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 🙂
- Create a file /etc/ppp/peers/bb
- connect “/usr/sbin/chat -v -f /etc/ppp/pppscript.bb” file “/etc/ppp/options.bb”
- pon bb to start
- poff to stop