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RB4011 upgrade from 6.49.7 to 7.6 Need Guidance plz
Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2023 9:53 pm
by yabdali
Hi,
I have RB4011 running firmware 6.49.7 and would like to upgrade to version 7.6. I have firewall rules configured for port forwarding, blacklisting, VLANs and WLAN (multiple SSIDs) besides scripts to update DDNS. I also run L2TP server to connect to the router when I am away from home. Is it straight forward to upgrade via Winbox Quick set? Should I expect any issues or broken configuration? Appreciate your help and guidance, thanks in advance.
Re: RB4011 upgrade from 6.49.7 to 7.6 Need Guidance plz
Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2023 10:01 pm
by holvoetn
Quick set - NO WAY !
Why upgrade, just asking ?
Safest approach:
- export config (don't forget sensitive info)
- also make binary backup (Files / Backup)
- extract files from your device
- netinstall device to 7.6, no default config
- import config (be careful with order of some sections)
You could try direct upgrade to 7.6 on your device (still make sure to have those export and backups done) but it "could" be you may experience some inexplicable oddities later on (in which case you will have to follow the netinstall route).
Just an annoyance resulting from internal changes between ROS6 and ROS7 on config side. Some never saw an issue (yet), some already have seen it coming (I have on several devices).
Re: RB4011 upgrade from 6.49.7 to 7.6 Need Guidance plz
Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2023 10:10 pm
by mkx
Whatever you do, keep away from QuickSet!
There were quite a few cases where device, after being successfully upgraded from v6 to v7, became unstable. The cure for it was netinstall device with v7 and reconfigure it (strictly avoiding use of backup file ... use of text export of config is fine). This doesn't gappen frequently, but often enough to be prepared for this possibility.
Config is mostly carried over just fine ... there are sections where config conversion is not fine, mostly in various routing sections ... most of home users don't have anything there though.
So my suggestion: first export full configuration to text file (execute /export filename=v6config and fetch resulting file off device), then upgrade to v7 using UI of choice (webfig is fine, just don't do it in quickset ... do it in webfig mode, under system->packages). After device boots v7, upgrade routerboot as well (system->routerboard).
After that, export config to text file again.
If your device becomes unstable, you'll have to netinstall it ... and use exported config as reminder what needs to be added on top of default configuration.
After you upgrade to v7, you'll have option to install newer wireless driver (wifiwave2, it's in optional packages). While it works quite a bit better on supported wifi chips, it can't co-exist with legacy driver on same device. RB4011 has two radios (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and only 5GHz is supported by wifiwave2. Installing wifiwave2 on RB4011 thus means loss of 2.4GHz wifi. Also means configuring wifi again (and slightly differently), configuration is not compatible between both drivers.
Re: RB4011 upgrade from 6.49.7 to 7.6 Need Guidance plz
Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2023 7:22 pm
by yabdali
Quick set - NO WAY !
Why upgrade, just asking ?
Safest approach:
- export config (don't forget sensitive info)
- also make binary backup (Files / Backup)
- extract files from your device
- netinstall device to 7.6, no default config
- import config (be careful with order of some sections)
You could try direct upgrade to 7.6 on your device (still make sure to have those export and backups done) but it "could" be you may experience some inexplicable oddities later on (in which case you will have to follow the netinstall route).
Just an annoyance resulting from internal changes between ROS6 and ROS7 on config side. Some never saw an issue (yet), some already have seen it coming (I have on several devices).
Thanks for your inputs, I backed up my config as text and as a backup and had them downloaded to my PC. I will give it a shot soon
Re: RB4011 upgrade from 6.49.7 to 7.6 Need Guidance plz
Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2023 7:27 pm
by yabdali
Whatever you do, keep away from QuickSet!
There were quite a few cases where device, after being successfully upgraded from v6 to v7, became unstable. The cure for it was netinstall device with v7 and reconfigure it (strictly avoiding use of backup file ... use of text export of config is fine). This doesn't gappen frequently, but often enough to be prepared for this possibility.
Config is mostly carried over just fine ... there are sections where config conversion is not fine, mostly in various routing sections ... most of home users don't have anything there though.
So my suggestion: first export full configuration to text file (execute /export filename=v6config and fetch resulting file off device), then upgrade to v7 using UI of choice (webfig is fine, just don't do it in quickset ... do it in webfig mode, under system->packages). After device boots v7, upgrade routerboot as well (system->routerboard).
After that, export config to text file again.
If your device becomes unstable, you'll have to netinstall it ... and use exported config as reminder what needs to be added on top of default configuration.
After you upgrade to v7, you'll have option to install newer wireless driver (wifiwave2, it's in optional packages). While it works quite a bit better on supported wifi chips, it can't co-exist with legacy driver on same device. RB4011 has two radios (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and only 5GHz is supported by wifiwave2. Installing wifiwave2 on RB4011 thus means loss of 2.4GHz wifi. Also means configuring wifi again (and slightly differently), configuration is not compatible between both drivers.
Thanks, appreciate your feedback. I will follow the upgrade approach via system menu. As for wifiwave2 , I will stay away from it since I have 2.4 clients and I am using SSIDs using VLAN since 5ghz is not covering all the spots in my place. Again, thanks...
Re: RB4011 upgrade from 6.49.7 to 7.6 Need Guidance plz
Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2023 5:18 am
by rumahnetmks
Have doing this with my RB4011 since move to 7.1. It's so many improvement now at 7.6 and I think will be more to come. Back then I doing backup, export all settings, then arrange them one by one and input into terminal. For VLAN that time I remake it from scratch.
For me rather than use standard wifi of RB4011, I prefer use 3rd party AP such as Xiaomi Mi Router AX3600 (from price perspective, low-price good WIFI6 AP, on-going OpenWRT project) or just use my Unifi FlexHD (Wifi5, my old wifi AP, good enough, support VLAN, virtual SSID). Lets just use mikrotik to do the managing things.
Hope mikrotik will release good wifi6. I will try hAPAX3 to replace my hAPAC3 at another house when available at my country.