NetworkManager HUAWEI E220 +COPS Invalid Byte Sequence

[jatstic]

Binary package hint: network-manager

Since I bought a Huawei E220 HSDPA-3G modem I have been experiencing problems connecting to the Internet through network-manager in Ubuntu 8.10 and Kubuntu 8.10.

Looking in the system log I have found that the problem is that when is impossible to connect, the log reads as follows:

Dec 26 10:38:40 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Activation (ttyUSB0) starting connection 'Vodafone'
Dec 26 10:38:40 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> (ttyUSB0): device state change: 3 -> 4
Dec 26 10:38:40 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Activation (ttyUSB0) Stage 1 of 5 (Device Prepare) scheduled...
Dec 26 10:38:40 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Activation (ttyUSB0) Stage 1 of 5 (Device Prepare) started...
Dec 26 10:38:40 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <debug> [1230284320.935329] nm_serial_device_open(): (ttyUSB0) opening device...
Dec 26 10:38:40 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Activation (ttyUSB0) Stage 1 of 5 (Device Prepare) complete.
Dec 26 10:38:41 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> (ttyUSB0): powering up...
Dec 26 10:38:41 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Registered on Home network

Dec 26 10:38:52 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Associated with network: +COPS: 0,0,"vodafone ES

Dec 26 10:38:52 acer-laptop NetworkManager: Invalid byte sequence in conversion input
Dec 26 10:39:00 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <WARN> set_apn_done(): Setting APN failed
Dec 26 10:39:00 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> (ttyUSB0): device state change: 4 -> 9
Dec 26 10:39:00 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <debug> [1230284340.000954] nm_serial_device_close(): Closing device 'ttyUSB0'
Dec 26 10:39:00 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Marking connection 'Vodafone' invalid.
Dec 26 10:39:00 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Activation (ttyUSB0) failed.
Dec 26 10:39:00 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> (ttyUSB0): device state change: 9 -> 3
Dec 26 10:39:00 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> (ttyUSB0): deactivating device (reason: 0).

The problem is that NetworkManager sends AT+COPS? to the modem, and it's not capable to understand the response, because in the end of the name of the network (in this case vodafone ES) appears a non printable character. So the string is as follows: Associated with network: +COPS: 0,0,"vodafone ES

When the connection works well, it should be: Associated with network: +COPS: 0,0,"vodafone ES",2

I am not sure of this, but it could be because when the modem encounters a 3G+(HSDPA) network, adds a '+' to the name of the network. I think this because in windows the name of the network is shown as "vodafone ES+".

The version of the package is the one that comes with Ubuntu 8.10 and updated: network-manager 0.7~~svn20081018t105859-0ubuntu1.8.10.1

Thank you very much in advance of looking at this problem.

[Alexander Sack (asac)]

jatstic wrote:
> Public bug reported:
>
> Binary package hint: network-manager
>
> Since I bought a Huawei E220 HSDPA-3G modem I have been experiencing
> problems connecting to the Internet through network-manager in Ubuntu
> 8.10 and Kubuntu 8.10.
>
> Looking in the system log I have found that the problem is that when is
> impossible to connect, the log reads as follows:
>
> Dec 26 10:38:40 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Activation (ttyUSB0) starting connection 'Vodafone'
> Dec 26 10:38:40 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> (ttyUSB0): device state change: 3 -> 4
> Dec 26 10:38:40 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Activation (ttyUSB0) Stage 1 of 5 (Device Prepare) scheduled...
> Dec 26 10:38:40 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Activation (ttyUSB0) Stage 1 of 5 (Device Prepare) started...
> Dec 26 10:38:40 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <debug> [1230284320.935329] nm_serial_device_open(): (ttyUSB0) opening device...
> Dec 26 10:38:40 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Activation (ttyUSB0) Stage 1 of 5 (Device Prepare) complete.
> Dec 26 10:38:41 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> (ttyUSB0): powering up...
> Dec 26 10:38:41 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Registered on Home network
>
> Dec 26 10:38:52 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Associated with
> network: +COPS: 0,0,"vodafone ES
>
> Dec 26 10:38:52 acer-laptop NetworkManager: Invalid byte sequence in conversion input
> Dec 26 10:39:00 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <WARN> set_apn_done(): Setting APN failed
> Dec 26 10:39:00 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> (ttyUSB0): device state change: 4 -> 9
> Dec 26 10:39:00 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <debug> [1230284340.000954] nm_serial_device_close(): Closing device 'ttyUSB0'
> Dec 26 10:39:00 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Marking connection 'Vodafone' invalid.
> Dec 26 10:39:00 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Activation (ttyUSB0) failed.
> Dec 26 10:39:00 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> (ttyUSB0): device state change: 9 -> 3
> Dec 26 10:39:00 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> (ttyUSB0): deactivating device (reason: 0).
>
> The problem is that NetworkManager sends AT+COPS? to the modem, and it's
> not capable to understand the response, because in the end of the name
> of the network (in this case vodafone ES) appears a non printable
> character. So the string is as follows: Associated with network: +COPS:
> 0,0,"vodafone ES
>
> When the connection works well, it should be: Associated with network:
> +COPS: 0,0,"vodafone ES",2
>
> I am not sure of this, but it could be because when the modem encounters
> a 3G+(HSDPA) network, adds a '+' to the name of the network. I think
> this because in windows the name of the network is shown as "vodafone
> ES+".
>
> The version of the package is the one that comes with Ubuntu 8.10 and
> updated: network-manager 0.7~~svn20081018t105859-0ubuntu1.8.10.1
>
> Thank you very much in advance of looking at this problem.
>
>

