The Winter Knight is here

[RMerlin]

Howdy folks,

3.0.0.4.374.36 Beta 1 (dubbed "Winter Knight" - let's see once again if someone can find where that reference is coming from ) was uploaded on Mediafire, as I needed user feedback from it.

This build mostly focuses on bugfixes and tweaks. Most notable:

• New feature: postconf scripts. These allow you to manipulate a config file through a user script. It will allow you, for example, to use "sed" to replace an entry in a router-generated config file with something else. Please see the README for the details on how to use them and which postconf files are available.
• Numerous fixes and adjustments were done to the Networkmap process. A few bugs related to the DLNA scanning were fixed, which can greatly speed up the scanning process for some users. Timings were also adjusted in an attempt to resolve the missing device issue.
• Dropbear was updated to 2013.62. This version adds ECDSA support. Asuswrt-Merlin will now generate both the RSA and ECDSA host keys. You will also be able to use a public ECDSA key to log into the router.
• A few additional tweaks to OpenVPN. For instance, if the router has its own client/server key that were automatically generated by the FW but you replace the CA cert later on, it will no longer use those stored cert/key in an exported ovpn config file (since it won't match anymore with your provided CA cert).
• At least one user was having stability issues with PPPoE. I have seen other reports from Tomato users having similar issues, which were resolved by downgrading rp-pppoe to version 3.10. I decided to downgrade rp-pppoe to that version (same version Asus used until build 354) to see if it does work better.
  

This is only a summary, please check the changelog for the list of changes.

Things I need feedback on:

• networkmap. I never succeeded in reproducing most of the reported issues, so I had to do a few blind changes in hopes to improve reliability. While doing so, numerous unrelated bugs were found and fixed. Let me know if it resolves the missing device issues, or the endless spinner issues. Please note that if you access the client list too quickly after rebooting the router, it can take up to 30 secs before the list starts populating - this is part of the workaround implemented concerning the missing device issue.
• Please report your PPPoE stability results, especially if you previously had issues where your PPPoE session would randomly terminate without warning.
• I've implemented postconf scripts pretty much everywhere that previously had a custom config hook. Let me know if they work correct, or if there are additional postconf scripts you might need.

And before someone asks: yes, this is still based on 374_339. The reason is simple: there is no newer source code available yet. I will update to a newer codebase when there is one actually available.

Happy Holidays everyone!

 

[connorm]

thanks for the firmware merlin. just curious would it really hurt to put the download in the post?, i know you have a thread for the links to download but i still don't get why posting it in the thread where you announce the firmware is hard.

 

[bluepoint]

thanks for the firmware merlin. just curious would it really hurt to put the download in the post?, i know you have a thread for the links to download but i still don't get why posting it in the thread where you announce the firmware is hard.

Merlin's firmwares maintains 5 Asus models and each one has different links. It's not practical for him to post it everytime there is a new one. Everyone that follows Merlin's development by now knows or has already bookmarked his download site so when there is a freebee we know where to get it.

 

[bobyang]

nice! thank you!

 

[extensi0n]

Networkmap

I noticed some hang now and again with some locations. It generally worked fine, but it seems to go quicker now. At least for me, with just a few local clients. Will test with some larger client locations when I can sneak a firmware upgrade in there...

I'm almost thinking it was just a browser issue. (firefox ok usually, but IE 9, go figure, in mRemoteNG gave me some hassles now and again.)

 

[cofetym]

First time poster.

Merry Christmas Merlin! I have your firmware installed on my Rt-n66u and Rt-ac66u.
I have the spinning ring issue on the Rt-n66u and duplicate mac addresses
of some devices. Appreciate all that you do and keep up the good work.

 

[RMerlin]

Merry Christmas Merlin! I have your firmware installed on my Rt-n66u and Rt-ac66u.
I have the spinning ring issue on the Rt-n66u and duplicate mac addresses
of some devices. Appreciate all that you do and keep up the good work.

What device is giving you duplicates? How is it connected to your network?

