Airlink AR430w flashing instructions

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maxm
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 6

PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2007 22:22    Post subject: Airlink AR430w flashing instructions Reply with quote
I've been trying to follow the instructions from here:

http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/downloads/release%20candidates/DD-WRT%20v24%20RC5/Airlink%20101%20AR430W/flashing.txt

I use a xp Laptop (ip=192.168.20.80) connected to the router's WAN port (tried a LAN port as well w/o success). But I can't get to redboot by telneting, which keeps saying connection failed.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

maxm
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ldheinz
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Mon Nov 26, 2007 17:38    Post subject: Reply with quote
The instruction say that it's difficult to get the timing right. Are you waiting 5 seconds before trying, then connecting?

Where did you find the load, and what are you loading? I found no indication of support for the AR-430W in the supported devices table. I would like to load it into mine as well, but have been hesitant to brick a device with the wrong procedure/wrong code.
ldheinz
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Mon Nov 26, 2007 22:11    Post subject: Reply with quote
Never mind. I found it. RC5 wasn't available last time I looked.
campigenus
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 01 Apr 2007
Posts: 520

PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 0:13    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have never had any problem flashing any of my routers to DD-WRT - from Fon to Motorola and all in between. Never till the AL 101 that is. I am completely stumped. I hope that someone who does it successfully writes a better step-by-step "how to", as I think this would be a great little router to load DD-WRT on.
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maxm
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 6

PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:17    Post subject: Reply with quote
I made some progress in flashing my airlink ar430w by doing it from linux using putty. I was able to gain access to redboot. Doing from windows I was able to catch the telnet "window" a couple of times, but it couldn't get it to accept control-c to enter into redboot. But putty in linux solved this issue.

Then I did: (in linux with putty)

load ap61.ram, which seems to be successful (my tftpd server seems to work).
then I typed in "go" per the instructions, but nothing happened and the command hang there for ever

any suggestions?

thanks
maxm
ldheinz
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 17:54    Post subject: Reply with quote
I think that Windows is filtering out the ^c. Look into putty and see if there is another way to send it.
ldheinz
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 18:04    Post subject: Reply with quote
Airlink 101 and many other vendors have a procedure in their software for upgrading the firmware with one file. Does anyone know what that format is and how the current code could be repackaged to download in their format? That would certainly make things easier.

I wonder if it's simply a compressed version of the 4M flash. If I were doing it, I'd simply download the up to 4M file into RAM, erase the flash, and load the new code. That assumes, of course, that there is enough free RAM to hold the file.

The Airlink 101 AR-430W has a 14 pin connector on it that looks like an extended JTAG port. Does anyone know if that's what it is? I'm an embedded software programmer, and I'd like to get some experience with embedded linux, and I'm looking for a programming environment.
Jazon
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 28 Nov 2007
Posts: 10
Location: Vancouver, BC

PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 18:51    Post subject: Reply with quote
Using XP, I was able to telnet the router, but I was not able to ^C to enter redboot.. Has anyone actually upgraded the Airlink+ 430W to DD-WRT? I also bought a Airlink+ 431W to test out...

Jason
maxm
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 6

PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 2:46    Post subject: Reply with quote
Jazon wrote:
Using XP, I was able to telnet the router, but I was not able to ^C to enter redboot.. Has anyone actually upgraded the Airlink+ 430W to DD-WRT? I also bought a Airlink+ 431W to test out...

Jason

You need to use putty to enter redboot.

max
brandon30x
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 29 Nov 2007
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 4:08    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hello. I thought I would share my experience since information on this router seems spotty.

I bought my ar430w on black friday for $10 like many others, So I think having dd-wrt on it for $10 would be wonderful! Laughing

I followed the instructions in the RC5 directory. I use Ubuntu, so I installed putty and tftp-hpa using synaptic after reading that others had trouble with different telnet clients. (p.s., disable network manager applet temporarily to change your ethernet ip using ifconfig, otherwise it wont stay)

Getting to the redboot prompt was very difficult. I started just counting seconds verbally. Then I tried this command line:
sleep 5 && putty -load profile

But then I discovered that the light on my network adapter doesn't turn on until the router is ready to accept the connection. So I just wait until the green light on my network adapter turns on, then I hit enter on the command line and <cntl> c <enter>. It works every time Very Happy

I put the ap61.{ram,rom} files in /var/lib/tftpboot (for those using ubuntu) and then execute load ap61.ram in the redboot prompt. All goes well.

Then I enter "go" as the instructions state. Nothing happens. No errors appear as stated will happen in the flashing instructions.
After retrying these steps several times, I ran across another post about flashing the DIR-300 which states that you have to change the local IP address to 192.168.1.23 and telnet to 192.168.1.1 http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=20546&highlight=dir300. I tried this and I did get another prompt, this time it said DD-WRT> instead of redboot>

I realize that the flashing instructions state that I have to change the local IP address and telnet to 192.168.1.1, but this is done after several steps which include loading ap61.rom, which I never got the chance to do in the above steps because the terminal is dead after entering the first "load ap61.ram" "go". I do not go any further b/c I don't want to screw anything up.

