My head is going to explode (install of ABS/Skynet/etc. not working)

[JaimeZX]

I posted some of this last night in the Skynet thread.

As of 2 days ago I had a 256MB USB stick in the router, which I figured was plenty since ABS uses under 20MB and Skynet didn't use anything (then), or much of anything, as with Pixelserv.

The Skynet decided it wanted a swap file, minimum size: 256MB. Swell.

I went and got (ie: stole from wifey) a 1GB thumbdrive.

In the router I formatted it for ext3, named it USBStick.

Things seemed to be going okay. I installed ABS, and then Skynet. Then I attempted to restore my backed up whitelist.txt and all hell broke loose. And by that I mean $#¡+ stopped working altogether. Things were suddenly no longer directories and files were not found all over the place. I don't know if this thumbdrive is dying or what.

Adamm was kind enough to recommend I use the excessively-named "MiniTool Partition Wizard Free 10.3" to format the thumbdrive and start over... which I accepted but needed to go to bed.

So here I am home from work and motivated to git-r-dun.

I install MTPWF10.3, umount the thumbdrive from the router and stick it in the computer so I can use MTPWF10.3 to delete partition / create partition / format partition as ext4. While this is going on I reboot the router so it can't possibly remember anything to do with the thumbdrive.

Router rebooted, ext4 "USBStick" stuck in the back, router recognizes it, I SSH in, check that /dev/sda1 is in fact /mnt/USBStick and all is well.

I run the AMTM script. Good. I run 1. Install AB-Solution

Listing compatible device(s) to install on.
Only ext2|ext3|ext4 formatted devices
are supported.

1. /tmp/mnt/USBStick

Select device: [1 e=Exit] 1

testing device /tmp/mnt/USBStick
device test passed, continuing...

checking /tmp/mnt/USBStick
for device label
device has a label, continuing...

installing AB-Solution on: /tmp/mnt/USBStick
---------------------------------------------------

Continue? [1=Yes e=Exit] 1
can't create directory '/tmp/mnt/USBStick/adblocking/scripts': Invalid argument
can't create directory '/tmp/mnt/USBStick/adblocking/.config': Invalid argument
can't create directory '/tmp/mnt/USBStick/adblocking/backup': Invalid argument
can't create directory '/tmp/mnt/USBStick/adblocking/stats': Invalid argument
can't create directory '/tmp/mnt/USBStick/adblocking/addon': Invalid argument
can't create directory '/tmp/mnt/USBStick/adblocking/custom_files': Invalid argument


WHAT. THE. HECK.IS.GOING.ON.HERE

How can I get these errors with a FRESHLY FORMATTED DRIVE, after ABS declares it to be satisfactory?!?!?

If I ls in /mnt/USBStick/ I see adblocking and lost+found, so it at least came up with SOMETHING before it stopped.
adblocking is drwxrwxrwx so it's not like there are no permissions.

Halp.

 

[Adamm]

I posted some of this last night in the Skynet thread.

As of 2 days ago I had a 256MB USB stick in the router, which I figured was plenty since ABS uses under 20MB and Skynet didn't use anything (then), or much of anything, as with Pixelserv.

The Skynet decided it wanted a swap file, minimum size: 256MB. Swell.

I went and got (ie: stole from wifey) a 1GB thumbdrive.

In the router I formatted it for ext3, named it USBStick.

Things seemed to be going okay. I installed ABS, and then Skynet. Then I attempted to restore my backed up whitelist.txt and all hell broke loose. And by that I mean $#¡+ stopped working altogether. Things were suddenly no longer directories and files were not found all over the place. I don't know if this thumbdrive is dying or what.

Adamm was kind enough to recommend I use the excessively-named "MiniTool Partition Wizard Free 10.3" to format the thumbdrive and start over... which I accepted but needed to go to bed.

So here I am home from work and motivated to git-r-dun.

