Answering Machine Questions

**PhrankDaChickenGeek** · April 14th, 2009

Ok, I've got the blog post - http://ubuntu.online02.com/node/28
It will at least help you set up events.d stuff.

What you want is vgetty, though:

Code:

sudo apt-get install mgetty mgetty-voice

edit the config (Read through it - I haven't set it up, but there's lots of comments!)

Code:

sudo nano /etc/mgetty/voice.conf

setup events.d so vgetty will run at all time

Code:

sudo nano /etc/event.d/vgetty

Put in the following:

Code:

start on startup

start on runlevel 2
start on runlevel 3
start on runlevel 4
start on runlevel 5

respawn
exec /sbin/vgetty /dev/ttyS1 # The serial port your modem is attached to!

And start vgetty:

Code:

sudo start vgetty

And start testing!
killing vgetty will reload any configuration changes. Be sure to have some free time when no one will call you - I tied up the phone line for quiet some time getting mgetty to work.
To stop vgetty (if things are going wrong)

Code:

sudo stop vgetty

Mess around with it and tell me what happens! I would setup my own answering machine, but we already have that service from our telephone provider and others in my household wouldn't approve!

**kronix_00** · April 14th, 2009

Thank you, Phrank! This provides a clear (and coherent!) blueprint for the direction I need to go.

You mention (in your excellent blog):

> To detect the modem in Linux, I used wvdialconf. For newer (PCI) modems, I suggest using ScanModem

I've got a PCI modem, so I used ScanModem as per your suggestion. Instead of a ttyS# value, though, ScanModem gives me a PCI slot instead (02:08.0). The only port info that looks remotely like ttyS(#) is found at the very end of ScanModem's report (under the section that says I don't need to worry about this info, it's for 'experts'!) and mentions a symbolic link created at /dev/ttySL0. Does that sound like a valid port?

Also, Is there a way I can turn on the modem, just to listen for a dial tone? I remember the good old DOS days, where I could send 'AT commands' (ATDT, etc.). Is that still possible? I want to check that Ubuntu (heh, and me!) knows where my modem is, and that it's got access to the phone line.

Anyway, much thanks for the simple introduction to this whole ustart business!

**PhrankDaChickenGeek** · April 18th, 2009

Sorry, I'm unsure about the PCI modem configuration.

Yes, you can send AT commands in mgetty.config - I use it to turn on caller ID:

Code:

init-chat "" AT#CID=1 OK # Turn on Caller ID

There are other 'init' options available for mgetty.config - You'd have to google for them...

**DHCline** · May 2nd, 2009

Originally Posted by kronix_00

I've got a PCI modem, so I used ScanModem as per your suggestion. Instead of a ttyS# value, though, ScanModem gives me a PCI slot instead (02:08.0). The only port info that looks remotely like ttyS(#) is found at the very end of ScanModem's report (under the section that says I don't need to worry about this info, it's for 'experts'!) and mentions a symbolic link created at /dev/ttySL0. Does that sound like a valid port?

I'm not sure if that is a valid port or not (I'm new to Linux) but you can also try

Code:

 
sudo wvdialconf /etc/wvdial.conf

and see if it gives you any more information.

Originally Posted by kronix_00

Also, Is there a way I can turn on the modem, just to listen for a dial tone? I remember the good old DOS days, where I could send 'AT commands' (ATDT, etc.). Is that still possible? I want to check that Ubuntu (heh, and me!) knows where my modem is, and that it's got access to the phone line.

Yeppers, use minicom! It's actually a great way to figure out if ttySL0 is really where your modem is located also. You will probably have to set up minicom with

Code:

sudo minicom -s

first. Go to "serial port setup", and change setting A (serial device) to /dev/ttySL0. Hit enter to finalize input and enter again to return to the main setup menu. Then "Save setup as dfl" and "Exit". You should get an initialization string followed by OK. mine says

AT S7=45 S0=0 L1 V1 X4 &c1 E1 Q0
OK

If you don't get the init string or minicom exits, then you probably need to go back into minicom setup and change the /dev/ttySL0 to something else. (Mine is /dev/ttyS0 by the way. You can try some different values in there to see if you can randomly come accross your port if you have to. i.e. /dev/ttyS0, /dev/ttyS1, /dev/ttySL1 etc)

Anyways after you get minicom to give you that init string and "OK", to hear your dial tone take the phone "off hook" by typing ATH1 and hit enter. If you don't hear anything try typing ATM1 to set the speaker volume to "low" (ATM0 will silence your modem). To hang up / put the phone "on hook" type ATH0 and hit enter. To exit minicom use ctrl+A, X.