Perhaps the flashing instructions work for the DIR-300, and it was assumed they would work for the ar430w. I don't know. I wish I understood what all these instructions are for, what ap61.ram and rom are for.

Maybe this will help someone find out the proper procedure to load dd-wrt.

-Brandon




Joined: 01 Jan 1970
Posts:

PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 14:24    Post subject: Well at least I'm not the only one unable to flash this Reply with quote
The instructions, while obviously intent on helping, are clearly from someone that doesn't know English very well (originally Deutsch? Smile). I wish I had a version in the native language to help translate better... this $10 router is fantastic as-is (after the 1.01 firmware update.. which adds nortel vpn support etc) but clearly if dd-wrt was installed I'd be in $10 hog-heaven! I'll keep trying to figure this out, but has anyone else gained any hints here yet? I'm running OS-X and Mint Linux FYI.
brandon30x
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 29 Nov 2007
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 7:23    Post subject: Reply with quote
Succsess! Shocked

Ok, so I finally built up the nerve and installed dd-wrt RC5 on my AR430W, and it works! So I thought I would post my exact procedure here to help anyone else. I found another page about flashing the DIR-300 and used that to understand the official flashing instructions in the RC5 folder.

I believe the fault with the official instructions is that they fail to realize that the IP address of the router changes to 192.168.1.1 immediately after loading and executing ap61.ram.

I use Ubuntu so my instructions will be Ubuntu specific.

Ubuntu setup (version 7.10):
Install putty and tftp-hpa using synaptic.
Edit /etc/default/tftpd-hpa and change RUN_DAEMON="no" to RUN_DAEMON="yes"
Go to the dd-wrt RC5 download page and download:

  • ap61.ram
  • ap61.rom
  • root.fs
  • vmlinux.bin.l7

Save those files to /var/lib/tftpboot
Start the tftp server with: sudo /etc/init.d/tftp-hpa start

Getting into RedBoot:

  1. Connect the network cable to your ethernet port and the WAN port of AR430W.
  2. Configure your IP address to be 192.168.20.80/255.255.255.0.
  3. Power on the AR430W and wait 5 sec, or wait until the light on the ethernet card activates.
  4. Initiate the putty telnet session to 192.168.20.81 on port 9000.
  5. Immediately type <ctl> c <enter> and you should see: RedBoot>


Loading the temporary boot loader:
Code:

RedBoot> load ap61.ram
Using default protocol (TFTP)
Entry point: 0x800410bc, address range: 0x80041000-0x800680d8

RedBoot> go

It is normal to be disconnected from the telnet session. Do not reboot the router.

Loading a new boot loader:
Before proceeding, set your system IP to 192.168.1.23/255.255.255.0 and then use putty to telnet to the new address 192.168.1.1 and port 9000. The linked DIR-300 flash instructions say to use IP address 192.168.1.2, but I chose to use the address given in the official flashing instructions. I don't think it makes a difference as long as the correct default server is set in the bootloader. After you are connected, follow the steps below and watch out for typing errors:
Code:

DD-WRT> fconfig -i

Hit enter to accept the defaults and finally save the config to non volatile storage.
Code:

DD-WRT> fis init
About to initialize [format] FLASH image system - continue (y/n)? y
*** Initialize FLASH Image System
... Erase from 0xbffe0000-0xbfff0000: .
... Program from 0x807f0000-0x80800000 at 0xbffe0000: .

DD-WRT> ip_address -h 192.168.1.23
IP: 192.168.1.1/255.255.255.0, Gateway: 0.0.0.0
Default server: 192.168.1.23

DD-WRT> load -r -b %{FREEMEMLO} ap61.rom
Using default protocol (TFTP)
Raw file loaded 0x80080000-0x800a8717, assumed entry at 0x80080000

DD-WRT> fis create -l 0x30000 -e 0xbfc00000 RedBoot
An image named 'RedBoot' exists - continue (y/n)? y
... Erase from 0xbfc00000-0xbfc30000: ...
... Program from 0x80080000-0x800a8718 at 0xbfc00000: ...
... Erase from 0xbffe0000-0xbfff0000: .
... Program from 0x807f0000-0x80800000 at 0xbffe0000: .

