Release [Fork] Asuswrt-Merlin 374 LTS release 51E3

[john9527]

LATEST RELEASE: Update-51E3
28 August 2021
Merlin fork 374.43_51E3j9527
============================

Update-51E3 Highlights

• Formal release equivalent to development 51D3j9527
  No need to update if already running 51D3
• Fixed a memory leak which was causing intermittent reboots on MIPS based routers
• Fixed a problem displaying Wireless Status in some environments
• Fixed a potential problem with overlapping http/httpd status checks
• Updated OpenSSL to 1.1.1l
• Updated GetDNS/Stubby to 1.7.0/0.4.0
• Updated curl to 7.78.0

Full ChangeLog: Changelog.txt in the download directory

Downloads:
https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ainhp1nBLzMJrEayV5NOiKa8zDA3
Folder 'Public-Release/Update-51E3'

Overview / Supported Routers / Installation:

[Fork] Asuswrt-Merlin 374 LTS Overview

ASUSWRT-MERLIN 374 LTS This is an LTS (Long Term Service) fork of Asuswrt-Merlin based on 374.43_2. This older code base has a history of being very stable, and some of the older code components may perform better in some environments. It may be a good choice for those who desire a 'set it and...

www.snbforums.com

or
LTS_OVERVIEW.pdf in the download directory

Previous release threads:
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/fork-asuswrt-merlin-374-lts-release-50e8.73798/
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/fork-asuswrt-merlin-374-lts-release-49E4.72269/
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/fork-asuswrt-merlin-374-lts-release-48e7.71000/
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/f...ease-47eb-rt-ac68u-v3-lets-encrypt-cli.70777/
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/fork-asuswrt-merlin-374-lts-release-46e9-dnspooq.69896/
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/fork-asuswrt-merlin-374-lts-release-46e8-superseded.68757/
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/fork-asuswrt-merlin-374-lts-release-45ec.67509

SHA256
(Default Build - All supported routers)
8d23b88f6f3b008ba28cbe1309c6e2ca8b1c1011f4d208d64a15c29d97d495b1 RT-N16_374.43_51E3j9527.trx
76db29a1e7106333259fd13fe2f14ae9cac775bfcfae028ca369e1d4dd7f4f30 RT-AC66U_374.43_51E3j9527.trx
6695c0bdc3d6f2c40e239fc7eca58bff5649ed65872abd7ea681147fbac5139c RT-N66U_374.43_51E3j9527.trx
b14cf4f2185ee7ff99ea835bb994ccae1dd74a22b7b181b73cc770a94667155e RT-AC68U_374.43_51E3j9527.trx
8c2236bdb98813cfdc0f9a76cbf59db2894b73a56484ba2df0b1c426f41a7229 RT-AC56U_374.43_51E3j9527.trx

 

[smyr]

Hi
Maybe this is the wrong forum to ask but.... is there any updated custum firmware or new for the RT-N65U router!? I am currently using padivan's RT-N65U_3.0.3.9-099 firmware (https://bitbucket.org/padavan/rt-n56u/downloads/) but it's really old and outdated.... I also noticed this https://bitbucket.org/dirkp78/update/downloads/ A modified version of the one from padivan I guess.
My main router is the RT-AC66U so I am thankful for your updates and support for that router!! I just wish I could get the same kind of firmware/functions on my RT-N65U... What about your RT-N66U firmware... would it be possible to use or would it brick the router....!? Anyway thanks for any help, tips or other info you can provide. /Regards

 

[ColinTaylor]

Hi
Maybe this is the wrong forum to ask but.... is there any updated custum firmware or new for the RT-N65U router!? I am currently using padivan's RT-N65U_3.0.3.9-099 firmware (https://bitbucket.org/padavan/rt-n56u/downloads/) but it's really old and outdated.... I also noticed this https://bitbucket.org/dirkp78/update/downloads/ A modified version of the one from padivan I guess.
My main router is the RT-AC66U so I am thankful for your updates and support for that router!! I just wish I could get the same kind of firmware/functions on my RT-N65U... What about your RT-N66U firmware... would it be possible to use or would it brick the router....!? Anyway thanks for any help, tips or other info you can provide. /Regards

The RT-N65U is a Ralink router and therefore completely incompatible with all versions of Merlin firmware including John's fork.

