Skynet Fallback option if flash drive fails with SkyNet installed?

[Rocketboy235]

Hello,

After installing SkyNet and also installing AdGuard Home (and opting in the local DNS caching), I noticed that if the flash drive is unplugged, the router will (kind of?) reboot or at least the lights will go off for some at the same time before stabilizing and then people on the network will be unable to access websites. Maybe this is expected behavior(? I am not sure myself but trying to get a better idea) but I am wondering if the flash drive fails one day and the "IT" guy isn't around that day or few months (if a remote area), then users won't be able to use the internet it seems. Not sure if there is a setting somewhere that needs to be configured so the internet will continue to work even if the flash drive fails unexpectedly. After uninstalling one by one for these 2 and unplugging the flash drive, it seems like SkyNet is the one responsible. So again, I am wondering if there are any settings out there or something I may be missing here.

Thanks.

 

[Tech9]

When your system relies on a USB stick it becomes as reliable as the USB stick. If you want to run scripts with USB storage requirement better get a small SSD in external USB enclosure. It's much more reliable storage media and will work for years with no issues. This is the best solution.

 

[Rocketboy235]

Thanks Tech. Reason why I was concerned was that I was using some old 4GB SanDisk cruzer flash drive with my ASUS AC86U for my parents home which I visit once or twice a year (several states away). I noticed that 4GB flash drive would stop working after a few weeks and only way to get it working again is to take the flash drive out and put it back in. At the time, I didn't have SkyNet running so it wasn't a huge deal but now that I'm upgrading their systems and want to install SkyNet, I noticed that it kind of takes the internet down if the SkyNet was installed and the new flash drive (Kingston 32GB) I'm using were to disconnect (to test, I unplug the flash drive).

Since I'm only going to be here for another 2 weeks, I guess I'll just install some other stuff but not SkyNet and then the next time I come back, I will be able to know how reliable this new flash drive is before I install SkyNet. Was hoping there might be a configuration option where I can have the router fall back to default settings if it loses SkyNet from a disconnected flash drive.

 

[L&LD]

No such option exists.

You are gambling with any USB drive (they simply die, without warning).

Buy the SSD (at least 128GB or larger), and an external enclosure (UGreen works well) before you visit them, and just do this once.

 

[Rocketboy235]

Got it, thanks. Luckily I scored some free 128GB SSDs from a place that was having an auction earlier and I think I even got a external enclosure for it as well so I could put that to use. I was wondering what I could do with them (using as a scratch disk or something but I think using a SSD for this is a great idea and I may actually do that next time I come back here.

 

[Tech9]

my ASUS AC86U for my parents home which I visit once or twice a year (several states away)

Replace this router when you have a chance. It has a history of hardware failures and also unresolved software bug.

I guess I'll just install some other stuff but not SkyNet

Your parents don't need Skynet and USB sticks attached to their router. Keep the configuration as simple as possible.

 

[Jaime Alvarez]

Your parents don't need Skynet and USB sticks attached to their router. Keep the configuration as simple as possible.

I configured Skynet in my parent's router (AC68U) just in case. They are in their 80's and are an easier pray for phishing. Any tool that reduces the consequences of them following a malicious link is valuable in my opinion.

The router has been rock solid for years, so I'm curious about your thoughts here.

 

[Tech9]

I'm curious about your thoughts here

Skynet is an IP blocker backed by community blocklists. It happened in the past IP's of Google, Cloudflare, Quad9, GitHub, Microsoft, Netflix got into blocklists. When they hit your DNS servers - your parents lose Internet. You rely on John Smith's accuracy and attention, basically. Modern OS have antivirus protection, browsers use Safe Browsing, the router has AiProtection and Parental Control filters, you perhaps use filtering DNS service as well... how many protections and why bother with custom firmware, scripts and USB sticks?

 

[Rocketboy235]

Replace this router when you have a chance. It has a history of hardware failures and also unresolved software bug.



Your parents don't need Skynet and USB sticks attached to their router. Keep the configuration as simple as possible.

Not sure which unresolved software bug you are referring to. I know one where doing a software reboot doesn't quite fully work though haven't seen that issue happen recently.
The router that I got was manufactured in 2020 (not 2018) and was made in Vietnam (not China) so it may be more robust than previous years though I'm sure buying the newer routers like AX86U will be much more reliable. I'll probably upgrade to the AX86U once it comes down in price a bit more. Got the AC86U for like $60 so not bad.

Also, I realized if the flash drive were to fail, I guess I could just tell them to unplug that and reboot the router and it will just work fine without it.

 

[Tech9]

Not sure which unresolved software bug you are referring to.

This one:

Stuck commands

Has anyone else observed any "stuck" commands on their router since upgrading to 386.x? Below is a frequent occurrence of the wl command getting stuck being spawned by conn_diag (this process was created at 4:10 AM). But I've also seen it happen with some nvram get commands (I once had Skynet...

www.snbforums.com

It affects mostly scripts with frequent reads from NVRAM, but you can also find Traffic Analyzer, Web History, Client List, etc. stuck.

I'll probably upgrade to the AX86U once it comes down in price a bit more.

Or to cheaper version RT-AX86S. It will work the same for your parents. The same Wi-Fi. This router is currently $150 here in Canada.