Sorry for the blast of posts... I finally got the router. I flashed it to 23320 build of DD-WRT and checked the CFE version. Looks like it is 1.0.
So I got the 1.1 version posted in this thread by blywong and updated the CFE via console using the mtd command. did a 30/30/30 and checked CFE version. 1.1. So far so good.
I test for the nvram bug by enabling ssh and rebooting. looks okay. I have values past 32k and no "00 00" at 32k address. Thinking I'm not affected by nvram bug I decide to go to latest dd-wrt.
I flash to the latest rom (26947). I enable ssh to test nvram and reboot and the router goes into a boot loop.
Is this a bug in the latest dd-wrt FW or is this a symptom of the nvram bug? I noticed after enabling ssh, that the nvram increases a lot more than with build 23320 (36k vs. 33k).
I really don't want to flash to the asus CFE to solve this. Would prefer to keep things somewhat close to linksys standards.
Any advice? Thanks!
One more question about all the CFE flashing... Is restoring the CFE from Asus back to linksys 1.0/1.1 basically the same? Unlock MTD and write? Do I have to do a FW upgrade from the command line back to a linksys FW before I reboot as well?
Thanks.. And apologies for the flood of questions. Just don't want to brick the router.
Edit: okay... so it seems like I'm affected by the NVRAM bug... I've tried various versions of dd-wrt which boot loops after a reboot, and i've tried tomato by shibby and that seemed to be working fine but after a reboot, my 2.4ghz radio settings disappeared. so yea. nvram bug =(
Looks like I'm going to have to flash to xvortex's asus cfe.. just need to read up on how to customize it.
Can anyone confirm that I will be able to flash back to stock CFE afterwards? I can't imagine why I can't but would be nice to confirm with the nice folks here.
seriously contemplating just buying a new ac68u lol...
Sooo.... I got Xvortex's CFE flashed (yay!) and I had build 23320 dd-wrt installed (yay!) and I tried reproducing nvram bug with no issues (yay!) but then I tried flashing to the latest dd-wrt build (27xxx) and i couldn't boot back. so I put the router into restoration mode (holding reset and plugging in) and tried flashing the FW this way as it was suggested previously in this thread... Problem now... =(
Is the Asus CFE miniWeb server firmware upload suppose to be this slow? it's taking like 10 minutes to upload 1%.
It's been so long to get to now 60% (I think all night) that I'm thinking of pulling the plug. Can anyone confirm this is safe to abort before I do so?
I'm thinking I should unplug the router while it's still uploading and trying to get it to boot back into dd-wrt by clearing nvram and uploading and flashing via telnet. Or maybe use tftp2 tool...
This is all because I couldn't get flashing to work via dd-wrt gui like Malachi.
Getting desperate as I have to unplug to go to work soon since I was using my work laptop lol... Thanks!
Edit: okay, i pulled the plug on the router mid-upload and it rebooted and I can get back into the old dd-wrt.
hahha, whoever is reading all my posts, I hope you've enjoyed my journey with this damn router.. =)
Sooo.... I got Xvortex's CFE flashed (yay!) and I had build 23320 dd-wrt installed (yay!) and I tried reproducing nvram bug with no issues (yay!) but then I tried flashing to the latest dd-wrt build (27xxx) and i couldn't boot back. so I put the router into restoration mode (holding reset and plugging in) and tried flashing the FW this way as it was suggested previously in this thread... Problem now... =(
Is the Asus CFE miniWeb server firmware upload suppose to be this slow? it's taking like 10 minutes to upload 1%.
It's been so long to get to now 60% (I think all night) that I'm thinking of pulling the plug. Can anyone confirm this is safe to abort before I do so?
I'm thinking I should unplug the router while it's still uploading and trying to get it to boot back into dd-wrt by clearing nvram and uploading and flashing via telnet. Or maybe use tftp2 tool...
This is all because I couldn't get flashing to work via dd-wrt gui like Malachi.
Getting desperate as I have to unplug to go to work soon since I was using my work laptop lol... Thanks!
Edit: okay, i pulled the plug on the router mid-upload and it rebooted and I can get back into the old dd-wrt.
hahha, whoever is reading all my posts, I hope you've enjoyed my journey with this damn router.. =)
Before you update to the latest and greatest make sure that you turn off dnsmasq on the setup page and save changes. Mine has the following in the startup script so I dont have to worry about the 32 nvram bug.
for line in `nvram show | grep =$ `; do var=${line%*=}; nvram unset $var; done
Okay... I see the light at the end of the tunnel...
