custom firmware

[Oleg]

Hi!

Does anyone was able to build custom firmware?

I've tried to build one using broadcom/linksys tools. I've tried to add some files, repack, build trx and when notice ASUS has added some trailer to the end of cramfs image. It's 64 bytes long for an older firmware version and 3324 bytes for the new one. I've added 3324 bytes one and was able to upload custom firmware to router. Unfortunatly it does not start. Then I've used Asus firmware restoration tool to bring it back to boot. I've not verified yet what's wrong... Any thoughts?

Regards.

[Snigel]

Isn't all the firmware under the GPL-license, don't we have any rights to get all the sources from asus?

[Antiloop]

Originally posted by Snigel
Isn't all the firmware under the GPL-license, don't we have any rights to get all the sources from asus?

yes as noted in other messages of me, my contactperson at Asus Taiwan did not respond yet to this issue.

it would be very interresting when we would be able to build our own customized firmwares

i still can't do anything with the gpl source from linksys. because i don't have any linux box running anymore (except my wl500g offcourse :P)

it's a pitty that others did not follow linksys yet (asus, buffalo, gemtek, dell, microsoft)

[Snigel]

I think that there must be something bigger we can contact and send against asus. There are people that stands for the GPL and those talked to Linksys, we need to inform them about what Asus is doing.

[Antiloop]

Originally posted by vdovikin
Hi!

Does anyone was able to build custom firmware?

I've tried to build one using broadcom/linksys tools. I've tried to add some files, repack, build trx and when notice ASUS has added some trailer to the end of cramfs image. It's 64 bytes long for an older firmware version and 3324 bytes for the new one. I've added 3324 bytes one and was able to upload custom firmware to router. Unfortunatly it does not start. Then I've used Asus firmware restoration tool to bring it back to boot. I've not verified yet what's wrong... Any thoughts?

Regards.

did the device not boot
or was it blinking (firmware failure) ???

if i'm not wrong the linksys is using some other chips onboard. i have to check this out

[Oleg]

I don't know what exactly happen. But I'm was unable to access it. Some leds flashing...
Yes, WRT54G hardware differs, so I've used the original ASUS kernel & rootfs with minor modifications.
Either way I will try again...

[Oleg]

Finally I was able to make the bootable firmware. I'm was able to add one executable that is needed for me (aprox 56k in size) and have modified the boot sequence to launch the init file from the usb drive if one found (/mnt/usbfs/init).
So for now my wl500g launches telnetd at startup and alters the firewall settings to drop requests to telnet from the outside.
So it's possible, but I still can't inject telnetd to the rootfs - maybe just a size or the align issue...

[Antiloop]

Originally posted by vdovikin
Finally I was able to make the bootable firmware. I'm was able to add one executable that is needed for me (aprox 56k in size) and have modified the boot sequence to launch the init file from the usb drive if one found (/mnt/usbfs/init).
So for now my wl500g launches telnetd at startup and alters the firewall settings to drop requests to telnet from the outside.
So it's possible, but I still can't inject telnetd to the rootfs - maybe just a size or the align issue...

like.. SEND IT TO ME! please mail it to forum@chupa.nl size doesn't matter, i'll give it a place at this site

and maybe you could build a custom firmware for now, that only launches the init file from usb drive, without the executable you needed.

then it would be possible to rebuild almost the whole wl500g at your usb disk. functions could be added for support of 2+ printers etc..
i don't know how much fast the broadcom chip is.. but if it's very fast then we would be able to build a mysql+php and apache at it.

thanks for this breakthrough!

could you also describe here, or in the mail how to build a new firmware? it's time for me te reinstall a linux box i think

[Marrik]

very interesting! listing...

[Oleg]

I've sent the firmware to forum@chupa.nl, waiting for Antiloop to make it available.


