Huawei ME936 mobile broadband can't connect

[Steffen Neumann]

Hi, I have an Acer Travelmate P648 with a Huawei ME936
internal USB mobile broadband card, and can't connect.
This didn't work in 17.04, and still does not work in 17.10.

The USB device is successfully connected,
ModemManager gets as far as "Simple connect state (8/8): All done"
During the setup ModemManager complains with "Couldn't find associated cdc-wdm port for 'net/wwp0s20f0u9c2'"

DHCP tries to get a configuration, but " dhcp4 (wwp0s20f0u9c2): request timed out".
IP6 is set to "automatically" in the network settings for this configuration.

and finally connection fails with
"device (ttyUSB0): state change: ip-config -> failed (reason 'ip-config-unavailable', internal state 'managed')"

I checked that there are enough credits left in my account with the provider.

Any ideas what else to check ?

Yours,
Steffen

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 17.10
Package: modemmanager 1.6.8-1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.13.0-17.20-generic 4.13.8
Uname: Linux 4.13.0-17-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.7-0ubuntu3.5
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Sun Dec 3 11:27:49 2017
InstallationDate: Installed on 2017-04-24 (222 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 17.04 "Zesty Zapus" - Release amd64 (20170412)
SourcePackage: modemmanager
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to artful on 2017-12-02 (0 days ago)

[Steffen Neumann (sneumann)]

Hi, this is the excerpt from the journal from ModemManager and NetworkManager

[Steffen Neumann (sneumann)]

And just double-checked, works under Windows.

[Steffen Neumann (sneumann)]

So mmcli will show me that the modem is alive,
but still the issue that I don't get an IP. Thoughts ?

mmcli -m 0

/org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Modem/0 (device id '0ea...129')
  -------------------------
  Hardware | manufacturer: 'Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.'
           | model: 'ME936'
           | revision: '11.350.24.00.00'
           | supported: 'gsm-umts, lte'
           | current: 'gsm-umts, lte'
           | equipment id: '86...88'
  -------------------------
  System | device: '/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb1/1-9'
           | drivers: 'option1, cdc_ncm'
           | plugin: 'Huawei'
           | primary port: 'ttyUSB0'
           | ports: 'ttyUSB0 (at), wwp0s20f0u9c2 (net), ttyUSB2 (at)'
  -------------------------
  Numbers | own : '+49176...7'
  -------------------------
  Status | lock: 'none'
           | unlock retries: 'sim-pin (3), sim-pin2 (3), sim-puk (10), sim-puk2 (10)'
           | state: 'registered'
           | power state: 'on'
           | access tech: 'umts'
           | signal quality: '25' (recent)
  -------------------------
  Modes | supported: 'allowed: 2g; preferred: none
           | allowed: 3g; preferred: none
           | allowed: 4g; preferred: none
           | allowed: 2g, 3g, 4g; preferred: none'
           | current: 'allowed: 2g, 3g, 4g; preferred: none'
  -------------------------
  Bands | supported: 'unknown'
           | current: 'unknown'
  -------------------------
  IP | supported: 'ipv4, ipv6, ipv4v6'
  -------------------------
  3GPP | imei: '86...88'
           | enabled locks: 'sim'
           | operator id: '26203'
           | operator name: 'FONIC+'
           | subscription: 'unknown'
           | registration: 'home'
  -------------------------
  SIM | path: '/org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/SIM/0'

  -------------------------
  Bearers | paths: '/org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Bearer/3'

[Steffen Neumann (sneumann)]

I also have no success with

nmcli con up id "FONIC Default"
Error: Connection activation failed: Unknown error

[Steffen Neumann (sneumann)]

Even after a few apt dist-upgrades over time, no change.
dmesg has as last two lines

