Release Asuswrt-Merlin 386.9 is now available for AC models

Underskore · Jan 14, 2023

I've had this issues for a bit, any version after 386.5_2 forces on trend micro's AI protection even with it off, on firefox it causes a lot of SSL_ERROR_RX_RECORD_TOO_LONG errors when you got on sites trend micro has decided are malicious. What do I do to fix it? I'm using an RT-AC86U. I just tried updating to 386.9 and the same problem occurs.

akb · Jan 14, 2023

heywire said:
Well, there is the laboursome but working step-by-step fallback: Do a WPS reset and set it up as a normal router, run upgrade, do a WPS reset and set ut up as an Aimesh node again.

That being said, I prefer running stock firmware on my Aimesh nodes - i reserve Merlin for the main router, as it offers no advantage on an Aimesh node. You also have the advantage of being able to do firmware by semi-automatically in the GUI (simply click "update" when there is a new update detected). Stock firmware is also newer.

Thanks took your advice and all is good now

Schahn · Jan 14, 2023

I'm using ASUSwrt Merlin on my RT-AC66U_B2. Today I upgraded to the latest build 386.9. Everything is running smooth, exept getting the "Low on NVRAM" exclamation. Never seen it on previous versions

Actually about 2,8 k are free. I checked some advices here at SNB regarding this issue, but I was unable to resolve it. There are no large variables in NVRAM.

Some hints?

PaulRuby · Jan 14, 2023

PaulRuby said:
Looks like the log was killed when I reverted FW. I only have new log entries. I'll have to repeat the process and see...

heywire said:
What does the log say when the disconnection occurs?
I had problems with a wired AC66U-B1 Aimesh node routinely dropping both clients and an AC68U wireless Aimesh node that connected to it at short, reoccurring intervals at one point running 386.7_2.
Solution: WPS reset the AC66U-B1 and then set it up as an Aimesh node again. The problems stopped, and has not reoccurred after upgrading to 386.9 either.

Of course... re-upgrading to 386.9 and the issue is not repeating. All is well.

bennor · Jan 14, 2023

Schahn said:
I'm using ASUSwrt Merlin on my RT-AC66U_B2. Today I upgraded to the latest build 386.9. Everything is running smooth, exept getting the "Low on NVRAM" exclamation. Never seen it on previous versions

Actually about 2,8 k are free. I checked some advices here at SNB regarding this issue, but I was unable to resolve it. There are no large variables in NVRAM.

Some hints?

Do a factory hard reset. There are a number of threads and posts with people experiencing the same recently.

386.9 upgraded and get immediate low NVRAM warning after.

I just updated an RT-AC68u to 386.9 from 386.7_2 and am immediately getting a low NVRAM warning suggesting I factory reset. I have 6 reserved DHCP addresses, run FLEXQOS and an openvpn server that is currently inactive. Is this warning a bug, a new feature that did not exist or something else...

www.snbforums.com

rt-ac68u nvram running low how to reset and steps after reset to configure

asus rt-ac68u just updated to latest firmware 386.9 getting message low nvram. after doing the reset what are the steps to reinstall latest firmware and reconfigure settings. please give details. thank you , gio

www.snbforums.com

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/a...t-ac68u-and-rt-ac86u.82209/page-2#post-808255
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/a...ilable-for-ac-models.82796/page-5#post-815701
RMerlin explained the reason/cause for low NVRAM issue post 386.9 update previously in the Beta thread:

RMerlin said:
Low nvram notification is nothing new, and is becoming increasingly common for that old model as it's running out of nvram space with every new firmware adding new nvram settings. It's part of why Asus is leaving it on the 386 branch most likely, as 388 probably adds even more nvram settings.

This 9 years old model is starting to show its age, with Asus having added lots of new features to it since its initial launch in 2013.

I might have to start considering removing some things from the RT-AC68U to save some nvram space. Reducing the number of OpenVPN clients would be such a thing, as each client consumes around 1 KB of nvram even while not in use.

