ModemManager-1.6.2: does not work with Huawei E3372h-153

[Aleksander Morgado]

>>
>> I have no idea how ModemManager is started in Gentoo. Does Gentoo
>> already use systemd? If running under systemd, ModemManager will have
>> its own lifecycle; e.g. "systemctl enable ModemManager" and "systemctl
>> start ModemManager". If not using systemd, it is NetworkManager the
>> one auto-activating ModemManager on boot via DBus activation.
>
> Gentoo now offer both OpenRC and systemd. I still use OpenRC. So it seems correct
> there is init.d script only for NetworkManager in my case.
>

As long as NetworkManager isn't compiled with systemd support, that
would be ok. i.e. NM needs to know whether it should auto-start MM or
leave the MM lifecycle to some other party (e.g. systemd).

>>
>>>   The device works fine under Win7 of course,I could provide screenshots of
>>> the device driver runtime values if they are helpful.
>>>
>>>   Finally, I attach mmcli output and the following: ModemManager --debug
>>> --test-session --log-file=/tmp/ModemManager.log
>>>
>>
>> There is something wrong with that device or your system; we're not
>> getting any response in any of the tty ports or the cdc-wdm port;
>> weird. Which kernel are you running? Do you have the huawei_cdc_ncm
>> driver installed?
>
> Yes.
>
> # gzip -dc /proc/config.gz | grep -i huawei_cdc_ncm
> CONFIG_USB_NET_HUAWEI_CDC_NCM=y
> #
>
> # grep -a -i huawei_cdc_ncm /var/log/messages | tail
> Jan  8 18:06:59 kolb615b kernel: huawei_cdc_ncm 1-1.1:1.1 wwan0: register 'huawei_cdc_ncm' at usb-0000:00:1a.0-1.1, Huawei CDC NCM device, 82:a9:4a:09:84:2e
> Jan  8 18:07:00 kolb615b kernel: huawei_cdc_ncm 1-1.1:1.1 wwp0s26u1u1i1: renamed from wwan0
> Jan  8 18:06:55 kolb615b ifplugd(wwp0s26u1u1i1)[18958]: Using interface wwp0s26u1u1i1/82:A9:4A:09:84:2E with driver <huawei_cdc_ncm> (version: 22-Aug-2005)
> Jan  8 18:10:54 kolb615b kernel: huawei_cdc_ncm 1-1.1:1.1 wwp0s26u1u1i1: unregister 'huawei_cdc_ncm' usb-0000:00:1a.0-1.1, Huawei CDC NCM device
> Jan  8 18:11:57 kolb615b kernel: huawei_cdc_ncm 1-1.1:1.2: MAC-Address: 00:1e:10:1f:00:00
> Jan  8 18:11:57 kolb615b kernel: huawei_cdc_ncm 1-1.1:1.2: setting rx_max = 16384
> Jan  8 18:11:57 kolb615b kernel: huawei_cdc_ncm 1-1.1:1.2: NDP will be placed at end of frame for this device.
> Jan  8 18:11:57 kolb615b kernel: huawei_cdc_ncm 1-1.1:1.2: cdc-wdm0: USB WDM device
> Jan  8 18:11:57 kolb615b kernel: huawei_cdc_ncm 1-1.1:1.2 wwan0: register 'huawei_cdc_ncm' at usb-0000:00:1a.0-1.1, Huawei CDC NCM device, 00:1e:10:1f:00:00
> Jan  8 18:11:58 kolb615b kernel: huawei_cdc_ncm 1-1.1:1.2 wwp0s26u1u1i2: renamed from wwan0
>
> I use 4.8.12 vanilla kernel ATM. Actually, I forgot to ask initially. Is there some kind of locking used my NetworkManager or nm-applet or pppd (acting on the /dev/ttyUSB*) files which could cause ModemManager failing to start? I do not have the error message handy anymore but you received the logfile and the only way I could have started ModemManager was via the --test-session. Does that explain there device was in use somehow already, and because of that was not responding as shown in the debug output?
>

I have no idea what had happened :) I'm going to assume that maybe you
were trying to run MM manually and there was already a MM running in
the system (which was also the reason why you couldn't make it work
without --test-session).

> So what I need to shutdown to test the device properly via ModemManager? I assume nm-applet and NetworkManager. I was not running pppd IMHO but you know, I was also trying to get the thing running via the old pppd approach using /dev/ttyUSB0. That did not work either. I know some device do not support that anymore but am not sure what group my device belongs to.
>

If NM is controlling the MM lifecycle, if you kill MM and try to run
it yourself, NM will try to re-start it via DBus activation. If you
don't want NM getting in the way, you can just move the ModemManager
binary out of its original location, e.g.:

# mv /usr/sbin/ModemManager /ModemManager

And then you can safely run it manually, e.g. with --debug.

Make sure you run the daemon as root, or it may not have caps to r/w
on the control ports.

See the "when not using systemd" section here:
https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/ModemManager/Debugging/

>>
>>>   Either because I use xdm with xfce4 or something is wrong the integration
>>> with dbus, I could start it without -test-session. However, my ModemManager
>>> and nm-applet are integrated in my desktop and work with other, older Huawei
>>> modems. Again, something what should be clarified in manual page.
>>>
>>
>> I'm not sure what you want to clarify in the manual page. You
>
> What is needed to get ModemManager running. So it seems: dbus service, NetworkManager only on some distros (depending on systemd) ;-), how about nm-applet?
>

To have ModemManager running you only need DBus. udev support is now
optional, but of course recommended as well.

NM uses MM, it's not a dependency. And nm-applet uses NM, also not a dependency.

If you want to have the full stack to get a wwan connection setup, you
need the whole chain: DBus, MM, NM and a userspace control of NM (e.g.
nm-applet, gnome-shell, ....)

-- 
Aleksander
https://aleksander.es