[SOLVED] Which packages do I have to remove to convert my TP-Link WDR4300 into a managed switch?

[Raskaipika]

Hi community!

I want to compile my own image (first time that I will do this) to convert my old and great router TP-Link WDR4300 into a managed switch, I explain my needs:

I don't need DNS, DHCP, Firewall, Wi-Fi or other features offered by default by the OpenWrt stock image to use the device like Router and/or Access Point. I will work with 4 VLANs and only one of them need an IP, that is my "admin VLAN" to be able to connect to the web interface while a SSH tunnel is established, because of that, only one of the VLANs is linked to the CPU port, making the other 3 VLANs works at level 2.

The main purpose for compile a custom image, is avoid to make use of an USB flash drive because of the 8 MB flash that this device has; other thing is that, right now, I'm using the device as managed switch with a 100% working config (migrated to the DSA architecture).

I hope that you can help me guys with this, I know that this can be a newbie question, but I love learn new things and make them by myself. If you need more info or I don't have explain well my question, don't hesistate to ask me.

Kind regards.

[Borromini]

Firewall4 and related nftables packages, dnsmasq, odhcpd-ipv6only, mac80211 and wireless drivers. You might get away with having the image builder strip these packages - I'm not sure if it will work since each device has a set of mandatory packages required for full functionality. Worth a try nonetheless.

[Raskaipika]

Thanks @Borromini , I will try compiling the image like you've said and test if everything works as it's expected.

[Raskaipika]

Hi again:

I only want to confirm that your comment about the packages that I had to remove to convert the TP-Link WDR4300 from a router into a managed switch is 100% correct, right now I'm using my own custom image without problems, everything is working as I expected.

I've to say, that I've added some packages to meet my requeriments of use, like nano-full, sudo, openssh server and of course, the LUCI web interface full package (without webserver) to be able to check the config when I need it, without problems about the certs (HTTPS) because I use a SSH tunnel to keep the web interface alive once time I've started the uhttpd service from the secure shell prompt.

One more time, thank you so much @Borromini for your comment and help, now, I don't have to use an USB stick and make extroot process, disable firewall, DNS, DHCP, Wi-Fi and other services / features that I don't need in this device, and the best is that like I compile the image, I can include all my configs and everything works like a charm since I power on the device, with the only exception of the SSH connection / tunnel, first, I've to connect to the device making use of the serial prompt and then, change the ownership of twor or three directories and change the permissions of the authorized_keys files.

Better than all I've explained above, is that I've learned to compile my own custom image and now, I can begin to make the same with my home router Linksys-WRT3200ACM.

EDIT: To finish my work with this device, long time ago, like in 2018 or maybe 2019 (I don't remember well), I flashed the fantastic U-Boot 1.1.4 modded by @pepe2k, and it works pretty well, and this modded U-Boot has saved me to set up a TFTP server to reflash my router because of my first attempt doesn't have a Luci Web interface included thanks to its web server, but I got three questions for @pepe2k about it:

1.- Where do you have the lastest versions now? I ask this because at your official GitHub repository, you got a link to your server but that link is dead.

2.- Is there a more recent version of this mod? (Related with the prior question)

3.- I've been able to overclock the device from the U-Boot console with the setclk command, I've choosen the profile 105 (CPU 650 | RAM 400 | AHB 200 | SPI 25), do you think that this profile is safe? I want to say because of the use that device will have only 1 VLAN linked to the CPU port (the Admin VLAN for the GUI), is well or it's best to keep the default values (same as your 105 profile except for CPU 550 and SPI 20)

Thank you so much for your hard work and support in this U-Boot mod, regards.