amtm Turn off modem without swap file corrupting

[Vertron]

I need to turn my router (AC86U) off for a while as I'm going to change my setup. I read before that the swap file on the usb stick can corrupt easily if not careful. Is there any recommended safe way to turn it off to avoid this from happening or will it be fine to just to press the power button while it's running?

 

[ColinTaylor]

Log into the GUI and eject the USB drive before powering off the router.

 

[Vertron]

Log into the GUI and eject the USB drive before powering off the router.

Thank you. I have a number of installations on the router; Diversion, Skynet, Unbound and x3mrouting. I assume unmounting the USB drive before I turn the router off won't break these in any way?

Also is it recommended to do this when doing a firmware upgrade too?

 

[Tech9]

Also is it recommended to do this when doing a firmware upgrade too?

I don't like in general scripts/swap on a flash drive idea. Do it every time you reboot the router. Firmware upgrade requires rooter reboot. Get a small UPS to protect your router from power disruptions. Better use a small SSD drive in external enclosure - SSD is more reliable storage media.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Thank you. I have a number of installations on the router; Diversion, Skynet, Unbound and x3mrouting. I assume unmounting the USB drive before I turn the router off won't break these in any way?

The router's "Reboot" process unmounts drives in the same way so it shouldn't cause a problem with scripts. The issue is that there isn't a "Shutdown" button in the GUI.

 

[Vertron]

I don't like in general scripts/swap on a flash drive idea. Do it every time you reboot the router. Firmware upgrade requires rooter reboot. Get a small UPS to protect your router from power disruptions. Better use a small SSD drive in external enclosure - SSD is more reliable storage media.

I've actually got a high endurance micro SD card after reading some advice I found in an old thread. If I ever get any issues I'll consider upgrading to an SSD.

Ok, I never unmounted before a fireware upgrade before but will from now on. Thanks for the tips!

 

[Vertron]

The router's "Reboot" process unmounts drives in the same way so it shouldn't cause a problem with scripts. The issue is that there isn't a "Shutdown" button in the GUI.

Thanks for the info. My original plan was to press reboot then hit the power button before it turns back on. Unmounting sounds like the better option.

 

[Tech9]

Ok, I never unmounted after a fireware upgrade before but will from now on.

Before, not after. Some routers need a reboot in order to upgrade firmware successfully. If available RAM is too low, the upgrade process will fail. Unmount, reboot, upgrade. Test quickly if things look fine, plug your USB back in.

 

[Vertron]

Before, not after. Some routers need a reboot in order to upgrade firmware successfully. If available RAM is too low, the upgrade process will fail. Unmount, reboot, upgrade. Test quickly if things look fine, plug your USB back in.

Sorry, I meant before, that was a typo. Thanks for all that info!

 

[davidwford]

Is there any way to unmount the USB on an aimesh node before doing a firmware upgrade? The last time i upgraded the firmware, the swap file disappeared after the upgrade was complete.

 

[Tech9]

You had a swap file on a Node? What is this swap file used for?

 

[davidwford]

I have scMerlin installed so i can check the router temperatures.

 

[MrOblivious]

If you SSH into the router, you can issue the 'halt' command, which I read on another thread is the next best thing to an actual shut-down.

 

[davidwford]

If i use the ‘halt’ command on the node, I then can‘t log into the node from the main routers admin firmware upgrade page. I guess it’s killed the gui on the node.

 

[Tech9]

I have scMerlin installed so i can check the router temperatures.

Good, but scMerlin doesn't require swap file. Does it?

 

[davidwford]

Entware does, and i think you can’t install scMerlin without it?

 

[Tech9]

Entware does, and i think you can’t install scMerlin without it?

I don't think Entware requires swap file either. A script using Entware may require swap file. For scMerlin @Jack Yaz is the right person to ask.

 

[davidwford]

You are quite correct Tech9. I’ve just wiped the flash drive on the node and re-installed Entware and scMerlin, no swap file required. Thanks!

 

[Tech9]

Here you go - one less thing to worry about.

 

[Jack Yaz]

I don't think Entware requires swap file either. A script using Entware may require swap file. For scMerlin @Jack Yaz is the right person to ask.

I think the only one of my scripts that requires a swap file is spdMerlin, which was primarily introduced when it was using the old python version of speedtest. It may not be required with the built in speedtest but I haven't tested without it