Release Asuswrt-Merlin 384.19 is now available

[RMerlin]

All depends. If you have an AC86U just stay with 384.17. If you are brave do a backup of your settings and /jffs before trying an upgrade. I started with 384.17 then 384.18 and then 384.19. I did this from a minimal setup of 384.17 after a factory reset.

Waiting for 386 isn't gonna change anything, you WILL still have to deal with the JFFS partition resize.

 

[JimM]

Hi

New user here so please be gentle!

I updated my AC86U to 384.19 last night from the stock Asus FW. However I didn't realise I should of backed up the JFFS partition first so missed this step!
The router appears to be working OK but should I do anything about the JFFS to be on the safe side?

Don't know if it makes a difference but TBH I don't know what the JFFS does and the router was using default settings across the board (other than login name and password) , there are no scripts that I know of and I hadn't setup VPN so it was pretty much stock.

Thanks

 

[Adamm]

Hi

New user here so please be gentle!

I updated my AC86U to 384.19 last night from the stock Asus FW. However I didn't realise I should of backed up the JFFS partition first so missed this step!
The router appears to be working OK but should I do anything about the JFFS to be on the safe side?

Don't know if it makes a difference but TBH I don't know what the JFFS does and the router was using default settings across the board (other than login name and password) , there are no scripts that I know of and I hadn't setup VPN so it was pretty much stock.

Thanks

You will need to format the JFFS partition to avoid errors in the future due to the resize;

Administration - System - Format JFFS partition at next boot

Tick yes then reboot.

 

[Vimes]

Great......(not)

Asus believe that my router has an hardware fault following further 2.4Ghz radio issues and they wish it to be replaced. Checked warranty status and it is still within warranty but they have an agreement with Amazon to process their returns and replacements in the UK.

Amazon.....Sympathised but will not agree to such a return and then told to deal with Asus directly.

Amazon Management...... Agree, sympathise but not something that we will help with. We will not process any returns on behalf of Asus.
Asked them to confirm that by email, which they did.

Asus - it is typically always Amazon where we have these issues. Other smaller retailers have no issues with this arrangements. We will escalate this and get back to you.
Asked for invoice as well as Amazon's response to be sent, which I did.

Not the best of starts.


EDIT:


If I'm going to be stuck with this router for a little while do Asus consider it a warranty breaker if I was to go back to the Merlin firmware...?

 

[bbunge]

You will need to format the JFFS partition to avoid errors in the future due to the resize;

Administration - System - Format JFFS partition at next boot

Tick yes then reboot.

There is the rare case where the jffs does not need to be formatted. As in the case of my AC86U. The jffs was resized and mounted after flashing 384.19.
So, if your /jffs shows as mounted and remounts after a reboot a format is no needed.

 

[L&LD]

I would suggest it is still needed. The current code just happens to live within the smaller space, but any new code added may not (and cause issues then).

 

[JimM]

Thanks all, I've reformatted as there was no custom settings to worry about losing

If on the tools tab the JFFS is showing as 2.51/47 MB can I assume it's mounted correctly and all OK?

 

[Maverickcdn]

Rock solid over here, thanks again Rmerlin, you're the best!

 

[lattugatartaruga]

View attachment 26584
Rock solid over here, thanks again Rmerlin, you're the best!

very nice!, which version of the 86u do you have (year/rev) ?

 

[fritzk3]

View attachment 26584
Rock solid over here, thanks again Rmerlin, you're the best!

This is another data point for RT-AC86U users that (to me) strongly suggests a correlation between using JFFS / amtm / scripts and experiencing difficulty under 384.19. In this user's sig, they indicate "No add-ons just a gateway" and I believe that contributes to what has made their experience trouble-free.

Speaking for myself, I have achieved a much more robust setup by reverting my RT-AC86U to 384.18, connecting my RT-AC68U (also on 384.18) as a wired Access Point node, and specifying wi-fi channel numbers for both bands on both routers. I run Diversion, Skynet, connmon, spdMerlin, and Cake-QoS and am satisfied with the current setup.

 

[Maverickcdn]

very nice!, which version of the 86u do you have (year/rev) ?

2018 HWVer 1.5

This is another data point for RT-AC86U users that (to me) strongly suggests a correlation between using JFFS / amtm / scripts and experiencing difficulty under 384.19. In this user's sig, they indicate "No add-ons just a gateway" and I believe that contributes to what has made their experience trouble-free.

While I dont use amtm, skynet, Cake-QOS etc or any entware dependent scripts or anything USB based, I do use the /jffs extensively for services-start, init-start, firewall-start, dnsmasq changes, vpn scripts, and a half a dozen other home brew scripts for maintaining iptables, dns, etc, and easier setup scripts which alter some settings quickly like wpa key timeouts etc for when I do upgrades/resets, and my static leases for dnsmasq are saved there.

