(http://www.faximum.com/technotes/009)
TITLE: #009 - "Read timeout" error reported in log
KEYWORDS: read timeout, modem, serial port, cable, disabled, enabled
RELEASE: All
CLASSIFICATION: All Topic-Modem
PROBLEM: Faxes cannot be sent or received. Error messages of the form
"read timeout" appear in the System Log or when software is
run in trace mode.
NOTE: this TechNote applies to the case in which the read
timeout error occurs immediately after the software
tries to initialise the modem.
There is another cause of the "read timeout" error
when it occurs during transmission only and after
the fax machine has been dialled. For information
on this case please see TechNote #072.
CAUSE: The problem is that the modem is not responding to commands
sent to the modem.
There are many possible causes including: the modem is turned off,
connected to the wrong port (i.e. a port different from that
specified in the .../dev/fax-line-1 file), the cable is defective,
or the serial port is enabled for log-ins.
SOLUTION: To determine the cause of the read timeout errors, please follow
the following steps:
1. Make sure the modem is powered-up (and make sure you are
checking the correct modem).
2. Make sure that the modem is connected to the port that you have
specified in the fax line configuration file. To examine the
fax line configuration file(s), look in the following directory
/usr/fax/dev/ (for Faximum ELS or PLUS R2.1)
/opt/faximum/dev/ (for Faximum ELS, PLUS R2.2)
/opt/FAXserver/dev/ (for Faximum Client/Server)
/etc/opt/faximum/dev/ (for all others)
and examine the file(s) in that directory to make sure they
specify the correct port (i.e. the correct entry in /dev).
3. Make sure that the cable connecting the modem to the computer
is the correct type to pass the data and modem control signals.
4. Make sure that the port you are connecting the modem to is not
enabled for log-ins (i.e. has no getty process or port monitor
watching the port). Refer to the documentation for your UNIX
system to determine how to do this.
5. Power-cycle the modem (turn it off, wait 5 seconds and turn it
on again).
If no problem has been found so far, or if the read timeout errors
persist, then it is time to try to run cu on the port and communicate
with the modem.
1. Terminate (using the kill command) the existing faxlisten
or faxgetty daemon on the port in question.
Whether you have faxlisten or faxgetty running depends on the
version of the software you are running. The quickest way to
see which is running is to use the ps command (as root):
ps -eaf | grep fax
If you see a faxlisten process then you can just terminate it.
For example:
# ps -eaf | grep faxlisten
fax 25228 1 0 Feb 9 ? 31:29 /usr/fax/lib/faxlisten
root 20038 20036 4 17:29:11 p0 0:00 grep faxlisten
# kill 25228
If you see a faxgetty process then you will have to edit your
/etc/inittab file; find the line that is causing the faxgetty
process to run on the port in question; change its status
"respawn" to "off"; and then run:
telinit q
(If you get a "telinit not found" error you will have to
refer to your documentation to determine the appropriate
pathname for the telinit command.)
2. Configure cu (or tip on Sun Solaris machines) and try to run
cu/tip on the port that is connected to the modem (refer to the
documentation for your UNIX system to determine how to do this).
3. Once cu/tip is running, reset the modem to the factory default
settings by typing:
AT&F
AT&W
4. Try the following commands and send the responses from the modem
to Faximum Technical Support:
AT+FCLASS=?
AT+FMFR?
AT+FMR?
Note that you may have to reset the permissions of the tty port
to be rw-rw-rw after running cu in order for faxlisten and/or
faxcico to work.
Try sending or receiving a fax again to see if the problem has
been resolved. If not, try the following configurations to
see if they have any effect.
1. Changing the port specified in the fax line configuration
from the modem control device (i.e. /dev/tty1A) to the
non-modem control port (i.e. /dev/tty1a) (in the case of
SCO OpenServer 5).
2. Changine the port from the intelligent multi-port device
to one of the motherboard serial ports (i.e. /dev/tty1A
or /dev/tty2A). Although the use of these ports for fax
communications is depracated in our documentation, using
them for testing can often reveal significant information.
If the problem persists after trying all of the above, please
contact Faximum Technical Support and inform them of the steps
that you have taken and the results observed.
Faximum Software's Technical Support Department may be reached by
fax at 1 (604) 926 8182 or by e-mail to support@faximum.com.
Tech Note: 009 -- LAST UPDATED: Fri Apr 4 00:06:58 PST 2003
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© Copyright 2003 Faximum Software Inc. All Rights Reserved.