Initramfs-Kernel image : how to connect ? ( aka what my options are )

[battlewaffle]

Hi,
I'm not able to access either telnet or ssh with the stock firmware on the Mi 4A Gigabit edition.

So since the bootloader on this device supports PXE / TFTP sideloading I'm just thinking about running the initramfs-kernel image for this device, and take it from there so I can flash the mtd and upload whetever image I want.

The problem is: how to connect to this device when running such image ?

the wifi apparently does not broadcast any SSID, LAN is basically dead and without DHCP so I don't know which IP the device has ... so only UART / serial works with this kind of images ?
I know that the led apparently are working, power is blinking blu and WAN is on if I connect any cable to the RJ45 port.

I need a way to access the terminal without any extra hardware so I can flash this device: any ideas ?

[slh]

Primarily serial console access, ssh should work as well.

[battlewaffle]

the problem is that I don't get any IP, there is a default IP for such images ? I have to set it static to some predefined default value ?

[slh]

Static, out of the 192.168.1.[2-254] range

[battlewaffle]

ok, so on my pc

IP 192.168.1.2
NM 255.255.255.0
GW 192.168.1.1

and the router should do ssh on 192.168.1.1 ?

?

EDIT: nope, nothing happens, it appears that the router is not on the 192.168.1.x subnet

[mk24]

The initramfs comes up with standard default settings: 192.168.1.1 with DHCP server and ssh port open-- on the LAN ports. The wan port will be the standard default of firewall blocking any possible login, so don't use it.

Do you have serial?

[battlewaffle]

No, I don't have access to any extra hardware at the moment: this is my main problem.

I tried the most current snapshot, a different build compared to the last time I sideloaded openwrt, but still nothing: no dhcp, no ip, no ssh, no telnet, no nothing .

[battlewaffle]

Problem solved.