Also currently working on a WAN IP change email script if anyone is interested, sends a couple emails to notify when/if your WAN IP has changed, my isp recently changed my IP (a rarity thankfully) and low and behold Im out in the wild and I couldnt connect to my vpn (I dont use ddns) and my website was down this will now email me (near instantly) if the WAN IP changes...

Anyway.. Rmerlin explicitly stated caution was to be used with the AC86U with 384.19 if you use /jffs. I just simply heeded his advice... I went with backup only the individual necessary files from /jffs to usb (my scripts basically), full reset, update, format jffs, reboot, full reset, reconfigure manually (might have reset then formatted/reboot, cant remember) but only then did I copy my /jffs contents back from usb to /jffs and all was good.

45 days on and its in my opinion the best to date. I still have issues with persistent WLCEVENTD messages but I'm 100% confident this is just my old Android devices not playing nicely with newer devices on the network... dont ask me how or why as I gave up trying to figure it exactly but mixed AC and N devices (and older versions of Android) and combination of channel settings etc wreak havoc on generating those debugging messages.... maybe Ill contact ASUS and plead with them to remove them, but honestly theres so many other ways to deal with them.

Anyway, if you screenshot/note every changed setting on every settings page, updating/re-configure from scratch is literally 15-20mins... including a reformat of /jffs and reboot of the router, never really had an issue other than ones caused by my own boneheaded use of bad settings

 

[alex1236hk]

I am having wireless drop out issue on my AC86U @ 384.19 also.
Considering to downgrade now...

 

[vaynardx]

You will need to format the JFFS partition to avoid errors in the future due to the resize;

Administration - System - Format JFFS partition at next boot

Tick yes then reboot.

Do you have to do this even if you haven't used scripts before?

 

[Morac]

Ac-88u lost all network functionality again. Last time that happened was in January when I was out of the country. This time I was home. I had to power the router off and on. This has happened a few times a year for a number of years.

 

[Howard_inGA]

46 days 9 hour(s) 19 minute(s) 5 seconds of stable ops under varying loads from very heavy to very light indeed!
384.19 seems to work in my setup on the 5300.

 

[Adamm]

Do you have to do this even if you haven't used scripts before?

Yes as there are other system files stored there.

 

[learning_curve]

Yes as there are other system files stored there.

Can someone maybe "expand" on this a little? Most of the posts I've seen are top level of detail only, which is much appreciated, but it's not "...the secret black art of JJFS..." There's some you MUST format posts & some you don't NEED to format posts re: Format JFFS partition at next boot.

FWIW On my own RT-AC68U, which has run perfectly on ASUS Firmware for a long time now, I swapped over to Merlin only very recently. I manually replaced the ASUS firmware with the Merlin firmware, but didn't carry out any JFFS format at anytime; before or after the swap-over. I haven't had any other problems with the Merlin 384.19 firmware either, since the swap-over. It's great!

However, after reading other posts on this, I powered off, then waited and then re-booted and also normally re-booted (just to double check...) but there's no (visible / verifiable) issues at all with the JFFS Partition on my own RT-AC68U. Currently, it's at 4.07 / 62.75 MB but has never changed.

 

[Adamm]

Can someone maybe "expand" on this a little? Most of the posts I've seen are top level of detail only, which is much appreciated, but it's not "...the secret black art of JJFS..." There's some you MUST format posts & some you don't NEED to format posts re: Format JFFS partition at next boot.

FWIW On my own RT-AC68U, which has run perfectly on ASUS Firmware for a long time now, I swapped over to Merlin only very recently. I manually replaced the ASUS firmware with the Merlin firmware, but didn't carry out any JFFS format at anytime; before or after the swap-over. I haven't had any other problems with the Merlin 384.19 firmware either, since the swap-over. It's great!

However, after reading other posts on this, I powered off, then waited and then re-booted and also normally re-booted (just to double check...) but there's no (visible / verifiable) issues at all with the JFFS Partition on my own RT-AC68U. Currently, it's at 4.07 / 62.75 MB but has never changed.

This is only relevant for the AC86U, all other models are fine to update as per normal.

TLDR; The JFFS partition was resized, so AC86U owners need to format so there are no corrupt files etc.

 

[bbunge]

Do you have to do this even if you haven't used scripts before?

No, only if the /jffs did not resize correctly and mount when the router restarts. AC86U only. I did not have to format the /jffs after upgrade to 384.19!

 

[Deleted member 22229]

AX58U also fails to mount the JFFS and needs to be formatted after install of .19.