DD-WRT> reset

Your AR430W will reset at this point. Telnet to it (192.168.1.1, port 9000) after it has finish resetting. (approximately 30+ seconds)

Loading in the new firmware:
It is important that you don't disconnect the power or ethernet cable for this section. Those fis create commands take quite some time to complete, so do be patient and don't interrupt the process. For me fis create commands for root.fs took what seemed like 5 minutes. Do not unplug it!
Code:

DD-WRT> ip_address -h 192.168.1.23
IP: 192.168.1.1/255.255.255.0, Gateway: 0.0.0.0
Default server: 192.168.1.23

DD-WRT> load -r -b 0x80041000 root.fs
Using default protocol (TFTP)
Raw file loaded 0x80041000-0x802effff, assumed entry at 0x80041000

DD-WRT> fis create -b 0x80041000 -f 0xbfc30000 -l 0x002C0000 -e 0x00000000 rootfs
... Erase from 0xbfc30000-0xbfef0000: ............................................
... Program from 0x80041000-0x80301000 at 0xbfc30000: ............................................
... Erase from 0xbffe0000-0xbfff0000: .
... Program from 0x80ff0000-0x81000000 at 0xbffe0000: .

DD-WRT> load -r -b 0x80041000 vmlinux.bin.l7
Using default protocol (TFTP)
Raw file loaded 0x80041000-0x80100fff, assumed entry at 0x80041000

DD-WRT> fis create -r 0x80041000 -e 0x80041000 -l 0x000E0000 vmlinux.bin.l7
... Erase from 0xbfef0000-0xbffd0000: ..............
... Program from 0x80041000-0x80101000 at 0xbfef0000: ............
... Erase from 0xbffe0000-0xbfff0000: .
... Program from 0x80ff0000-0x81000000 at 0xbffe0000: .

DD-WRT> fis create -f 0xbffD0000 -l 0x00010000 -n nvram
... Erase from 0xbffe0000-0xbfff0000: .
... Program from 0x80ff0000-0x81000000 at 0xbffe0000: .

DD-WRT> fconfig boot_script true
boot_script: Setting to true
Update RedBoot non-volatile configuration - continue (y/n)? y
... Erase from 0xbffe0000-0xbfff0000: .
... Program from 0x80ff0000-0x81000000 at 0xbffe0000: .

DD-WRT> fconfig boot_script_timeout 3
boot_script_timeout: Setting to 3
Update RedBoot non-volatile configuration - continue (y/n)? y
... Erase from 0xbffe0000-0xbfff0000: .
... Program from 0x80ff0000-0x81000000 at 0xbffe0000: .

DD-WRT> fconfig bootp false
bootp: Setting to false
Update RedBoot non-volatile configuration - continue (y/n)? y
... Erase from 0xbffe0000-0xbfff0000: .
... Program from 0x80ff0000-0x81000000 at 0xbffe0000: .

DD-WRT> fconfig
Run script at boot: true
Boot script:
Enter script, terminate with empty line
>> fis load -l vmlinux.bin.l7
>> exec
>>
Boot script timeout (1000ms resolution): 3
Use BOOTP for network configuration: false
Gateway IP address:
Local IP address:
Local IP address mask:
Default server IP address:
Console baud rate: 9600
GDB connection port: 9000
Force console for special debug messages: false
Network debug at boot time: false
Update RedBoot non-volatile configuration - continue (y/n)? y
... Erase from 0xbffe0000-0xbfff0000: .
... Program from 0x80ff0000-0x81000000 at 0xbffe0000: .

DD-WRT> reset

Make sure the boot script is entered as shown. When the router reboots it should be running DD-WRT.

I beleive that RedBoot only supports gzip as a kernel compression method. I think the l7 extension on the kernel image signals that it is compressed with some other compression (lzma?). Anyways RedBoot has to be replaced so that the new bootloader (a patched RedBoot?) can decompress the l7 kernel image to ram. I think. It would be simpler if we didn't have to replace the bootloader but I'm sure there must be a good reason to. Hope this helps.
-Brandon

P.S.- So far no problems with dd-wrt on this router Very Happy
maxm
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 6

PostPosted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 16:56    Post subject: SUCCESS! Reply with quote
I followed brandon30x's instructions - SUCCESS!

Thanks brandon30x for not giving it up!

maxm
ldheinz
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 18:11    Post subject: Reply with quote
For those people who don't run Ubuntu Linux, Ubuntu has something called a "live CD" which allows you to boot linux from a CD and try it out without changing any of your system settings. I haven't tried it yet, but I will shortly. If you want to download a CD image and try it, be my guest.
Bubalettow
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 03 Nov 2007
Posts: 10

PostPosted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 20:00    Post subject: any success using WindowsXP? Reply with quote
Ok, I have fiddeled with this router for about two days, I followed as many instructions as I could then i hit a wall wien I had to hit [ctrl] + "C". All I get are hearts, not that hearts are bad but they don't help my cause any.

I started to notice that people were only having success using linux, I don't have linux, ok well not true, but I don't feel comfortable using linux. I use windows and I was under the impression that someone has had success with telnet in windows. If i am mistaken, sorry tell me it can't be done and I'll move on, otherwise can we get a detailed "how to" using windows functions.
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