's no credit on it but it still connects and gets an IP address.

I've tried both the shellcmd and earlyshellcmd options but sometimes there is a delay until the actual switch occurs.  The boot sequence continues regardless, the PPP interface is brought up but the modem is not yet ready so a WAN connection isn't established.  If I go into the GUI and manually hit connect, PPP is dialled and the WAN comes online.

Any idea of how we can delay bringing up PPP until we know the modem has successfully switched?

[stephenw10]

What happens when it tries to dial out before the interface is switched?
I'm surprised that it doesn't just keep trying.
Maybe using dial-on demand or idle time out.

You could write a script that ran usb_modeswitch, waited and then called the appropriate interface connect function.

Steve

[jamesc]

It doesnt do anything, the box continues its boot process as if no modem was plugged in. I see the modem details flash up on the console towards the end of the boot process but PPP has already initialised at this point (without seeing the modem) so i suspect it wont keep on attempting a dial out because as far it's concerned, no modem was detected at the time of initialisation, I hope that makes sense!

[stephenw10]

Yes I see exactly what you mean.
Would probably be best to use an rc script then.
This is just a guess but perhaps:

#!/bin/sh
/usr/local/sbin/usb_modeswitch -c yourmodem.txt
sleep 5
/etc/rc.reload_interfaces

Try issuing a /etc/rc.reload_interfaces and see if it finds the modem and connects.

Steve

[jamesc]

I had just finished creating a similar script and was looking for a command that would restart PPP, the reload_interfaces seems to do the trick nicely, thank you.

[jly2680]

how can i put my usbmode_switch script in startup??i have bandluxe 21 mbps 3g modem and successfully flip it to modem mode using usb_modeswitch..I want to connect my modem's ppp  in start up..thanks

[stephenw10]

If it's an RC script, as I detailed above, put it in /usr/local/etc/rc.d and it will run at boot.

Steve

[jly2680]

i already put my script in /usr/local/etc/rc.d/ but when i reboot pfsense,,ppp dials in fiirst before flipping my usb modem,thus i need to dial my ppp manually..i want to flip my modem first then ppp dials in..TIA

[stephenw10]

Yes Jamesc experienced that problem above.
Doesn't it redial when you reload the interfaces in the script?

Steve

[jly2680]

thanks..reload interfaces did the trick..now i will add 1 more different usb modem.. :)

[jly2680]

problem occurs: persistent disconnections..i cant make my modem to hold for an hour or so..my ppp connection disconnects  every 10 seconds..i try to use my 3g modem directly with my laptop but never had a connection hangup..

[stephenw10]

Is it exactly 10 seconds every time? This might indicate some sort of ppp error. Or more random?
What do you see in the logs? Does it do this if you setup the connection manually instead of using the script?
Have you set the PPP session to be 'always on' (idle timeout = 0, which is the default setting)

using rc.reload_interfaces seemed a bit crude when I suggested it earlier and it still does. It maybe that it is causing some other undesired consequence. It would be much better to simply reload WAN or indeed just have it redial. Sadly I'm not sufficiently familiar with the code to suggest anything better.  :(

Steve

Edit: rc.linkup WAN up (or should that be 'up WAN') perhaps?  :-\ Complete guesswork!

[jly2680]

i think ppp error side?

