Newsletter


Knowledge Base

Knowledgebase Home | Glossary | Favorites | Contact | Login Knowledgebase Home | Glossary | Favorites | Contact | Login
Search the Knowledgebase Browse by Category

[Advanced Search]
How to Flash Open Mesh (and all Compatible) Routers:
Article Details

Last Updated
8th o March, 2010
Would you like to...
Print this pagePrint this page
Email this pageEmail this page
Post a commentPost a comment
Subscribe me
Add to favoritesAdd to favorites
Remove HighlightingRemove Highlighting
Edit this ArticleEdit this Article
Edit this Article Quick Edit
Export to PDF


Updated March 8th, 2010 to r2690

Open Mesh routers can be reflashed and any of the devices on our "Compatible Solutions" page can be flashed to open-mesh firmware and used in mesh networks.   Feature sets are identical letting you chose the appropriate hardware for your installation.  Note that Open-Mesh routers come pre-flashed and all routers will update to the latest version "over the air" so flashing, except for "Compatible Devices" is rarely needed.

Note that this is a new flash utility that supports all Open-Mesh and compatible devices.  Instructions are different from past utilities.

The brands/models we have tested this with are:

 Open Mesh
  All Models
 Ubiquiti  Pico2 / Pico2-HP
 Ubiquiti  NanoStation2 / Loco2
 Ubiquiti  Bullet2 / Bullet2HP
 Engenius  EOC-1650
 Engenius  EAP-3660
 WiliGear  WBD-500

As additional models are tested, we'll add them to the above list.

Steps to re-flash using Windows XP or Vista:

First, you'll need to install a utility program called Winpcap.  Get it here:

http://www.winpcap.org/install/default.htm

Next, download and save the flash utility at:

http://dev.open-mesh.com/downloads/stable/firmware/open-mesh-flash.exe

This is a "console" application, so open up a console window (in Vista, just type "command" in the search box in the start menu), then go to the location you saved the flash utility above and type "open-mesh-flash":

C:\Users\Mike Asus\Downloads>open-mesh-flash
Usage:
open-mesh-flash [ethdevice]   flashes embedded kernel + rootfs: open-mesh firmware r2643
open-mesh-flash [ethdevice] rootfs.bin kernel.lzma   flashes your rootfs and kernel
open-mesh-flash -v   prints version information

The 'ethdevice' has to be one of the devices that are part of the supported device list which follows.  You can either specify its name or the interface number.

1: \Device\NPF_{9BB97EBC-1BA2-4F39-93C3-A9841A4E863F}
        (Description: Sun)

2: \Device\NPF_{AAE405B9-0A93-4C4D-A3C7-E87BD8CB36E7}
        (Description: Microsoft)

3: \Device\NPF_{E789801D-D437-4BDA-9A7E-34BEC2058A0C}
        (Description: Atheros AtcL001 Gigabit Ethernet Controller)

4: \Device\NPF_{55143701-D657-4DEF-835A-14EEF2970416}
        (Description: MS Tunnel Interface Driver)

For Ubiquiti NanoStation2, Loco2 and Bullet2 devices only:  Plug in AC power now into the power supply or passive POE injector.  Immediately press and hold the reset button (near the ethernet jack - might require a small screw driver) for about 7 seconds.  On many devices, the LEDs will flash in sequence letting you know the device is ready to accept new firmware.


For all other devices:  Connect your router to your PC's Ethernet port.  Don't plug in the router to AC power yet.

Note the number of your actual Ethernet Device from the list displayed (in this case, "3").  Then type "open-mesh-flash n" where "n" is the Ethernet Device number.

