The Drcom-Client Open Source Project

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is still a work in progress. Some sections are very outdated, other sections should probably be removed, and some new questions and answers should be added. Please contact us if you can improve it.

General Information
Installing drcom-client
Using drcom-client

General Information

What is drcom-client?

drcom-client is an open source ISP client for Dr.COM® networks, a specialized broadband access and authentication system produced by Doctorcom Corp. However, Dr.COM® has been used in many univerisites of China while its official client has only Windows version, which makes Linux/MacOSX users take much pains on internet access. Even with its official Windows client, users still have got dozens of problems, especially for its prevention of NAT/proxy servers. drcom-client team wish everyone could enjoy his freedom in internet access. That's the reason why we offer drcom-client and its source code.

Does drcom-client contain any spyware or adware?

No. drcom-client does not include any spyware or adware. drcom-client is completely free and open source. It is developed by a not-for-profit volunteer group, and the source code is available for anyone to study or use.

Where do I get it?

You can follow links to GNU/Linux, Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS X for the latest binaries. Of course, this is free software so the source code is available to, along with instruction on how to compile it.

How does drcom-client PUM come?

drcom-client PUM is a branch of drcom-client for linux development. This project's forcus is to create an easily configurable user-mode client with a friendly Graphical User Interface. PUM is the abbreviation of Python User Mode. As python is a powerful tool for protype design, we choose it as the main language of this project. Recently we have drcom-client PUM v1.0 released.

When will the next drcom-client version be released?

Like most open source projects drcom-client suffers from a certain lack of manpower. For this reason the developers have to prioritize the work they do and putting out releases is not at the top of the list, fixing bugs and reviewing patches takes precedence. Please don't complain or request more timely and/or frequent releases unless you are willing to help out creating them.

What does the future hold?

See our project goals.

This website is awesome, why can't you change it?

Sorry for that. If you could help us, we will appreciate your kindness. For more information, see Web development.

Installing drcom-client

Which version should I use?

You should use the latest stable release. See our downloads page.

What kind of system do I need to run drcom-client?

Any system capable of running GNU/Linux, Windows 2000, Mac OS X and later versions should be able to run drcom-client. For drcom-client PUM, it's better to run under GNOME Desktop within the GNU/Linux.

Can drcom-client run on Windows platform?

Yes, see drcom-client for Windows.

Can drocm-client run on Mac platform?

Yes, see drcom-client for Mac OS X.

Can drcom-client run on 64-bit systems?

There is no 64-bit version of drcom-client now, but in principle it should run on 64-bit systems.

Can drcom-client run on mobile platform or embedded platform?

Not yet. We will strive to support drcom-client on mobile platform or embedded platform. Please wait.

Does drcom-client have any .deb or .rpm packages?

Yes. See Download drcom-client for Linux.

Can drcom-client PUM run on non-GNOME desktop, like KDE or Xfce?

Not yet. We will soon support non-GNOME desktop.

I have the source; how do I build this thing?

Assuming all of the necessary dependence satisfied ("sudo apt-get install python-gtk2 python-notify" if you use drcom-client PUM), you compile drcom-client for linux like most applications:

$ tar xjvf drcom-1.x.y.tar.bz2
$ cd drcom-1.x.y
$ make && sudo make install

If you are trying to compile on Windows or Mac OS X, you need the answer to a different question.

What should I do if I have problems installing drcom-client?

That might be a bug. Please see Bug Reports.

Using drcom-client

What should I do when drcom-client PUM gives me error information?

We have a whole ERROR table for drcom-client PUM.

drcom-client can not work after updating Linux kernel.

You should run the "sudo drcom start" command in your terminal when you use drcom-client PUM. If you see this in the end,

* Starting drcom kernel module. 
*  done.

it means everything has become normal. Or you should compile drcom authentication module by yourselve. Suppose that you have kept the source code of drcom-client for Linux named drcom-client-1.x.y.tar.bz2. Then do as follows:

$ tar xjvf drcom-1.x.y.tar.bz2
$ cd drcom-1.x.y/src/kmod
$ make & sudo make install

How to solve "Fatal IO error 11 (Resource temporarily unavailable) on X server"

No essential solution yet.

What should I do when "socket.error: [Errno 92] unavailable protocols"

It means you have not loaded drcom authentication module.

$ sudo drcom start

How should I make feature requests?

The first thing to do is see if your request has already been made. It probably has; we get a lot of feature requests. Check the User List and developer Mailing List archives. If you find a discussion that seems relevant, feel free to add your two penneth.

If you are making a new feature request, please make it to the User List or Mailing List first. Think about what it is you are trying to achieve with your request and not about what the underlying procedure is. Once we understand what the request is for, we may find that we can do it better, or that the way it works isn't suitable for drcom-client's interface, or that drcom-client already supports the feature, but in a different way.

Once the feature has been discussed on the mailing list, a bug report should be opened so that record can be kept on its progress.

Is there a user manual?

See User Manual.

Is there a mailing list?

See our list of Mailing List.

Is there a forum for drcom-client? I do not like mailing lists.

Yes. See our User List.

Is there an IRC channel?

#drcom-client on Freenode

Is there a bug list somewhere?

See our Tickets.

Are there any Easter eggs in drcom-client?

Not yet.