Mar 5 23:07:52	ppp: [opt2] IPCP: SendConfigReq #3
Mar 5 23:07:52	ppp: [opt2] IPADDR 176.225.134.77
Mar 5 23:07:52	ppp: [opt2] IPCP: rec'd Configure Ack #3 (Ack-Sent)
Mar 5 23:07:52	ppp: [opt2] IPADDR 176.225.134.77
Mar 5 23:07:52	ppp: [opt2] IPCP: state change Ack-Sent --> Opened
Mar 5 23:07:52	ppp: [opt2] IPCP: LayerUp
Mar 5 23:07:52	ppp: [opt2] 176.225.134.77 -> 10.0.0.1
Mar 5 23:07:52	ppp: [opt2] IFACE: Up event
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: Multi-link PPP daemon for FreeBSD
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp:
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: process 28199 started, version 5.5 (root@FreeBSD_8.0_pfSense_2.0-snaps.pfsense.org 10:25 12-Oct-2011)
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: caught fatal signal term
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2] IFACE: Close event
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2] IPCP: Close event
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2] IPCP: state change Opened --> Closing
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2] IPCP: SendTerminateReq #4
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2] IPCP: LayerDown
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: waiting for process 16679 to die...
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2] IFACE: Down event
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2] IPCP: rec'd Terminate Ack #4 (Closing)
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2] IPCP: state change Closing --> Closed
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2] IPCP: LayerFinish
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2] Bundle: No NCPs left. Closing links...
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2] Bundle: closing link "opt2_link0"...
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2_link0] Link: CLOSE event
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2_link0] LCP: Close event
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2_link0] LCP: state change Opened --> Closing
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2_link0] Link: Leave bundle "opt2"
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2] Bundle: Status update: up 0 links, total bandwidth 9600 bps
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2] IPCP: Close event
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2] IPCP: Down event
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2] IPCP: state change Closed --> Initial
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2_link0] LCP: SendTerminateReq #3
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2_link0] LCP: LayerDown
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2_link0] LCP: rec'd Terminate Ack #3 (Closing)
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2_link0] LCP: state change Closing --> Closed
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2_link0] LCP: LayerFinish
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2_link0] Link: DOWN event
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2_link0] LCP: Down event
Mar 5 23:08:36	ppp: [opt2_link0] LCP: state change Closed --> Initial

[jly2680]

/etc/rc.reload_interfaces in my script causes my 3g ppp connection to restart every 10-20 secs..

[stephenw10]

Can you show us your script?
It should only be run once at boot, I can't see how it could possibly effect the ppp cycling time.  :-\

Steve

[jly2680]

#!/bin/sh
/usr/local/sbin/usb_modeswitch usb_modeswitch -v 1a8d -p 2000 -M "5553424312345678000000000000061e000000000000000000000000000000" -2 "5553424312345679000000000000061b000000020000000000000000000000" -n 1 -W
sleep 5
/etc/rc.reload_interfaces

removing reload interfaces makes my 3g ppp connection stable..is there a place where my script will run first then ppp dials in?or to restart ppp connection after my script run?
i can easily do this with openwrt/ddwrt but i want to try pfsense..

[stephenw10]

The code in /usr/local/etc.rc.d should only be run once as far as I know.
You could try calling the script using shellcmd or earlyshellcmd instead:
http://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Executing_commands_at_boot_time

Steve

[jly2680]

thanks,,same thing it doesnt auto connect on boot even if i edit my xml with earlyshellcmd or shellcmd..
on openwrt,,i usually put my script in /etc/rc.local and run a cron job with a watchdog scripts,,it automatically restart my 3g interface when ppp hangs up.hope i can do same thing on pfsense.am total noob with pfsense thats why im still catching up with it..

[th3r3isnospoon]

Hello,

I'd really like to get this feature working on my pfSense box.

I read through this thread 3 times but, I don't see how to go about actually installing the port or using one of your scripts.

If you have a minute or two, can you just throw together a how-to so I can take the necessary steps to get this to work?  I'd really appreciate it!

Thank you!

-th3r3isnospoon

[stephenw10]

Ok, this may have to be multipart as I'm pushed for time!  ::)

First check the usb-modeswitch forum/website to see if your modem is supported at all:
http://www.draisberghof.de/usb_modeswitch/
Note down any relevant switching code that other users may have posted if it's not included as standard in device_reference.txt:
http://www.draisberghof.de/usb_modeswitch/device_reference.txt

Install the FreeBSD package in pfSense. This will vary depending on your pfSense version.
For 2.0.X NanoBSD:

/etc/rc.conf_mount_rw
pkg_add -r ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/i386/packages-8-stable/Latest/usb_modeswitch.tbz
/etc/rc.conf_mount_ro

For 2.0.X full install:

pkg_add -r ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/i386/packages-8-stable/Latest/usb_modeswitch.tbz

Now depending on what the required code for your modem is you can either just enter it at the command line directly, e.g.:

/usr/local/sbin/usb_modeswitch usb_modeswitch -v 1a8d -p 2000 -M "5553424312345678000000000000061e000000000000000000000000000000" -2 "5553424312345679000000000000061b000000020000000000000000000000" -n 1 -W

or call a file containing the appropriate section from device_reference.txt (or some custom code), e.g.:

/usr/local/sbin/usb_modeswitch -c yourmodem.txt

You can run it with -h to list the command line options:

/usr/local/sbin/usb_modeswitch -h

If you get it right usb_modeswitch will report success and you will see some lines in the pfSense log showing devices removed and attached.