I install MTPWF10.3, umount the thumbdrive from the router and stick it in the computer so I can use MTPWF10.3 to delete partition / create partition / format partition as ext4. While this is going on I reboot the router so it can't possibly remember anything to do with the thumbdrive.

Router rebooted, ext4 "USBStick" stuck in the back, router recognizes it, I SSH in, check that /dev/sda1 is in fact /mnt/USBStick and all is well.

I run the AMTM script. Good. I run 1. Install AB-Solution

Listing compatible device(s) to install on.
Only ext2|ext3|ext4 formatted devices
are supported.

1. /tmp/mnt/USBStick

Select device: [1 e=Exit] 1

testing device /tmp/mnt/USBStick
device test passed, continuing...

checking /tmp/mnt/USBStick
for device label
device has a label, continuing...

installing AB-Solution on: /tmp/mnt/USBStick
---------------------------------------------------

Continue? [1=Yes e=Exit] 1
can't create directory '/tmp/mnt/USBStick/adblocking/scripts': Invalid argument
can't create directory '/tmp/mnt/USBStick/adblocking/.config': Invalid argument
can't create directory '/tmp/mnt/USBStick/adblocking/backup': Invalid argument
can't create directory '/tmp/mnt/USBStick/adblocking/stats': Invalid argument
can't create directory '/tmp/mnt/USBStick/adblocking/addon': Invalid argument
can't create directory '/tmp/mnt/USBStick/adblocking/custom_files': Invalid argument


WHAT. THE. HECK.IS.GOING.ON.HERE

How can I get these errors with a FRESHLY FORMATTED DRIVE, after ABS declares it to be satisfactory?!?!?

If I ls in /mnt/USBStick/ I see adblocking and lost+found, so it at least came up with SOMETHING before it stopped.
adblocking is drwxrwxrwx so it's not like there are no permissions.

Halp.

Your issues seem like a corrupt filesystem. You can try do a e2fsck check and see if that fixes it but otherwise it may be a dead USB.

e2fsck -p /dev/sda1

 

[thelonelycoder]

As of 2 days ago I had a 256MB USB stick in the router, which I figured was plenty since ABS uses under 20MB and Skynet didn't use anything (then), or much of anything, as with Pixelserv.

https://www.ab-solution.info/install/requirements.html

AB-Solution uses between 40 to 250 MB of disk space, depending on logfile and blocking file size.
Entware (for pixelserv-tls) uses about 20 MB. A minimum size of 500 MB is recommended.

With the requirement of a swap file for Skynet this doubles the minimum size to about 1GB.

 

[kvic]

Entware (for pixelserv-tls) uses about 20 MB.

Didn't realise a minimal Entware installation is so slim! I have 253 packages installed and consume about 800MB.

If I had adopted the native platform (ASUSWRT), the installation will be 50KB i.e. the pixelserv-tls binary itself. But Entware has way more supported HW platforms. Also everyone is better off with Entware installed in the long run.

 

[daviworld]

Happened to me a few time's, your USB might be corrupted. I have repaired my 4GB USB installation which has a 2GB swap file numerous time's using the e2fsck command. The command Adamm provided above should automate the check and fix, if I recall the -p switch correctly

Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk

 

[thelonelycoder]

Didn't realise a minimal Entware installation is so slim! I have 253 packages installed and consume about 800MB.

The 64bit install with pixelserv-tls and no additional packages is 131MB, of which AB-Solution uses 110MB (logfiles, blocking file and backups blow it up quickly). The bare Entware install appears to be about 20MB.

 

[JaimeZX]

OK. So possibly corrupt drive then?
-------------------
/tmp/home/root# e2fsck -b 32768 /dev/sda1
e2fsck 1.42.13 (17-May-2015)
e2fsck: Bad magic number in super-block while trying to open /dev/sda1

The superblock could not be read or does not describe a valid ext2/ext3/ext4
filesystem. If the device is valid and it really contains an ext2/ext3/ext4
filesystem (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock
is corrupt, and you might try running e2fsck with an alternate superblock:
e2fsck -b 8193 <device>
or
e2fsck -b 32768 <device>
-------------------

I also tried the -b options suggested, same error.