D0m3L · Jan 15, 2023

Schahn said:
I'm using ASUSwrt Merlin on my RT-AC66U_B2. Today I upgraded to the latest build 386.9. Everything is running smooth, exept getting the "Low on NVRAM" exclamation. Never seen it on previous versions

Actually about 2,8 k are free. I checked some advices here at SNB regarding this issue, but I was unable to resolve it. There are no large variables in NVRAM.

Some hints?

Before doing a factory reset you may want to try get rid of empty variables in NVRAM:

for line in `nvram show | grep ^[^=]*=$ `; do var=${line%*=}; nvram unset $var; done; nvram commit

It is always good to perform NVRAM dump/backup before in case the script does not work as expected in your env.

maxbraketorque · Jan 15, 2023

D0m3L said:
Before doing a factory reset you may want to try get rid of empty variables in NVRAM:

for line in `nvram show | grep ^[^=]*=$ `; do var=${line%*=}; nvram unset $var; done; nvram commit

It is always good to perform NVRAM dump/backup before in case the script does not work as expected in your env.

This procedure is being mentioned a fair bit. People need to be aware that using this could make their router unstable. Merlin has stated that attempting to change a setting where the variable has been removed from nvram will likely cause a problem.

bennor · Jan 15, 2023

D0m3L said:
Before doing a factory reset you may want to try get rid of empty variables in NVRAM:

for line in `nvram show | grep ^[^=]*=$ `; do var=${line%*=}; nvram unset $var; done; nvram commit

It is always good to perform NVRAM dump/backup before in case the script does not work as expected in your env.

It should be noted that RMerlin stated the following with respect to running a command like that to erase certain NVRAM variables:

RMerlin said:
I guess you could try unsetting every vpn_client5_* and vpn_client4_* settings to save some nvram if you don`t use them, however I'm not entirely sure if these wouldn't get recreated at next reboot - I never tested it. It would certainly cause issues if you were to ever try configuring either of these OpenVPN client instances.

Something to be aware of. Generally though any time where are weird issues or memory (RAM, NVRAM, etc.) problems with firmware, the often recommended first step is perform a hard factory reset and then reconfigure manually without importing a previously saved router configuration file. It is also recommended, if one has a USB device attached to the router, to remove that USB device before updating/flashing firmware, and to reconnect that USB device when one has finished manually configuring the router. Further one can try to reduce (a little bit) the NVRAM usage by moving the DHCP manually reserved IP addresses out of NVRAM using YazDHCP or /jffs/configs/dnsmasq.conf.add (with the IP addresses properly configured). Note: Using methods like YazDHCP or dnsmasq.conf.add do have a few limitations, particularly the inability to save/import custom client icons.

Yota · Jan 15, 2023

The "Enable WAN down browser redirect notice" option is broken in 386.9.

Reproduce:
In Administration -> System > turn off Enable WAN down browser redirect notice
In Parental Controls -> Time Scheduling -> Add a device
In System Log -> Port Forwarding you will see that the forwarding rules used for redirection still exist.

In previous versions, when redirection was turned off, any WAN outage would not be redirected to the router's warning page.

Natty · Jan 15, 2023

Oh how I wish before I did the factory reset on my RT-AC66U-B1 I'd come across this gem of a guide to NVRAM in the FAQ, written by @RMerlin. Using SSH to get a text-based backup of the NVRAM settings and even saving it to a USB disk sounds very useful. Might be useful to others short on NVRAM going through the chore of a factory reset.

[FAQ] NVRAM and Factory Default Reset

A lot of questions related to nvram keep popping up on the forums, usually always the same coming back again and again. This post is an attempt to at least clear up a lot of recurring questions. What is nvram? NVRAM stands for Non-Volatile Random Access Memory. It's a small portion of the...

www.snbforums.com

How to I use get a text-based backup?
Connect to your router over SSH/telnet, and run the following:

nvram show | sort

Tech9 · Jan 15, 2023

Got back from a vacation with about 40GB drone pictures and videos. Fired up AC86U running Asuswrt-Merlin 386.9, reset it to factory defaults + initialize, mode Media Bridge and WD My Passport to USB 3.0 port. Sort of wireless drive, everything else on default. Got it connected to my APs at full speed 1300Mbps. Result - unable to complete the transfer from 3 attempts. Destination unavailable on my PC in under 10min, out of memory in router logs.

