Hi
I am Linux newbie. I am A+ certified (I know-big deal)
I just installed Fedora Core 3 2004-11-03. I used System Settings - Network - Query - entered Password for root - Network Configuration - My USR internal hardware Modem shows up as ppp0.
Nothing happens when I activate it. Its volume is set at very loud.
I can get out on the web using that machine, running Damm Small Linux (DSL)form the CD player and RAM, so that tells me that there is not a hardware problem.
I do not see any way to select authentication methods from the Network Configuration. (PAP, Chat, or CHAP) I do not see an option to configure my modem to .......S4 (comm 5) Where USR Modems usually configure to. This is where I place it when running DSL. I find it odd that a lot of Linux distros automatically configure the modem to .....S0 (comm 1), as most hardware modems are USR (at least in this part of the world), and they configure to ....S4. How do I make these choices?
Now comes the big question
I tried tail -f /var/log/messages, and got permission denied.
I am assuming that I have root permissions, as I created a root password during the installation, as well as a User name and a password. I use my root password to use the network configuration application.
How do I log on as root?
I do not see anywhere to log on as root. After I boot up, I am asked for my user name, and then my password. I do not see anywhere to log on as root.
You can log on as root by using the username "root" instead of your own username, and then enter root's password. However, this is generally a bad thing to do because it's easy to do lots of damage by making mistakes when running as root.
Instead, you could open a terminal window in your regular session and enter the command "su -"; when prompted for the password, enter the root password. This will switch you to root for just that terminal window. You'll be able to run "tail -f /var/log/messages" in that window.
You could also try the command-line program "wvdial" as an option for setting up an Internet connection.
Paul.
