Error updating to latest OpenWrt (19.07.10, Archer c20v5 EU)

Installing and Using OpenWrt
1

I have outdated OpenWrt(19.07.10)version on my Tp-Link Archer c20v5 EU router. I wanted to update to latest but error appears.
Openwrt flash error

Here is my terminal log how I cheated an boot.bin file

user@pc:~/owrt$ dd if=Archer_C20v5_EU_0.9.1_4.17_up_boot[221028-rel34377].bin of=boot.bin bs=131584 count=1
1+0 records in
1+0 records out
131584 bytes (132 kB, 128 KiB) copied, 0,000596627 s, 221 MB/s
user@pc:~/owrt$ cat openwrt-23.05.5-ramips-mt76x8-tplink_archer-c20-v5-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin >> boot.bin

TL:DR Image metadata not found, Uploaded image does not contain supported format.

2

You need to flash clean unmodified sysupgrade file

image with bootloader prepended is needed for factory install(and will soft-brick router needing serial adapter for recovery)

If ubus call system board shows non-ath79 architecture you have to certainly reset configuration and type back all your wifis.
if it is ath79 you go to 21.any, then 22.any, then 23.05.5, likely all confs are migrated.

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3

why do you think that you need any boot.bin to add to the OpenWrt specific sysupgrade file?
Sounds strange. (but I have no specific knowledge of your router)

Usually those tricks are just needed for cheating the OEM flash routine whe getting into OpenWrt first time, but not any more once you have got the proper OpenWrt installed and you are sysupgrading further. After that the sysyupgrade image should be complete by itself.

4

It is old tplink where factory is frankenstein from uboot+sysupgrade

5

I tried using an sysupgrade from website, but I had a different error.

6

And that error was?

Something about settings incompatibility? ...that you need to flash without settings due to the swconfig -> DSA change?

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7

First you determine the existing router architecture - not ath79 - you need to force+reset upgrade.
And before any upgrades save config backup - it is a zip file with config files you can use as a reference to type back your configs.

EDIT: alos an advice - delete any composite images or any other files you downloaded so far, so that you have only sysupgrade file(s) present.

8

The uploaded image file does not contain a supported format. Make sure that you choose the generic image format for your platform.
This is using an OpenWrt sysupgrade.bin image

9

So there is some global change either DSA switch, changed system architecture, or new flash layout that prevents migrating configuration (it will not be migrated >1 major version ahead anyway, and even if you try to keep conf it will yield some services being broken like not starting or throwing heavy errors.)

10

Can we see output of ubus call system board or a screenshot with versions and uptimes from status page, and the filename you try to flash? Just to verify all is correctly prepared.

12

router hardware_1
router hardware_11200×475 29.8 KB

13

And the filename you flashed?

14

It is switch framework change for sure, just reset the configuration (checking 3x that it is clean freshly downloaded sysyupgrade file)

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15

openwrt-23.05.5-ramips-mt76x8-tplink_archer-c20-v5-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin
Sha256 f9f28d647ae -----------------078c0be (lazy to type all)

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16

That is correct file, v22 or v23 changed from swconfig to dsa and old switch config becomes incompatible.

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17

So I have to upgrade to v22 and the to 23?

18

Nope, step-by-step upgrade will not help, there is breaking point in the middle invalidating configuration, you need to go to last release and type config back.

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19

I don't know if staying at outdated version safer then trying to upgrade and have a risk of hard/soft brick

20

There are to files to my router
kernel.bin
sysupgrade.bin
I will try to use older image like 20>21>22>23.05

21

You have to back up everything on your router and re-type all configuration. There is no chance to migrate anything 19->23

1 Like