If you want to try this firmware (but it's your own risk) - please be sure to reboot wl500g before the upgrade. It's possible that your router will not reboot automatically after the firmware upgrade is complete and you will get "connection refused" from your browser. Don't worry - just turn power off and then on. This is probably an ASUS issue... If your pwr led start flashing - the firmware does not work for your, and you will need to run Firmware restoration tool. If your router does not bootup and pwr led not flashing - do the following: poweroff it, press the RESTORE key on the back, and turn power on. Release the power key as soon as pwr led start flashing - you can run firmware restoration.

This firmware contains the telnetd & the following things from
busybox-1.0pre5:

/bin/date
/bin/dd
/usr/bin/free
/usr/bin/head
/sbin/insmod
/bin/login
/bin/netstat
/usr/bin/nslookup
/usr/bin/passwd
/usr/bin/sort
/usr/bin/strings
/usr/bin/tail
/usr/bin/tee
/usr/sbin/telnetd
/usr/bin/time
/usr/bin/top
/usr/bin/uniq
/bin/watch
/usr/bin/wget

The required are: login, passwd, telnetd, insmod. Other tools are just my preference. ;-)

During the boot this new firmware will initialize passwd&group files, which is needed for login/telnetd. You will be able to telnet to your box using the 'admin' as login name, and password you've set for the web interface. The telnetd security: this firmware will block all access to telnetd from the WAN port, if you have the same setting for the web access.

This firmware has also an ability to execute arbitrary commands during the boot. You just need to put such a commands (all prefixed with bootCmd) to the nvram. Something like this:

nvram set bootCmd0="/usr/sbin/wl -i eth2 txpwr 50"
nvram set bootCmd1="/mnt/usbfs/init"

Also you need to commit this using

nvram commit

Then just reboot your wl500g, and check /tmp/bootCmd.log for the output messages if any.

I will post patches/instructions for building the firmware later.

Regards,
Oleg.

[Antiloop]

i've succesfully upgraded the firmware, no problems till now
ps. i had to manual reset the router, as described.
ps2. do a cold reboot (ie. poweroff), if you run out of memory your upgrade could fail.
mostly the /tmp/ stays active even when warm reboot

the new firmware can be found at:
http://files.wl500g.info/asus/wl500g...re/customized/

and downloaded at:
http://files.wl500g.info/asus/wl500g...en_custom1.trx

i've copied a piece of my log:
Jan 1 01:00:19 dhcp client: lease is lost
Jan 1 01:00:19 passwd[361]: password for `admin' changed by user `admin'
Jan 1 01:00:19 alarm: UDP connection access to 1.2.3.4:68 from 213.46.108.65:67
Jan 1 01:00:19 alarm: UDP connection access to 1.2.3.4:68 from 213.46.108.65:67
Jan 1 01:00:20 alarm: TCP connection access to 1.2.3.4:1742 from 207.46.107.69:1863
Jan 1 01:00:21 dhcp client: bound IP address 1.2.3.4 from server 1.2.3.5
Jan 1 01:00:26 alarm: TCP connection access to 1.2.3.4:1758 from 62.58.50.10:110
Dec 29 01:40:53 NTP client: time is synchronized to 131.107.1.10
Dec 29 01:41:38 alarm: TCP connection access to 1.2.3.4:113 from 217.67.235.13:60547
Dec 29 01:42:11 login[836]: root login on `pts/0'

this is from the first boot after firmware upgrade.

[chase]

Does http://my.router/Main_AdmStatus_Content.asp still work?
Another question: does http://my.router/Main_AdmStatus_Content.asp work on firmware 1.6.5.3?thanks!

[Antiloop]

Originally posted by chase
Does http://my.router/Main_AdmStatus_Content.asp still work?
Another question: does http://my.router/Main_AdmStatus_Content.asp work on firmware 1.6.5.3?thanks!

yes / yes

[Technik]

Vdovikin, Antiloop, thanks a lot!!! An excellent work!

[justwords]

call me stupid but is there a practical use for this firmware? Or is it simply training for some future enhancement like special server modes, vpn or else? Why should i telnet to my router - just to look around on the system and to understand how it works?