-Unslung-6.x Family Release README INSTALLATION
-
-You must follow the steps in this README *exactly*. Do not skip any steps, and
-do not skip ahead thinking you know what you are doing and that therefore you
-don't need to follow instructions step by step.
+ Unslung-6.10 README
If at any time you have any questions concerning the installation or operation
of Unslung firmware, your first port of call should be the NSLU2-Linux wiki at:
- http://www.nslu2-linux.org
+ http://www.nslu2-linux.org
-If you are looking for further Unslung notes - including ipkg usage, diversion
-script details, or ChangeLog information, please consult the associated Unslung
-NOTES file.
+Additional information, including ChangeLog information can be found in the
+associated Unslung NOTES file as well as on the NSLU2-Linux wiki.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are three parts to completing the installation of the Unslung firmware:
- 1 - PRE-INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS
- 2 - FIRMWARE INSTALLATION DETAILS
- 3 - UNSLINGING DETAILS
-
-
-PRE-INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS
-
-1) You *must* test telnet Redboot access first before you flash the Unslung
- firmware. Failure to do so will mean you get no sympathy at all if you
- can't access Redboot when you need to recover from a bad flash. See
-
- http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/HowTo/TelnetIntoRedBoot
-
- - Redboot is the bootloader that runs when the device is first started,
- loading things into memory and starting Linux. By testing your
- ability to telnet into Redboot, you are ensuring that if you injure
- your NSLU2 with a bad flash you should be able to follow the "How
- To Recover From A Bad Flash" instructions at
-
- http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/HowTo/RecoverFromABadFlash
-
-2) If you want to install any packages, then you must have an external USB
- disk drive or an external USB flash disk. It is possible to make changes
- to the root filesystem in the internal flash storage, but the space is
- very limited. In fact, just running the "ipkg update" operation on an
- NSLU2 which does not have an external storage device of some sort attached
- will most likely render the NSLU2 unusable due to filling up its internal
- flash memory (if this happens then you will need to follow the recovery
- instructions in the previous step.) So unless you are an expert, use
- an external storage device. The remainder of these instructions assume
- that you have a suitable external disk or flash disk that you will be
- using for this purpose.
-
- A few words on selecting which port to use:
-
- Completely contrary to previous versions of Unslung, the preferred port
- for the Unslung external disk as of Unslung 6.x is often port 2. This
- will free up the far-more-flexible port number 1 for other uses.
-
- However, this "feature" (part of the Linksys R63 firmware) may cause some
- small consternation for users upgrading from earlier versions of Unslung.
- But in general, swapping the drives between the two ports will likely be
- the least painful solution. The basic challenge faced by upgraders is
- that *something* must change: if the drive remains in port 1, then it will
- remain mounted at "/share/hdd/..." but the drive nomenclature will change
- from "/dev/sda" to "/dev/sdb". On the other hand, if the drive is moved
- to port 2, then it will remain "/dev/sda" but it will then be mounted at
- "/share/flash/...". What difference this might make depends on each
- individual configuration; check the wiki for possible assistance for your
- particular configuration.
-
- For new users, the following guidelines can help:
- - if you have only a single drive that will be formatted by the NSLU2,
- use port 2.
- - if you have a single drive that will be formatted by the NSLU2, and
- all other drives or flash devices will be either FAT or NTFS, use
- port 2.
- - if you have two drives, and both will be formatted by the NSLU2, then
- unsling to the drive in port 1.
-
- If you unsling to port 2, and later add a drive in port 1 that will
- be formatted by the NSLU2, it will work as expected -- however, the
- drive to be added MUST be formatted by the unslung NSLU2 in question,
- and once formatted, the drive must NOT be removed. (The Linksys code
- will move it's "conf" datafiles to the drive in port 1 during the
- format operation, and thus will become dependent upon the presence of
- both drives for proper operation.)
-
-3) The external disk that you use as the target for package installation must
- be (or have previously been) formatted by the NSLU2.
-
- Since this point qualifies as a "frequently asked question", it is
- worth some clarification here. It is only possible to unsling to
- a disk that has been formatted by the NSLU2 - you cannot unsling to a
- FAT or NTFS disk. In fact, it is not sufficient to format the disk
- using another UNIX system -- in order to be recognized as a "Formatted
- (ext3)" disk by the NSLU2, and hence be suitable for unslinging, the
- disk must be specifically partitioned, formatted, and the partitions
- must contain a specific set of configuration files created by the
- NSLU2. So the simple rule is that if the NSLU2 web interface "Disk"
- page does not list the disk as "Formatted (ext3)", you will be unable
- to unsling to that disk.
