ath79 is the successor of ar71xx. It's modernization under the hood, with the main goal to bring the code into a form that is acceptable for Linux upstream, so that all (most) of the whole ar71xx supported devices can be handled by an upstream, unpatched Linux kernel.)
I have a TP-Link Archer C7 v2 running 18.06.4 (ar71xx generic). When 19.07 (or whatever it ends up getting called) eventually hits the release candidate stage, I'd like to update to it, and it sounds like the ath79 version could be a bit better than the ar71xx version because it's more modernized and supported by mainline, unpatched Linux. Still, some things seem unclear.
Would I be able to use a sysupgrade file to go directly from 18.06.4 ar71xx to 19.07 ath79? Or would I need to revert to stock TP-Link firmware first?
If a direct upgrade is possible, what about preserving settings?
PS- Somewhat related to #2, I remember that for the upgrade to 18.06.0, OpenWrt devs recommended that people not preserve settings (in order to benefit from some new defaults), but that particular update also had the issue of the remerge (some people upgrading from LEDE 17.01, and some people upgrading from OpenWrt 15.05). This time question is about switching from an ar71xx target to the new ath79 target, on the same hardware.
I have migrated quite a few different models now from 18.06 ar71xx to pre-19.07 ath79 (had been testing with master ath79 builds). You may need to use the -F flag with sysupgrade, but it works (just double check you are using the right image - not a v1 image for a v2 etc.
Yep. That's the nice thing. Do check stuff like wireless paths in /etc/config/wireless though, they might change. I usually rename the wireless configuration file, regenerate the wireless configuration, and grep both the old and new files for the paths to see if I need to adapt my old configuration:
I was using my TP-Link Archer C7 v2 as an AP. Just did the upgrade using preserve settings. The upgrade seemed to go ok but now I cannot get to the the GUI using the same address as before the upgrade. All wireless connections seem to be working just fine.
I installed putty on my PC and I am able to login to the router with SSH. Should I factory reset the router at this point and then reconfigure? Would you do a soft or hard factory reset and what would be the command that I would use?
After you've done the reset, you can SSH in and then install the web interface if desired. Stable releases (and their release candidates) come with the web interface pre-installed; snapshots do not.
Let's get a few things straight guys. @wterlave89, your topic title talks about 19.07 while you're linking to master builds which will make less experienced users think they can/should flash from there to get onto the 19.07 train. That train is not even running yet. Also, master builds do not have a web interface by default.
Snapshots from master are not builds off the 19.07 branch. Even worse: master is already diverging from the 19.07 branch as we speak.
Once devs initiate builds off the 19.07 branch, these builds will come with the web interface by default. Please adapt your topic title or your post(s) to avoid confusion.
Also, if someone wants to upgrade from an older version of OpenWrt while wiping settings, please use sysupgrade -n instead of mucking around with firstboot. It's just extra work that you should let sysupgrade handle if you want to start with a clean slate. When in doubt, check the sysupgrade manual.
I'm not encouraging anyone to download snapshots (that's what the download site calls them). Personally, I stick to stable release builds and their release candidates because I want my router and my network to be reliable.
The purpose of the link was not for downloading, but for showing that OpenWrt is adding a new target, ath79, and that it encompasses many of the same devices currently covered by ar71xx (but in a more modernized way that no longer needs a specially patched kernel). When stable builds for 19.07 start to happen, it will add this new target, and it is my understanding many devices will be covered under both the old ar71xx and the more modernized ath79. I was just linking to things to show what I'm talking about, and because I'm a user and not a developer, I link to the download page (which I'm familiar with) rather than source code things (which I am not familiar with).
Also, master builds do not have a web interface by default.
[...]
Once devs initiate builds off the 19.07 branch, these builds will come with the web interface by default.
Yes, I already mentioned both of those points in my previous comment.
Also, if someone wants to upgrade from an older version of OpenWrt while wiping settings, please use sysupgrade -n instead of mucking around with firstboot. It's just extra work that you should let sysupgrade handle if you want to start with a clean slate. When in doubt, check the sysupgrade manual.
Agreed. I was responding to @wbennett77, who sounded like he had already done the upgrade to a snapshot build (while preserving settings), so I gave him instructions on how to reset to default settings.
Best to remove your link to the master snapshots altogether. As you can see from @wbennett77's issues he seems to have thought you were linking to early 19.07 builds.
All non-release builds are called snapshots BTW, unless they're release candidates or stable releases. Any build you run yourself from 18.06 or 19.07 branches will have SNAPSHOT in their release names as well.