 

[PeterR]

The source for at least one of the firmware on the Bitbucket link you gave is available on Github, for instance this one https://github.com/hanwckf/rt-n56u.

 

[SlotTech]

@john9527 Thanks for all your work. I'm glad I can keep using my RT-N16 as an access point with updated firmware.

 

[tsanga]

@john9527 Thank you for the MIPS router fix.

 

[john9527]

@john9527 Thank you for the MIPS router fix.

You are welcome....this was a tough one. Thanks again to everyone who was able to spot the data that pointed to the memory leak.

One thing that maybe I didn't make clear or emphasize....I'd recommend updating for the ARM based routers as well. Even though I never saw a reboot on the ARM routers, technically from a code standpoint it still should have had the memory leak issue. I'm guessing something about the compiler that tended to make it have less of an impact.

 

[Mr_Andy]

I've been running 51E3 on my AC68U now (up from 49E4) for 2 days running and all good and stable. great work as always John

 

[fiasko]

six days in and evertyhing seems to be in order with my AC66U. Thanks John!

 

[Waylo]

Quick question re: add-ons. I recently installed the YazFi addon which allows customization of the guest wifi networks. When I upgrade this LTS firmware by flashing over, do I need to do anything special with that add-on's install?

 

[Hunny Puppy]

@john9527 been a big fan of your work for many many years now, thanks for keeping this alive. One feedback and one bug report:
Feedback: It would be great if the first post of each release includes a link to the *next* release when the next release is done, this way one can follow the threads upto to the latest release. With the new forum restrictions on old posts, it can get tricky trying to find which topic is the latest release.

Bug Report:
1. Using a RT-N66U (B1)
2. Firmware - 51E3 (Aug 31st) Release version

Bug: The router stops routing when in media bridge mode once WINS is enabled
How to replicate: Do a clean install, wipe NVRAM etc. Set it up as a Media Bridge with a static IP using 5Ghz connection to main router, enable SMB share for a USB hard disk (disable all other USB features like NFS, FTP, Printers etc). SMB v2, Auto buffers, No guest, no force master, simple sharing. This works PERFECTLY! I get excellent speeds (250Mbps+) from all 5 ethernet ports (LAN + WAN) and it's quite stable.
Then one day I decided to enable the WINS server option and set the main router (RT-AC86U) to point WINS configuration for DHCP clients to the NT-N66U. Within a few hours all bridging suddenly stops and LAN/WAN client cannot access the internet. The wireless is still connected to the main router (450 up/down) but there no packet forwarding (no connectivity between the wireless and LAN networks). Rebooting the router fixes the issue for a few hours and then again all routing stops again. The funny thing here is that turning off the WINS server does not fix the issue, for some reason it still remains. The ONLY solution I found was do a clean wipe and start over with a new firmware flash, NVRAM and set it up again and then it works. I can't explain it but something about enabling WINS server once just permanently kills the Media Bridge routing until the firmware is flashed again. I've replicated this multiple times.

Also for reference the latest official asus firmware 3.0.0.4.382_52272 seems to be running just fine in Media Bridge mode and it also bridges the WAN port along with the LAN port. However the official firmware lacks the customization your builds offer.

Which also brings me to, would it possible to use the latest 3.0.0.4.382_52272 official firmware and then add your customization to it ? I've found the official firmware to be slightly (20%) faster than your build for some reason.

Thanks for listening and keep up the fantastic work!

 

[Maverickcdn]

Thanks for the mem leak fix... All is well here on 51D3. Thanks John!

 

[john9527]

I can't explain it but something about enabling WINS server once just permanently kills the Media Bridge routing until the firmware is flashed again. I've replicated this multiple times.