-
- For upgrading users, it is possible to upgrade from all previous Unslung
- versions without reformatting your disk -- but not necessarily recommended.
- See the wiki article for recommended upgrade strategies:
-
- http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/Unslung/UpgradingToUnslung6
-
- The unsling script will not touch anything in /unslung or /opt on your
- disk, so make sure all your file modifications are in those directories,
- as you were warned in the README file in all previous Unslung versions :-)
-
-4) If you want to use a flash disk as the target for package installation,
- ensure that it is at least 256MB, and formatted as above via the
- Linksys web interface.
+ 1 - PRE-INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS
+ 2 - FIRMWARE INSTALLATION DETAILS
+ 3 - UNSLINGING DETAILS
+
+1) PRE-INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS
-5) Please verify that any disks you are going to connect to the NSLU2 are
- recognized and working properly *before* updating your firmware (including
- any shares and data you had previously stored.) If not, DO NOT CONTINUE.
- You may want to check out "How To Troubleshoot A Drive Missing Condition"
- at:
-
- http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/HowTo/TroubleshootADriveMissingCondition
-
- - The only exception to this, of course, are those enclosures that the
- stock firmware does not support, but the Unslung firmware does
- support.
-
-6) If you are upgrading your firmware, you should make a configuration backup
- via the Linksys web interface. The configuration backup can be found
- under "Administration", "Advanced", and then "Backup." The top section of
- that webpage is titled "Config Backup" and "Download" should be used to
- save your NSLU2 Users, Groups and Shares setup to a disk file.
-
-
-FIRMWARE INSTALLATION DETAILS
-
-1) Shutdown the NSLU2, and remove any disks that you may have plugged into the
- NSLU2. Power back up the NSLU2.
-
- - Firmware upgrades must always be performed with *no* hard disks or flash
- disks attached. This CANNOT be emphasized enough. Are you sure you
- unplugged the disks before powering up? If so, you may continue.
-
-2) Access the Web interface. Note that you should use the username "admin" and
- password "admin" for the web interface at this point (as no disks are
- attached, the default username and password is the only way to access the
- Management web pages).
-
- 2-a) If you are installing Unslung 6.x onto an NSLU2 unit with Linksys
- standard firmware already installed, flash unslung-6.x.bin as you
- normally would flash new firmware (using the web interface
- "Upgrade Firmware" page). See your NSLU2 user manual for details
- if you don't know how to do this.
-
- - During firmware flashing, the top LED - Ready/Status - flashes
- red and green (approximately 5 minutes, but can be much longer).
-
- - The NSLU2 will reboot after the flashing is complete.
-
- 2-b) If you are installing Unslung 6.x onto an NSLU2 unit with an
- existing version of nslu2-linux.org firmware already installed,
- you must first put the NSLU2 into RedBoot Upgrade Mode.
-
- - The NSLU2 should still be powered off at this point. If not,
- shut it down again before proceeding.
+a) You *must* confirm that you can enter "upgrade mode" using the Reset Button
+method. This is necessary because once you install Unslung, you will be unable
+to use the web GUI to reflash the device; the Reset Button technique will be
+required to install new firmware, upgrade, or recover from a bad flash:
- - Using a paper clip, push and hold in the reset button which is
- located on the back of the NSLU2 near the power socket.
+ http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/HowTo/UseTheResetButtonToEnterUpgradeMode
- - While holding in the reset button, press and release the power
- button.
+To upload the firmware, use either the Sercomm Update Utility (for Windows
+users) or the UpSlug2 Utility (for Linux and MacOS X users):
- - Watch the Ready/Status LED, and as soon as it turns red quickly
- release the reset button.
+ http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/Main/SercommFirmwareUpdater
+ http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/Main/UpSlug2
+ http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/Main/UpSlug2onOSX
- - You should now be in upgrade mode which is indicated by the
- Ready/Status LED alternating between red and green.
+b) You must have an external USB disk drive or an external USB flash device.
