FWIW, I've been running this build since you posted it, it seems to work pretty well, no real problems, just the log being spammed by some messages, but they don't seem to affect functionality.
[112585.397555] ath10k_pci 0000:01:00.0: received unexpected tx_fetch_ind event: in push mode
[125510.475607] ath10k_pci 0001:01:00.0: Invalid peer id 225 peer stats buffer
[127496.935767] ath10k_pci 0001:01:00.0: Invalid peer id 253 peer stats buffer
[196890.569663] ath10k_pci 0000:01:00.0: received unexpected tx_fetch_ind event: in push mode
Hopefully we'll see the builds on a regular basis now. Thank you for your work
I've attempted to get the TFTP recovery to work on one of the R7800s I own, but I'm unable to get it working at all. I have the router connected to a hub in order to see when the link comes up, but it never does. Where do I go from here?
Yes. Although I have to wait until the power light blinks white slowly to release the reset button or it will change to blinking orange quickly. But like I said, the link light on the hub never turns on, so I'm not even sure if the router is bringing the interface up.
So far I have never heard about a case, where the TFTP mode does not come up if triggered properly. But there might be something special in your router, or the early part of the flash has got a bad sector, or something.
To find out more, you might need to open the case and attach a serial cable in order to see the boot sequence. (R7800 serial cable advice in wiki and in R7800 exploration thread's first few messages)
The bootloader's operations will be like this in the serial console, and it will show clearly if you manage to enter the TFTP recovery mode correctly:
U-Boot 2012.07 [local,local] (Sep 03 2015 - 17:33:28)
U-boot 2012.07 dni1 V0.4 for DNI HW ID: 29764958 NOR flash 0MB; NAND flash 128MB; RAM 512MB; 1st Radio 4x4; 2nd Radio 4x4; Cascade
smem ram ptable found: ver: 0 len: 5
DRAM: 491 MiB
NAND: SF: Unsupported manufacturer 00
ipq_spi: SPI Flash not found (bus/cs/speed/mode) = (0/0/48000000/0)
128 MiB
MMC:
*** Warning - bad CRC, using default environment
PCI0 Link Intialized
PCI1 Link Intialized
In: serial
Out: serial
Err: serial
131072 bytes read: OK
MMC Device 0 not found
cdp: get part failed for 0:HLOS
Net: MAC1 addr:dc:xxxxxxxx:e6
athrs17_reg_init: complete
athrs17_vlan_config ...done
S17c init done
MAC2 addr:dc:xxxxxxxx:e5
eth0, eth1
Factory Reset Mode
The Router is in TFTP Server Firmware Recovery mode NOW!
Listening on Port : 69, IP Address: 192.168.1.1 ...
Upgrade Mode Upgrade Mode
Rcv:
.................................................................
.................................................................
If you release the the reset button too early, it goes to Netgear factory reset mode.
If it is released correctly, there are these lines in the end:
The Router is in TFTP Server Firmware Recovery mode NOW!
Listening on Port : 69, IP Address: 192.168.1.1 ...
Upgrade Mode
Once you send the file with TFTP, there are these:
I've tried all ports on the router. None of them turn the light on the hub on to indicate that the interface is up.
Tried a couple
I'm beginning to think the ports on this router may be fried because the light indicating an active interface never comes on for any of the ports of the router (it does come on for the laptop I have plugged in). I have a switch lying around somewhere and I can try that later, but this hub has always worked.
I've been using a static IP (192.168.1.10/255.255.255.0 with a gateway of 192.168.1.1) and the hub is to force macOS to keep the interface active until the router's interface comes up, but the light on the hub that the router is plugged into never comes on.
This is uncharted territory for me (I've been using OpenWRT for over 10 years and have never had to use a serial cable). I've done some reading on the wiki, but I'm not sure if I should buy a pre-made serial cable or what.
Easiest is a small USB-to-TTL adapter with cable. And select one that supports the 3.3V TTL power level, as 5V is too much. (Actually you only need ground, RX and TX, while the voltage pin does not need to be connected.)
I just tried this again and when I do put R7800-owrt1907-r11086-ab7e9754df-20200525-0959-factory.img, it outputs ftp: sendto: Network is unreachable. The interface in the network preferences pane never turns green, either, which explains why I'm getting that error (and, yes, I've tried it over and over to make sure I'm not missing the tftp window).
I figured I'd add a bit more info here. When I turn on the router (without the reset button pressed), it lights up the eSATA, 1, 2, 3, and 4 LEDs, then the eSATA turns off and the power LED turns orange, then all of the LEDs turn off for a split second and it repeats. I'm not sure if that means anything or if you know what it means, but I figured more information couldn't hurt.
The last router I had to do a tftp on (I think it was a Buffalo), there was a limited window where you could do it. I assumed the R7800 had a similar window. Either way, the interface is never brought up by the router and tftp fails.
Like fantom-x says, Netgear has made the TFTP recovery mode so that once it is triggered, the TFTP server in the router stays active for a long time, likely permanently. So there is no need to hurry with the TFTP client.