I don't have an idea on this one??? The only thing that enabling WINS does is add a couple of lines to the samba configuration file. When I did a code review, I did find a problem setting up dnsmasq for WINS, but it would only affect samba WINS when it's running on the 'main' router (dnsmasq isn't enabled in other than router mode). I also checked the latest Merlin code and no problems there I could see.
I don't have a Media Bridge set up, but I moved the WINS server over to an AP and it's been running fine all day....both routers AC68.

would it possible to use the latest 3.0.0.4.382_52272 official firmware and then add your customization to it ?

Sorry, not going to happen. Too much changed on both the fork and the later OEM sides for me to even think about it.



PS - For anyone running with samba/WINS on the main router, 51D5 is up with the bugfix I found.

 

[dave14305]

What instructions would someone follow if they wanted to compile the fork on their own?

 

[john9527]

What instructions would someone follow if they wanted to compile the fork on their own?

That's actually a really good question

When I started out, I used the instructions on Merlin's wiki, but those don't really match up anymore. Give me a bit, and I'll work on putting together some doc and simple scripts to do a build.
I've also adapted some things from Merlin over time....my local repo is on RAID 1 storage, then rsync copies to an SSD so I can do all models simultaneously and not touch the main repo.

 

[BaronVonchesto]

@john9527 first time using your firmware. Thanks for keeping our routers up to date with new firmware!

I just updated my RT-AC66U (hardware ver A1) to this firmware from merlin 380 (the last release for my router). I notice the 5GHz wifi radio is stuck on 20MHz and the wifi performance is a fair bit worse than it used to be on the old firmware.

I did a full hardware reset before and after flashing the new firmware, and have only configured the bare minimum to get working internet. so JFFS2 is newly reformatted with no scripts or anything.

I used inSSIDER to see the spectrum allocation and jPerf to do bandwidth tests.

Sitting just 10 feet from my router within line of sight, my laptop with 2x2 ac intel wifi shows a link rate of 242mbps and protocol of 802.11ac and InSSIDER shows a 20 Mhz channel width no matter what I set the setting to. Whether I use channel width of auto, 20, 40 or 80MHz, the result is always the same. the channel width remains at 20MHz.

Also using jperf the best speeds I can get for TCP are around 110Mbps, whereas previously i was pushing around 200Mbps in the same place on the old merlin firmware. Performance is significantly worse when i move away from the same room, going down to around 10Mbps in a room some 30 feet away, while signal strength is about -70dbi and there are no interfering or overlapping wifi channels. this is waay worse than what it used to be.

Any idea whats going on? perhaps some configs need to be changed when moving to your firmware?

 

[ColinTaylor]

@BaronVonchesto Can you set the bandwidth to 80MHz and apply that change. Then SSH into your router and post the output of this command please:

wl -i eth2 chanspec

 

[BaronVonchesto]

@BaronVonchesto Can you set the bandwidth to 80MHz and apply that change. Then SSH into your router and post the output of this command please:

wl -i eth2 chanspec

Here's what I got:

admin@RT-AC66U:/tmp/home/root# wl -i eth2 chanspec
149/80 (0xe09b)

 

[ColinTaylor]

Here's what I got:

admin@RT-AC66U:/tmp/home/root# wl -i eth2 chanspec
149/80 (0xe09b)

Thanks. So that would suggest that the 20MHz shown by InSSIDER is incorrect. Your link speed of 242Mbps is also not possible using only 20MHz bandwidth. The only combination using 2 streams that gives that speed is 40MHz at 800ns GI (which of course is much lower than the 780 or 866 Mbps we would expect to see using 80MHz).

 

[BaronVonchesto]

Thanks. So that would suggest that the 20MHz shown by InSSIDER is incorrect. Your link speed of 242Mbps is also not possible using only 20MHz bandwidth. The only combination using 2 streams that gives that speed is 40MHz at 800ns GI (which of course is much lower than the 780 or 866 Mbps we would expect to see using 80MHz).

indeed thats what had me confused too, yet I've yet to see inssider be wrong before. Let me find a different wifi scanner and see what I get.

At the same time the real world speeds I posted doesnt reflect the sort of speeds I ought to be getting at 40 or 80 MHz given the conditions I listed. just in case i'll try LAN speed instead of jperf, but hey iPerf2 is tried and true, no reason to doubt that right?