USB_ModeSwitch

Dear members!

I would like to install Linux for one of my friend's machine. I tried several ubuntu versions (xubuntu 12.04, lubuntu 12.04, mint13 etc...), but finally I choosed the Lubuntu 10.04. The newest LTS can't support the graphics card, but the 10.04 works properly with it, and I feel that the 10.04 is faster on this hardware configuration.
Now my biggest problem is the ZTE K3806-Z modem installation and configuration, because the 10.04 can't support it.
When I tried the Lubuntu 12.04 the system correctly recognized the modem, asked for the PIN, and after the NetworkManager configuration, succesfully connected to the system (Vodafone).
I started to find a solution on the web, and finally I installed the usb-modeswitch version 1.2.3 and modeswitch-data_20120120 from binary.
Now the system recognize the device as ZTE K3806-Z and the "lsusb" show this:
# Bus 001 Device 003: ID 19d2:1015 ONDA Communication S.p.A.
so I think the modeswitch works properly.
The problem is that the NetworkManager shows this modem as a wired connection device, so I couldn't configure it as a mobile broadband device.
And incidentally the system don't ask the PIN when recognized the modem (the 12.04 do that).
I'm sorry if there is a similar topic, or if I'm a wrong place, but I have to finish this machine after a few days.

Thank you in advance for your help
captainbalu

P.S.: I'm average on Linux, not a newbie, but not an expert. And sorry for my english.

ZTE K3806-z (19d2:1015 as modem id) is a stick with dual modes, it has both acm interfaces (driver cdc-acm) and ethernet interfaces (driver cdc-ether).

Start with doing a cat /proc/bus/usb/devices, it will show all interfaces in the stick and the drivers being attached to the interfaces.

If the cdc-acm driver has hooked on to the acm interfaces then you should have ttyACMx device created in /dev or in /dev/usb.
ttyACM0 is the interface which Network Manager should use for serial modem communication.

Thanks for the reply!

I tried the "cat /proc/bus/usb/devices" but it gave back an error: cat: /proc/bus/usb/devices: the file or directory doesn't exist.
In the /proc/bus directory there is only two subdir: input and pci
I googling a bit and found lsmod maybe help. The lsmod gave this:

Module Size Used by
isofs 29250 1
cdc_ether 3541 0
usbnet 14943 1 cdc_ether
mii 4381 1 usbnet
cdc_acm 15010 0
nls_iso8859_1 3249 1
nls_cp437 4919 1
vfat 8933 1
fat 47767 1 vfat
.....
Is it shows that usbnet attached to cdc_ether?
If I understand correctly, usbnet should be attached to cdc_acm? How can I change this?
In the /dev there is -ttyACM0 and -ttyACM1. Is it a usefull information for us?

cdc_ether, usbnet, and mii works together and creates an ethx devicce but if that mode is supported and how to connect is something you have to ask your provider about.

cdc_acm does not use usbnet, cdc_acm is a stand alone driver which creates the /dev/ttyACMx serial modem devices.

You are using a fairly new 3G dongle on a stripped down distro based on an older kernel so it is difficult to say where your problem lies, it may be that Network Manager doesn't recognise a ttyACMx device as a serial modem device or even doesn't look for it after finding the eth device so an update of Network Manager may help.

Because I'm running out of time, I didn't try to solve this problem.
Finally I choose a newer distro, the xubuntu 11.10. This version can handle both the old VGA card and the new modem.
Now everything fine except one thing. After I configured the mobile broadband connection, the system succesfully connect to the provider.
On the network details panel everything looks fine, but the web doesn't work, I can't browse, the pages can't load. I'm googling a bit and found a solution. After the connection established, I type this in terminal:
sudo dhclient usb0
The system thinking a bit, and after the prompt came back, the connection works fine.
Why is this? Can I make it permanent and automatically (I mean, when the connection established, a script can do this in my stead)?