So I'm now running build 27086. 27092 had some UI issues with creating bridges so I just went back one release... My nvram usage is well above 32k (~44k) and I've rebooted several times and no issues discovered.
I did the hexdump command and althought it does find additional "00 00", the locations are nowhere close to 0x8000. I'm assuming this is okay and it's legitimate '00 00' and not the nvram boundary.
I've been using the ftp FW then telnet and mtd write to change the firmware. Much faster than using the Asus CFE miniweb server to flash the FW.
Thanks to everyone who replied!
Now it's finally on to setup and speed tests...
Last edited by mr_yellow on Thu May 28, 2015 15:06; edited 1 time in total
Before you update to the latest and greatest make sure that you turn off dnsmasq on the setup page and save changes. Mine has the following in the startup script so I dont have to worry about the 32 nvram bug.
for line in `nvram show | grep =$ `; do var=${line%*=}; nvram unset $var; done
James, what does that script do exactly? It looks like it just unsets all the nvram variables it finds.
Okay... so I thought I'd consolidate all the info I've gathered over the past few days into one post. Thanks to everyone that posted above me. Well, not everyone, but you know who ;)
My Process to run DD-WRT on EA6900
* Don't bother with Linksys CFE (Bootloader) 1.0 or 1.1. Use XVortex's Modified Asus CFE.
1) You have to modify the CFE with your router's MAC addr and WPS password using CFEEdit.
Code:
et0macaddr -> your base mac address on the bottom sticker
0:macaddr -> equals to et0macaddr
1:macaddr -> equals to 0:macaddr + :0x04
secret_code -> WPS password (bottom of router, no dash)
3) do a 30/30/30 with reset button to clear nvram
4) log into dd-wrt, set user/password
4.5) backup your cfe by browsing to http://192.168.1.1/backup/cfe.bin
* You'll need this if you ever want to revert back to stock.
5) enable proftpd and create a new user
6) ftp the modified CFE with that user
* For love of god, remember to enable binary mode in ftp or use a client like winscp
7) telnet into router and run the following commands to flash CFE. USERNAME is the user you created in for proftpd.
* For love of god, don't cut and paste these commands. adjust them to match your file and directory names
8) Clear nvram by pulling the power on the router, hold *WPS* button while plug in power. Wait for the LED to flash quickly (~20 seconds). This is the nvram reset procedure with new CFE.
9) go back into dd-wrt, set user/password
10) enable proftpd and create new user again
11) FTP desired ea6900 firmware you want (dd-wrt BS/KONG, Tomato by Shibby, etc...)
* For love of god, remember to enable binary mode in ftp or use a client like winscp
12) Telnet and flash using the following commands:
Code:
mtd write name-of-firmware.bin Linux
erase nvram
reboot
* For love of god, don't cut and paste these commands. adjust them to match your file and directory names
* Not sure if erase nvram command will work. if not, then hold WPS button while plugging in power until linksys led flashes quickly. this erases nvram.
13) Test 32k nvram bug by enabling SSH, adding stuff to admin->commands scripts, etc.. anything to bump nvram above 32k.
14) Reboot and run following command:
* The limit for 32K is row hex 8000.
* If your nvram size reports above 32K (32768) and you find in hexdump the 3 "00" before row hex 8000, you have the 32K bug. (After reboot of course)
* Basically if you don't see "00 00 00" before or near address 00008000, you're okay.
How to check your CFE version: (really no point to if you're going to XVortex's CFE)
1) flash to r23320
2) backup your cfe by browsing to http://192.168.1.1/backup/cfe.bin
3) telnet into router and run
Code:
nvram show | grep sw_version
xxxx.12 = CFE 1.0
xxxx.13 = CFE 1.1
How to check for 32k nvram bug (Do this after you've installed your desired FW)
1) if starting out from linksys fw flash to r23320
2) then flash to newer dd-wrt build
3) enable ssh and other things to make nvram go past 32k. I used the admin->command scripts and added a bunch of scripts. You could theoretically just dump many long lines of "#"
4) reboot
5) run the hexdump command above. look for "00 00 00" by address 8000
6) sometimes after the reboot, the router will go into boot loops. Most likely caused by nvram bug. Clear the nvram using whatever method matches the CFE installed (30/30/30 reset for linksys, WPS for xvortex).
