Tethering your Linux box with your AT&T BlackBerry is actually pretty simple. Requirements on your plan is just the basic BlackBerry plan, no special tethering plan is needed.

Software Requirements

  • PPP - http://www.samba.org/ppp
  • Barry (for USB) - http://www.netdirect.ca/software/packages/barry/

After installing ppp, you will need to edit 3 files that are particular to this setup with pppd.

/etc/ppp/pppscript.bb

TIMEOUT 60
ABORT ERROR
ABORT BUSY
ABORT "NO CARRIER"
ABORT "NO DIALTONE"
"" 'AT+CGDCONT=1,"IP","WAP.CINGULAR"'
OK "atdt*99***1#"
TIMEOUT 75
CONNECT

/etc/ppp/options.bb

lock
defaultroute
noipdefault
modem
# if you are using USB, swap out the following line with /usr/sbin/pppob
/dev/rfcomm0
crtscts
# Uncomment the line below for more verbose error reporting:
#debug
passive
asyncmap 0
usepeerdns
updetach
name "ISP@CINGULARGPRS.COM"

For USB use, you'll want to swap out /dev/rfcomm0 with /usr/sbin/pppob

/etc/ppp/papsecrets

ISP@CINGULARGPRS.COM cingulargprs.com CINGULAR1 *

Setting up Bluetooth

If you are using USB, you can skip to dialing. Presuming your bluetooth needs are already installed on your particular distribution, you'll need to scan for your BlackBerry using hcitool and add its hardware address to rfcomm.conf.

hcitool scan
Scanning ...
        00:1C:C1:9C:E7:CA       n/a
        00:16:CB:11:D5:D3       Tom Thomatos... Computer

/etc/bluetooth/rfcomm.conf

rfcomm0 {
        # Automatically bind the device at startup
        bind yes;

        # Bluetooth address of the device
        device 00:1C:C1:9C:E7:CA;

        # RFCOMM channel for the connection
        channel 1;

        # Description of the connection
        comment "Jim's Cell Phone";
}

If you want the pin to be queried via GUI popup, you'll need to add xhost localhost to your ~/.xinitrc file and restart X.

Connecting

I've only done this in Gentoo, so this is my example :)

  1. Create a file /etc/ppp/peers/bb 
    • connect "/usr/sbin/chat -v -f /etc/ppp/pppscript.bb" file "/etc/ppp/options.bb"
  2. pon bb to start
  3. poff to stop