On Wed, 2021-10-13 at 13:18 -0500, Richard Owlett wrote: On 10/13/2021 12:35 PM, Tixy wrote: > On Wed, 2021-10-13 at 17:09 +0000, Andrew M.A. Cater wrote: > > On Wed, Oct 13, 2021 at 08:51:28AM -0700, Peter Ehlert wrote: > > > > > > On 10/13/21 8:16 AM, Richard Owlett wrote: > > > > It appears to me that netinst.iso assumes that there are > > > > *exactly* two > > > > choices for internet connectivity: > > > > an ethernet device > > > > *OR* > > > > WiFi > > > > > > > > However, I use a USB device [ an Alcatel Linkzone from T-Mobile > > > > ] > > > > The installer is unable to see the internet. > > > > > > are you using the nonfree firmware ISO? > > > > > > I have had no troubles with multiple installs, but I only use the > > > nonfree > > > > > > > Firmware iso is what I would suggest. > > I suspect firmware isn't an issue. The device probably works as CDC > Ethernet (don't know if installer kernel has the cdc_ether driver), > but > sounds like the device initially presents itself as a USB mass > storage > device and needs some way to force it to change modes. >
I've never heard of "CDC Ethernet" and what I found with a quickie web search wasn't very useful. What I see when Debian boots does not have any obvious conflict with what I see. If the Linkzone is already plugged in when boot begins it appears to be caught in a loop. As soon as the Linkzone is unplugged the boot completes as expected. Plug it back back in and I have immediate internet access. Where would I descriptive information about "CDC Ethernet"? I found bits of discussion about it but nothing educational. I don't know anything to be useful, sorry. It's just part of the USB protocols for devices that want to look like ethernet and the Linux kernel has drivers for that. When I plug my Android phone into a PC via USB, I get to select on the phone what it should use USB for. If I select 'USB tethering' then the 'dmesg' output on the PC shows usbcore: registered new interface driver cdc_ether rndis_host 2-2:1.0 usb0: register 'rndis_host' at usb-0000:00:14.0-2, RNDIS device, 6a:28:cd:07:4f:f1 usbcore: registered new interface driver rndis_host Then running 'ip link' from a command-line shows I've gained and ethernet device called 'usb0' which I can select in Network Manager if I choose. I suspect your Linkzone device is effectively an Android phone without a screen. But this doesn't help you, because you can't tell your device what USB protocol to select, unless the App for controlling the device that Alcatel's web site mentions lets you do that. There again, if you had an phone to run the app you wouldn't need the Linkzone, you could just use your phone for mobile internet access. Perhaps more relevantly, a previous phone of mine would always show up first as a USB mass storage device, and the contents looked like some Windows software (presumable so a Windows could automatically install something). If I remember correctly. I would have to unmount that before I could connect to it properly for file transfer via MTP or as a USB network device. -- Tixy