[ 3427.065250] cdc_ncm 1-9:2.0 wwp0s20f0u9c2: 5 mbit/s downlink 43 mbit/s uplink
[ 3443.039348] cdc_ncm 1-9:2.0 wwp0s20f0u9c2: network connection: disconnected

and journalctl has

Jan 17 07:12:03 msbi-corei NetworkManager[1294]: <info> [1516169523.3293] (ttyUSB0): modem state changed, 'registered' --> 'connecting' (reason: user-requested)
Jan 17 07:12:03 msbi-corei NetworkManager[1294]: <info> [1516169523.3306] (ttyUSB0): modem state changed, 'connecting' --> 'registered' (reason: user-requested)
Jan 17 07:12:03 msbi-corei NetworkManager[1294]: <warn> [1516169523.3310] modem-broadband[ttyUSB0]: failed to connect modem: Only IPv4 is supported by this modem
Jan 17 07:12:03 msbi-corei NetworkManager[1294]: <info> [1516169523.3310] device (ttyUSB0): state change: prepare -> failed (reason 'unknown', internal state 'mana
Jan 17 07:12:03 msbi-corei NetworkManager[1294]: <warn> [1516169523.3318] device (ttyUSB0): Activation: failed for connection 'FONIC Default'

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Philipp Hufnagl (badpractice)]

workaroud:

edit udev rule /lib/udev/rules.d/77-mm-huawei-configuration.rules (create if not existent)

comment out everything in there

replace with:

ACTION=="add|change", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", \
ENV{DEVTYPE}=="usb_device", \
ATTR{idVendor}=="12d1", ATTR{idProduct}=="15bb", \
ATTR{bNumConfigurations}=="3", ATTR{bConfigurationValue}!="3" \
ATTR{bConfigurationValue}="3"

[Steffen Neumann (sneumann)]

I can confirm that the workaround above by Philipp Hufnagl
indeed does the job. I am writing this comment from aboard a train ;-)
The connction setup is not very robust, and sometimes
fails at Simple connect state (4/8): Wait to get fully enabled

How to get a proper fix upstream now ?
Yours, Steffen

[Ilgıt Yıldırım (ilgityildirim)]

Steffen Neumann,

Do you mind sharing step by step what you had to do? I'm on 17.10 and have the same Huawei ME936, no matter what I did (including adding the rule suggested by Philip Hufnagl) doesn't seem to fix the issue.

Windows 10 has absolutely no issues with it. It just works out of the box.

[Steffen Neumann (sneumann)]

Hi, just an update, no connectivity out-of-the-box
with 18.04:

