AB-Solution - The Ad Blocking Solution

[ggkthx]

I am running Ab Solution on my RT-N66U in Wireless Mode which is behind my Netduma router.

My setup: Modem > Netduma Router > RT-N66U

I need my Netduma for the QOS settings. Would Ab Solution still work this way? The System logs show that it's blocking ads, just wanted to make sure that it's blocked before it reaches my devices.

 

[RMerlin]

AC86U --> only standard install, no pixelserv-tls

Even now that I've fully switched back to the old /opt filesystem layout?

 

[thelonelycoder]

Even now that I've fully switched back to the old /opt filesystem layout?

Thanks, I did not realize that.

 

[thelonelycoder]

I have re-enabled installation of Entware and pixelserv-tls through the ps function in the pixelserv-tls.add addon file for the RT-AC86U router on 382.1 Beta 2 firmware.
Use 12 to re-download all addon files to update, no version change.

Since I have no RT-AC86U router to test it on I need feedback by users to confirm this is working.
This change does not affect the RT-AC88U or RT-AC3100 (on 382.x firmware), they run on an already supported ARM processor.

 

[thelonelycoder]

I've just installed AB-Solution, is there any source where to test?

Any website that serves ads is a good testing ground.
cnn.com appears to be a good candidate.
If you see a lot less ads, it's working.

There's also the f function, if you select 1 (unfiltered log) you'll see the blocked domains in color fly by.

 

[thelonelycoder]

I am running Ab Solution on my RT-N66U in Wireless Mode which is behind my Netduma router.

My setup: Modem > Netduma Router > RT-N66U

I need my Netduma for the QOS settings. Would Ab Solution still work this way? The System logs show that it's blocking ads, just wanted to make sure that it's blocked before it reaches my devices.

This should work, just have the Netduma router set as the DNS server on the RT-N66U in WAN/Connect to DNS Server automatically.

 

[ggkthx]

This should work, just have the Netduma router set as the DNS server on the RT-N66U in WAN/Connect to DNS Server automatically.

Cheers brother, love your work.

 

[RMerlin]

Thanks, I did not realize that.

Yeah, I basically said "screw that" to Broadcom's debug scripts, and shoveled them into a /rom/ directory, as they weren't used by the firmware itself, only if manually run by the user.

Was still a good amount of work figuring out how to get it all working properly in the maze that is HND's build system...

 

[thelonelycoder]

Yeah, I basically said "screw that" to Broadcom's debug scripts, and shoveled them into a /rom/ directory, as they weren't used by the firmware itself, only if manually run by the user.

Was still a good amount of work figuring out how to get it all working properly in the maze that is HND's build system...

I can imagine the frustration you must feel. It's almost as if Asus and Broadcom thought "let's screw this up for everyone else" and managed to even fck that up.

 

[Adamm]

@thelonelycoder Any change you can add regenerating the shared-AB-Whitelist file after processing the whitelist via the el option? Unless there's an easier way I'm missing that doesn't involve "update blocking file"

 

[thelonelycoder]

@thelonelycoder Any change you can add regenerating the shared-AB-Whitelist file after processing the whitelist via the el option? Unless there's an easier way I'm missing that doesn't involve "update blocking file"

This has been built in since the shared-*-whitelist feature was added:
Text that appears just before it returns to the main menu:

 1. Add domain
 2. Delete domain
 3. Process whitelist.txt
 4. Sort and verify whitelist.txt

 Select what to do [1-4 e=Exit] 3

 also updated /jffs/shared-AB-whitelist,
 for other scripts to use

 

[Adamm]

Maybe its only modifying the file, not re-generating it if it doesn't exist? (I deleted it manually).

 

[thelonelycoder]

Maybe its only modifying the file, not re-generating it if it doesn't exist? (I deleted it manually).

I see, I have this as the trigger to also include updating it in that bit of code:

if [ -s "/jffs/shared-AB-whitelist" ];then
   ...

... which will not generate it if the file is missing, as you noticed.
And there's a reason why.
The u "update blocking file" or the scheduled weekly job of it generates the whitelist with some hardcoded entries as well as dynamic entries.
Each hosts file URL gets added and if the user has selected his own custom blocking file list then each of them gets added at the time they are downloaded.

It's a bit of extra code to parse the custom_hosts_list.txt if "Custom" is selected as the blocking file when processing the whitelist in el.
Is your question a real need or just a convenience feature on your side?
I doubt users delete the shared-AB-whitelist just to regenerate it.

As a workaround you can create the file shared-AB-whitelist with at least one character in it (because of the -s flag) and then run el process whitelist.
It will regenarate and replace it from the temp location in /adblocking/backup/shared-AB-whitelist.bak, which is updated everytime the "update blocking file" runs.
I hope that helps

 

[Adamm]

Is your question a real need or just a convenience feature on your side?

Specifically the use case is;

1. I did a factory reset
2. Used AB-Solution afterwards to-do a "self repair" along with resetting up entware painlessly
3. Skynet runs banmalware, but because shared-AB-Whitelist doesn't exist nothing is whitelisted
4. An AB url (specifically pgl.yoyo.org) is blocked so when trying to update AB-Solution blocklists because it was never picked up via Skynet, so the whole update process just hangs.