+There are a number of considerations to take into account in selecting the size
+and type of external device as well as which of the two USB ports to use:
- - Use either the Linux UpSlug2 tool or the Windows SerComm Upgrade
- tool to upload the new firmware - you can find download links at
- http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/HowTo/InstallUnslungFirmware
+ http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/Unslung/StorageBasics
+ http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/Unslung/WhichUSBPortforUnslung6
- - During firmware flashing, the top LED - Ready/Status - flashes
- red and green (approximately 5 minutes, but can be much longer).
+It is important to make sure that the device you intend to use is functional
+with the standard Linksys firmware before you attempt to use it with Unslung.
- - The NSLU2 will reboot after the flashing is complete.
+c) Review any known issues and errata:
-3) Shutdown the NSLU2 (again), attach disk(s), and power it back up.
+ http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/Unslung/KnownProblems
-4) Verify your NSLU2 is working normally again at this point in the web
- interface. In particular, you should ensure that all your disks are still
- recognized as they were before you updated the firmware (including any
- shares and data you had previously stored.) If not, DO NOT CONTINUE.
- You may want to check out "How To Troubleshoot A Drive Missing Condition"
- at:
+(Hint: read the wiki pages carefully to determine the firmware release to which
+they apply; many of the pages contain information pertaining to older versions
+of Unslung, or even to other firmware entirely.)
- http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/HowTo/TroubleshootADriveMissingCondition
+2) FIRMWARE INSTALLATION DETAILS
- - If you are not "unslinging", you can stop at this point. *HOWEVER!*,
- the only reason for not unslinging would be in the case of a re-flash
- of the SAME firmware. Even if this is a point firmware upgrade, you
- will need to unsling.
+The installation process is simple, but each step is important. The most
+common problems reported are a result of skipping one of the steps in this
+process, so be careful. In particular, having a disk or flash device plugged
+in when it shouldn't be can mean the difference between success and failure.
- ***** If you do not choose to do the unslinging procedure described below,
- DO NOT install packages unless you are SURE you know what you are
- doing! "Bricking" your NSLU2 by not unslinging and then running ipkg
- is not just a possibility, it is a certainty.
+a) Preparation
-5) Shutdown the NSLU2 and unplug *ALL* attached disks.
+- Install either the Sercomm (Windows) or the UpSlug2 (Linux and MacOS X)
+ utilities on the system you'll be using to upload the firmware.
- - You must NOT have any disk plugged into the NSLU2 when you reboot to
- perform the next part of installation - the "Unslinging".
+- Access the Linksys web GUI, and record your network settings.
+- Shutdown the NSLU2 and unplug all USB cables and devices.
-'UNSLINGING' DETAILS
+b) Flashing the New Firmware
-"Unslinging" is the process of copying the root filesystem of your NSLU2 onto
-an external disk, and configuring that external disk for installation of
-packages. Basically it's a script (stored in /sbin/unsling) which copies all
-the files from the internal jffs2 filesystem onto the external disk and tells
-the internal firmware to load the root filesystem from the external disk when
-booting in the future.
+- Enter upgrade mode, using the Reset Button technique.
-To run the unsling-script you have to be logged in as root (with a telnet
-session).
+- Use either the Sercomm or UpSlug2 Utility to upload the new firmware.
-NOTE: There are two root passwords. One is saved in an internal database file
-called /usr/local/passwd (we know this one - it's "uNSLUng" and used when you
-boot without a attached harddisk) the other is stored in an external file called
-/share/hdd/conf/passwd (we don't know this one - it's used when you boot with a
-external harddisk attached). Later in the process you can change both of
-them. That means: Everytime you boot WITHOUT an attached harddisk you gain
-root-access with the "uNSLUng" password. If you boot WITH an attached harddisk,
-you won't have access until you change the file /share/hdd/conf/passwd.
+c) Verifying the New Firmware
-NOTE about the NOTE: New in Unslung 6.x is that by default the "unsling"
-script will prompt for a new password. This new password will become the
-new password used whenever the NSLU2 is booted without it's disk (replacing
-the "uNSLUng" password), and it will also be the new root password used when
-the NSLU2 boots up with it's disk. If you are upgrading, or wish to preserve
-your passwords just the way they are, use the "-nopw" option with the unsling
-script.
+- The NSLU2 will restart itself after the firmware in installed.
-1) Power up the NSLU2 without any disks connected.
+- Access the Linksys web GUI. The new firmware version will be displayed on
+ the "Home" screen.
- - This only has to be done when you update the firmware.
