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<H2><A NAME="general"></A> <A NAME="s1">1.</A> <A HREF="i4lfaq.html#toc1">general: General information about isdn4linux </A></H2>

<H2><A NAME="general_i4l"></A> <A NAME="ss1.1">1.1</A> <A HREF="i4lfaq.html#toc1.1">general_i4l: What is isdn4linux? </A>
</H2>

<P>isdn4linux is a set of kernel modules which are part of the Linux
kernel. It consists of the main module <CODE>isdn</CODE> and the
actual hardware driver that control some specific card.
In addition, the package <CODE>isdn4k-utils</CODE> contains utilities to
make use of ISDN specific features.
Please note that since kernel 2.6.0 isdn4linux is considered legacy.
It has been superseded by the new mISDN drivers (see question
<A HREF="#general_misdn">general_misdn</A>.</P>

<H2><A NAME="general_misdn"></A> <A NAME="ss1.2">1.2</A> <A HREF="i4lfaq.html#toc1.2">general_misdn: What is mISDN? </A>
</H2>

<P>mISDN is the successor of isdn4linux, and also consists of kernel modules
that are part of the Linux kernel. The mISDN modules have been rewritten
from scratch since the old isdn4linux modules were difficult to maintain.</P>
<P>The new mISDN modules are based on the CAPI interface (see question
<A HREF="i4lfaq-3.html#feature_capi">feature_capi</A> for more details on the CAPI
interface). Not all ISDN cards supported by isdn4linux have been/will be
ported to mISDN. However, it is planned to create a compatibility layer to
allow migration of the existing isdn4linux drivers. Also, ipppd would be
replaced by the standard pppd once pppd works as well as ipppd currently does.
For the moment, isdn4linux can still be used in parallel with mISDN, but this
may change in the future.</P>
<P>For more technical and configuration information about the mISDN driver
see question 
<A HREF="i4lfaq-6.html#config_misdn">config_misdn</A>.</P>

<H2><A NAME="general_hardware"></A> <A NAME="ss1.3">1.3</A> <A HREF="i4lfaq.html#toc1.3">general_hardware: What hardware is supported by isdn4linux? </A>
</H2>

<P>Generally, isdn4linux can control ISDN cards that are connected to the PC's
ISA or PCI bus. Also a few PCMCIA cards are supported. However, isdn4linux can
<B>not</B> make use of any devices connected via a serial or parallel
interface (which are called 'terminal adaptors'), with only a few exceptions:
the Creatix/Teles S0 box for the parallel port, and the Gazel 128 USB.
For more details on which cards are supported see section
<A HREF="i4lfaq-5.html#hardware">hardware</A>.</P>

<H2><A NAME="general_features"></A> <A NAME="ss1.4">1.4</A> <A HREF="i4lfaq.html#toc1.4">general_features: What features are supported by isdn4linux? </A>
</H2>

<P>Basically, isdn4linux can receive and transmit data via ISDN in several ways
(X.75, HDLC, raw ip, synchronous ppp, asynchronous ppp, V.110). Some of its
utilities offer additional features. Two examples are <CODE>isdnlog</CODE>, which
allows logging of and reaction to ISDN events (including calculating any charges);
and <CODE>vbox</CODE>, which provides voice answering machine capabilities. For more
details see the section 
<A HREF="i4lfaq-3.html#feature">feature</A>.</P>

<H2><A NAME="general_countries"></A> <A NAME="ss1.5">1.5</A> <A HREF="i4lfaq.html#toc1.5">general_countries: Which countries are supported by isdn4linux? </A>
</H2>

<P>At least all countries which use Euro-ISDN are supported, however some
pecularities apply. To find more about your country, check the section
<A HREF="i4lfaq-25.html#countries">countries</A>.</P>

<H2><A NAME="general_docu"></A> <A NAME="ss1.6">1.6</A> <A HREF="i4lfaq.html#toc1.6">general_docu: Where do I find more documentation, how-to's, helpful tips &amp; tricks? </A>
</H2>

<P>Besides this FAQ, take a look at the various man pages and Readme's that come
with the isdn4linux package. Then there is the isdn4linux website:
<A HREF="http://www.isdn4linux.de">http://www.isdn4linux.de</A>. There is also a mailing list on
isdn4linux which will give you the most up to date information. To find out
more about these great information sources, see section 
<A HREF="i4lfaq-4.html#docu">docu</A>.
And: check out all the great links listed in question
<A HREF="i4lfaq-6.html#config_links">config_links</A>!
You may find information in your language, or information specific to your
linux distribution.</P>

<H2><A NAME="general_getlatest"></A> <A NAME="ss1.7">1.7</A> <A HREF="i4lfaq.html#toc1.7">general_getlatest: Where do I get the latest version of isdn4linux? </A>
</H2>

<P>The latest version of the kernel drivers should be found in the Linux
kernel. However, sometimes the Linux kernel does not have the latest version or
does not yet support your ISDN card. Additionally, you may need to use the
isdn4k-util package. In those cases you could try to get the very latest
version that is currently in development. See the section
<A HREF="i4lfaq-2.html#distrib">distrib</A>.</P>

<H2><A NAME="general_contacts"></A> <A NAME="ss1.8">1.8</A> <A HREF="i4lfaq.html#toc1.8">general_contacts: How can I get in contact with the developers? </A>
</H2>

<P>You can contact the isdn4linux developers through the www.isdn4linux.de
website. Have a look at 
<A HREF="http://www.isdn4linux.de/contacts.shtml">http://www.isdn4linux.de/contacts.shtml</A>.</P>



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