With that being said, I can fix this manually via unblocking pgl.yoyo.org or as you said making a blank shared-AB-Whitelist file, but an automated process would be nice.

I also noticed AB-Solution was endlessly hanging when the IP was blocked, I waited 296 seconds before manually intervening without it being picked up, might be worth adding some timeouts there.

 

[thelonelycoder]

I also noticed AB-Solution was endlessly hanging when the IP was blocked, I waited 296 seconds before manually intervening without it being picked up, might be worth adding some timeouts there.

There is a timeout, and it will, but it can take a (long) while to quit the download:
wget ... --tries=6 --retry-connrefused ...

So, in your scenario the self-repair of AB-Solution finds an existing blocking_file and does not rerun the update. It would do so if that file was missing in /adblocking/ as a silent job in the background, generating the missing /jffs/shared-AB-whitelist.
Unfortunately this case is almost unavoidable.
You best install AB first (with a manual update through u if necessary) and then install Skynet.
The other way round with Skynet installed before AB, Skynet is blocking AB from running the update.
This will only play well together when both have done their updates (pgl.yoyo.org is hardcoded-added to the whitelist).

I see no solution to this vicious circle.

 

[Adamm]

There is a timeout, and it will, but it can take a (long) while to quit the download:
wget ... --tries=6 --retry-connrefused ...

So, in your scenario the self-repair of AB-Solution finds an existing blocking_file and does not rerun the update. It would do so if that file was missing in /adblocking/ as a silent job in the background, generating the missing /jffs/shared-AB-whitelist.
Unfortunately this case is almost unavoidable.
You best install AB first (with a manual update through u if necessary) and then install Skynet.
The other way round with Skynet installed before AB, Skynet is blocking AB from running the update.
This will only play well together when both have done their updates (pgl.yoyo.org is hardcoded-added to the whitelist).

I see no solution to this vicious circle.

I haven't looked at AB long enough under the hood to know how each function works, but could AB not re-generate this file during its self repair or at worst via an independent menu option?

 

[thelonelycoder]

I haven't looked at AB long enough under the hood to know how each function works, but could AB not re-generate this file during its self repair or at worst via an independent menu option?

It certainly could regenerate it if it were missing. I just hadn't thought of this file as being so important at the time to include it in the checks.
It will eventually do it anyway automatically or with a manual run with u.
You're the first to bring this up as being a problem in that specific case.

I'm not chiding anyone but:
It needs mentioning that AB-Solution can recover from a loss of all entries in /jffs/scripts without a single error message (or maybe one or two but they get fixed later in the recovery process) and recreate all the necessary files, start Entware up and pixelserv-tls and have AB-Solution up and running again within about a minute. And not a single input by the user is required through all of this.
That in itself is a feat I have not seen in any software I know of.

Anyway, so you want a check if the file exists and if not to recreate it?
Let me check the code, should be simple to add.

 

[Adamm]

You're the first to bring this up as being a problem in that specific case.

Trying to find a way to break things is half the fun right

That in itself is a feat I have not seen in any software I know of.

Yeah quite handy to get things rolling as I'm always formatting for one reason or another.

Anyway, so you want a check if the file exists and if not to recreate it?
Let me check the code, should be simple to add.

Thanks

 

[Alfsu]

Since I have no RT-AC86U router to test it on I need feedback by users to confirm this is working.
This change does not affect the RT-AC88U or RT-AC3100 (on 382.x firmware), they run on an already supported ARM processor.

After installing Entware and Pixelserv-tls manually, I was able to locate and bypass the disabling switch in ab-solution and had it running for few days in the RT-AC86U:

A B - S O L U T I O N A D - B L O C K I N G

AB-Solution 3.9 by thelonelycoder
----------------------------------------------------
RT-AC86U (aarch64) fw-382.1 @ 192.168.110.1
----------------------------------------------------
259,641 blocked domains 9 hosts files in use
27,721 t 10,184 w 2,950 n ads since Oct 28 12:23
----------------------------------------------------

i AB-Solution [/tmp/mnt/4GB]
cu check for updates
un updates notify [off]
bu backup to email [off]

a ad-blocking [on]
l logging [on]
rs router stats [off]

ps pixelserv-tls [192.168.110.2]
entware device [/tmp/mnt/4GB]

b blocking file [shooter40sw] [Wed @ 2:00]
u update blocking file
el edit white or black list

f follow the logfile
ac update ads counter

e exit AB-Solution sm sub menu

--------------------- Message ----------------------

Hosts file download failed or file is not hosts
file, using local backup file instead.
Run to manually update.
----------------------------------------------------

What do you want to do?

Will test the new script and report back.

 

[thelonelycoder]

After installing Entware and Pixelserv-tls manually, I was able to locate and bypass the disabling switch in ab-solution and had it running for few days in the RT-AC86U:

That's good news.
But I don't understand: The pixelserv-tls install is enabled now in the file, did you install before I made the change?