FIN · Jan 16, 2023

RMerlin said:
DNS Director

what is the difference between DNS director and DNS Server (Optional) in DHCP Server menu?

ColinTaylor · Jan 16, 2023

FIN said:
what is the difference between DNS director and DNS Server (Optional) in DHCP Server menu?

DHCP clients can choose to ignore the DNS servers set under LAN - DHCP Server. DNS Director forces them to use a specific DNS server.

DNS Director

Third party firmware for Asus routers (newer codebase) - RMerl/asuswrt-merlin.ng

github.com

heywire · Jan 16, 2023

Tech9 said:
Got back from a vacation with about 40GB drone pictures and videos. Fired up AC86U running Asuswrt-Merlin 386.9, reset it to factory defaults + initialize, mode Media Bridge and WD My Passport to USB 3.0 port. Sort of wireless drive, everything else on default. Got it connected to my APs at full speed 1300Mbps. Result - unable to complete the transfer from 3 attempts. Destination unavailable on my PC in under 10min, out of memory in router logs.

Excellent!

Please:
1. Try the same experiment with the official firmware.
2. If 1. also crashes the router, file a report to Asus in the webgui under "Administration/Feedback" - describe what you did in the free-text field, and remember to check "attach logs". This is important, so Asus can scan your log for errors and get to work on a permanent fi that eventually will make its way to Merlin release.
3. If you want to go the extra mile; do the same with another AC86U, so that Asus can exclude (or at least narrow down the probability of) hardware-error as the cause.

maxbraketorque · Jan 16, 2023

bennor said:
It should be noted that RMerlin stated the following with respect to running a command like that to erase certain NVRAM variables:

The same will apply to any other nvram setting that is changed for which the nvram variable name has been removed by that command.

Tech9 · Jan 16, 2023

heywire said:
1. Try the same experiment with the official firmware.

The official firmware is months old. This experiment was performed to check if something was fixed in newer base. All Asus routers crash with NAS-like transfers via USB including 1GB RAM models. They just crash a bit later. Tested on AC68U, AC86U, AC5300, AX58U, AX86U, AX88U. USB attached storage is one of advertised, but non-working properly features. If you want to reproduce the issue faster hit the router with thousands of small few KB size files.

heywire said:
file a report to Asus

Done few times in last two years. No change.

visortgw · Jan 16, 2023

Tech9 said:
The official firmware is months old. This experiment was performed to check if something was fixed in newer base. All Asus routers crash with NAS-like transfers via USB including 1GB RAM models. They just crash a bit later. Tested on AC68U, AC86U, AC5300, AX58U, AX86U, AX88U. USB attached storage is one of advertised, but non-working properly features. If you want to reproduce the issue faster hit the router with thousands of small few KB size files.

Done few times in last two years. No change.

Routers are not NASs — they never will be.

Tech9 · Jan 16, 2023

visortgw said:
Routers are not NASs — they never will be.

Yes, but the same transfer was completed successfully with no errors on my ISP provided modem/router.

Gary_Dexter · Jan 16, 2023

Tech9 said:
Yes, but the same transfer was completed successfully with no errors on my ISP provided modem/router.

I think you've made your thoughts on ASUS/Merlin quite clear here already - https://www.snbforums.com/threads/gt-ax6000-vs-rt-ax86u.78498/page-3#post-816584

I do wish people would stop reacting/responding to these posts

Tech9 · Jan 16, 2023

Just wanted to see if Samba is improved in this firmware. Sorry, my mistake.

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Release Asuswrt-Merlin 386.9 is now available for AC models

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