Installing the Web application framework Rails on Fedora Core 3 is not as straightforward as the instructions suggest. FC3 comes with the required Ruby 1.8.1 RPM, but if you try to install Rails with Ruby Gems, it crashes with the error /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/yaml.rb:39: [BUG] Segmentation fault.

So, deinstall the ruby and ruby-libs RPMs, and install Ruby and Gem from the source:

1. Download Ruby 1.8.2+. Install it with ./configure && make && make install

2. Download rubygems 0.8.1+. Install it with ruby install.rb

Update 29 Jan 2005: The new Ruby 1.8.2 RPM in the FC3 update channel can be used to install Rails. Just be sure to also install irb and ruby-devel. The latter is needed for installing the Ruby PostgreSQL driver, and probably other database drivers.

Update 14 Jun 2007: This article has been rewritten for Fedora 7. See Vodafone UMTS with Fedora 7.

I got a new toy today - a Vodafone 3G Datacard, which is a UMTS PCMCIA adapter. There are a couple of HowTo pages for it already, but I couldn't find one describing the complete setup for Fedora Core 3. Note that I have only tested this with the German Vodafone network.

In /etc/hotplug/usb, create the file umts.usermap with this content:

umts 0x03 0xaf0 0x5000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

The vendor ID 0xaf0 and the product ID 0x5000 can be found in /proc/bus/usb/devices, searching for "Vodafone", once the card is plugged in.

In the same directory, create the file umts, which will initialize the PIN for the UMTS SIM card:

#!/bin/sh

if [ "${ACTION}" = "add" ]
then
    wvdial --config /etc/wvdial-pin.conf
fi

For the card to work, the usbserial module has to be loaded. I had some problems with getting the device node created the first time the card is detected, and with removing the module when the card is disconnected. Instead of trying to fix this with udev and hotplug, I just put the following into /etc/rc.d/rc.local:

/sbin/modprobe usbserial vendor=0xaf0 product=0x5000

# The first time the card is connected, the device node is created
# as /dev/0. So we create the right note manually if
# necessary.
test -e /dev/ttyUSB0 || mknod /dev/ttyUSB0 c 188 0

# Initialize the SIM PIN, in case the UMTS card is already plugged in.
# Otherwise, this will be done by /etc/hotplug/usb/umts.
wvdial --config /etc/wvdial-pin.conf >/dev/null 2>&1

Append the following to the end of /etc/wvdial.conf:

[ModemUMTS]
Modem = /dev/ttyUSB0
Baud = 460800
SetVolume = 0
Dial Command = ATDT
Init1 = ATZ
Init2 = ATM0
FlowControl = NOFLOW
[Dialer umts]
Username = VFD2
Password = WAP
Phone = *99***1#
Stupid Mode = 1
Init3 = AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","web.vodafone.de"
Dial Attempts = 3
Inherits = ModemUMTS

Because the system-control-network utility will remove certain entries from /etc/wvdial.conf, I put the configuration for setting the PIN into a separate file, /etc/wvdial-pin.conf. Replace "1234" with your own PIN.

[Dialer Defaults]
Modem = /dev/ttyUSB0
Baud = 460800
SetVolume = 0
Dial Command = ATDT
FlowControl = NOFLOW
Init1 = ATZ
Init2 = ATM0
Init3 = AT+CPIN="1234"

Next, we need to configure a network interface. In /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-umts, add this:

IPV6INIT=no
ONBOOT=no
USERCTL=yes
PEERDNS=yes
TYPE=Modem
DEVICE=ppp0
BOOTPROTO=dialup
LINESPEED=460800
MODEMPORT=/dev/ttyUSB0
IDLETIMEOUT=600
PROVIDER=umts
DEFROUTE=yes
PERSIST=no
WVDIALSECT=umts
MODEMNAME=ModemUMTS
DEMAND=no
PAPNAME=VFD2
AC=off
BSDCOMP=off
VJCCOMP=off
CCP=off
PC=off
VJ=off

This configuration has to be made available at two other locations:

ln /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-umts \
  /etc/sysconfig/networking/devices/ifcfg-umts
ln /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-umts \
  /etc/sysconfig/networking/profiles/default/ifcfg-umts

The final three files are for configuring PPP. First, /etc/ppp/peers/umts:

connect "/usr/bin/wvdial --remotename umts --chat 'umts'"

In /etc/ppp/peers/chap-secrets and pap-secrets, append this line at the end:

"VFD2"  *       "WAP"

Now, either reboot your machine, or execute the commands you added to /etc/rc.d/rc.local. You should then be able to establish a connection with ifup umts and terminate it with ifdown umts. When the card switches between UMTS and GPS, the connection attempt may time out, so retry before checking the configuration files.

Update 14 Apr 2006: With Fedora Core 5, hotplug has become part of udev, so the configuration looks a bit different. Instead of /etc/hotplug/usb/umts.usermap, create the file /etc/udev/rules.d/48-UMTS.rules with the following content:

BUS=="usb", DRIVER=="option", SYSFS{interface}=="Data Interface", SYSFS{bInterfaceNumber}=="00", SYMLINK="umts", RUN+="/lib/udev/umts-pin.sh"
BUS=="usb", DRIVER=="option", SYSFS{interface}=="Data Interface", SYSFS{bInterfaceNumber}=="02", SYMLINK="gsm"

Create the script /lib/udev/umts-pin.sh:

#!/bin/bash

wvdial --config /etc/wvdial-pin.conf

You don't need the modifications in /etc/rc.d/rc.local any more, and you can replace "/dev/ttyUSB0" with "/dev/umts" in the other configuration files. The rest stays the same as on FC3.

Thanks to Patrick Ernzer for the new udev rule.

When I was in Paris last week, I not only had the opportunity to test my tips on how to use an IBM ThinkPad during a presentation, but I also faced the challenge of preparing the material for a three-day training on a tight schedule. I needed a tool for keeping track of new ideas and of the topics I had already covered, with spending as little time as possible on the organizing part.

A good tool for such a task is FreeMind, which organizes information in a "flexible" tree. Being a Java Swing application, its toolbars and menus look ugly, but this is made up by the keyboard shortcuts and mouse button actions. Information can be added, modified and moved around so easily and is displayed in such a nice way, that you can fully concentrate on being creative. And the Java Swing implementation has the advantage of working under Linux, Mac OS X and Windows.