Netgear D7800 sysupgrade: image is incompatible for sysupgrade

cluelessdev · April 1, 2023, 5:28pm

"The device is supported but this image is incompatible for sysupgrade based on the image version (1.0->2.0)"

I already installed 22.03.3 factory image via tftp, now I'm trying to upgrade from graphical interface to an image built with firmware-selector. Checksums are correct.
Sysupgrade via tftp doesn't work and I think that's expected (No firmware change). Factory via tftp doesn't work if I include more than a few packages and I don't know if that's expected.
Is it ok to force upgrade or am I risking to brick this device?
Thanks

mmstano · April 1, 2023, 8:56pm

Is the image you built a master snapshot?

cluelessdev · April 1, 2023, 10:58pm

No snapshot, I'm just trying to install 22.03.3 built with firmware selector which includes a bunch of added packages.

mmstano · April 1, 2023, 11:03pm

Is the custom image bigger than the size of your flash memory on the device?

cluelessdev · April 1, 2023, 11:17pm

D7800 has 128MB flash, 22.03.3 factory I built is 34,5MB, sysupgrade is 31,4MB.
I don't know exactly how to account for internal partitions but logging in I get:

root@OpenWrt:~# cat /proc/mtd
dev:    size   erasesize  name
mtd0: 00c80000 00020000 "qcadata"
mtd1: 00500000 00020000 "APPSBL"
mtd2: 00080000 00020000 "APPSBLENV"
mtd3: 00140000 00020000 "art"
mtd4: 00140000 00020000 "artbak"
mtd5: 00400000 00020000 "kernel"
mtd6: 06080000 00020000 "ubi"
mtd7: 00700000 00020000 "reserve"

ercolino · April 1, 2023, 11:19pm

try to flash the stable version and install the rest after

cluelessdev · April 1, 2023, 11:23pm

I'll try, thanks. Here is screenshot now (factory built with firmware selector and a couple packages - "nano" and "less" if I remembre correctly)

ercolino · April 1, 2023, 11:25pm

but if radio is on and you are able to install package via opkg you can leave factory running.

cluelessdev · April 1, 2023, 11:26pm

Anyway I always used stable versions.. 22.03.3

cluelessdev · April 1, 2023, 11:31pm

Yes but since I already know what I need I'd like to squish every package prebuilt in firmware.
I already have a Linksys 1900acs and I did that, maybe it's not possible with this device.

ercolino · April 1, 2023, 11:33pm

build a factory image with that you need and leave that run if you cannot use sysupgrade.

cluelessdev · April 1, 2023, 11:39pm

Factory image won't install if it contains more than a couple additional packages. I don't know exactly what's the limit but there is definitely one. So maybe even if flash is 128MB there is a hardware limit..
but I don't know about kernel and partitions..

ercolino · April 1, 2023, 11:41pm

so maybe is the kernel partition, if so flash stable factory or sysupgrade and install all later.

i do not have this device so my are just options

rossini · April 1, 2023, 11:56pm

try to install factory default image.
Install via opkg all needed packages + luci-app-attendedsysupgrade
and the use it to get a complete image installed including all needed packages.

cluelessdev · April 2, 2023, 2:15pm

So, I tftp-ed plain 22.03.2 factory image, then installed all needed packages, went for attended sysupgrade and opted to upgrade to 22.03.3. Browser downloaded image but got stuck at installing sysupgrade. So I switched to command line and I found out install always stops at the same point with various errors each time, like
Message too large (90)
Invalid argument (22)
Broken pipe (32)
https://paste.debian.net/1276079/

Edit:
Sorry, I was trying to upgrade behind the "other" router and their dhcp probably clashed. So I removed the other one and now I constantly get "Invalid argument (22)"

Edit2
This is what I found in /var/log/messages:

OpenWrt upgrade: Saving config files...
OpenWrt upgrade: The device is supported, but this image is incompatible for sysupgrade based on the image version (1.0->2.0).
OpenWrt upgrade: Sysupgrade does not work due to rootfs ubi partition size change. Use factory image with the TFTP recovery flash routine.