If you have found the code to correctly switch your modem you can put a script file in /usr/local/etc/rc.d.
Call it whateveryouwant.sh:

#!/bin/sh
/usr/local/sbin/usb_modeswitch -c yourmodem.txt
sleep 5
/etc/rc.reload_interfaces

I am still of the opinion that /etc/rc.reload_interfaces is probably not the correct way to get the modem running, it seems too crude, but it worked for jamesc.

Steve

[th3r3isnospoon]

You sir are a gentleman and scholar.  I really appreciate this.

I will try this out, this evening and report back.

THANK YOU!

-th3r3isnospoon.

[th3r3isnospoon]

Hey,

Here is what I have so far:

My modem settings (att G10461) :
########################################################

Option iCon 461

Contributor: Samit Basu

DefaultVendor=  0x0af0
DefaultProduct= 0x7a05

TargetClass=    0xff

MessageContent="55534243123456780000000000000601000000000000000000000000000000"

My specific command I ran:

/usr/local/sbin/usb_modeswitch usb_modeswitch -v 0af0 -p 7a05 -C 0xff -M "55534243123456780000000000000601000000000000000000000000000000" -n 1 -W

My Results:
[2.0.1-RELEASE][admin@local.loc]/root(1): /usr/local/sbin/usb_modeswitch usb_modeswitch -v 0af0 -p 7a05 -C 0xff -M "55534243123456780000000000000601000000000000000000000000000000" -n 1 -W
Taking all parameters from the command line

• usb_modeswitch: handle USB devices with multiple modes
• Version 1.2.1 (C) Josua Dietze 2011
• Based on libusb0 (0.1.12 and above)

! PLEASE REPORT NEW CONFIGURATIONS !

DefaultVendor=  0x0af0
DefaultProduct= 0x7a05
TargetVendor=  not set
TargetProduct=  not set
TargetClass=    0xff
TargetProductList=""

DetachStorageOnly=0
HuaweiMode=0
SierraMode=0
SonyMode=0
QisdaMode=0
GCTMode=0
KobilMode=0
SequansMode=0
MobileActionMode=0
CiscoMode=0
MessageEndpoint=  not set
MessageContent="55534243123456780000000000000601000000000000000000000000000000"
NeedResponse=1
ResponseEndpoint= not set

InquireDevice enabled (default)
Success check disabled
System integration mode disabled

Looking for target devices …
No devices in target mode or class found
Looking for default devices ...
  searching devices, found USB ID 0af0:7a05
  found matching vendor ID
  found matching product ID
  target class ff not matching
  adding device
  searching devices, found USB ID 0000:0000
  searching devices, found USB ID 0000:0000
  searching devices, found USB ID 0000:0000
  searching devices, found USB ID 0000:0000
  searching devices, found USB ID 0000:0000
Found device in default mode, class or configuration (1)
Accessing device 006 on bus 000 ...
Getting the current device configuration ...
OK, got current device configuration (1)
Using first interface: 0x00
Using endpoints 0x01 (out) and 0x81 (in)
Inquiring device details; driver will be detached ...
Cant't do driver detection and detaching on this platform.

SCSI inquiry data (for identification)

Vendor String: ZCOption
  Model String: HSUPA Modem
Revision String:

USB description data (for identification)

Manufacturer: Option N.V.
    Product: Globetrotter HSUPA Modem
  Serial No.: Serial Number

Setting up ugen4.2: <option n.v.="">at usbus4 (disconnected)
umass0: at uhub4, port 2, addr 2 (disconnected)
communication wi(cd0:umass-sim0:0:0:0): lost device
(cd0:umass-sim0:0:0:0): removing device entry
th interface 0
Using endpoint 0x01 for message sending ...
Trying to send message 1 to endpoint 0x01 ...
OK, message successfully sent
Reading the response to message 1 (CSW) ...
OK, response successfully read (13 bytes).
Resetting response endpoint 0x81
Resetting message endpoint 0x01
-> Run lsusb to note any changes. Bye.

