I'm saddled with 7 HP 10ag's which I need to get to run WifiDog.  They come with Openwrt installed (Kamikaze 2.4), but it's such a stripped down version - no opkg, no ssh, etc - and has such limited resources - 2mb flash - that just installing opkg and adding packages hasn;t worked out.

Being as you can't get a console out of the box, I've got a serial connection via a MAX232 / RS232 set up and can get the boot process to pause at the uBoot console.  In theory I think I should be able to just either grab a pre-built Atheros image or build one myself and then copy it down the serial cable via Kermit or tftp it, write it to flash and then boot away.  Thing is I can't get any images to boot, with the exception of the awful HP firmware image.

I've tried numerous images and they all give me the same response:  uBoot replies 'Bad magic number' when I issue the bootm command.  For instance if I do the following at the uBoot console;

tftpboot 0x80000000 openwrt-atheros-rootsquashfs.img
bootm 0x80000000

I get the response:  'Bad magic number'

If I do the same, except I tftp over the last HP released firmware, it'll boot fine.

I'm aware that uBoot uses a wrapper with a specific header in, and that the utility mkimage can convert images to have the correct header.  However from what I've read, uBoot should be able to handle Openwrt images, but there may be some need to work out memory offsets and give bootm a different address than tftpboot saves the image to.

I appreciate this straddles the uBoot/Openwrt divide and I might be better asking in the uBoot forums.  Thing is I'm at the limit of my knowledge and don't know whether I'm getting the Openwrt side wrong and just need to use the toolchain better to produce the correct image, or if I'm just feeding uBoot drivel.  Also the uBoot forums scare me a bit as I'm technically minded, but not in that technically minded.

Any pointers would be gratefully received as otherwise we're stuck with seven horrific WAPs, and my brain badly mangled.  Initially I'd just like it to boot, but ultimately I'll be needing it burnt to the paltry 2mb flash.

Thanks in advance and thanks to all involved in Openwrt as it's currently working marvels on our ASUS WLgp500V2's.  Just a shame I couldn't have stopped the contractors from buying this HP muck before they did.

Calum.