[Official] RT-AC87U Firmware version 3.0.0.4.378.9177

[Jong]

Well we still need to understand why we are getting very different results from a hard reset, which should put everyone on an even footing. If it is nothing to do with the environment, or the settings people are using and we have tried multiple PCs and browsers we are left only with some sort of hardware variance.

To be clear, I'm not saying the firmware version has nothing to do with this. A lot changed from 5xxx to 9xxx and something is clearly affecting some users. I'm just trying to understand what causes the problem to show up for some people but not others, from a hard reset, and that can only help Asus to diagnose and fix.

I fully understand if you don't have the time to spend on this - this is a full release version, not a beta - reverting is a good idea in that situation. But maybe some of the others can try.

If really we have the same problem from a proper hard reset, with a single wired PC connected (and more than one PC/browser tried), with default Asus config we would know it must be something in the build of that router - different chip batches or suppliers interacting with the new firmware? But I still suspect that the router will work in that stripped back situation and that we might be able to help Asus find the cause by slowly adding complexity to that simple working config.

 

[usmarine0622]

Well we still need to understand why we are getting very different results from a hard reset, which should put everyone on an even footing. If it is nothing to do with the environment, or the settings people are using and we have tried multiple PCs and browsers we are left only with some sort of hardware variance.

To be clear, I'm not saying the firmware version has nothing to do with this. A lot changed from 5xxx to 9xxx and something is clearly affecting some users. I'm just trying to understand what causes the problem to show up for some people but not others, from a hard reset, and that can only help Asus to diagnose and fix.

I fully understand if you don't have the time to spend on this - this is a full release version, not a beta - reverting is a good idea in that situation. But maybe some of the others can try.

If really we have the same problem from a proper hard reset, with a single wired PC connected (and more than one PC/browser tried), with default Asus config we would know it must be something in the build of that router - different chip batches or suppliers interacting with the new firmware? But I still suspect that the router will work in that stripped back situation and that we might be able to help Asus find the cause by slowly adding complexity to that simple working config.

I agree with you, something weird is going on web server keeps restarting. From my testing I've only seen it happen when I try to login to the main page and when going to network monitor, qos. When I go directly to the WAN, wireless, and admin pages it's fine.

 

[krychek]

It looks like my httpd only restarts when I click on either "Adaptive QoS" or "Traffic Analyzer". I kept clicking on all the other setting and they work fine. Can anyone confirm this?

 

[Jong]

It looks like my httpd only restarts when I click on either "Adaptive QoS" or "Traffic Analyzer". I kept clicking on all the other setting and they work fine. Can anyone confirm this?

That's still a symptom, not the root cause. I can click on those to my heart's content.

 

[dratifk]

It seems just too much of a coincidence that 2 different devices owned by one person have the same problem if it were a fault. Surely it must be either a device on the network, something people are configuring during setup, or the way they are connecting to the router.

It seems people have tried making minimal changes after reset, so what about disconnecting all other devices during setup? Try a single wired device to a router with no other devices and using the default Asus SSID. Given this is straight after reset, this has got to work, hasn't it?!

FYI I did try and connect the router directly to my laptop with no other device and Wifi not configured it did not help. Part of troubleshooting any problem is isolating your network to the device giving you problems. If it was a configuration issue why does it only apply to the latest firmware for the RT87U and RT68U? I also tried default ID of ADMIN and just letters in logon. I literally worked on this issue from 3:30 to 10:30 and just gave up. I'm a Physician not a network specialist

Few other things may help. All my computers were orignally Win 7 Ultimate upgraded to Win 10. I tried both Chrome and IE/Edge and firefox. I tried reset serveal times and I also restored one computer to Win 7 using a Acronis Image I had. All other firmwares work fine on both the RT87 and RT68.

 

[Jong]

FYI I did try and connect the router directly to my laptop with no other device and Wifi not configured it did not help. Part of troubleshooting any problem is isolating your network to the device giving you problems. If it was a configuration issue why does it only apply to the latest firmware for the RT87U and RT68U? I also tried default ID of ADMIN and just letters in logon. I literally worked on this issue from 3:30 to 10:30 and just gave up. I'm a Physician not a network specialist

Few other things may help. All my computers were orignally Win 7 Ultimate upgraded to Win 10. I tried both Chrome and IE/Edge and firefox. I tried reset serveal times and I also restored one computer to Win 7 using a Acronis Image I had. All other firmwares work fine on both the RT87 and RT68.

Thanks for trying! As you say, this is basic troubleshooting, but I don't remember seeing anyone say they had done it, hence the request.

As I said, I'm not doubting the new firmware is causing this problem to crop up for some people. But as this does not occur for many people I'm trying to work out what it is causes it for some. A hard reset *should* put the router in a known state. We seem to have eliminated it being the browser or the PC (as many of each have been tried). You say you have tried with one PC hard-wired and just the most basic default setup and that did not help. Unless RMerlin has an idea given his unique knowledge it seems that leaves only 2 options:

• That the hard reset is not actually working, potentially leaving some part of the router in a bad state (possibly affected by previous activity). I have to say my experience with 4xxx firmware, where I had weird "looping" errors that no one else could reproduce, did leave me to believe this might be true.
• That there are different "builds" or "versions" of this router that behave differently with this firmware

If Asus cannot recreate the problem even this information should, hopefully, help.

