OpenWrt Forum Archive

Topic: I'd like to help with AR7Port/WAG35G

The content of this topic has been archived on 18 Apr 2018. There are no obvious gaps in this topic, but there may still be some posts missing at the end.

Post #1
cesc
29 Oct 2005, 09:27

Hello,

In the AR7Port WIKI says: "Support for WAG354G is integrated, still needs testing...". Well I'd like to help with that smile

I'm a proficient programmer (C, C++, and others)
I'm familiar with GNU/Linux development enviroment.
I don't have experience in kernel dev though

Before starting I'd like to have a copy of the original firmware (to be able to switch between the two until openwrt is more stable and PPPoA works) which is not yet available at Linksys' website. It seems that there are only two ways of obtaining it
   1) compile from source, which needs proprietary tools from MontaVista
   2) build a serial cable and download it from the router

Am I right? anybody has managed to obtain the original firmware for the -EU version?

Francesc

Post #2
joseangel
29 Oct 2005, 11:49

I would recommend not getting into firmware development with no console connection and, if possibe, jtag interface ready to debrick your router.

On my ADSL2MUE I used the dd command from the shell of the official firmware to get exact copies of all mtd partitions so I could fix my mistakes easily. I succesfully used those binaries to recover from ADAM2/PSPBoot using the FTP upload to MTD way of firmware upgrade. To initially get those MTD ghost copies of official firmware transferred into my linux desktop computer I used scp command.

Post #3
cesc
29 Oct 2005, 22:13
joseangel wrote:

I would recommend not getting into firmware development with no console connection and, if possibe, jtag interface ready to debrick your router.

Thanks for your advise joseangel.
I thought that TFTP-based flashing was part of something more basic than the main firmware, intergrated into the bootloader perhaps, because I had read the following from the openwrt installation guide:

Although you can install the firmware through more traditional means (via webpage), we recommend that you use TFTP for your first install. This is NOT a requirement, simply a damned good idea; if anything goes wrong you can just TFTP the old firmware back.

But from your post now I think that's not the case. What a shame. I've also seen the following remark on White Russian RC3 announcement:

If you use tftp or anything else, you will brick your router

which seems to agree with your remarks and contradict the first quote. Well, I'll get a serial cable then. I'll borrow one from wotk that I use for developing firmware for an ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter, to ethernet) which has a serial connector that looks like the one in my router. I hope is the same smile I haven't used a JTAG before though, but for the looks of it (after a quick googleing) is not cheap, so I'll have to stick with serial.

joseangel wrote:

On my ADSL2MUE I used the dd command from the shell of the official firmware to get exact copies of all mtd partitions so I could fix my mistakes easily. I succesfully used those binaries to recover from ADAM2/PSPBoot using the FTP upload to MTD way of firmware upgrade. To initially get those MTD ghost copies of official firmware transferred into my linux desktop computer I used scp command.

Thanks for mentioning dd. I'd have thought something more complicated was required and wasted time looking for it!

cesc

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