Huawei E3372 is not detected and cannot be used

[Aminda Suomalainen]

It does appear in lsb_usb, but networkmanager doesn't react to it or give me option to connect. It works in ubuntu-12.04.4-dvd-amd64.iso.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: linux-image-4.3.0-2-generic 4.3.0-2.11 [modified: boot/vmlinuz-4.3.0-2-generic]
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.3.0-2.11-generic 4.3.0
Uname: Linux 4.3.0-2-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.19.3-0ubuntu2
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: mikaela 1352 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/controlC1: mikaela 1352 F.... pulseaudio
CurrentDesktop: MATE
Date: Sat Dec 19 20:35:36 2015
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=431ec214-73ef-4058-b283-5721bb5a45d2
InstallationDate: Installed on 2015-12-12 (7 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-MATE 16.04 LTS "Xenial Xerus" - Alpha amd64 (20151212)
Lsusb:
 Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
 Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0bda:57b4 Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
 Bus 001 Device 002: ID 13d3:3414 IMC Networks
 Bus 001 Device 006: ID 12d1:14dc Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
 Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
MachineType: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. X550JX
ProcFB: 0 inteldrmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-4.3.0-2-generic.efi.signed root=UUID=ab0e7270-40bc-4a68-a541-59fd96690354 ro rw acpi_osi=
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-4.3.0-2-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-4.3.0-2-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.154
SourcePackage: linux
UdevLog: Error: [Errno 2] Tiedostoa tai hakemistoa ei ole: '/var/log/udev'
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 05/07/2015
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: X550JX.204
dmi.board.asset.tag: ATN12345678901234567
dmi.board.name: X550JX
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
dmi.board.version: 1.0
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: ATN12345678901234567
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
dmi.chassis.version: 1.0
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrX550JX.204:bd05/07/2015:svnASUSTeKCOMPUTERINC.:pnX550JX:pvr1.0:rvnASUSTeKCOMPUTERINC.:rnX550JX:rvr1.0:cvnASUSTeKCOMPUTERINC.:ct10:cvr1.0:
dmi.product.name: X550JX
dmi.product.version: 1.0
dmi.sys.vendor: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Mikaela Suomalainen, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better.

Could you please execute the following in a terminal and post the results:
usb-devices

[Aminda Suomalainen (mikaela)]

Sure.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Mikaela Suomalainen, to confirm this is a kernel regression, if you personally (not someone else) boot into a kernel from Precise, is this problem still reproducible? Instructions for this may be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/KernelBisection#Bisecting_Ubuntu_kernel_versions .

[Aminda Suomalainen (mikaela)]

I haven't been able to test this and I am not sure when I can (if I can), but meanwhile I wold like to ask why do you think this is a kernel regression as I never had that netstick with precise, so it cannot be a regression to me.

Based on this I am setting the status back to Confirmed as I have nothing to do with precise.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Mikaela Suomalainen, it is to rule out a regression. It has nothing to do if you had precise at one point or not in the past.

[Aminda Suomalainen (mikaela)]

I finally tested it on ubuntu-12.04.4-dvd-amd64.iso and it worked, so I think this is regression.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Mikaela Suomalainen, the next step is to fully commit bisect from kernel 3.2 to 4.3 in order to identify the last good kernel commit, followed immediately by the first bad one. This will allow for a more expedited analysis of the root cause of your issue. Could you please do this following https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/KernelBisection ?

Please note, finding adjacent kernel versions is not fully commit bisecting.

After the offending commit (not kernel version) has been identified, then please mark this report Status Confirmed.

Thank you for your understanding.

Helpful bug reporting tips:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ReportingBugs

[Aminda Suomalainen (mikaela)]

I am sorry, but I don't understand anything from that page (too technical for me).

Can you give me clear instructions what you want me to do?

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Mikaela Suomalainen, the article is written intending that anyone, no matter their technical skill level, is be presented everything necessary in a logical, and clear manner.

Hence, could you please advise what precisely you don't understand?

[Aminda Suomalainen (mikaela)]

For example, where do I start, possibly getting the kernels, but where do I get the kernels as it seems like you are telling me to learn compiling kernels? And I have understood compiling kernels takes hours. And which kernel do I start from, if I end to where it breaks?

[hackeron (hackeron)]

This is what I see when I plug mine in: https://gist.github.com/xanview/3a37e6eb0cf24a12908b

The key lines are:

Jan 28 16:19:23 TimeBox systemd[1]: Starting USB_ModeSwitch...
Jan 28 16:19:23 TimeBox systemd[1]: usb_modeswitch@1-1.5-1-1.5:1.0.service: main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE

It seems Ubuntu is trying to do the wrong thing, it is trying to do systemctl start usb_modeswitch@1-1.5-1-1.5:1.0 when in reality the command should be:

$ systemctl start usb_modeswitch@1-1.5:1.0

When I run the correct command, I see this in syslog:

Jan 28 16:34:05 TimeBox systemd[1]: Starting USB_ModeSwitch...
Jan 28 16:34:05 TimeBox usb_modeswitch_dispatcher[10502]: Could not read attribute: No such file or directory
Jan 28 16:34:06 TimeBox usb_modeswitch: switch device 12d1:14fe on 001/008
Jan 28 16:34:05 TimeBox usb_modeswitch_dispatcher[10502]: message repeated 2 times: [ Could not read attribute: No such file or directory]
Jan 28 16:34:07 TimeBox usb_modeswitch[10502]: usb_modeswitch: switched to 12d1:14fe on 1/8
Jan 28 16:34:08 TimeBox usb_modeswitch_dispatcher[10502]: Unable to open bind list file: No such file or directory
Jan 28 16:34:08 TimeBox usb_modeswitch[10502]: usb_modeswitch: add device ID 12d1:14fe to driver option
Jan 28 16:34:08 TimeBox usb_modeswitch[10502]: usb_modeswitch: please report the device ID to the Linux USB developers!
Jan 28 16:34:15 TimeBox systemd[1]: Started USB_ModeSwitch.

So seems this is an unsupported device still? (I'm on Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid)

[Leo (leo4ward)]

This "modem key" worked out of the box for me in ubuntu 15.10.

However now, in 16.04, the "usb mode switch" is not done automatically (both is the modem is plugged at boot or after).

I suppose it's an udev regression.

So, when the "key" is plugged (lsusb):

Bus 002 Device 010: ID 12d1:1f01 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. E353/E3131 (Mass storage mode)

$ usb_modeswitch -J -v 0x12d1 -p 0x1f01

=> Bus 002 Device 011: ID 12d1:14dc Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

And now the device work as expected and can be choosed in network manager.

So there is no kernel problem for me.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Leo, it will help immensely if you filed a new report with the Ubuntu repository kernel (not mainline/upstream) via a terminal:
ubuntu-bug udev

Please feel free to subscribe me to it.

For more on why this is helpful, please see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ReportingBugs.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for linux (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]