 

[RMerlin]

Don't forget to reboot the router AFTER you unplugged everyone, otherwise your crashed httpd server still won't be running.

 

[krychek]

Of course this is the firmware's fault. Suddenly everybody's having a new problem with the same settings. Reverting to the old firmware fixes the problem...
No client side setting should cause the server's http daemon to crash and restart! C'mon!

I agree with you, something weird is going on web server keeps restarting. From my testing I've only seen it happen when I try to login to the main page and when going to network monitor, qos. When I go directly to the WAN, wireless, and admin pages it's fine.

This is exactly the same thing that's happening to me.

 

[RMerlin]

Of course this is the firmware's fault. Suddenly everybody's having a new problem with the same settings. Reverting to the old firmware fixes the problem...
No client side setting should cause the server's http daemon to crash and restart! C'mon!



This is exactly the same thing that's happening to me.

Nobody's trying to shift the blame to clients. We're just trying to figure out what triggers it, otherwise it will be next to impossible to track down and to fix, as most of us are unable to reproduce the problem.

 

[Jong]

Of course this is the firmware's fault. Suddenly everybody's having a new problem with the same settings. Reverting to the old firmware fixes the problem...
No client side setting should cause the server's http daemon to crash and restart! C'mon!

With respect, you are not helping yourself. The point is that everybody is not having this problem - some are. And a hard reset should get everyone to the same place but it isn't. So we can just shout at Asus to fix it, when it sounds they can't even reproduce it or we can try to work out what is different in your situation to others. If really it isn't the local environment then either your router isn't resetting properly or your router is, in some way, different to others. And, again, no one is saying the firmware is not part of the reason for this but it can't be the whole reason or we would all be having it.

Edit: sorry, RMerlin, our posts overlapped.

 

[krychek]

Nobody's trying to shift the blame to clients. We're just trying to figure out what triggers it, otherwise it will be next to impossible to track down and to fix, as most of us are unable to reproduce the problem.

Is there a way to make httpd to log error messages, etc?

 

[RMerlin]

Is there a way to make httpd to log error messages, etc?

No. It flat out crashes, so it's similar to WIndows telling you that "httpd has stopped responding" - you get no error message, only that the program has stopped running.

Main way to debug this is to find out how to reproduce the problem, compile a version of httpd with debug symbols in it, and run it through the gdb debugger while causing it to crash. Not something that can be done by an average user (even myself I can barely understand how to use gdb, having done so maybe 2 or 3 times at most over the years).

Or, if the steps to reproduce it are precise enough to give a hint as to what might happening, carpet bomb the httpd binary with debug output in strategical locations, until you can locate the exact place where it crashes. That's my usual technique.

 

[My_dogs_White]

For what it's worth I updated from the latest Merlin build to 9177, no issues here at all. The only reason I moved away from 355 (I think that was it???) is I want the traffic monitor. Otherwise I would have stayed on Merlin's firmware as it worked perfect for me. Two months up time.

 

[bradbort]

Are any folks who are having the menu weirdness also turning on the internal protection software? I've had issues with that in the past, not the same, but causing conflicts with other security software on my network that would cause router lockups.

 

[nagle3092]

Are any folks who are having the menu weirdness also turning on the internal protection software? I've had issues with that in the past, not the same, but causing conflicts with other security software on my network that would cause router lockups.

That's what I thought it was at first but it isn't. Even a stock config it still does it (as in factory reset then making zero changes).

 

[snb008]

For what it's worth I updated from the latest Merlin build to 9177, no issues here at all. The only reason I moved away from 355 (I think that was it???) is I want the traffic monitor. Otherwise I would have stayed on Merlin's firmware as it worked perfect for me. Two months up time.

I am currently using Merlin's 378.55 and am also considering trying the traffic monitor (as well as beamforming).

What are the exact steps that you took to change from 378.55 to 9177? I am a newbie and I would be grateful if you can spell out the details.

Thank you.

 

[krychek]

RMerlin: is httpd in this firmware the latest version there is or we could upgrade it somehow?

 

[ramp]

Hi there,

I just upgraded to this official firmware version 9177 from the previous official version (5134). However I am getting a lag issue when using RDP via Citrix Receiver. If I downgrade back to 5134 the problem disappears.

I am also seeing this message in the log,
mDNSNetMonitor: GetLargeResourceRecord: opt 65002 optlen 8 wrong

Does anyone have any ideas? I really want to move away from 5134 as I am getting issues running Plex.

Thanks in advance

 

[Jong]

It's just information from part of the Bonjour service. Asus have said they will hide in a future version.

 

[bradbort]

That's what I thought it was at first but it isn't. Even a stock config it still does it (as in factory reset then making zero changes).

A long time ago, with a different asus router, I had a menu corruption issue when I first installed it. I never got it resolved and ended up returning it. I suspected a graphics card incompatibility, but since folks who are having the issue are trying to access it with numerous different clients, that seems unlikely. The only thing that occurs to me is that there are some hardware variations in the routers that are causing the issue...