very new to openwrt but am very happy with the tool and the folks willing to help- thanks. i was able to reflash my router to the newest build and complete configuration but have a couple questions that i havent been able to find information on.
scheduled daily i would like to restart my router (or interfaces, if i cant do the whole box) and have see threads on restart packages in luci. one (wifischedule) appears to be installed by default in my distro. i also installed another (luci-app-wifischedule) by suggestion.
my questions.
first- now what? iwith the packages installed i have no idea how to configure, run, schedule, etc., these packages. which interface do i use to access them and how from there.
second- these seem to be interface restart scheduler. is there a full system restart?
third- is there a better package to perform this type of restart?
Why? This is unnecessary in the vast majority of cases. And in the few situations where it might be necessary, it is typically an indication of an issue that should be addressed directly, rather than just restarting (which masks the problem, it doesn't solve it).
There should be config files and documentation that you can read. WiFi scheduling is typically intended to bring the APs/SSIDs up/down on a schedule - for example, "it's bedtime, so the kids WiFi should be disabled so they can't continue to use the internet; turn it back on in the morning."
Again, why do you want to do this? OpenWrt can run rock-solid for months or even years without the need for a reboot (although it is recommended to apply system maintenance upgrades when they are available, which will obviously cause a reboot).
You can simply use cron-jobs to do this, but you have to be really careful because if your device doesn't have a real time clock (RTC) you could cause a reboot loop. But again, this isn't recommended unless there is a real reason to reboot.
scheduling a reboot has been a necessary evil for a lot of hardware ive had so- its just something i planned to do. but youre right, ill give the system a while to see if there is a need.
Yeah... I'd say that there are two reasons people ask about periodic reboots of OpenWrt:
The belief that it is necessary based on experience with other devices/systems that have required periodic reboots.
A problem that they are encountering and simply trying to brute-force a solution rather than actually address the root-cause.
So.. you shouldn't need periodic reboots. If you do happen to encounter issues that are solved by reboots, we can help you to discover the root cause and hopefully resolve it.
If your problem is solved, please consider marking this topic as [Solved]. See How to mark a topic as [Solved] for a short how-to.
Thanks!
understood. that said, it still leaves me wondering how to configure and run packages within luci. i have two installed schedulers and they would be good to learn the package process. any thoughts?
Maybe it would be best if you defined what you are trying to accomplish.
LuCI is the web interface for OpenWrt. Most of the standard OpenWrt feature set is supported via LuCI (or you can use the command line, if you want). There are tons of packages available for OpenWrt -- many, but not all of them are supported by LuCI as well.
But just because packages exist doesn't mean you should install them. For example, you can install Asterisk, but there is no point to installing it unless you are setting up a whole VOIP phone exchange system.
im trying to get more familiar with how packaging works in general with luci. i dont have any specific packages to install now, but i dont know what i dont know with regard to how the luci packaging works. should i find one that i have interest in id like to be able to install, configure and use.
Are you asking from a developer standpoint (how to build a package to install onto OpenWrt) or from a user perspective (how to install packages that are available)?
Installation is easy using the opkg package manager (eventually this will transition to the APK system, but same idea). Configuration of the packages you install entirely depends on the package itself. This is no different than installing apps from an online app store for your phone/computer/tablet. Easy to install; some packages require no configuration at all, others may need you do something. So for example, if I download a game or a word processor or whatever (on my phone or computer), I can probably just start using it. There may be preferences I can configure, of course, but it may or may not be required. OTOH, if I install a VPN app, I need to configure it to connect to my VPN server/service (or to be a server itself).
There's almost always documentation available for the packages you might want.
But less is more... don't install packages "just because you can" -- you should treat your router as a critical infrastructure device: the fewer things installed, the less risk there is for misconfiguration and/or problems, and there are fewer attack surfaces. Also, if you're using an embedded device (like a consumer all-in-one WiFi router), these tend to be resource limited... so you want to spend those resources wisely to ensure you have good routing performance. Run only the services you actually need on your router.
i agree. im just investigating this new environment from a user perspective.
maybe i wasnt asking the question the right way. hypothetically to learn how to configure and run a package that i have installed, by what method would i use one of the schedule apps? would i use a terminal, the luci gui, or? how would i open & config the package? thats really the question i have.
As I said before, it depends on the package. If there is a luci-app for it, you can use the web interface and/or command line. If no luci-app exists for a given package, it would be command line only. (command line can be UCI commands as well as direct text file edits).
But the specifics all depend on the package itself. There is no universal answer for this.
Each package should be well documented, and if there is a luci-app, you'll have a gui to help you navigate most of the config options.
