Linksys EA8300 getting ready to load the sysupgrade to 23.05 but then the flash utility said that the kernsize needs to be set to 500000. What "it" apparently doesn't realize is that kernsize already is set to 500000.
Rebooted several times, no change.
Kernsize verification here - (abbreviated for brevity)
fw_printenv:
OpenWrt 22.03.6, r20265-f85a79bcb4
-----------------------------------------------------
root@Router-Downstairs:~# fw_printenv
altkern=5f80000
baudrate=115200
boot_ver=1.2.9
bootcmd=if test $auto_recovery = no; then bootipq; elif test $boot_part = 1; then run bootpart1; else run bootpart2; fi
bootdelay=2
flash_type=2
flashimg=tftp $loadaddr $image && nand erase $prikern $imgsize && nand write $loadaddr $prikern $filesize
flashimg2=tftp $loadaddr $image && nand erase $altkern $imgsize && nand write $loadaddr $altkern $filesize
kernsize=500000
Flash Utility message about openwrt-23.05.2-ipq40xx-generic-linksys_ea8300-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin -
Sun Feb 4 20:42:54 PST 2024 upgrade: The device is supported, but this image is incompatible for sysupgrade based on the image version (1.0->2.0). Sun Feb 4 20:42:54 PST 2024 upgrade: Kernel partition size must be increased for this OpenWrt version. Before continuing, you MUST issue either the command "fw_setenv kernsize 500000" from the OpenWrt command line, or "setenv kernsize 500000 ; saveenv" from the U-Boot serial console. Instead of the sysupgrade image, you must then install the OpenWrt factory image, setting the force flag and wiping the configuration. (e.g. "sysupgrade -n -F openwrt-squashfs-factory.bin" on command line) Image check failed.
The uploaded image file does not contain a supported format. Make sure that you choose the generic image format for your platform.
Provided the kernsize is correctly set, you have to ignore the LuCI warning when installing 23.05 factory.bin (or sysupgrade.bin) from an earlier version. Just Force an upgrade and do not keep settings. I don't believe sysupgrade checks kernsize imho.
The device page for EA8300 advocates use of factory.bin although sysupgrade is very likely to work too....
In this case I'd follow the device's wiki page to the letter (as the sysupgrade image might be too smart for its own good here, flashing kernel & rootfs separately, not touch the old split and ubi volumes).
Disclaimer: I don't own this device, so no personal experiences with it - just hoping that the device pages in the wiki are right.
Yes, indeed I did see the confusion and thread about use of sys vs fac. The conclusion from that was that sys is reported as being a functional upgrade. This is specifically why I brought my issue up here because that report did not mention a kernsize warning. It was reported that both the sys and fac upgrade routes were successful though I mention again that there was no report of a kernsize warning for either. Perhaps out of brevity or oversight or that it didn't make any difference in the end. Dunno!? and that's the issue. It seems peculiar to receive a kernsize warning when the kernsize is already set to the size the warning is instructing to set it.
Other issues raised in the Warning:
The device is supported, but this image is incompatible for sysupgrade based on the image version (1.0->2.0).
What does image version mean in this context?
The uploaded image file does not contain a supported format. Make sure that you choose the generic image format for your platform.
What does this mean given that the same message appears when loading either the sys or fac binary?
sysupgrade does NOT check kernsize. DSA is new to all IPQ40xx devices starting 23.05 too.
If there were problems with the wiki instructions, it would have been flagged up long ago as the EA8300 instructions for installing 23.05 has not changed since August 2023.
Went ahead and force loaded without preserving settings the factory binary of 23.05.2 but then couldn't get a connection outside my lan; no Ping nor Http. Inside my lan was normal. Reverted fw back to 22.03.6 and all is well.
Doh, I should have grabbed the logs!
Ah, just saw your post bill888. The other odd thing about the message is it says to saveenv yet that command results in "not found". It just occurred to me that perhaps it has to be entered concurrent with the setenv command. Google didn't shed light on it for me. Remember the good old days when Google search was good?
Glad you got it running on your hdwr. I'll try it again later today maybe and see where it leads.
I didn't need to use saveenv command when I completed my multiple tests upgrading from 22.03 to 23.05 the other night using factory.bin and sysupgrade.bin on EA6350 v3. No mention of this command in the wikis for MR8300, EA8300 and EA6350v3.
What do you mean you couldn't get a connection 'outside my lan' ?
How was openwrt 22.03.x previously configured?
Did you manually reapply all the settings. (Do not restore settings from 22.03.x, it won't work)
@gemolnar was most recent user enquiring about upgrading EA8300 last week. I wonder what was the outcome?
The 23.05.2 factory load was a default/blank slate so to speak. No settings were carried forward nor reloaded from previously saved record. Similarly, when reverting back to 22.06 I also used that factory file with no settings preservation yet it had connection to the internet immediately with no tweaking req'd. Nothing every goes smoothly with me and hardware, or software, or automation, or traffic lights, or copy machine, or coffee machine, ...
WAN is not touched and remains connected to the Cable Modem.
The saveenv is not in the detailed instructions on the EA8300 page but is mentioned in the Warning message. That's the reason I thought it worth checking into.
No restart on cable modem. I don't recall seeing that in the instructions so didn't occur to me. I've not had to do that previously when performing upgrades. Is that somehow related to the changeover to DSA on 23.05?
I flashed the factory.bin image, accepted the forced upgrade and chose to not preserve my settings.
The upgrade went fine. After the upgrade I had to re-setup my router from scratch - which wasn't a surprise as the settings was not preserved on purpose.
In my case that included setting up my PPPoE connection again with a user/pass that I manually backed up before the upgrade.
Other than the minor inconvenience of setting up a few static DHCP leases again, it was a pretty smooth sail - thanks for your help!
Since 22.03.3, both are working for EA/MR8300. Did we talk about this in another thread ?
I use a factory image when starting from OEM gui and sysupgrade when upgrading from Openwrt just to match the standard behavior.
Edit : I have rewrote some parts of the MR8300 wiki to be clearer about the use of factory/sysupgrade images. Comments are welcome.
Circling back to this install and a pervasive issue preventing any further O/S upgrade beyond 22.03.6. The kernsize is not the issue, Forced installation of the factory upgrade of ipq40xx/generic to 23.05.X is not the issue. Re-configuring the settings after installing the upgrade is also not the issue.
The issue - is access to the internet is cut off.
Force factory upgrade without preserving settings.
Verify PC receives good IP connection to router using default settings; 192.168.1.23
Verify WAN IPv4 address is not in same range
Verify other LAN devices are accessible.
Try to access anything on internet using OpenWRT built-in diagnostic tools; ping, nslookup, traceroute = NADA
Try to access anything on internet via browser = NADA.
Other hints, suggestions, references...?
Hmm, after reading other posts it looks like it may be that MAC address being presented to the modem is swapped with the LAN MAC address. I'll have to test that and post back here. In the interim, this MA swap behavior appears to be peculiar to version 23 of OpenWRT. Version 22.03.6 works correctly and has the two MAC addresses reversed with respect to those of ver 23.
Noob question: what are the impacts of setting MAC addresses of br-lan, wan, and wan6 the same? A pointer to other reading about this would be great.
Success via MAC address overrides:
Network -> Devices -> [br-lan] Configure -> MAC address {changed to value used by this setting in OWRT v22.03}
Network -> Devices -> [wan] Configure -> MAC address {changed to value used by this setting in OWRT v22.03}
Note that the names of these 'settings' also changed from v22 to v23 so be careful.
Whle br-lan is common it also appears as eth.0.
wan may appear as eth.1.
