Run out of space on sysupgrade?

Installing and Using OpenWrt
1

I'm running Archer C7 v2 - so, 16MB to flash
I've just done sysupgrade from 22.03.4 to 23.05.4 - primarily because trying to install tailscale I ran out of space - so, this was a base sysupgrade not ASU because I wanted to be rid of the crud I've accumulated - the system came back up configured as before minus some no longer needed stuff. So far, so good.

First thing:

root@archerc7v2:~# opkg update
...
root@archerc7v2:~# opkg install tailscale
Installing tailscale (1.58.2-1) to root...
...
linuxfw: clear iptables: exec: "iptables": executable file not found in $PATH
linuxfw: clear ip6tables: exec: "ip6tables": executable file not found in $PATH
flushing log.
logger closing down
root@archerc7v2:~#

That looked like the iptables-nft issue - even if I read somewhere it'd been fixed - so, anyway:

root@archerc7v2:~# opkg install iptables-nft
Installing iptables-nft (1.8.8-2) to root...
Downloading https://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/23.05.3/targets/ath79/generic/packages/iptables-nft_1.8.8-2_mips_24kc.ipk
Installing kmod-nf-ipt (5.15.150-1) to root...
Downloading https://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/23.05.3/targets/ath79/generic/packages/kmod-nf-ipt_5.15.150-1_mips_24kc.ipk
Installing kmod-ipt-core (5.15.150-1) to root...
Downloading https://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/23.05.3/targets/ath79/generic/packages/kmod-ipt-core_5.15.150-1_mips_24kc.ipk
Configuring kmod-nf-ipt.
Collected errors:
 * wfopen: /lib/modules/5.15.150/xt_TCPMSS.ko: No space left on device.
 * wfopen: /lib/modules/5.15.150/xt_comment.ko: No space left on device.
 * wfopen: /lib/modules/5.15.150/xt_limit.ko: No space left on device.
 * wfopen: /lib/modules/5.15.150/xt_mac.ko: No space left on device.
 * wfopen: /lib/modules/5.15.150/xt_mark.ko: No space left on device.
 * wfopen: /lib/modules/5.15.150/xt_multiport.ko: No space left on device.
 * wfopen: /lib/modules/5.15.150/xt_tcpudp.ko: No space left on device.
 * wfopen: /lib/modules/5.15.150/xt_time.ko: No space left on device.
 * pkg_write_filelist: Failed to open //usr/lib/opkg/info/kmod-ipt-core.list: No space left on device.
 * opkg_install_pkg: Failed to extract data files for kmod-ipt-core. Package debris may remain!
 * opkg_install_cmd: Cannot install package iptables-nft.
 * opkg_conf_write_status_files: Can't open status file //usr/lib/opkg/status: No space left on device.
root@archerc7v2:~#

Then, I banged my head against a wall for far too long chasing the iptables-nft issue - before noticing how that last install ended - running out of space, again!

root@archerc7v2:~# df
Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/root                 4096      4096         0 100% /rom
tmpfs                    61024       120     60904   0% /tmp
/dev/mtdblock4            9920      9840        80  99% /overlay
overlayfs:/overlay        9920      9840        80  99% /
tmpfs                      512         0       512   0% /dev
root@archerc7v2:~#

Is anyone able to tell me what's going on? I don't think I should have run out of space - should I?
Thanks

2

If you used auc before, you profited from squashfs having a massively better compression ratio that jffs2 on the overlay, that may make enough of a difference here.

I don't know what you installed and how large tailscale (and its depdencies!) is, but the OpenWrt release image weighs ~7.2 MB - and you have ~9.8 MB in-use on the overlay, so that does mean the flash is full. You can check on /overlay/upper what files are on there, but I wouldn't really expect there to be anything you haven't (tried to) install before.

3

You can auc whenever packages half-fill overlay, installing them one by one. note you need iptables-nft pre-installed, and not mix it with xtables.

4

Thanks @slh - never used auc before; it looked v interesting and was going to until I reminded myself I was trying to get rid and not keep!

Yes, I have ~9.8MB on overlay - but, the Archer comes with 16MB - so, where's the rest? v22 can't have been that much smaller than v23 - can it...

5

Thanks, @brada4
you say iptables-nft needs to be pre-installed for tailscale? So, there isn't a fix for the iptables-nft issue? With the result I got from opkg install tailscale that's what I figured, but when I realised the install of iptables-nft was broken for space, then I wondered if that was the case of the install of tailscale also...

6

@slh

That's v interesting - And, I refreshed my knowledge here... Which helps, thank you.
But, what I'm now having difficulty with is, this:

root@archerc7v2:/overlay/upper/usr/sbin# ls -lh
lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root          10 Aug 25 10:38 tailscale -> tailscaled
-rwxr-xr-x    1 root     root       23.5M Feb 26 08:36 tailscaled
root@archerc7v2:/overlay/upper/usr/sbin#

Okay, so tailscale is big - but, how can it possibly be 23.5M big when there's only 10MB on the overlay to hold it... (overlay = 9920 = ~10MB)?

More practically, can I run auc to 're-sysupgrade' any how...?

7

Just as a simple comparision:

24'881'744 tailscaled
12'520'909 tailscaled.lzo
 8'453'181 tailscaled.gz
 5'360'128 tailscaled.xz

(jffs2 uses zlib/ deflate, so the compression ratio will be somewhere between the lzo- and gzip examples above; squashfs uses xz/ lzma)

8

@slh I think I'll have to get out the hammer and chisel...

9

Wireguard would much smaller than tailscale - so if you don't depend on tailscale's unique features (connecting to a system behind (cg-)NAT), that would be the natural choice.

The lazy way out would be moving to a router with more flash.

In the mean time, have a go with imagebuilder and check your options - as mentioned, anything that's not on the overlay, but inside the squashfs portion compresses a lot better.

10

I think I'll factory install 22.05.04 again, reinstall the back up, see if I can fit tailscale on it with that bare system - perhaps see if I can make it go - and then use auc to move to 23 with everything in squashfs

On your alternative suggestion, I had had a look at this:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/276314050521?...

11

Thanks @slh and @brada4, following this I realised there was no need to go backwards and I could take hammer and chisel to what I had - which I guess is what @brada4 was hinting at - so, onwards and upwards:

root@archerc7v2:~# df
Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/root                10240     10240         0 100% /rom
tmpfs                    61024       124     60900   0% /tmp
/dev/mtdblock4            3776       324      3452   9% /overlay
overlayfs:/overlay        3776       324      3452   9% /
tmpfs                      512         0       512   0% /dev
root@archerc7v2:~# tailscale status
Logged out.
root@archerc7v2:~#

That ASU custom build system is very very impressive!

1 Like
12

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