[2.0.1-RELEASE][admin@local.loc]/root(2): ugen4.2:</option> <option n.v.="">at usbus4
umass0:</option> <option 2="" n.v.="" globetrotter="" hsupa="" modem,="" rev="" 2.00="" 0.00,="" addr="">on usbus4
(probe0:umass-sim0:0:0:0): TEST UNIT READY. CDB: 0 0 0 0 0 0
(probe0:umass-sim0:0:0:0): CAM status: SCSI Status Error
(probe0:umass-sim0:0:0:0): SCSI status: Check Condition
(probe0:umass-sim0:0:0:0): SCSI sense: NOT READY asc:3a,0 (Medium not present)
da0 at umass-sim0 bus 0 scbus0 target 0 lun 0
da0: <sd hsupa="" modem="">Removable Direct Access SCSI-2 device
da0: 40.000MB/s transfers
da0: Attempt to query device size failed: NOT READY, Medium not present

When I go to see if I can add a PPP interface, still none are listed.  What should I change in order to make it work?
I'm so close, I can feel it!!

Thank you!

-th3r3isnospoon</sd></option>

[stephenw10]

Hmm, yes you are close. I have to say that I have only played with this a little and mostly under Ubuntu and that was a few years ago!
My own modem turned out to be supported by u3g on FreeBSD so I didn't need usb_modeswitch.

Does your modem have an SD card slot?

It looks like it's doing it's thing. From the log you see it has removed the virtual cd drive and you can see it receives the '1' response it's looking for.

From memory the creation of a new serial port does not generate any log entries which is why I initially thought my modem wasn't working.

Check the contents of /dev.
There are two ways in which serial ports are represented by FreeBSD and both are shown just to confuse you. Here is the output from my box before I connect my modem:

[2.0.1-RELEASE][root@pfsense.fire.box]/dev(2): ls
ad0        ata        cuau0      devctl     klog       mem        ptmx       stdout     ttyu1.lock urandom
ad0s1      bpf        cuau0.init devstat    kmem       nfslock    pts        ttyu0      ufs        usb
ad0s1a     bpf0       cuau0.lock fd         led        null       random     ttyu0.init ufsid      usbctl
ad0s2      console    cuau1      fido       md0        pci        speaker    ttyu0.lock ugen0.1    xpt0
ad0s2a     crypto     cuau1.init geom.ctl   md1        pf         stderr     ttyu1      ugen1.1    zero
ad0s3      ctty       cuau1.lock io         mdctl      ppi0       stdin      ttyu1.init ugen2.1

And after:

[2.0.1-RELEASE][root@pfsense.fire.box]/dev(3): ls
ad0          console      cuaU0.2.init devstat      mdctl        pts          ttyU0.1.init ttyu1.lock   xpt0
ad0s1        crypto       cuaU0.2.lock fd           mem          random       ttyU0.1.lock ufs          zero
ad0s1a       ctty         cuau0        fido         nfslock      speaker      ttyU0.2      ufsid
ad0s2        cuaU0.0      cuau0.init   geom.ctl     null         stderr       ttyU0.2.init ugen0.1
ad0s2a       cuaU0.0.init cuau0.lock   io           pass0        stdin        ttyU0.2.lock ugen1.1
ad0s3        cuaU0.0.lock cuau1        klog         pass1        stdout       ttyu0        ugen2.1
ata          cuaU0.1      cuau1.init   kmem         pci          ttyU0.0      ttyu0.init   ugen2.2
bpf          cuaU0.1.init cuau1.lock   led          pf           ttyU0.0.init ttyu0.lock   urandom
bpf0         cuaU0.1.lock da0          md0          ppi0         ttyU0.0.lock ttyu1        usb
cd0          cuaU0.2      devctl       md1          ptmx         ttyU0.1      ttyu1.init   usbctl

cua and tty devices are all serial ports. Those with a capital 'U' in the name are USB connected serial ports. You can see that my modem add three serial ports.

Steve