Please test the latest intrepid packages in the ~network-manager team
PPA (http://launchpad.net/~network-manager/+archive).

just add to your sources and upgrade your system.

 status incomplete

Thanks

[jatstic (jatstic)]

Hello Alexander,

I have upgraded the system with the new packages of Network Manager as you told me, and so far all the connections are working correctly. I am going to test it more times (connecting and disconnecting the modem and rebooting the system) and I will inform you if something fails.

Thank you very much.

[jatstic (jatstic)]

First of all, very good new year to all of you.

Today I have encountered the same problem.

The log looks like this:

Jan 2 13:21:27 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> (ttyUSB0): powering up...
Jan 2 13:21:27 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Registered on Home network
Jan 2 13:21:38 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Associated with network: +COPS: 0,0,"vodafone ES
Jan 2 13:21:38 acer-laptop NetworkManager: Invalid byte sequence in conversion input
Jan 2 13:21:46 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <WARN> set_apn_done(): Setting APN failed
Jan 2 13:21:46 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> (ttyUSB0): device state change: 4 -> 9
Jan 2 13:21:46 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <debug> [1230898906.004312] nm_serial_device_close(): Closing device 'ttyUSB0'
Jan 2 13:21:46 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Marking connection 'Vodafone' invalid.

As you can see, the problem is the same. Network Manager is not capable of interpreting the string of at+COPS?

In minicom the answer to at+cops? is this:

at+cops?
+COPS: 0,0,"vodafone ES�",2

So, I suppose that the problem is the non-printable character at the end of the name of the Network.

A workaround I have found until the problem is resolved, is reconnecting the modem and trying to connect the same moment the Modem is detected by the kernel (monitoring the syslog), so the modem has no time to connect to the network and at+cops? answers with "FFFFFFFF":

Jan 2 13:22:47 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> (ttyUSB0): powering up...
Jan 2 13:22:47 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Registered on Home network
Jan 2 13:22:47 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Associated with network: +COPS: 0,0,"FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF",2
Jan 2 13:22:47 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Connected, Woo!
Jan 2 13:22:47 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Activation (ttyUSB0) Stage 2 of 5 (Device Configure) scheduled...
Jan 2 13:22:47 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Activation (ttyUSB0) Stage 2 of 5 (Device Configure) starting...
Jan 2 13:22:47 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> (ttyUSB0): device state change: 4 -> 5
Jan 2 13:22:47 acer-laptop NetworkManager: <info> Starting pppd connection

Thank you for your interest in the problem.

[jatstic (jatstic)]

In Kubuntu 9.04 RC the problem is solved, so I think that the bug should be close. Thank you very much.

PD:
As you can see, the log looks very good:

2009-04-17 22:56:02 jats-laptop NetworkManager <info> Registered on Home network
2009-04-17 22:56:02 jats-laptop NetworkManager <info> Associated with network: +COPS: 0,0,"vodafone ES�",2
2009-04-17 22:56:02 jats-laptop NetworkManager <info> Connected, Woo!

[Victor Vargas (kamus)]

This bug report is being closed due to your last comment regarding this being fixed with an update. Thank you again for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better.