Sep 06 07:02:06 msbi-corei NetworkManager[1299]: <info> [1536210126.6615] device (ttyUSB0): Activation: starting connection 'E-Plus connection' (bfe0f53f-....-cafebf693838)
Sep 06 07:02:06 msbi-corei NetworkManager[1299]: <info> [1536210126.6624] audit: op="connection-activate" uuid="bfe0f53f-ccd2-45b6-b35b-cafebf693838" name="E-Plus connection" pid=17739 uid=1000 result="success"
Sep 06 07:02:06 msbi-corei NetworkManager[1299]: <info> [1536210126.6637] device (ttyUSB0): state change: disconnected -> prepare (reason 'none', sys-iface-state: 'managed')
Sep 06 07:02:06 msbi-corei NetworkManager[1299]: <info> [1536210126.6673] device (ttyUSB0): state change: prepare -> need-auth (reason 'none', sys-iface-state: 'managed')
Sep 06 07:02:06 msbi-corei NetworkManager[1299]: <info> [1536210126.6774] device (ttyUSB0): state change: need-auth -> prepare (reason 'none', sys-iface-state: 'managed')
Sep 06 07:02:06 msbi-corei ModemManager[1205]: <warn> (ttyUSB0): port attributes not fully set
Sep 06 07:02:09 msbi-corei ModemManager[1205]: <warn> (ttyUSB0): port attributes not fully set
Sep 06 07:02:09 msbi-corei ModemManager[1205]: <warn> (ttyUSB0): port attributes not fully set
Sep 06 07:02:13 msbi-corei ModemManager[1205]: <info> Modem /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Modem/2: state changed (locked -> initializing)
Sep 06 07:02:13 msbi-corei ModemManager[1205]: <warn> (ttyUSB0): port attributes not fully set
Sep 06 07:02:13 msbi-corei ModemManager[1205]: <warn> couldn't load Operator name: 'Operation not supported'
Sep 06 07:02:13 msbi-corei ModemManager[1205]: <warn> couldn't load current Bands: 'Unknown error'
Sep 06 07:02:13 msbi-corei ModemManager[1205]: <info> Modem /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Modem/2: state changed (initializing -> disabled)
Sep 06 07:02:13 msbi-corei NetworkManager[1299]: <info> [1536210133.8852] modem["ttyUSB0"]: modem state changed, 'locked' --> 'disabled' (reason: unknown)
Sep 06 07:02:13 msbi-corei NetworkManager[1299]: <info> [1536210133.8856] modem["ttyUSB0"]: modem state changed, 'disabled' --> 'enabling' (reason: user preference)
Sep 06 07:02:13 msbi-corei ModemManager[1205]: <info> Modem /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Modem/2: state changed (disabled -> enabling)
Sep 06 07:02:13 msbi-corei ModemManager[1205]: <warn> (ttyUSB0): port attributes not fully set
Sep 06 07:02:13 msbi-corei ModemManager[1205]: <warn> (ttyUSB2): port attributes not fully set
Sep 06 07:02:13 msbi-corei ModemManager[1205]: <info> Simple connect started...
Sep 06 07:02:13 msbi-corei ModemManager[1205]: <info> Simple connect state (4/8): Wait to get fully enabled
Sep 06 07:02:14 msbi-corei ModemManager[1205]: <info> Modem /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Modem/2: 3GPP Registration state changed (unknown -> idle)
Sep 06 07:02:14 msbi-corei ModemManager[1205]: <info> Modem /org/freedesktop/ModemManager1/Modem/2: state changed (enabling -> enabled)
Sep 06 07:02:14 msbi-corei ModemManager[1205]: <info> Simple connect state (5/8): Register
Sep 06 07:02:14 msbi-corei NetworkManager[1299]: <info> [1536210134.5790] modem["ttyUSB0"]: modem state changed, 'enabling' --> 'en...

[Steffen Neumann (sneumann)]

And then I changed the file below and now have a working connection:

sneumann@msbi-corei:/lib/udev/rules.d$ rcsdiff -u ./77-mm-huawei-net-port-types.rules
===================================================================
RCS file: ./77-mm-huawei-net-port-types.rules,v
retrieving revision 1.1
diff -u -r1.1 ./77-mm-huawei-net-port-types.rules
--- ./77-mm-huawei-net-port-types.rules 2018/09/06 05:09:56 1.1
+++ ./77-mm-huawei-net-port-types.rules 2018/09/06 05:37:49
@@ -24,4 +24,7 @@
 # Airtel branded E3372h-607, using huawei-cdc-ncm driver but with unresponsive cdc-wdm port
 ATTRS{idVendor}=="12d1", ATTRS{idProduct}=="1506", ENV{ID_MM_HUAWEI_NDISDUP_SUPPORTED}="1"

+# https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/modemmanager/+bug/1735981
+ACTION=="add|change", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ENV{DEVTYPE}=="usb_device", ATTR{idVendor}=="12d1", ATTR{idProduct}=="15bb", ATTR{bNumConfigurations}=="3", ATTR{bConfigurationValue}!="3" ATTR{bConfigurationValue}="3"
+
 LABEL="mm_huawei_port_types_end"

[Michael Weimann (m982)]

Works with Philipp Hufnagl's workaround.

[Matthias Prinz (empe)]

Workarount badpractice works! Thank you!

[Steffen Neumann (sneumann)]

Hi, just want to update that the problem still exists under 19.10 live system.
I couldn't test whether the 77-mm-huawei-net-port-types.rules fix works,
since I only have a live-USB system where I can't add the file early enough.

How do we get the Modem Manager people to decide whether the above described
workaround is a proper fix that should be upstreamed ? Anything how we can help ?

Yours,
Steffen