+3) 'UNSLINGING' DETAILS
- ***** To reiterate, you should not have a disk plugged in at this stage.
- If you powered up your NSLU2 with a disk attached, shutdown the
- NSLU2, unplug the disks, and power up again.
+"Unslinging" is the process of copying the firmware to an external disk, and
+configuring that external disk for installation of packages. In order to
+perform this operation, you need to log in to the NSLU2 using telnet, and you
+need a suitable external disk or flash device.
-2) Enable telnet by going to the NSLU2's web interface and clicking on the
- "Manage Telnet" link (right-hand side), then on the "Enable/Disable
- NSLU2 telnet Service" page, click on the "Enable" button to turn on
- the telnet service.
+This procedure is made a bit more complicated because the behavior of the NSLU2
+can change depending on the presence of an external disk. Specifically, when
+an external storage device is plugged in, the NSLU2 will switch over to using
+the passwords and configuration information stored on that external disk, if
+possible. Since we don't know the root password originally written to that
+device, you must be very careful to perform the following steps in precisely
+the specified order, or you'll lock yourself out of your own device.
- (You can browse directly to the enable/disable telnet page in your
- browser: "http://192.168.1.77/Management/telnet.cgi".)
+a) Gain Telnet Access
- - Note that you should use the username "admin" and password "admin" for
- the web interface at this point (as no disks are attached, the
- default username and password is the only way to access the
- Management web pages).
+- Power up the NSLU2 without any disks connected.
- - Make sure you have **** NO DISKS ATTACHED AT THIS TIME ****
+- Enable telnet by going to the NSLU2's web GUI and clicking on the "Manage
+ Telnet" link (right-hand side), then on the "Enable" button to turn on the
+ telnet service.
- - If you plug a disk in before you complete the telnet connection, then
- the NSLU2 will pick up the Linksys password from the disk, and you
- will not be able to telnet into it. So don't have any disks attached
- at this point.
+- Use your telnet utility to telnet into the NSLU2, and log in using the
+ username root and password uNSLUng (upper/lower case is significant).
- - Make sure you have **** NO DISKS ATTACHED AT THIS TIME ****
+- Do not logout before you go to the next step, or you'll have to start this
+ step over again.
-3) OK, now that you don't have any disks attached, you can proceed and telnet
- into the NSLU2 using the username root and password uNSLUng.
+b) Gain Access to the External Storage
-4) Identify which drive you wish you "unsling", and plug it in. Wait a minute
- or two while the disk is mounted. Check the web interface to make sure
- that the disk has been recognized by the Linksys software.
+- Identify the drive or flash device to which you will be unslinging, and plug
+ it in to the desired USB port.
- - If the disk has not been previously formatted on the NSLU2, then now is
- the time to do that. Make sure that the drive is recognized in the
- web interface.
+- Wait for a minute or two while the disk is mounted.
- Be patient - it might take several minutes for the NSLU2 to recognize
- the hardware, mount the partitions, and verify that the drive is correctly
- configured to be considered "Formatted". Do not continue if the drive
- is not marked as "Formatted (ext3)" in the NSLU2 web interface.
+- Check the web GUI to make sure that the disk has been recognized by the
+ Linksys software
-5) In the telnet session, run "/sbin/unsling disk2".
- (If you've decided to unsling to a device connected to port 1, you'll run
- "/sbin/unsling disk1", of course.)
+- If the disk has not been previously formatted on the NSLU2, then now is the
+ time to do that.
- - Once you "unsling" to an external disk on a particular port (Disk 1 or
- Disk 2), it is important that you keep that disk continually plugged
- into that same port whenever the NSLU2 is turned on.
+- Be patient - it might take several minutes for the NSLU2 to recognize the
+ hardware, mount the partitions, and verify that the drive is correctly
+ configured to be considered "Formatted".
- ***** By default, unsling WILL prompt you for a new root password, and it
- will change the password on your disk as well. If this is NOT what
- you wish it to do, use the "-nopw" flag with the "unsling" command:
- "/sbin/unsling -nopw disk2" for example.
-
- For more information on changing passwords and all the places where
- the NSLU2 stores passwords, please see the following wiki article:
+- Do not continue if the drive is not marked as "Formatted (ext3)" in the
+ NSLU2 web GUI.
