UFOMA(4)

📦 version 15.1, in freebsd 14.5, freebsd 15.1, nixpkgs unstable

💖 UFOMA(4) — USB mobile phone support, bestie ✨

Ok so this is the ufoma manual page, and it’s giving “niche USB phone driver that ate and left no crumbs.” Let’s get into it 🫶

🌸 NAME 🌸

ufoma — USB mobile phone support 💅

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

To compile this driver into the kernel, place the following lines in your kernel configuration file:

device usb
device ucom
device ufoma

Alternatively, to load the driver as a module at boot time, place the following line in loader.conf(5):

ufoma_load="YES"

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

The ufoma driver provides support for USB mobile phone terminals in the subset of the Mobile Computing Promotion Consortium USB Implementation Guideline, which is adopted by FOMA, the NTT DoCoMo 3G system, terminal. No cap, that’s a whole lot of words, but the vibe is: it handles these specific USB phone terminals 💖

These are partly like CDC ACM model based modems, which are supported by umodem(4), but the ufoma driver recognizes a specific USB descriptor that describes its role and interface structure, and it will negotiate its role when the device is open. It’s lowkey doing matchmaking between the device and its role 😭

They support a regular AT command set and the commands can either be multiplexed with the data stream or handled through separate pipes. In the latter case the AT commands have to be given on a device separate from the data device. Important detail, bestie — separate device for the AT commands in that setup 📱

The device is accessed through the ucom(4) driver which makes it behave like a tty(4). Slay, tty behavior 🎀

🦋 SYSCTLS 🦋

These devices often have a few interface sets and these interfaces have their role, sometimes multiplexed. These roles are identified with the following sysctl MIBs:

  • dev.ucom.%d.supportmode — the modes which are supported by the interface.
  • dev.ucom.%d.currentmode — current mode of the interface.
  • dev.ucom.%d.openmode — mode to transit when the device is open next.

The modes are as follows:

  • modem — accepts AT commands and go and pass packet communication data.
  • handsfree — accepts AT commands but it does not pass data.
  • obex — accepts OBEX frame which is used to exchange telephone book, etc.
  • vendor1, vendor2 — vendor specific data may be passed.
  • deactivated — when an interface is recognized by the system but not used, the interface will be set to this mode.
  • unlinked — when an interface is not yet negotiated, the interface is in this mode.

Mode lore fr fr 🌈

👑 HARDWARE 👑

Devices supported by the ufoma driver include:

  • SHARP FOMA SH902i
  • KYOCERA PHS AH-K3001V (a.k.a Kyopon)
  • SANYO Vodafone3G V801SA

A little iconic lineup, ngl 💜

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

Specification can be found at:

Also check out:

🌟 HISTORY 🌟

The ufoma driver appeared in FreeBSD 7.0, partly derived from the umodem(4) code. Periodt — FreeBSD 7.0 era behavior 🕰️✨

💀 BUGS 💀

Interfaces with multiplexed commands and data and interfaces with commands only are supported.

Heads up: that’s the supported scope, bestie. Don’t go expecting extra interface types to just work 🙈

This page is from Debian, dated November 20, 2011 — shoutout to the Debian crew, and that’s the cute lil sign-off, mwah 💋🎀

📦 where this page comes from