I have used OpenWRT for years, but it’s been a while since I last upgraded. I see there’s a new version out now, so I’ll give it a shot.

The first time you install custom firmware on a router can be difficult. On old Linksys WRT54G routers, you had to exploit a bug in the stock firmware to get it on there. But on other routers such as the Netgear WNDR3700, OpenWRT can be installed using the stock firmware’s upgrade function.

Once OpenWRT is on there (and boot_wait is enabled, if applicable), the router will start up on the IP 192.168.1.1 for a second or so while booting, and will accept a firmware update via tftp. So here’s what I do:

• Plug LAN port 1 on the router into my network. (I haven’t tested this recently, but the boot loader tftp server used to listen only on this physical port.)
• Add an IP in 192.168.1.0/24 to my machine
• Run tftp2, fill in the server 192.168.1.1, and browse to the OpenWRT file (but don’t hit Upgrade yet).
• Or to use Windows' built-in tftp client (which you may have to enable in Windows Features), type tftp 192.168.1.1 put D:\Downloads\openwrt-wrt54gs-squashfs.bin (but don’t hit Enter yet)
• Open a command prompt and begin continuously pinging 192.168.1.1
• Power up the router and immediately hit Upgrade (or Enter).
• If it works, the router will go up and down a few times over the next two or three minutes as it runs its initial setup. (If it fails, power it off and try again.)

Once that’s done, you can telnet in and set the password. (This disables telnet, so future logins are done with ssh.) Or you can log in with no password via the web interface and set the password there (I haven’t done that before, so it could be new in this version). Either way, make sure ssh to the WAN interface is enabled, so we can move the plug over.

Now, customize the router’s basic settings, either via the web interface or ssh.

• System hostname
• IP address of the LAN interface (this also configures the IP range which the router will give out via DHCP)
• If you will be using DHCP on the WAN interface, set its DHCP client hostname; if not, set its IP, netmask, gateway, and DNS.

• If you want to be able to manage the router from a machine that is not behind it, modify the firewall configuration to allow access to ssh and/or the web interface. In the web interface, under Network, Firewall, Traffic Rules, add “Open ports on router” 22 and/or 80, and click Add, then Save And Apply. Or via ssh, edit /etc/config/firewall and add a section like this:

    config rule
        option target 'ACCEPT'
        option src 'wan'
        option proto 'tcp'
        option dest_port '22'
        option name 'Allow ssh'
  

If/when you connect the router directly to the internet, you may want to modify your rules to lock it down to certain source IPs.

Now move the network cable from LAN 1 over to WAN, and power-cycle. If using DHCP, check your DHCP server’s leases to find the router’s IP. Ping it and make sure it comes up. (If not, you can plug a machine into one of the LAN ports, get a DHCP IP, and fix the config from there. Or worst case, you can always tftp OpenWRT onto the router over again and start from scratch.)

Now you’re up and running. Next steps might include:

• enabling wifi (Network, Wifi; or edit /etc/config/wireless and run wifi to make the changes take effect)
• installing packages (System, Software, and click Update lists; or opkg update, opkg list, opkg install some-package-name)

Useful links:

• Octopress Documentation – Obviously.
• Jekyll Wiki: Template Data – information about the data Jekyll provides for you to use in templates
• Shopify Wiki: Using Liquid – Liquid markup tutorial
• GitHub liquid Wiki: Liquid for Designers – More detailed Liquid information
• Rsync man page – For tweaking command line parameters for rsync deploy

Stuff to accomplish:

• Separate my tools category posts, so they are linked only from the tools page (not the main page, next/previous links, blog archive, or rss. Sitemap is OK I suppose.) – Done – changed from posts to pages
• Make it launch an editor when I do rake new_post["whatever"] – Done, by editing Rakefile

The standard Lorem Ipsum passage, used since the 1500s

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.”

Section 1.10.32 of “de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum”, written by Cicero in 45 BC

“Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?”

1914 translation by H. Rackham

“But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?”

Section 1.10.33 of “de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum”, written by Cicero in 45 BC

“At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio cumque nihil impedit quo minus id quod maxime placeat facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat.”

1914 translation by H. Rackham

“On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized by the charms of pleasure of the moment, so blinded by desire, that they cannot foresee the pain and trouble that are bound to ensue; and equal blame belongs to those who fail in their duty through weakness of will, which is the same as saying through shrinking from toil and pain. These cases are perfectly simple and easy to distinguish. In a free hour, when our power of choice is untrammelled and when nothing prevents our being able to do what we like best, every pleasure is to be welcomed and every pain avoided. But in certain circumstances and owing to the claims of duty or the obligations of business it will frequently occur that pleasures have to be repudiated and annoyances accepted. The wise man therefore always holds in these matters to this principle of selection: he rejects pleasures to secure other greater pleasures, or else he endures pains to avoid worse pains.”

OK. This is the..

First post!

Yeah…