AC68U kills USB keys

[Pademelon]

My AC68U is working well, no problem whatsoever. But as soon as I add any kind of USB key (disk) it goes wrong. I've installed Entware packages via AMTM and installed Diversion. Problems start a few days later when I suddenly see some ads and when I try to get into the Diversion tools via AMTM I get error messages like:

[Error] Directory /opt/share/diversion/.conf
is not present and could not be created.
Please investigate.

Any others facing issues like this? As it's happening with multiple USB devices I start to think there's something wrong with my router?

 

[bennor]

Are you using AMTM to partition and format the USB flash drives/keys for EXT4? What is the make/brand/capacity of the USB flash drives/keys? Were they all bought at the same time (from the same lot)? Which port is being used? USB 2.0 or USB 3.0? What Asus-Merlin firmware version are you running on the RT-AC68U? Is the router an Asus branded router or a T-Mobile branded router?

Generally lots of repeated writes can destroy some USB flash drives/keys quickly. Some have had good luck with certain brands. But really if you plan on running scripts that require USB storage, its better to use a USB external SSD (or similar) hard drive. Use the forum search feature to find numerous past discussions on recommended USB SSD drives and USB enclosures.

 

[sfx2000]

That's one of the risks of running thumb drives - they're not intended for heavy write activities - depending on what you've installed configured, some of those activities...

Also depends on the quality of the drive itself - I've had decent luck with SanDisk USB drives, but your mileage might vary - but the larger the drive, the more flash blocks are available for write operations.

Consensus on the forum - if going entware - spinning rust is preferred over solid state storage due to the limits - this isn't AsusWRT specific, just saying...

 

[Crazy]

I have this happen, it was the heat from the constant read and write that kills the usb key. I bought out a sandisk usb key with a metal casing and I've added huge heat sink to the top and bottom and so far it have been 2 years, before I it would just kill a usb key in a few weeks. https://www.westerndigital.com/products/usb-flash-drives/sandisk-ultra-flair-usb-3-0#SDCZ73-032G-G46

 

[Pademelon]

First of all thank you for all the replies. They're really helpful. I'll answer some questions.

Are you using AMTM to partition and format the USB flash drives/keys for EXT4? What is the make/brand/capacity of the USB flash drives/keys? Were they all bought at the same time (from the same lot)? Which port is being used? USB 2.0 or USB 3.0? What Asus-Merlin firmware version are you running on the RT-AC68U? Is the router an Asus branded router or a T-Mobile branded router?

Generally lots of repeated writes can destroy some USB flash drives/keys quickly. Some have had good luck with certain brands. But really if you plan on running scripts that require USB storage, its better to use a USB external SSD (or similar) hard drive. Use the forum search feature to find numerous past discussions on recommended USB SSD drives and USB enclosures.

I've tried a Kingston Datatraveller, one Logitech branded and an unknown branded USB disk/key (what's the official name in English?)
The router is an ASUS branded version with the latest ASUS-Merlin firmware: 386.11

That's one of the risks of running thumb drives - they're not intended for heavy write activities - depending on what you've installed configured, some of those activities...

Also depends on the quality of the drive itself - I've had decent luck with SanDisk USB drives, but your mileage might vary - but the larger the drive, the more flash blocks are available for write operations.

Consensus on the forum - if going entware - spinning rust is preferred over solid state storage due to the limits - this isn't AsusWRT specific, just saying...

Thank you for your reply this does make sense. I thought I could get away with the USB thumb drives (I got the name now) because I'm only running Entware and Diversion (of all the options available).

I have this happen, it was the heat from the constant read and write that kills the usb key. I bought out a sandisk usb key with a metal casing and I've added huge heat sink to the top and bottom and so far it have been 2 years, before I it would just kill a usb key in a few weeks. https://www.westerndigital.com/products/usb-flash-drives/sandisk-ultra-flair-usb-3-0#SDCZ73-032G-G46

I want to add that it doesn't really kill the thumb drive itself. One format and it's running fine. That's why I thought it could very well be the router itself.

I'll look at an (small) external SDD now. Thanks everyone.

 

[bennor]

@Pademelon, per my question above; did you use AMTM to partition and format (to EXT4) the USB "key" to prepare it for Diversion use? Personally, I've used a 16GB Sandisk USB 2.0 flash drive on an RT-AC68U for several years without issue.

The following is a bit dated but is the basic process for setting up a USB storage device:

Prepare the USB Drive for the swap file, Entware, and scripts.

• If your USB drive is used, make sure to save all files off of it first
• Format it in your computer with the NTFS file format
• Insert the USB drive into a router USB port
• Use your PuTTY skills above to SSH into the router
• Type '/jffs/scripts/amtm' without the quotes and hit Enter
• Using amtm's 'fd' command, format the USB drive to Ext4 with journaling and
• Make sure to also Label the drive too. The router will reboot.
  • Note: MIPS routers are limited to ext2 and ext3
• Create a swap file using amtm's 'sw' command. I recommend the 2GB size
  • Be patient while this file is created. It will be worth it
• Using amtm's 'dc' command, enable the disk checker utility
• Reboot the router and make sure to check the disk checker log to ensure the USB drive 'passes'

The router is now able to take advantage of the USB drive and the swap file we created on it to better manage the physical RAM it has and to always use as much as possible for the task(s) it is currently focused on.

 

[Pademelon]

I've just picked up a 1 TB SSD (Samsung) and plugged it in. Diversion is working without a problem now, let's see how long this holds. I assume much longer than the USB thumb drives.

To answer your question: I did use amtm to get the thumb drive(s) formatted, also used swap files of 2GB but didn't use the disk checker from amtm because I've used the build in disk check utility.

 

[Tech9]

let's see how long this holds

It will hold longer than your RT-AC86U router.

I've used the build in disk check utility

Built-in Asuswrt utility works on FAT and NTFS only. Disable it and use the AMTM "USB disk check at boot" script instead.

 

[cmkelley]

That's one of the risks of running thumb drives - they're not intended for heavy write activities - depending on what you've installed configured, some of those activities...

Also depends on the quality of the drive itself - I've had decent luck with SanDisk USB drives, but your mileage might vary - but the larger the drive, the more flash blocks are available for write operations.

Consensus on the forum - if going entware - spinning rust is preferred over solid state storage due to the limits - this isn't AsusWRT specific, just saying...

I wouldn't say that's the consensus; a modern SSD (NOT a USB flash drive) is really just as reliable as spinning rust, and possibly moreso than spinning rust (c.f. https://www.backblaze.com/blog/ssd-drive-stats-mid-2022-review/). Backblaze uses SSDs for their boot drives, which also store logfiles. If I remember correctly, Backblaze uses spinning rust for mass storage simply because spinning rust is still considerably less expensive than SSD at the kinds of capacity they are buying, even if the failure rates turn out to be much higher for spinning rust.

Definitely a consensus that USB flash drives are the bottom of the reliability barrel though. I personally avoid spinning rust for external storage because they are more likely to be damaged if knocked over.

 

[Tech9]

I wouldn't say that's the consensus

Small SSD in external enclosure. Something like this:

USB recommendations for Diversion / Skynet?

Looking for recommendations for USB drives to be used for scripts / swap running Diversion / Skynet on an AX86U pro. Not interested in anything large-ish, as I only use this drive for running the amtm scripts and not for NAS in any way. Try to keep my io to a minimum since it pushes the CPU so...

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