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Author Topic: ZyXEL Modems - eg VMG1312-B10A - Custom Firmware MTU 1508 Maintenance  (Read 37624 times)

Weaver

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Referring to the v14-based custom firmware for the ZyXEL VMG 11312-B10A on github that was referred to in a neighbouring thread earlier, I would very much like someone here to build it from the sources, if they have not already done so, or help me do it myself. (To do it myself though I would need to get a VM (i386 / P6) going for a build machine and a lot of help because I although a very experienced C programmer I am very new to Linux still.)

This is partly because I would really like to be able to keep this branch up to date with other fixes and updates that come from the main branch of development and from other Broadcom and ZyXEL insights.

Would anyone be kind enough to join in / offer to help us out? There are a few of us using this custom v14-based firmware now.

[Admins: would it be an idea to make this a new thread, what do you think ?
« Last Edit: May 17, 2018, 02:48:26 AM by Weaver »
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johnson

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I have built it from a git clone of Olipro's repo and it successfully boots, I have yet to test it on my line though.

I found a few hiccups to get around in the build process and was brewing up to making a thread like this myself detailing them.

I have also acquired the VMG1312-B10A and VMG8324-B10A sources from zyxel and can share the dropbox links they gave me.

Next on the list is trying to build straight from zyxels sources, and trying the changes for the 8324.

 
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Weaver

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Your efforts are very very much appreciated sir. Thank you! Indeed, please keep us informed, am very interested.
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Weaver

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Btw I presume it uses a C or C++ cross-compiler, for what? MIPSx, ARMx target ?
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johnson

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Yeah, Zyxel supplied a cross compiler for the MIPS architecture the BCM63168 is based on.
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j0hn

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I got copies of both the 1312-B10A and 8924-B10A open source packages direct from Zyxel.
I built my own firmware image rather than use the 1 on git-hub.

As long as Zyxel keep sharing the complete build packages then I'd be happy to keep modifying them for 1508 MTU.
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Weaver

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John that would be very good of you, most appreciated. And I'm sure others will agree too.
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johnson

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So I got around to trying to build from zyxels sources and it just worked, the issues I ran into compiling from the github repo disappeared.

Just follow the instructions that come in the source package and out pops the image.

Troubleshooting the previous build did reveal something interesting though, one of the things that failed to build initially was conntrack-tools, and watching the boot log with a serial terminal it seems even in the official firmware its not built correctly:

Code: [Select]
Netfilter messages via NETLINK v0.30.
nf_conntrack_netlink: Unknown symbol __nf_ct_l4proto_find
nf_conntrack_netlink: Unknown symbol nf_conntrack_find_get
nf_conntrack_netlink: Unknown symbol nf_conntrack_register_notifier
...
nf_conntrack_netlink: Unknown symbol nf_conntrack_l3proto_generic
nf_conntrack_netlink: Unknown symbol nf_ct_unexpect_related
nf_conntrack_netlink: Unknown symbol nf_ct_remove_expectations
insmod: can't insert '/lib/modules/2.6.30/kernel/net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_netlink.ko': unknown symbol in module, or unknown parameter

Not sure what effect not having this module working has if any, conntrack-tools appear to be for monitoring stateful packet inspection.
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Weaver

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That's pretty horrendous, doesn't say much about their attitude to quality if they can't even get their build system bombproof. They should be greping the output and / or checking the return status and making sure that the build then fails completely and loudly.
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tubaman

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That's pretty horrendous, doesn't say much about their attitude to quality if they can't even get their build system bombproof. They should be greping the output and / or checking the return status and making sure that the build then fails completely and loudly.

If you think that's bad it's probably best that you don't look at the logs produced by an average Windows PC as it boots!
The attitude nowadays seem to be 'if it works then that's good enough'. :o
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Weaver

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Weaver

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Re: ZyXEL Modems - eg VMG1312-B10A - Custom Firmware MTU 1508 Maintenance
« Reply #11 on: June 17, 2018, 01:50:20 PM »

How does the build set that funny long-winded version number string? Could we somehow append something to it to indicate which customer version we have got but also including the base ZyXEL version string that it is based on?
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johnson

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Re: ZyXEL Modems - eg VMG1312-B10A - Custom Firmware MTU 1508 Maintenance
« Reply #12 on: June 17, 2018, 01:55:26 PM »

Thats a good question, would be nice to append more descriptive version info that could be seen from telnet and the firmware update page for the myriad different ones, I'l have a dig around in the build package.
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johnson

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Re: ZyXEL Modems - eg VMG1312-B10A - Custom Firmware MTU 1508 Maintenance
« Reply #13 on: June 17, 2018, 02:01:28 PM »

Have also put in a request for the latest source package since the AAJZ.16 release happened if people want it, even though the changes are minor.
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Weaver

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Re: ZyXEL Modems - eg VMG1312-B10A - Custom Firmware MTU 1508 Maintenance
« Reply #14 on: June 17, 2018, 02:27:56 PM »

It shows that version string in the web GUI somewhere, there is a menu option to get to it anyway, It is iirc the first menu item in the rightmost menu.

I use it to remind me which modem I am looking at since I have so many on the go concurrently. I have made the contents of the three modems’ config files different in that respect as well as a couple of other things.

I am writing a simple ipad app to take one config file and generate derived versions of it for modem n.
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