Auc fails silently (Linksys EA7300 v2)

Installing and Using OpenWrt
1

I'm trying to upgrade the firmware image on my Linksys EA7300 v2. auc tells me that there is an update available:

# auc -c
auc/0.3.2-1
Server:    https://sysupgrade.openwrt.org
Running:   23.05.0 r23497-6637af95aa on ramips/mt7621 (linksys,ea7300-v2)
Available: 23.05.4 r24012-d8dd03c46f
<package list elided>

Attempting to upgrade appears to succeed, as per messages printed to the console:

# auc
auc/0.3.2-1
Server:    https://sysupgrade.openwrt.org
Running:   23.05.0 r23497-6637af95aa on ramips/mt7621 (linksys,ea7300-v2)
Available: 23.05.4 r24012-d8dd03c46f
Requesting package lists...
 kmod-usb-storage: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-crypto-gf128: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-usb-core: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-crypto-manager: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-crypto-ctr: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-nft-fib: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-nfnetlink: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-crypto-hash: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-nf-reject6: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-crypto-aead: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-nf-flow: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-usb-xhci-mtk: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-lib-crc-ccitt: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-pppoe: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-pppox: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-nf-reject: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 base-files: 1545-r23497-6637af95aa -> 1559-r24012-d8dd03c46f
 kmod-nf-nat: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-crypto-crc32c: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-mt7615e: 5.15.134+2023-08-14-b14c2351-1 -> 5.15.162+2024-04-03-1e336a85-1
 kmod-usb-serial-pl2303: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-usb-xhci-hcd: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-crypto-hmac: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-mt7615-common: 5.15.134+2023-08-14-b14c2351-1 -> 5.15.162+2024-04-03-1e336a85-1
 kmod-crypto-acompress: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-lib-crc32c: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-crypto-sha512: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-mt76-connac: 5.15.134+2023-08-14-b14c2351-1 -> 5.15.162+2024-04-03-1e336a85-1
 kmod-crypto-seqiv: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-nft-nat: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-usb3: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-crypto-ghash: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 dropbear: 2022.82-5 -> 2022.82-6
 kmod-hwmon-core: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-crypto-ccm: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-nf-log: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-leds-gpio: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-gpio-button-hotplug: 5.15.134-3 -> 5.15.162-3
 kmod-mt7603: 5.15.134+2023-08-14-b14c2351-1 -> 5.15.162+2024-04-03-1e336a85-1
 kmod-nf-log6: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-mac80211: 5.15.134+6.1.24-3 -> 5.15.162+6.1.97-1-1
 kmod-usb-serial: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-ppp: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-nft-offload: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-crypto-null: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-mt7615-firmware: 5.15.134+2023-08-14-b14c2351-1 -> 5.15.162+2024-04-03-1e336a85-1
 kmod-nf-conntrack: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-crypto-gcm: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-crypto-cmac: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-crypto-rng: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-nf-conntrack6: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 libucode: 2023-06-06-c7d84aae-1 -> 2024-07-11-1a8a0bcf-3
 kmod-lib-lzo: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-mt76-core: 5.15.134+2023-08-14-b14c2351-1 -> 5.15.162+2024-04-03-1e336a85-1
 kmod-nft-core: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-nls-base: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-scsi-core: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-slhc: 5.15.134-1 -> 5.15.162-1
 kmod-cfg80211: 5.15.134+6.1.24-3 -> 5.15.162+6.1.97-1-1
Are you sure you want to continue the upgrade process? [N/y] y
Requesting build............................
Downloading image from https://sysupgrade.openwrt.org/store/0245670498ad446383e23a25888a2bc3/openwrt-23.05.4-9b88b0a060f2-ramips-mt7621-linksys_ea7300-v2-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin
Writing to 'openwrt-23.05.4-9b88b0a060f2-ramips-mt7621-linksys_ea7300-v2-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin'
image verification succeeded
invoking sysupgrade
done

But after that, running auc -c again reveals that I'm still running version 23.05.0 r23497-6637af95aa . Rebooting didn't help.

I get the same results using "Attended Sysupgrade" through the web UI.

How can I correct or work around this problem?

2

Sounds like a sysupgrade bug. auc is doing it's part, then handing off to sysupgrade, which appears to be just failing out. Look in /tmp and see if the .bin file is still there. If it is, run sysupgrade --test openwrt*bin on it and tell us what you see.

3

Unfortunately, no .bin files were left in /tmp and I see no debug options to auc that might tell it to preserve such files.

I did find a sysupgrade.meta file in /tmp; it seems to contain an error message:

{ 
  "metadata_version": "1.1",
  "compat_version": "1.1",
  "compat_message": "Config cannot be migrated from swconfig to DSA",
  "new_supported_devices": [
    "linksys,ea7300-v2"
  ],
  "supported_devices": [
    "linksys,ea7300-v2 - Image version mismatch: image 1.1, device 1.0. Please wipe config during upgrade (force required) or reinstall. Reason: Config cannot be migrated from swconfig to DSA"
  ],
  "version": {
    "dist": "OpenWrt",
    "version": "23.05.4",
    "revision": "r24012-d8dd03c46f",
    "target": "ramips/mt7621",
    "board": "linksys_ea7300-v2"
  }
}

If that "Config cannot be migrated from swconfig to DSA" claim is indeed the reason for the failure and "wipe config" is the fix, then we're going to have a problem: a stable platform does not force users to wipe their configurations and start over from scratch, especially on a patch-level release. I have too many demands on my free time to rebuild my router from scratch without a very good reason.

4

Please read the wiki, to learn that you can't perform a sysupgrade (and so auc) on this device. Reason is that flashing will be performed on the partition 2, whereas it must be on partition 1. You must flash the newer factory image from Linksys OEM.

https://openwrt.org/toh/linksys/ea7300_v2#upgrading_openwrt

5

Thread related to the "Config cannot be migrated from swconfig to DSA" error: https://forum.openwrt.org/t/upgrade-from-22-02-to-23-05-and-making-my-config-dsa-compatible/184339

Looks like I'm stuck on the current image until some sufficiently dire vuln comes out to motivate me to make time to rebuild from scratch.

6

23.05.0 is already running with DSA. Anyway, this target (mt7621) has moved a long time ago to DSA. Your issue is not related to DSA.

You are attempting to flash on partition 2 from partition 1. The bootloader fails to boot OpenWrt on partition 2, and than fallback on partition 1 where is the previous 23.05.0. This is the expected behavior. Install luci-app-advanced-reboot to check partition contents.

Please read again the previous message, it's the only way to upgrade this device. I'm using it for a couple of years now.

You don't have to rebuild from scratch: save the settings, return the Linksys OEM, flash the newer factory image, restore the settings. This is what I'm doing for each upgrade. It works just fine.

Last but not least: wait a few days, 23.05.5 is coming soon. But you may also want to experiment upgrading with 23.05.4 before.

EDIT : it pops out of my mind that you may have busted Linksys OEM on partition 2 by attempting to flash OpenWrt on it. It is mandatory to keep Linksys on partition 2. Check the content with luci-app-advanced-reboot. I would recommand to return to a safe config by using TFTP to install Linksys OEM to both partitions. You may have to use a serial link for this. Than flash OpenWrt on partition 1.

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