If you find any errors in the info above, please PM me or post here.
CAVEATS:
* You can't flash using the dd-wrt gui anymore. You can to use telnet and mtd command or tftp or the cfe miniweb server (open 192.168.1.1 while TTL=100 during boot)
* flashing back to stock CFE (you backed up the CFE right?) should be as simple as uploading the CFE bin file and running the same commands you used to flash to xvortex cfe. Remember the clear nvram proceedure changes.
* you can't erase nvram from command line (erase nvram). it causes 2.4ghz and 5ghz radios to have the same MAC address. reset nvram using WPS button technique or resetting via asus cfe miniweb server.
* USB 3.0 port is non-functioning.
Last edited by mr_yellow on Mon Jun 01, 2015 15:19; edited 7 times in total
Because the 32k bug was affecting mine. With that you get a better response out of the router as well.
But didn't the xvortex cfe solve the 32k nvram bug for you?
BTW, the script will unset all nvram lines that end in "=". so essentially all variables with no value. However, if you happen to have a variable value that ends in = (like i did), then i'm not sure what the behaviour of the script will be. It may unset that valid variable or it may not (since the script may parse at the wrong = sign).
Just becareful. Also the resulting amount of data saved was only 8k for me. So with my nvram hovering around 44k right now, i'd still be affected by the CFE bug. Luckily xvortex solves it.
I would be very interested in wifi and cable performance.
Maybe you could do some speed testing (local and internet) and post the results.
I'm thinking of buying an ea6900... but I'm not convinced yet. I want some stable AC ddwrt router but reading the threads of newer asus routers that are packed with wifi problems led me to other manufacturers.
Thanks for all the info on how you managed to get your router working!
I would be very interested in wifi and cable performance.
Maybe you could do some speed testing (local and internet) and post the results.
I'm thinking of buying an ea6900... but I'm not convinced yet. I want some stable AC ddwrt router but reading the threads of newer asus routers that are packed with wifi problems led me to other manufacturers.
Thanks for all the info on how you managed to get your router working!
Swent[/quote
Would you be able to recommend a tool to test performance?
I would be very interested in wifi and cable performance.
Maybe you could do some speed testing (local and internet) and post the results.
I'm thinking of buying an ea6900... but I'm not convinced yet. I want some stable AC ddwrt router but reading the threads of newer asus routers that are packed with wifi problems led me to other manufacturers.
Thanks for all the info on how you managed to get your router working!
Swent[/quote
Would you be able to recommend a tool to test performance?
To be honest I have no idea, maybe just copy/download a pretty large file from one device to another, try eliminating the devices storage as bottleneck (from/to SSD). Divide size by time and you got an average transfer speed.
You could do this one time for cable and one time for 5ghz wifi (but maybe just let one device use wifi, so target OR source should remain on a cable connection).
Okay... so I thought I'd consolidate all the info I've gathered over the past few days into one post.
I would add to this nice summary that router EA6900 is not recommended for purchase, since it does not (and will not) function properly with dd-wrt
With all the headache, you must either live with the 32k bug (which is not going to be fixed, because it must be fixed by Linksys) and hence must keep the config very simple - not what dd-wrt is usually installed for. Or you must deal with CFE from Asus, which is not easy for regular user. And even if you succeed with CFE, one of the USB ports (USB 3.0) will not be functioning.
Just get Netgear R7000, or Asus AC68U, or one of many other high-spec routers instead
Okay... so I thought I'd consolidate all the info I've gathered over the past few days into one post.
I would add to this nice summary that router EA6900 is not recommended for purchase, since it does not (and will not) function properly with dd-wrt
With all the headache, you must either live with the 32k bug (which is not going to be fixed, because it must be fixed by Linksys) and hence must keep the config very simple - not what dd-wrt is usually installed for. Or you must deal with CFE from Asus, which is not easy for regular user. And even if you succeed with CFE, one of the USB ports (USB 3.0) will not be functioning.
Just get Netgear R7000, or Asus AC68U, or one of many other high-spec routers instead
Well it depends on how much you pay for it. Right now we have a promo in Canada for the Linksys recertified EA6900 C$69.99 with free shipping, about US$57. Not a bad price for a solid router if you are able to tweak it. I bought one and it should arrive on Monday, going to test it with Asuswrt firmware or Tomota.
