Installing OpenWrt with RedBoot

Once you have gained access to !RedBoot either by telnet or the serial console you can install !OpenWrt with the following method.

NOTE: If you changed RedBoot’s baud rate to something different than 9600bps, revert that change unless your terminal program does auto baud detection — OpenWrt logs to its serial console with 9600bps, so having the same baud rate in RedBoot is a good idea.

Note: instructions below also worked on FON2200

You have to download two files (right click and save as).

openwrt-atheros-vmlinux.lzma

openwrt-atheros-root.squashfs

Copy openwrt-atheros-vmlinux.lzma and openwrt-atheros-root.squashfs to /tftpboot/ and flash them like this:

^C
RedBoot> ip_address -h 192.168.5.2 -l 192.168.5.75/24
IP: 192.168.5.75/255.255.255.0, Gateway: 0.0.0.0
Default server: 192.168.5.2

RedBoot> load -r -b %{FREEMEMLO} openwrt-atheros-vmlinux.lzma
Using default protocol (TFTP)
Raw file loaded 0×80041000-0×800f0fff, assumed entry at 0×80041000
RedBoot> fis init

The values for the -e and -r switches in the ‘fis create’ RedBoot command below is the Kernel entry point. Do not change this value.

RedBoot> fis create -e 0×80041000 -r 0×80041000 vmlinux.bin.l7
An image named ‘vmlinux.bin.l7′ exists - continue (y/n)? y
… Erase from 0xa8730000-0xa87e0000: ………..
… Program from 0×80041000-0×800f1000 at 0xa8730000: ………..
… Erase from 0xa87e0000-0xa87f0000: .
… Program from 0×80ff0000-0×81000000 at 0xa87e0000: .

“fis free” will print the first and last free block

RedBoot> fis free
0xA80F0000 .. 0xA87E0000

Now do the math (last - first, cause you need the difference)

server:~# bc
obase=16
ibase=16
A87E0000 - A80F0000
6F0000

Replace 0xLENGTH with the value above (0×006F0000 in my case) and flash the the rootfs:

RedBoot> load -r -b %{FREEMEMLO} openwrt-atheros-root.squashfs
Using default protocol (TFTP)
|
Raw file loaded 0×80041000-0×80200fff, assumed entry at 0×80041000
RedBoot> fis create -l 0xLENGTH rootfs
An image named ‘rootfs’ exists - continue (y/n)? y
… Erase from 0xa8030000-0xa8730000: ………………………………………………………………………………………………….
… Program from 0×80041000-0×80741000 at 0xa8030000: ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
… Erase from 0xa87e0000-0xa87f0000: .
… Program from 0×80ff0000-0×81000000 at 0xa87e0000: .
RedBoot> reset

If everything is okay, then it will now look like this:

