Need to get the Software Modem in my Thinkpad T30 (2366-57G) to work under Linux for some dev work we are doing...

A quick Google yielded a bunch of success stories. First off I went for the
same version of the SmartLink drivers as one of these examples had used. This
didn't work as it required a 2.4 Kernel, barfed on the absence of:

/usr/src/linux/include/linux/modversions.h

Went instead for the latest version of the drivers, from the SmartLink
website.

Following the instructions in the README, I couldn't modprobe the drivers,
slamr, got this error instead:

stinkoman 2.6.12-gentoo-r9 # modprobe slamr
FATAL: Error inserting slamr (/lib/modules/2.6.12-gentoo-r9/extra/slamr.ko):
Unknown symbol in module, or unknown parameter (see dmesg)

Decided to follow this guy's suggestion and use the ALSA driver that comes with the Kernel so...

stinkoman 2.6.12-gentoo-r9 # slmodemd /dev/ttyS0
SmartLink Soft Modem: version 2.9.10 Sep 4 2005 18:31:53
symbolic link `/dev/ttySL64' -> `/dev/pts/4' created.
modem `ttyS0' created. TTY is `/dev/pts/4'
Use `/dev/ttySL64' as modem device, Ctrl+C for termination.

sym linked /dev/modem to /dev/ttySL64 as latter was not appearing in KPPP
and...

It appeared to work, KPPP could find the modem and displayed a bunch of diagnostics.

However... When I tried to dial out, no dice, or rather 'NO CARRIER'

emerged minicom to investigate further...

Turned out I hadn't read the SmartLink README properly and had not compiled
slmodemd with ALSA support, bit miffed as to what it was trying to use as a
modem before hand, if the driver module was not inserted into the Kernel and ALSA support had not been compiled into smodemd...

Recompiled with ALSA support and ran it up again:

stinkoman modem # ./slmodemd --country=UK --alsa hw:0
SmartLink Soft Modem: version 2.9.10 Sep 5 2005 22:46:20
symbolic link `/dev/ttySL0' -> `/dev/pts/2' created.
modem `hw:0' created. TTY is `/dev/pts/2'
Use `/dev/ttySL0' as modem device, Ctrl+C for termination.

Looks good until minicom trys to dial, then you get:

error: cannot set channels for playback: Invalid argument

On the advise of this FAQ I downloaded alsa utils in order to run some diagnostics

This is what I got:

list of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: I82801CAICH3 [Intel 82801CA-ICH3], device 0: Intel ICH [Intel
82801CA-ICH3]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

looks like it can't see the modem...

Decided to go back and look at the Smartlink drivers again. The problem in
the past had been modprobe'ing the slamr driver, it always came back with the
error discussed above...

This Post put me right.

You need to use the 2.9.9d version of the SmartLink drivers _not_ 2.9.10.

Re-built from 2.9.9d and am now able to dial up to my ISP...

It now dials up and connects no problem.