Adding OpenWrt support for Zyxel EX5601-T0

frollic · 2025-01-18T19:19:17.731Z

Ouch, that's a hefty increase

thehybrid1337 · 2025-01-19T01:37:50.067Z

does someone have stock mtds for me please ill appreciate it alot

KOA · 2025-01-19T03:54:03.738Z

which country?
I think in the Netherlands it is still 6.65 euros?

BlackJack · 2025-01-19T11:02:46.735Z

Nearest German city

shippment1144×818 72.9 KB

KOA · 2025-01-19T11:04:29.163Z

In that price you can visit Netherlands and buy the router from there I think.

lytr · 2025-01-19T23:28:29.380Z

You can try to restore the OEM firmware like this:

Run system from stock initramfs image openwrt-mediatek-filogic-zyxel_ex5601-t0-stock-initramfs-kernel.bin
Install kmod-mtd-rw and load

Put backup files (https://filebin.net/3fkxnte8f8uz2wa1) to /tmp and run:

mtd write mtd0 bl2
mtd write mtd3 fip
mtd write mtd4 zloader
ubiformat /dev/mtd5
ubiattach -d 0 -m 5
ubimkvol /dev/ubi0 -n 0 -N kernel -s 3787688
ubimkvol /dev/ubi0 -n 1 -N rootfs -s 42688KiB
ubimkvol /dev/ubi0 -n 2 -N zyfwinfo -s 256
ubimkvol /dev/ubi0 -n 3 -N zydefault -s 55558
ubimkvol /dev/ubi0 -n 4 -N rootfs_data -m
ubiupdatevol /dev/ubi0_0 mtd5_kernel
ubiupdatevol /dev/ubi0_1 mtd5_rootfs
ubiupdatevol /dev/ubi0_2 mtd5_zyfwinfo
ubiupdatevol /dev/ubi0_3 mtd5_zydefault
ubidetach -d 0

You can repeat the same steps for mtd6:

ubiformat /dev/mtd6
ubiattach -d 1 -m 6
ubimkvol /dev/ubi1 -n 0 -N kernel -s 3787688
ubimkvol /dev/ubi1 -n 1 -N rootfs -s 42688KiB
ubimkvol /dev/ubi1 -n 2 -N zyfwinfo -s 256
ubimkvol /dev/ubi1 -n 3 -N zydefault -s 55558
ubimkvol /dev/ubi1 -n 4 -N rootfs_data -m
ubiupdatevol /dev/ubi1_0 mtd5_kernel
ubiupdatevol /dev/ubi1_1 mtd5_rootfs
ubiupdatevol /dev/ubi1_2 mtd5_zyfwinfo
ubiupdatevol /dev/ubi1_3 mtd5_zydefault
ubidetach -d 1

thehybrid1337 · 2025-01-20T00:48:38.046Z

Thanks, i'm not very experienced with Linux operaiting systems so thanks for sharing instructions and the T-56 files.
I will try to flash and let u know..

frollic · 2025-01-20T06:27:02.538Z

I'll add it to the wiki, have you written an instruction on how to make a backup of the original fw too ?

L4ky · 2025-01-20T07:45:08.477Z

lytr:

Run system from stock initramfs image openwrt-mediatek-filogic-zyxel_ex5601-t0-stock-initramfs-kernel.bin

I'll try to write it on the fly.

Backup stock MTDs:

Run system from stock initramfs image openwrt-mediatek-filogic-zyxel_ex5601-t0-stock-initramfs-kernel.bin
Connect to OpenWRT via SSH ( User: root , no password )
DD each mtd to /tmp folder

dd if=/dev/mtd0 of=/tmp/mtd0
dd if=/dev/mtd1 of=/tmp/mtd1
dd if=/dev/mtd2 of=/tmp/mtd2
dd if=/dev/mtd3 of=/tmp/mtd3
dd if=/dev/mtd4 of=/tmp/mtd4
dd if=/dev/mtd5 of=/tmp/mtd5
dd if=/dev/mtd6 of=/tmp/mtd6
dd if=/dev/mtd7 of=/tmp/mtd7

Connect to OpenWRT via SCP, go to folder /tmp and download all the files.

frollic · 2025-01-20T13:16:45.504Z

@lytr if the backup is made as described by @L4ky, do we need to create the separate volumes, as you describe in Adding OpenWrt support for Zyxel EX5601-T0 - #483 by lytr, when going back to ISP's fw ? or is writing the whole mtd5 and 6 enough to restore the layout and the content ?

backing up stock fw section added - https://openwrt.org/toh/zyxel/t-56#backing_up_odido_firmware

lytr · 2025-01-20T16:53:39.475Z

The mtd5 and mtd6 partition dump contains the rootfs_data volume and there is data related to a specific device. That's why I prepared a way to restore it in a slightly different way.

lytr · 2025-01-20T16:58:06.369Z

frollic:

or is writing the whole mtd5 and 6 enough to restore the layout and the content ?

Enough for your own use.

frollic:

backing up stock fw section added - https://openwrt.org/toh/zyxel/t-56#backing_up_odido_firmware

Add that the stock image must be loaded and not ubootmod because the partition layout is different.

frollic · 2025-01-20T17:42:08.436Z

lytr:

Add that the stock image must be loaded and not ubootmod because the partition layout is different

You mean the initramfs, does it really matter ?

lytr · 2025-01-20T17:52:49.293Z

Yes, ubootmod partitions layout is different (mtd5, mtd6 and mtd7 are combined into one mtd5 partition).

frollic · 2025-01-20T17:54:17.037Z

Well yes, but do we care, when only writing back the mtds, from file ?

nvl · 2025-01-20T19:11:33.532Z

While testing this on the T56 self, for me its not working with the superviser password.

The message clearly says:
sysCmd = zycfgfilter backup "supervisor" "/data/zcfg_config.json" "/tmp/zcfg_config.json"
info, Enter initConfData()
info, getPrivilegeData
info, logUser=supervisor
high priority user
zcmdEncryptConfig : Enter

But when looking at the output on the serial console the root password is used to decrypt the json file

in my opinion the command has to be:
openssl enc -d -des3 -md md5 -pass pass:(root password) -in Backup_Restore -out Backup_Restore.json

lytr · 2025-01-20T19:31:25.335Z

You will not be able to execute these commands:

dd if=/dev/mtd6 of=/tmp/mtd6
dd if=/dev/mtd7 of=/tmp/mtd7

frollic · 2025-01-20T19:33:05.519Z

I don't understand why the initramfs would care, but I'll take your word for it.

BlackJack · 2025-01-20T20:07:31.336Z

Hey man, could you please share a bit more results regarding Zyxel WX5600? Is it possible to install OpenWRT on it and make function as a router?

KOA · 2025-01-20T20:18:02.524Z

OpenWrt Support for WX5600 Hardware Questions and Recommendations

OK MT7986 we can work U-Boot 2022.01-rc4 (Aug 04 2022 - 14:04:30 +0000) CPU: MediaTek MT7986 Model: ZYXEL WX5600-T0 DRAM: 512 MiB Same partition table of EX5601 [ 1.124743] Creating 8 MTD partitions on "nmbm_spim_nand": [ 1.130231] 0x000000000000-0x000000100000 : "BL2" [ 1.135902] 0x000000100000-0x000000180000 : "u-boot-env" [ 1.142048] 0x000000180000-0x000000380000 : "Factory" [ 1.147963] 0x000000380000-0x000000540000 : "FIP" [ 1.153515] 0x000000540000-0x…

there is a separate thread for that device.