+PHY ID is 0022:5521
…
== Executing boot script in 1.000 seconds - enter ^C to abort
RedBoot> fis load -l vmlinux.bin.l7
Image loaded from 0×80041000-0×80290085
RedBoot> exec
Now booting linux kernel:
Base address 0×80030000 Entry 0×80041000
Cmdline :
Linux version 2.6.21.5 (ubuntu@ubuntu-laptop) (gcc version 4.1.2) #1 Sat Sep 29 11:04:17 CEST 2007
CPU revision is: 00019064
Determined physical RAM map:
memory: 01000000 @ 00000000 (usable)
Initrd not found or empty - disabling initrd
Built 1 zonelists. Total pages: 4064
Kernel command line: console=ttyS0,9600 rootfstype=squashfs,jffs2 init=/etc/preinit
Primary instruction cache 16kB, physically tagged, 4-way, linesize 16 bytes.
Primary data cache 16kB, 4-way, linesize 16 bytes.
Synthesized TLB refill handler (20 instructions).
Synthesized TLB load handler fastpath (32 instructions).
Synthesized TLB store handler fastpath (32 instructions).
Synthesized TLB modify handler fastpath (31 instructions).
PID hash table entries: 64 (order: 6, 256 bytes)
Using 92.000 MHz high precision timer.
Dentry cache hash table entries: 2048 (order: 1, 8192 bytes)
Inode-cache hash table entries: 1024 (order: 0, 4096 bytes)
Memory: 13504k/16384k available (1955k kernel code, 2880k reserved, 292k data, 116k init, 0k highmem)
Mount-cache hash table entries: 512
NET: Registered protocol family 16
Radio config found at offset 0xf8(0×1f
Time: MIPS clocksource has been installed.
NET: Registered protocol family 2
IP route cache hash table entries: 1024 (order: 0, 4096 bytes)
TCP established hash table entries: 512 (order: 0, 4096 bytes)
TCP bind hash table entries: 512 (order: -1, 2048 bytes)
TCP: Hash tables configured (established 512 bind 512)
TCP reno registered
squashfs: version 3.0 (2006/03/15) Phillip Lougher
Registering mini_fo version $Id$
JFFS2 version 2.2. (NAND) (C) 2001-2006 Red Hat, Inc.
io scheduler noop registered
io scheduler deadline registered (default)
Serial: 8250/16550 driver $Revision: 1.90 $ 1 ports, IRQ sharing disabled
serial8250: ttyS0 at MMIO 0xb1100003 (irq = 37) is a 16550A
eth0: Dropping NETIF_F_SG since no checksum feature.
eth0: Atheros AR231x: 00:18:84:14:39:94, irq 4
cmdlinepart partition parsing not available
Searching for RedBoot partition table in spiflash at offset 0×7d0000
Searching for RedBoot partition table in spiflash at offset 0×7e0000
5 RedBoot partitions found on MTD device spiflash
Creating 5 MTD partitions on “spiflash”:
0×00000000-0×00030000 : “RedBoot”
0×00030000-0×000f0000 : “vmlinux.bin.l7″
0×000f0000-0×007e0000 : “rootfs”
0×00200000-0×007e0000 : “rootfs_data”
0×007e0000-0×007ef000 : “FIS directory”
0×007ef000-0×007f0000 : “RedBoot config”
nf_conntrack version 0.5.0 (128 buckets, 1024 max)
ip_tables: (C) 2000-2006 Netfilter Core Team
TCP vegas registered
NET: Registered protocol family 1
NET: Registered protocol family 17
802.1Q VLAN Support v1.8 Ben Greear
All bugs added by David S. Miller
VFS: Mounted root (squashfs filesystem) readonly.
Freeing unused kernel memory: 116k freed
Warning: unable to open an initial console.
eth0: Configuring MAC for full duplex
Algorithmics/MIPS FPU Emulator v1.5
- preinit -
jffs2 not ready yet; using ramdisk
mini_fo: using base directory: /
mini_fo: using storage directory: /tmp/root
- init -
init started: BusyBox v1.4.2 (2007-09-26 19:44:01 CEST) multi-call binary
Please press Enter to activate this console. device eth0 entered promiscuous mode
br-lan: port 1(eth0) entering learning state
br-lan: topology change detected, propagating
br-lan: port 1(eth0) entering forwarding state
PPP generic driver version 2.4.2
wlan: 0.8.4.2 (svn r256
ath_hal: module license ‘Proprietary’ taints kernel.
ath_hal: 0.9.30.13 (AR5212, AR5312, RF2316, TX_DESC_SWAP)
ath_rate_minstrel: Minstrel automatic rate control algorithm 1.2 (svn r256
ath_rate_minstrel: look around rate set to 10%
ath_rate_minstrel: EWMA rolloff level set to 75%
ath_rate_minstrel: max segment size in the mrr set to 6000 us
wlan: mac acl policy registered
ath_ahb: 0.9.4.5 (svn r256
ath_pci: switching rfkill capability off
ath_pci: switching per-packet transmit power control off
wifi0: 11b rates: 1Mbps 2Mbps 5.5Mbps 11Mbps
wifi0: 11g rates: 1Mbps 2Mbps 5.5Mbps 11Mbps 6Mbps 9Mbps 12Mbps 18Mbps 24Mbps 36Mbps 48Mbps 54Mbps
wifi0: H/W encryption support: WEP AES AES_CCM TKIP
wifi0: mac 11.0 phy 4.8 radio 7.0
wifi0: Use hw queue 1 for WME_AC_BE traffic
wifi0: Use hw queue 0 for WME_AC_BK traffic
wifi0: Use hw queue 2 for WME_AC_VI traffic
wifi0: Use hw queue 3 for WME_AC_VO traffic
wifi0: Use hw queue 8 for CAB traffic
wifi0: Use hw queue 9 for beacons
wifi0: Atheros 2315 WiSoC: mem=0xb0000000, irq=3
jffs2_scan_eraseblock(): End of filesystem marker found at 0×0
jffs2_build_filesystem(): unlocking the mtd device… done.
jffs2_build_filesystem(): erasing all blocks after the end marker… done.
mini_fo: using base directory: /
mini_fo: using storage directory: /jffs
BusyBox v1.4.2 (2007-09-26 19:44:01 CEST) Built-in shell (ash)
Enter ‘help’ for a list of built-in commands.
_______ ________ __
| |.—–.—–.—–.| | | |.—-.| |_
| - || _ | -__| || | | || _|| _|
|_______|| __|_____|__|__||________||__| |____|
|__| W I R E L E S S F R E E D O M
KAMIKAZE (7.09) ———————————–
* 10 oz Vodka Shake well with ice and strain
* 10 oz Triple sec mixture into 10 shot glasses.
* 10 oz lime juice Salute!
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root@OpenWrt:/#