If you are using dnsmasq or Tiny PXE as your netboot PXE DHCP/BOOTP/ TFTP server, you can watch its information/log window to see exactly when the DHCP/BOOTP/ TFTP server begins uploading the initramfs file to the RouterBoard (TFTPd:DoReadFile shows up in the information/log window): this will be the same time the RouterBoard beeps. So if you are running without a connection to the serial console COM port to view boot activity from a terminal window, you can use the beep to know when RouterBoot has successfully started to load an image (either a netboot image or the existing flash image). Most RouterBoard models generate a short beep when an image begins to netboot or load from flash (unless the RouterBoard has been put in 'silent mode' from the RouterBoot menu). It is certainly the simplest approach to perform a netboot if using an rfc951 BOOTP-capable DHCP/BOOTP/ TFTP server. This method will work on all RouterBoards, including RouterBoards without a serial port. Method 1 - Use the RouterBoard Reset button to enable TFTP netboot When a boot protocol is set in RouterBoot, it is remembered: any of the methods here that force a netboot will then use the BOOTP or DHCP boot protocol previously selected in RouterBoot. However, if you have chosen to use a DHCP/BOOTP/ TFTP netboot server that supports rfc951 BOOTP such as dnsmasq or Tiny PXE (with rfc951=1 set in the section of the config.ini), any of these netboot methods will work fine without any changes to the Routerboot boot protocol. The instructions in this wiki tend to assume you have changed the netboot protocol to DHCP since DHCP netboot is supported by all DHCP servers. Not all RouterBoard devices can boot OpenWRT via DHCP. You can change the RouterBoot boot protocol from BOOTP to DHCP by using the COM port or RouterOS, as documented in this list of netboot methods. The RouterBoard default boot protocol is BOOTP. If it refuses to accept an initramfs image above that size (it will proceed to boot whatever was already installed in the device), that could be the reason.ĭownloading OpenWrt images for Mikrotik RouterBoardsĬonnect the ethernet 1 port of your routerboard (typically the WAN port) to a network configured to reach the DHCP/BOOTP/ TFTP server that you have set up. Note: MikroTik's bootloader ( routerboot) may have a size limitation for TFTP images, approximately 7MiB. Once you are happy with the RAM-based operation of OpenWrt, proceed to the step of flashing OpenWrt in order to permanently write OpenWrt into your RouterBoard. If the RAM-based initramfs version you have selected works for you, feel free to try other versions of OpenWrt, such as Latest release or snapshot. When you power down your RouterBoard after loading an initramfs file, OpenWrt will simply vanish: a power down and reboot of the RouterBoard will revert to the prior version of firmware that is still in flash of the RouterBoard. Since an initramfs image is just a temporary image (only loaded into RAM), it is safe to test a particular version of OpenWrt by netbooting (using DHCP/BOOTP/ TFTP) and downloading the initramfs image. This is explained in the model specific wiki pages.įirst Things First: Don't Lose Your RouterOS License Prior versions of OpenWrt required a subsequent upgrade to once again boot OpenWrt using initramfs: with the current version of OpenWrt that now uses Unsorted Block images (UBI), the initial flash and subsequent upgrades can be performed directly in-place from the LuCI web interface.Īfter OpenWrt is installed to Flash, depending on the model, some platform configuration may be needed. In this way, an initial installation is treated exactly the same as a subsequent OpenWrt upgrade. bin image into the flash of the RouterBoard. Once you have verified OpenWrt is working on your MikroTik hardware, use the LuCI web interface to permanently flash the appropriate sysupgrade. This RAM-based initramfs OpenWrt image is first used to validate the desired OpenWrt version operates properly without overwriting any existing image in the NAND or NOR flash of the RouterBoard. elf (.bin in some instances) images via TFTP. RouterBoards can netboot OpenWrt initramfs.
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