RPI(OWRT) - Live ISO Creation

Installing and Using OpenWrt
1

As the title is suggesting I'm looking for a way to turn the current install of OpenWRT on my RPI5 into an ISO for base image purposes. Now I know how to do it if I spin down the device and use a PC to ISO the SD card with an adapter.

However, looking to see if anyone has any info or input on doing it to a live system that's still being used, like a shadow copy. I have been scouring the internet for a few days now looking to see if there is a way.

Since I have my RPI5 build in a good spot and stable. Its still on snapshots but that's ok now that APK allows the use of the repository even though the snap is expired in terms of the OpenWRT Firmware builder.

For reference 1Gbps throughput only uses 7% of the ARM CPU. Meaning theoretically the PI should be able to handle routing of up to 5Gbps with relative ease depending on sub processes.

Since RPI 5 has an experimental PCIe Gen 3 that interface is capable of max transfer of 28Gbps so there is a lot more I can do with this device other than just being a router.

Anyways if anyone can lead me to water (tech documents) for creating a shadow or ISO from a LIVE system I would appreciate it because I would like to blog my project to the world.

2

You mean you want to copy storage image? raspberry cannot consume ISO file in any way.
In general openwrt backup is made with sysupgrade -b or via luci equivalent, i.e copy of changed config files.

3

Thanks for responding. I'll need to read up on this a bit more.

I was thinking of "disk".iso, like of the whole storage medium. After thinking about what you suggested it would be more efficient to use sysupgrade of the "changed" files.

Guess I got my mind on hardware today! :smiley:

4

Other configurations source is list of packages that you probably want to save and restore on hardware upgrade/replacement. Takes a bit of fine-tuning if you change non-default config files, like edit dhcp script etc.
And any data, including in containers need their own copies.