If your device isn't yet plugged into power, plug it in now.  Also, make sure the device is connected to your computer via ethernet.  The flash should start in a few seconds.  Here is a sample output - yours should look similar:


C:\Users\Mike Asus\Downloads>open-mesh-flash 3

Peer MAC: 00:12:cf:c9:3c:ed
Peer IP : 192.168.0.1
Your MAC: 00:ba:be:ca:ff:ee
Your IP : 192.168.0.0
A flash size of 8 MB was detected.
rootfs(0x006a0000) + kernel(0x00100000) + nvram(0x00000000) sums up to 0x007a0000 bytes
Setting IP address...
Loading rootfs...
Sending rootfs, 4096 blocks...
Initializing partitions...
Rootfs partition size now 0x006b0000
Flashing rootfs...
Loading kernel...
Sending kernel, 1408 blocks...
Flashing kernel...
Setting boot_script_data...
Done. Restarting device...

Note:  The reflash will take about 3-15 minutes to complete (depending upon the router model) so please be patient.


Steps to re-flash using Linux:

Note: This has been tested using Ubuntu. If you don't have a modern linux distro installed on a computer, these steps can be done using the Ubuntu (or probably other) "Live CD" without needing to install Linux on your computer. You can go here to get the Ubuntu LiveCD. We have tried to make this as simple as possible, but it would be helpful if you have some familiarity with Linux (or someone available who has).

  1. Boot your Linux computer (or Live CD) and bring up a terminal window (under "Applications", then "Accessories", then "terminal" on Ubuntu)

  2. Make sure it is connected to the internet, then type the following to download the files you will need:

    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install wget
    wget http://dev.open-mesh.com/downloads/stable/firmware/open-mesh-flash
    chmod +x open-mesh-flash

  3. Type: sudo ./open-mesh-flash.  You should see something like:

    Usage:
    ./open-mesh-flash [ethdevice]   flashes embedded kernel + rootfs: open-mesh firmware r2643
    ./open-mesh-flash [ethdevice] rootfs.bin kernel.lzma   flashes your rootfs and kernel
    ./open-mesh-flash -v   prints version information

    The 'ethdevice' has to be one of the devices that are part of the supported device list which follows.  You can either specify its name or the interface number.

    1: eth0
        (No description available)

    2: wmaster0
        (No description available)

    3: wlan0
        (No description available)

    4: any
        (Description: Pseudo-device that captures on all interfaces)

    5: lo
        (No description available)

  4. For Ubiquiti NanoStation2, Loco2 and Bullet2 devices only:  Plug in AC power now into the power supply or passive POE injector.  Immediately press and hold the reset button (near the ethernet jack - might require a small screw driver) for about 7 seconds.  On many devices, the LEDs will flash in sequence letting you know the device is ready to accept new firmware. 
  5. For all other devices:  Connect your router to your PC's Ethernet port.  Don't plug in the router to AC power yet.
  6. Note the number of your actual Ethernet Device from the list displayed (in this case, "1").  Then type "open-mesh-flash n" where "n" is your Ethernet Device number.
  7. If your device isn't yet plugged into power, plug it in now.  Also make sure the device is connected to  your computer via Ethernet.  The flash should start in a few seconds.  Here is a sample output - yours should look similar: 

    A flash size of 8 MB was detected.
    Peer MAC: 00:18:84:80:67:1C (this will be the MAC address of your router)
    You MAC: 00:ba:be:ca:ff:ee
    Your IP: 192.168.1.0
    Setting IP address...
    Loading rootfs...
    Sending rootfs. 4096 blocks...
    Initializing partiions...
    Rootfs partition size now 0x006f0000
    Flashing rootfs...
    Loading Kernel...
    Sending kernel, 1408 blocks...
    Flashing Kernel...
    Setting boot_script_data...

    Done. Restarting device...

  8. This will take 3-15 minutes, depending upon the flash chip speed in your router. DO NOT INTERRUPT!

    9. You now have reflashed your mesh node.  Repeat this process for all other nodes you'd like to use on your network. We recommend that you test 2-3 first to make sure it fulfills your needs before flashing more.

    Credits: EasyFlash utility by Sven-Ola Tuecke and Marek Lindner. Firmware by Antonio Anselmi (www.blogin.it), Paul Kube (kokoro.ucsd.edu/nodogsplash/), and of course OpenWrt (www.openwrt.org).

Related Articles
No related articles were found.
Attachments
No attachments were found.

Powered by Interspire Knowledge Manager Knowledgebase Software