Asuswrt-Merlin - build 378.55 (17-July-2015)
============================================
About
-----
Asuswrt is the name of the common firmware Asus has developed
for their various router models. Originally forked from
Tomato, it has since grown into a very different product, removing
some more technical features that were part of Tomato, but
also adding new original features such as support for dual WANs.
Asuswrt-merlin is a customized version of Asus's firmware. The goal is
to provide bugfixes and minor enhancements to Asus's firmware, with also
a few occasional feature additions. This is done while retaining
the look and feel of the original firmware, and also ensuring that
the two codebases remain close enough so it will remain possible
to keep up with any new features brought by Asus in the original firmware.
This project's goal is NOT to develop yet another firmware filled with
many features that are rarely used by home users - that is already covered
by other excellent projects such as Tomato or DD-WRT.
This more conservative approach will also help ensuring the highest
level of stability possible. Priority is given to stability over
performance, and performance over features.
Supported Devices
-----------------
Supported devices are:
* RT-N66U
* RT-AC66U
* RT-AC56U
* RT-AC68U
* RT-AC68P
* RT-AC87U
* RT-AC3200
XWRT-Vortex supported devices are:
* Linksys EA6900
* Netgear R7000
* Huawei WS880
More models will be supported soon:
* Netgear R8000
* Linksys EA9200
Devices that are no longer officially supported (but forked builds might
exist from other developers):
* RT-N16
NOTE: all the "R" versions (for example RT-N66R) are the same as their
"U" counterparts, they are just different packages aimed at large
retailers. The firmware is 100% compatible with both U and R versions
of the routers. Same with the "W" variants that are simply white.
Features
--------
Here is a list of features that Asuswrt-merlin adds over the original
firmware:
System:
- Based on 3.0.0.4.378_6117 source code from Asus
- Various bugfixes and optimizations
- Some components were updated to newer versions, for improved
stability and security
- User scripts that run on specific events
- Cron jobs
- Ability to customize the config files used by the router services
- LED control - put your router in "Stealth Mode" by turning off
all LEDs
- Entware easy setup script (alternative to Optware - the two are
mutually exclusive)
- SNMP support (based on experimental code from Asus)
Disk sharing:
- Enable/disable the use of shorter share names
- Disk spindown after user-configurable inactivity timeout
- NFS sharing (through webui)
- Allow or disable WAN access to the FTP server
- Updated Samba version (3.6)
Networking:
- Force acting as a Master Browser
- Act as a WINS server
- Allows tweaking TCP/UDP connection tracking timeouts
- CIFS client support (for mounting remote SMB share on the router)
- Layer7 iptables matching (N16/N66/AC66 only)
- User-defined options for WAN DHCP queries (required by some ISPs)
- Advanced OpenVPN client and server support (all models except
RT-N16)
- Netfilter ipset module, for efficient blacklist implementation
- Configurable min/max UPNP ports
- IPSec kernel support (N16/N66/AC66 only)
- DNS-based Filtering, can be applied globally or per client
- Custom DDNS (through a user script)
- Advanced NAT loopback (as an alternative to the default one)
- TOR support, individual client control
- Policy routing for the OpenVPN client (based on source or
destination IPs), sometimes referred to as "selective routing")
Web interface:
- Optionally save traffic stats to disk (USB or JFFS partition)
- Enhanced traffic monitoring: added monthly, as well as per IP
monitoring
- Name field on the DHCP reservation list and Wireless ACL list
- System info summary page
- Wifi icon reports the state of both radios
- Display the Ethernet port states
- Wireless site survey
- Advanced Wireless client list display, including automated refresh
- Redesigned layout of the various System Log sections
A few features that first appeared in Asuswrt-Merlin have since been
integrated/enabled/re-implemented in the official firmware:
- 64K NVRAM for the RT-N66U
- HTTPS webui
- Turning WPS button into a radio on/off toggle
- Use shorter share names (folder name only)
- WakeOnLan web interface (with user-entered preset targets)
- clickable MACs on the client list for lookup in the OUI database
- Display active/tracked network connections
- VPN client connection state report
- DualWAN and Repeater mode (while it was still under development
by Asus)
- OpenVPN client and server
- Configurable IPv6 firewall
- Persistent JFFS partition
- The various MAC/IP selection pulldowns will also display hostnames
when possible instead of just NetBIOS names
- SSHD
- Improved compatibility with 3TB+ and Advanced Format HDDs
Installation
------------
Simply flash it like any regular update. You should not need to
reset to factory defaults (see note below for exceptions).
You can revert back to an original Asus firmware at any time just
by flashing a firmware downloaded from Asus's website.
NOTE: resetting to factory default after flashing is
strongly recommended for the following cases:
- Updating from a firmware version that is more than 3 releases older
- Switching from a Tomato/DD-WRT/OpenWRT firmware
If upgrading from anything older and you experience issues, then
consider doing a factory default reset then as well.
Always read the changelog, as mandatory resets will be mentionned
there when they are necessary.
In all of these cases, do NOT load a saved copy of your settings!
This would be the same thing as NOT resetting at all, as you will
simply re-enter any invalid setting you wanted to get rid of. Make
sure to create a new backup of your settings after reconfiguring.
Usage
-----
** JFFS **
JFFS is a writeable section of the flash memory which will allow you to
store small files (such as scripts) inside the router without needing
to have a USB disk plugged in. This space will survive reboots (but it
*MIGHT NOT survive firmware flashing*, so back it up first before
flashing!). It will also be available fairly early at boot (before
USB disks).
The option is enabled by default. You can however disable it (NOT
recommended, as various features such as the Traffic Analyzer
will depend on it), or, reformat it from the
Administration -> System page.
On that page you will also find an option called "Enable custom
scripts and configs". If you intend to use custom scripts or
config files, then you need to enable this option. This is not
enabled by default so if you create a broken config/script that
prevents the router from booting, you will still be able to regain
access by doing a factory default reset.
Try to avoid doing too frequent writes to this partition, as it will
prematuraly wear out the flash storage. This is a good place to put
files that are written once like scripts or kernel modules, or that
rarely get written to. Storing files that constantly get written
to (like very busy logfiles) is NOT recommended - use a
USB disk for that.
** User scripts **
These are shell scripts that you can create, and which will be run when
certain events occur. Those scripts must be saved in /jffs/scripts/ ,
so, JFFS must be enabled, as well as the option to use custom
scripts and configs. This can be configured under Administration -> System.
Available scripts:
* ddns-start: Script called at the end of a DDNS update process.
This scr