Currently I have it back in the Windows box using MTPWF10.3 to wipe / reformat as ext3. Then I will put BACK into the router and re-apply e2fsck -p; also possibly -yb 98304 (something I found on a related form about the above error.)

If I still have issues I'll try a different USB stick.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Then I will put BACK into the router and re-apply e2fsck -p;

Just remember to unmount the drive before you do it

also possibly -yb 98304 (something I found on a related form about the above error.)

Seems a bit spurious unless you have reason to believe that superblock is better than any other.

 

[skeal]

Just remember to unmount the drive before you do it Seems a bit spurious unless you have reason to believe that superblock is better than any other.

Why superblock if you don't mind me asking?

 

[ColinTaylor]

Why superblock if you don't mind me asking?

Sorry, I don't understand the question. Are you asking "why is a superblock called a superblock?".

 

[skeal]

Sorry, I don't understand the question. Are you asking "why is a superblock called a superblock?".

Sorry man I meant why use superblock I have no clue?

 

[skeal]

I got it now... I was getting confused with something else sorry! Carry on!

 

[JaimeZX]

OK. @ColinTaylor - no particular reason for SB size... just something I found on the intarwebz. I skipped it.

e2fsck asked me for a million questions because I forgot to use the -y flag. Cancelled and restarted. Result:
----------------------------------
StickUSB: ***** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED *****
StickUSB: 19/257040 files (0.0% non-contiguous), 32444/1027072 blocks
> tmp/home/root# e2fsck -y /dev/sda1
e2fsck 1.42.13 (17-May-2015)
StickUSB: clean, 19/257040 files, 32444/1027072 blocks
-----------------------------------

Looks promising. More to follow.

 

[JaimeZX]

Aaand yeah no. I don't think that's gonna work.

Tried to reinstall ABS after all that, got the same unable to create file errors.

Went back to the prompt for ls-l; the basics were there: ab-solution.sh . adblocking . lost+found but the adblocking directory was empty again and e2fsck came back around with a zillion errors.

I'll try a different stick. :/

 

[ColinTaylor]

How are you downloading the installation script? Maybe you're using an old version.

EDIT: Sorry, missed the bit where you said "e2fsck came back around with a zillion errors". Are there any clues in the syslog?

 

[JaimeZX]

Sorry. Which syslog? I am not a huge linux guy... point me at where to look and I'll let you know.

 

[ColinTaylor]

System Log > General Log. If the router's having trouble with the USB drive at a hardware level I'd expect to see it complaining about it in this log.

 

[thelonelycoder]

How are you downloading the installation script? Maybe you're using an old version.

EDIT: Sorry, missed the bit where you said "e2fsck came back around with a zillion errors". Are there any clues in the syslog?

The AB-Solution install link posted on my website always points to the latest stable version.

 

[JaimeZX]

OK. SOLID.

ABS installed without issue on the NEW new thumbdrive.
ABS would NOT install Pixelserv-TLS w/Entware directly.
AMTM would NOT install Entware separately.
Skynet... [EDIT] would not install from AMTM menu but I grabbed the command off page 1 of that thread and it's currently building a swap file on the USB stick.

So. Need to dig in and figure these things out now.

UNRELATED QUESTION:

I want to upgrade to 384.3 to 384.4. I am just afraid something might jack up the OpenVPN server I have running. My wife is on a trip right now and uses it constantly. Thoughts?

EDIT: Re: thelonelycoder's request for error messages... :facepalm: on my part. Indeed, I will throw them up as soon as Skynet install finishes.

 

[thelonelycoder]

ABS would NOT install Pixelserv-TLS w/Entware directly

The error message from AB-Solution would help...

AMTM would NOT install Entware separately.

The reason why is stated when you try it.