Here we go again.. should I
auc -f
If something goes wrong, will tftp still work?

cluelessdev · April 2, 2023, 3:45pm

screenshot2

hnyman · April 2, 2023, 3:51pm

No.
Sysupgrade will not work.

You have finally shown the complete error, which also tells to the reason and the cure.

OpenWrt upgrade: The device is supported, but this image is incompatible for sysupgrade based on the image version (1.0->2.0).
OpenWrt upgrade: Sysupgrade does not work due to rootfs ubi partition size change. Use factory image with the TFTP recovery flash routine.

As the partition sizes have needed to be changed, that has been indicated to you by toggling the compatibility flag from 1.0 to 2.0 and you are given advice.

Any sysupgrade image will not work. (compiled by you, auc, whatever..).

You need to do the initial installation with the factory image. Usually Netgear offer the TFTP routine in u-boot. You should use that.

And once you have used the OpenWrt factory image to get into the new partition scheme, you can sysupgrade to the image (with your packages) that you are now trying the create.

EDIT: After more reading, it sounds like you might just be missing the compatibility value in /etc/config/system

hnyman · April 2, 2023, 3:54pm

If you have already used the factory image to get over the change, then one possible reason is that you have restored an old backup, which has then overridden the compatibility flag in /etc/config/system and set it back to 1.0 (although it has already been 2.0).

hnyman · April 2, 2023, 4:00pm

The culprit change has actually been already in Feb 2022.

github.com/openwrt/openwrt

ipq806x: Enlarge D7800 flash - use netgear partition

committed 11:52AM - 08 Feb 22 UTC

FireBurn

+4 -7

Increase the available flash memory size in Netgear R7800 by repurposing the unu…sed "netgear" partition that is located after the firmware partition. Available flash space for kernel+rootfs+overlay increases by 68 MB from 32 MB to 100 MB. In a typical build, overlay space increases from 15 to 85, increasing the package installation possibilities greatly. Reverting to the OEM firmware is still possible, as the OEM firmware contains logic to initialise the "netgear" partition if its contents do not match expectations. In OEM firmware, "netgear" contains 6 UBI sub-partitions that are defined in /etc/netgear.cfg and initialisation is done by /etc/preinit This is based on https://github.com/openwrt/openwrt/commit/fb8a578aa70572b3e56b64d296e22c2931e77b69 Signed-off-by: Mike Lothian <mike@fireburn.co.uk>

Both 22.03.2 and 22.02.3 should contain the new partition size.
And you mtd sizes look ok when comparing to the current DTS.

cluelessdev · April 2, 2023, 4:00pm

Thanks for your reply.
indeed I already tftp -ed standard 22.03.2 factory image to device and I didn't restore anything or at least nothing I know of. Also, there's no mention of compatibility flag in system

root@OpenWrt:~# cat /etc/config/system

config system
	option hostname 'OpenWrt'
	option timezone 'UTC'
	option ttylogin '0'
	option log_size '64'
	option urandom_seed '0'

config timeserver 'ntp'
	option enabled '1'
	option enable_server '0'
	list server '0.openwrt.pool.ntp.org'
	list server '1.openwrt.pool.ntp.org'
	list server '2.openwrt.pool.ntp.org'
	list server '3.openwrt.pool.ntp.org'

config led 'led_usb1'
	option name 'USB 1'
	option sysfs 'white:usb1'
	option trigger 'usbport'
	list port 'usb1-port1'
	list port 'usb2-port1'

config led 'led_usb2'
	option name 'USB 2'
	option sysfs 'white:usb2'
	option trigger 'usbport'
	list port 'usb3-port1'
	list port 'usb4-port1'

config led 'led_wan'
	option name 'WAN'
	option sysfs 'white:wan'
	option trigger 'switch0'
	option port_mask '0x20'

config led 'led_esata'
	option name 'eSATA'
	option sysfs 'white:esata'
	option trigger 'disk-activity'