I have a Linksys WRT1900AC router (the version 1 hardware), currently running OpenWRT 15.05-rc3. Now that the final release has been made, I'm contemplating an upgrade. According to the OpenWRT wiki, I'm supposed to download an image with a file name ending in "sysupgrade.img" rather than "factory.img". However, I can't find such a file on their download site. The best I can find (again via the wiki) is https://downloads.openwrt.org/chaos_calmer/15.05/mvebu/generic/openwrt-15.05... Suggestions on how to perform a safe upgrade would be welcome. As with any piece of networking hardware, the desire is to minimize risk.
Jason White <jason@jasonjgw.net> writes:
I have a Linksys WRT1900AC router (the version 1 hardware), currently running OpenWRT 15.05-rc3. Now that the final release has been made, I'm contemplating an upgrade.
According to the OpenWRT wiki, I'm supposed to download an image with a file name ending in "sysupgrade.img" rather than "factory.img". However, I can't find such a file on their download site.
If your post-install configuration is minimal, I recommend you skip sysupgrade. Instead just reflash it cleanly (factory.img), then re-apply your customization. I usually make a cpio backup of the whole filesystem first. That -- combined with the separate /rom and /cow --- make it easy to see what needs to be re-applied.
Trent W. Buck <trentbuck@gmail.com> wrote:
If your post-install configuration is minimal, I recommend you skip sysupgrade.
Instead just reflash it cleanly (factory.img), then re-apply your customization.
This option could work, since the customizations are mostly confined to the /etc/config directory at this point. I'll look around for the reflashing instructions.
Jason White <jason@jasonjgw.net> writes:
Trent W. Buck <trentbuck@gmail.com> wrote:
If your post-install configuration is minimal, I recommend you skip sysupgrade.
Instead just reflash it cleanly (factory.img), then re-apply your customization.
This option could work, since the customizations are mostly confined to the /etc/config directory at this point.
I'll look around for the reflashing instructions.
They're under http://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/howto especially http://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/howto/generic.sysupgrade#mtd I usually recommend doing the first install with TFTP, then subsequent reinstalls with mtd. The reason for the initial TFTP to be sure you can un-brick it. (This is mostly for those building custom OpenWRT images.) I usually do this (from memory, untested): ip address add 192.168.0.2 peer 192.168.0.1 dev eth0 while ! curl --upload-file foo.img tftp://192.168.0.1/ do sleep 1 done ...and then reboot the router while cabled directly to your laptop, plus any other steps to put it into TFTP mode. PS: you can also reflash from LuCI, the web UI. LuCI is installed by default on stable images. LuCI can be installed via opkg on other images.
Trent W. Buck <trentbuck@gmail.com> wrote:
They're under http://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/howto especially http://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/howto/generic.sysupgrade#mtd
Thanks for the reference and for the detailed advice (not quoted for brevity in this reply). It will be at least a week before I'll have time to work on it, due to travel and work-related commitments.
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