- http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/HowTo/ChangePasswordsFromTheCommandLine
+c) Unsling
-6) (For those upgrading from Unslung 3.x only)
- If you wish to migrate your packages from the old Unslung 3.x location in
- the /share/hdd/conf (disk1) or /share/flash/conf (disk2) partitions to the
- new Unslung 4.x, 5.x and 6.x location on the data partition, then run:
- "/sbin/slingover disk1" (if your packages were previously on disk1 and you
- ran "/sbin/unsling disk1" in step 5) or "/sbin/slingover disk2" (if your
- packages were previously on disk2 and you ran "/sbin/unsling disk2" in
- step 5).
+- In the telnet session, run "unsling disk2" if your device is on the USB port
+ labeled "DISK 2", or "unsling disk1" if it's on the port marked "DISK 1".
- - If your packages were not stored in /share/hdd/conf or /share/flash/conf
- (e.g. you had previously moved your packages from the conf partition
- to the data partition), then all bets are off and you will need to
- read the /sbin/slingover script and perform the appropriate steps
- manually.
+- When prompted, enter a new root password - this password will replace the
+ uNSLUng password.
-7) Reboot.
+- When the unsling is complete, reboot the NSLU2.
- ***** DO NOT RUN ipkg BEFORE YOU REBOOT AND CONFIRM EXTERNAL ROOTFS *****
+d) Confirm That Your NSLU2 is Unslung:
- - If you were to run ipkg when the root filesystem is loaded from the
- internal jffs2 filesystem, then you would fill the flash and cause
- your NSLU2 to no longer boot and require reflashing to recover.
+- Once rebooted, open the NSLU2 web GUI in your browser.
-8) Confirm that your NSLU2 is unslung:
+- Confirm that the text at the bottom of the page reads "uNSLUng status:
+ Unslung to disk2, /dev/sda1" (your devices may vary, of course).
- You can verify that your NSLU2 is unslung by checking the NSLU2 web admin
- GUI - you are unslung if the text at the bottom reads something like:
- "uNSLUng status: Unslung to disk2, /dev/sda1"
+- Click the "Manage Telnet" link, and enable telnet as before.
- Also, when you login to the NSLU2, the login message printed will clearly
- indicate if you are unslung, or if something went awry and you are still
- running on the internal flash.
+- Telnet to the NSLU2, and login using the root user and the new password you
+ gave when unslinging.
- If your NSLU2 does not indicate that it is Unslung, rather it says that it
- is running from internal flash, then the first thing to check is:
- - Did you miss step 7 above (reboot)?
+- Confirm that the login message states that you are running in Unslung mode.
-9) Verify that you can log into the NSLU2 by going to the web GUI "Manage Telnet"
- page, enable the telnet service, then telnet in as the root user, with the
- password you entered when you performed the "unsling" operation.
+e) Updating Package Lists and Installing Optware Packages
-Make sure you add an entry to the "The Unslung 6.x" table in the Yahoo group.
-Just use the next free integer for your Unslung number.
+(This is, strictly speaking, optional - but we expect that you installed this
+firmware so that you could add additional software.)
-http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nslu2-linux/database?method=reportRows&tbl=12
+- Telnet into the NSLU2.
+- Check that your NSLU2 can reach the internet by pinging www.nslu2-linux.org.
+ (if it fails, check your NSLU2 network settings (on the web GUI pages), or
+ check your router or network configuration to correct this problem.)
-If you make no further changes, your NSLU2 will continue to operate normally.
-But to customize things, you'll be downloading packages and adding stuff to the
-/unslung directory using diversion scripts.
+- Enter the command "ipkg update" to update the list of software packages
+ ("optware") available for Unslung.
-http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/Unslung/Packages
-http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/Unslung/DiversionScripts
+- Install the "openssh" package with the command "ipkg install openssh".
-(One of the first packages you should consider installing is the OpenSSH
-package, which will provide you a secure and more usable replacement for the
-standard telnet service on the NSLU2.)
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Read the NOTES file (normally in /opt/doc/NOTES on your unslung NSLU2) to expand
-the capabilities of your Unslung NSLU2!
+Congratulations! Your NSLU2 is unslung, and ready to do more than you'd
+imagine such a small device could ever do. Enjoy! If you find the Unslung
+firmware useful, you may wish to make a donation to help support the project:
-Enjoy!
+ http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/Main/Donate
git.openpandora.org / openembedded.git / commitdiff