 

[RMerlin]

thanks for the firmware merlin. just curious would it really hurt to put the download in the post?, i know you have a thread for the links to download but i still don't get why posting it in the thread where you announce the firmware is hard.

One reason is if the download link changes at some point, then there won't be a ton of posts all over the place with broken download links showing up on Google. It happened only a few weeks ago when Mediafire stopped supporting custom URLs. I only had to update one sticky, my website and the README, and after only 3 days I was no longer getting any "Download link is broken" emails.

 

[stafli]

Promising

Thanks Merlin!! Very promising! My Client List actually survived a refresh button hit (without wheel spinning forever), which never happened before!

Merry Christmas!!

 

[MarkyPancake]

I'm behind an aggressive firewall at the moment.

Is there an SDK5 version of this beta firmware?

 

[jim769]

I'm behind an aggressive firewall at the moment.

Is there an SDK5 version of this beta firmware?

Yes there is.

 

[MarkyPancake]

I'm new to the world of Asus and Merlin firmware, so is there a rough timescale as to when a beta build turns stable?

 

[jim769]

I'm new to the world of Asus and Merlin firmware, so is there a rough timescale as to when a beta build turns stable?[/

No real timescale I think they wait for feedback from people who have used the firmware for awhile and if everything looks good after a certain amount of time they will release it as a final version.

 

[HeadBanger]

DDNS not working for me on this version - back to 3.0.0.4.374.35_4 and all is fine again.

Scrap that sorry - flashed again and it now works.
Perhaps the ASUS DDNS was down when I originally flashed?

 

[cofetym]

Duplicate Mac Add

What device is giving you duplicates? How is it connected to your network?

I'm in the hospital at the moment but if I remember correctly. It might be the Belkin range extender that I have installed on the second floor.
Merlin both Asus routers I have are installed on the first floor behind my tv. Belkin extender is installed wireless.

 

[brummygit]

Hi Merlin

Thanks for your continued hard work.

I wonder whether during your tweaks on the scripting etc whether you can make things like persistent DHCP reservations (and maybe others like DHCP or QoS) easier to implement?

I am not a script expert and with a little help managed to get setup into the JFFS partition for my DHCP settings but these have to be recreated every time the firmware is updated. Would it be possible to read in some standard config files as part of your script tweaks from a USB hard drive or similar? I would be very happy even if it required a reboot afterwards?

Thanks again

 

[donbowman]

The new dropbear still has the problem with the static path (which doesn't include /opt/bin)
openwrt put in some patch for this here, but they didn't add /opt.
Debian also made some changes so dropbear would read /etc/login.defs

$ ssh myrtr echo \$PATH
/usr/bin:/bin

it would be nice, given how static this environment is, to change DEFAULT_PATH to have /opt/bin in it. (w/o it, it breaks the use of 'mosh' since the default clients e.g. on android just do 'ssh rtr mosh-server', and it doesn't find it). and since bin is non-writeable, i can't ln it there.

 

[KAD]

I have the spinning ring issue on the Rt-n66u and duplicate mac addresses
of some devices.

in some pre-beta testing I discussed duplicate mac's with RMerlin
apparently this is correct if you have a bridge in place.
anything behind the bridge will appear to have the same mac address

 

[MXM]

Just upgraded to Winter Knight... Network client discovery is working fine.

I did run across a problem... When I logout from the router (RT-N66U), it tells me it is logged off. But then I go right back into the router IP address and it goes right into the router main page as if I had never logged off...

This happens on IE10, without any addons/cookie blockers...
Same happens on Chrome with Add Block Plus, Ghostery, DNT Me...

No other problems noted...

 

[RMerlin]

I'm in the hospital at the moment but if I remember correctly. It might be the Belkin range extender that I have installed on the second floor.
Merlin both Asus routers I have are installed on the first floor behind my tv. Belkin extender is installed wireless.

That's probably it. If it works as a client bridge, then everything behind the bridge will inherit the same MAC address as the extender. Nothing I can do about this.