Ath79 port GL.iNet GL-USB150

For Developers
1

@Entropy512 @pepe2k

Is there anything else but time holding back the port of GL.iNet GL-USB150 from ar71xx to ath79?

Also there is no device page for that model. Are the flashing methods of AR150 true for USB150 too?

2

To my knowledge - nothing other than time/effort/resources.

It's on my TODO list of many things... But let's just say I've gotten about <5% of what I had planned to do in the past few months actually done, and the USB150 is in that other 95%.

Now that the AR750S NAND has been merged I might take a crack at this at some point, although at this point, not likely until after the new year. Too much going on this December.

3

I have created on now: https://openwrt.org/toh/gl.inet/gl.inet_gl-usb150

Feel free to add useful information to that page!

4

Thanks to both of you!

So you are saying there is a chance it's in the top 6% of that list. But hey, no pressure, there is still time until 19.07 release. :smile:

5

Any progress on this? It would be unfortunate if this device gets stuck on 19.07 :slight_smile:

6

If you can ship me one, I can probably get the port done in fairly short order, esp. given the presence of a crimpable serial pinout.

The porting process is fairly easy; check out the diff from 19.07 here, which completes most of it for a Meraki MR16 https://github.com/btvmeshnet/openwrt/commits/mr16-porting-ath79 (8293c8ed46 .. 14803750e1)

The steps are fairly simple in practice:

  • Set up a build environment for the intiramfs image
  • Hook it up to a TTL to serial cable
  • Run a build of ar71xx for which you can confirm tftpbooting the initramfs from a TFTP server and bootming it works
  • Grab one of the other .dts files recently committed for an ar9331-based board, and copy it to yours (git log --all -p --grep=ath79 will hint you as to which boards have been recently ported)
  • Apply changes to the ath79 generic.mk so you can actually build an initramfs target with the ath79 image
  • Port the partitions table from the old generic.mk for the ar71xx board
  • LOOP: Build
  • Boot initramfs
  • Fix something
  • goto LOOP.

Where you fail, check and compare other ports of the ar9331 from ar71xx to ath79.

If you actually want to just ship me one, do email me at hurricos@gmail.com. Cheers.

7

I'm doing it now, but meet some sysupgrade issue

8

the wiki page on openwrt is wrong in somewhat
the usb is not Device mode
it is usb ether connected to switch port, like a cable link

9

@500g @Goossens @Entropy512 @hurricos @tmomas
kindly ping
help test and anyone has device with TTL accessable?
need to test for sysupgrade issue.

in console do sysupgrade and see what happen, what error.

10

Sorry for the slow response... I don't currently have a unit with TTL accessible, maybe at some point next year I'll have some time to poke at it.

My primary use case for the USB150 has been superseded by my employer's IT department finally transitioning everyone to Windows 10 and also approving OpenVPN for use to connect to our "virtual cable" bridges. As a result I don't use it often, except occasionally for some niche stuff.