Banana Pi BPI-RV2 Gateway as a Router

Hardware Questions and Recommendations
1

Banana Pi BPI-RV2 Risc-V Gateway - Forum post with details

This looks like a fun, and reasonably price board to learn with.

There is ongoing OpenWRT Support, some support in the Main Line Linux kernel with some but not all patches accepted Mainline. OpenBSD also uses a SiFlower board for their risc-v64 development.

I’m a little confused if I could use it as a router attached to a cable modem. The manufactuer specifically calls it a gateway; gateway having two definitions in the wikipedia.

I found OpenWRT wiki on Switch vs Router vs Gateway vs NAT so I’m assuming that the device lacks a hardware to connect it to a cable modem? It looks like a cell tower modem could be added - could an ethernet connection to a cable modem be added?

There is also a dirt cheap fully fledge Banana Pi BPI-wifi5 risc-v64 router available that had 6.12 kernel commits. The downside is it has 8mb flash which is not long for the current OpenWRT ecosystem.

2

You have to do NAT, "cable" docsis provides DHCP (maybe DHCP6 or PD) for a very easy customer router connection. So just connect OpenWrt WAN port to cable modems ethernet port and you are basically 99% set up. Add wifi if needed and sit back and relax.

3

It's rarely sensible to be an early adopter of an exotic SOC, even if it would be supported/ work now, if it doesn't get traction among many users, you'll end up being the first to find bugs in the future - and end up being the only one fixing them.

4

add 10 bucks and get a gigabit capable mini x86 off eBay.

5

Thanks for staying on topic. My ISP DOCsis modem provides IPV4 DHCP and the ISP was pretty tight lipped when I asked about setting a Static address.

WAN access modem via NAT

Is this the correct area to read up on?

6

I’m looking at it more as a leaning experience - I’m running a recently purchased MR6350, flashed with 24.10.4 build that I’m happy with. I also am a long time OpenBSD user and some users speak highly of OpenBSD based routers and firewalls. There is an OpenBSD router guide that is also worth looking at on riscv64 hardware.

7

I still -quite strongly- advise against exotic/ new platforms without much (any) hope for wider circulation (obviously unless you are a developer and know exactly what you're getting into).

8

Does the provider router provide interface on 192.168.100.1 or similar? Then you found right guide.

Basic setup to make docsis into passthrough-dhcp mode is to power on CPE then make sure only device connecting in first five minutes of fresh uptime is your new router (you may need to disable wifi on it completely on it, certainly disconnect anything else wired)

Plan B is to use OpenWrt as an extender for their wifi if all else fails.

9

My understanding is that, in contrast to arm/arm64 platforms, riscv64 is entirely open source. Also this FreeBSD wiki indicates it is gaining traction.

10

I’m confused by the term providor router? My ISP provides the DOCSIS modem and users can either use their own router or rent one for $10USD/month. I think the monthly fee also comes with remote management.

My own router was assigned 47.6.xxx.xxx/22 by the Providor modem.

11

So it works fine.
take 10$/mo - 5%/year -> are you sure their gadget is 2500$ worth?

12

That's just wishful thinking. Yes, the ISA is open - the licensed IP cores are not. And a lot of those are needed to make up a modern router, ranging from DRAM controller over hardware interconnects, networking, etc. pp. The ISA by itself is 'useless', without the hardware components implemented and attached to it.

What is 'it'?!
As laid out, RISC-V is just an ISA - not a SOC (or in OpenWrt parlance, a ~target). The SOC of this device is the Siflower SF21H8898, which currently only comes with a single supported device, the Bananapi BPI-RV2. It's rather safe to assume that it will remain the only supported device of this target - why, because 'no one' else opted to use the SOC so far and time passing by will just make it old, boring and finally obsolete, not more attractive.

While there might be more popular RISC-V designs in the future, there won't be all that much in common with the SF21H8898 for those. At least not more than the commonalities between Broadcom Northstar, Mediatek Filogic or Qualcomm ipq957x, all of them sharing the ARMv8 ISA, but still being distinct and very different SOCs/ targets.

RISC-V means almost nothing, without the SOC- and driver support in the kernel, as well as all the bootloader adjacent low-level aspects. The ISA only matters once you cross (from kernel-) into userspace, libc and above, but when it comes to hardware support, the SOC is just as (if not more) important than the ISA, And for that to be well-maintained and long-term supported, you want plenty of stakeholders with their devices on your side - you don't have that for SF23P1240. It's interesting, because it's one of the very first 'sensible' (for a router) SOCs, but this will not be the one taking off and ending up in millions of households as their internet gateway. Maybe a newer SOC generation might make the cut, if Siflower is very successful - maybe a RISC-V based SOC from a competitor - who knows, only time will tell. But this is more of a devboard for hardware enthusiasts and developers, than a polished product.

If you're an enduser, you don't want to be on the frontlines of exotic technology - you want bog standard and boring, standing on the shoulder of giants. (and yes, x86_64 has a major attraction here, in the sense that it is a well treaded path that 'just works', always).

These are not the droids you are looking for.

1 Like
13

You are in US - buy a supported banana or glinet flint2
https://openwrt.org/toh/views/toh_available_16128_ax-wifi >> probably select 2x 2.5gb ports to stay on top.
Nanopi r6 is you want openbsd and openwrt support at once and multiple network ports (it is a router you know)

14

The platform that I provided FreeBSD, OpenBSD, OpenWRT links to.

You are in US - buy a supported banana….

The term “supported” - there are snapshot images for the gateway and vendor supplied build code for the router. The router seems to have more functionality than some OpenWRT Broadcom builds that lack both 2.4 and 5.0 wifi.

My home network is nothing exotic, running a recertified Linksys MR6350 that I bought for ~$35USD. My last Linksys EA7300v2, ~$40USD, lasted almost 5 years and ran OpenWRT the entire time. I think I came out way ahead compared to renting the ISP router.

15

I would not recommend it until a hardware NAT driver is ready.

16

You still don't get the distinctinction between the ISA and the specific SOCs/ targets implementing this ISA. While my advice still stands, this is not a hill I'm willing to die on - have fun.

17

Got you, you will not get riscv with multiple ethernet ports, focus on aarch64 or x86/64 , you will not get above wifi4 from BSD, thus suggesting an aarch64 device for router without any wifi, supported by both, then choose whatever (openwrt) access point(s) fit the pocket, you already have one for starters.

18

Good idea. If riscv64 hardware capable of NAT becomes a reality, it would mean active progress and commitment. And this answers my question regarding the BPI-RV2 functioning as an SOHO router. I did have one additional question. If if built a second, smaller device as a separate firewall, to be inserted between the modem and the BPI-RV2 gateway, could the firewall provide NAT for the gateway?