When to Call Your Internet Service Provider

The lack of official Linux support by the big players in the Internet access business can be a problem, but it can be sidestepped. Many connection problems can be solved by carefully reviewing the documentation in the YaST windows. Others can be solved by the many HOWTO documents at the Linux Documentation Project site, including the ones listed in the Reference section that follows. As always, consult with your Linux User Group (see the "Getting Help: Documentation and Other Sources," section in Chapter 1: "Welcome to SUSE Linux,") to identify Linux-friendly ISPs in your neighborhood.

Dial-up connection problems are usually temporary or involve user error. So before you harass the tech support folks, make sure you haven't fallen into one of these traps.

• If you connect but can't log in successfully, your password could be mistyped. Remember that passwords are case sensitive.

• If the phone number and password are both right, but you still can't log in, check the authentication protocol.

• If nothing works, check the power cords. Is the modem plugged in and connected to the PC with the right jack in the right hole? Things do come loose.

• If everything works properly under Windows on your dual-boot system, but nothing works in Linux, you probably have a Winmodem. Try the Linmodem drivers, or go out and buy a hardware modem.

• This one's good for both dial-up and DSL: If nothing works, and it worked a few minutes/hours ago, and there's no smoke coming out of your machine, it could be a problem at the ISP. If it's a big ISP, they'll know about a glitch quickly. If they're a mom-and-pop local operation, call to report if it just happened; otherwise, give them some time to fix it. Call if the problem persists for hours.

• If you log in okay, but can't browse the Web, it could be a DNS problem. Double-check your DHCP settings and then contact the ISP.

When you contact your ISP, and you know they don't support Linux, try to explain the context of the problem outside of the operating system. It helps to know the Windows counterparts of the Linux (or YaST) dialog boxes you're working with (the Internet Connection Wizard, Network Neighborhood, and the like).