Voxel Custom firmware build for R7800 v. 1.0.2.107SF

[Voxel]

Continuation of

. . .
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/custom-firmware-build-for-r7800-v-1-0-2-105sf.87142/
https://www.snbforums.com/threads/custom-firmware-build-for-r7800-v-1-0-2-106sf.88143/

New version of my custom firmware build: 1.0.2.107SF.

Changes (vs 1.0.2.106SF):

1. Toolchain: binutils is upgraded 2.41->2.42.
2. Toolchain: Go is upgraded 1.21.5->1.22.2.
3. expat package is upgraded 2.5.0->2.6.2 (fixing CVE-2023-52425, CVE-2023-52426, CVE-2024-28757).

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-52425​

(score 7.5, High)​

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-52426​

(score 5.5, Medium)​

https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2024-28757.html​

(score 7.5, High)​

4. unbound package (used in stubby) is upgraded 1.19.0->1.19.3 (fixing CVE-2023-50387, CVE-2023-50868, CVE-2024-1931).

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-50387​

(score 7.5, High)​

https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-50868​

(score 7.5, High)​

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-1931​

(score 7.5, High)​

5. libxml2 package is upgraded 2.11.6->2.11.7 (fixing CVE-2024-25062).

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-25062​

(score 7.5, High)​

6. dropbear: add patch to fix CVE-2023-48795.

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-48795​

(score 5.9. Medium)​

7. lua: add patch to fix CVE-2014-5461.

https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2014-5461.html​

(score 5.0. Medium)​

8. OpenVPN is upgraded 2.6.8->2.6.10.
9. curl package is upgraded 8.5.0->8.7.1.
10. ethtool package is upgraded 6.6->6.7.
11. ipset package is upgraded 7.19->7.21.
12. wget package is upgraded 1.21.4->1.24.5.
13. coreutils package (sort/gnu-date) is upgraded 9.4->9.5.
14. ffmpeg (minidlna) package is upgraded 6.1->6.1.1.
15. zlib package is upgraded 1.3->1.3.1.
16. libubox package is upgraded 2023-12-04.1->2024-01-26.
17. libusb package is upgraded 1.0.26->1.0.27.
18. libgpg-error package is upgraded 1.47->1.48.
19. ca-certificates package is upgraded 20230311->20240203.
20. Host tools: upgrade mkimage/u-boot to 2024.01.
21. Host tools: upgrade xz to 5.4.6.
22. Host tools: upgrade UPX to 4.2.3.

The link is:

https://www.voxel-firmware.com (thanks to vladlenas for his help with hosting).

Voxel.

 

[scooter2765]

Just updated thanks Voxel!

 

[HELLO_wORLD]

Flawless upgrade, as usual

 

[spocko]

Thanks Voxel! It's working great for me too.

 

[NetBytes]

Thank you @Voxel !
R7800 in AP mode working as expected.

 

[Luizk]

thank you so much! u r a so kind.

 

[Producer]

Thanks a lot Voxel ! It's still running smooth and extreme stable.
It's unbelievable seeing that this R7800 wifi-router is still performing as one of the best.

 

[mrmojo666]

Thank you Voxel

 

[Remy561]

Updated, thanks again!

 

[Armitage]

I updated to this to see if any of previous issues I'd posted about were improved. Didn't seem like there's much difference. Noticed the router froze after about 48 hours (ie GUI stopped responding, everything else was still working though). I guess the fact you've ignored me when I've brought up these and other issues before suggests that you're either incapable of fixing them or just don't want to. Either way I see now that with each new version based on your changelogs all you're really doing is just updating software versions, you don't seem to bother doing anything else. It occurred to me I didn't even remember why I switched to these custom firmwares in the first place so I went back to stock to see what happened. I was amazed to find it actually runs quicker; the GUI is faster, Readyshare seems quicker and has no issues, I've had no problems with it crashing. It seems like your constant software updates have just caused more harm than they have improved things and now everyone who just blindly updates each version is punch drunk into thinking it's better than stock when in reality all you've actually done is just fix a few security vulnerabilities that wouldn't have affected 99% of the people using the router anyway. Sorry but I'm out.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

 

[HELLO_wORLD]

I updated to this to see if any of previous issues I'd posted about were improved. Didn't seem like there's much difference. Noticed the router froze after about 48 hours (ie GUI stopped responding, everything else was still working though). I guess the fact you've ignored me when I've brought up these and other issues before suggests that you're either incapable of fixing them or just don't want to. Either way I see now that with each new version based on your changelogs all you're really doing is just updating software versions, you don't seem to bother doing anything else. It occurred to me I didn't even remember why I switched to these custom firmwares in the first place so I went back to stock to see what happened. I was amazed to find it actually runs quicker; the GUI is faster, Readyshare seems quicker and has no issues, I've had no problems with it crashing. It seems like your constant software updates have just caused more harm than they have improved things and now everyone who just blindly updates each version is punch drunk into thinking it's better than stock when in reality all you've actually done is just fix a few security vulnerabilities that wouldn't have affected 99% of the people using the router anyway. Sorry but I'm out.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

You are rude and bitter Mister.
The @Voxel's firmwares are a one man, voluntary, non-profit operation.

You are totally entitled to your opinions though, and thank you for sharing them here

Than being said, I believe you are not fully understanding what these custom firmwares are about.
It is not about adding functionalities or fixing conception issues, but upgrading what can be upgraded to more recent versions, especially to avoid vulnerability problems, while keeping it as vanilla as possible to the original firmwares and keeping full hardware optimization.

Not all is open-source as Netgear is not fully playing the game, making things harder and mostly locking the kernel at an old version.

If you are happy and satisfied with the stock firmware, and don't have a problem with that, good for you
It is probably better that way, if you don't understand what it is, better not use it

 

[Voxel]

@HELLO_wORLD : thank you for your support. You've said all the basic things I would have answered on my own. It was more fun to read than to feel any rudeness on the part of the author.

I can, however, repeat what I already wrote on the 21st of February (to @Armitage) :

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/voxel-firmware-status.77704/post-893767

I'm sorry, but I'm out of my usual location. For quite some time. And I won't be back anytime soon. A lot of people write to me in P.M. or other threads but I don't always have the opportunity to respond or even give a 'like'.​

​

I read reports of problems, but I can't always verify and resolve those problems. Sorry.​

I am currently several thousand kilometers/miles in a straight line from my usual home, and it would take me at least 36-48 hours to get there, making it nearly impossible to check and to resolve all the issues reported by users of my firmware. FYI: I even use my server to build firmware only remotely.

However, I am still trying to close the most important issues such as security first (various CVEs) that affect all my users, each time risking turning my remote routers into bricks and leaving my house without remote monitoring.

I don't want to have to repeatedly explain every time personally to every person who reports a potential issue and thinks that I'm just ignoring his/her reports by not responding to them, all my personal circumstances of what, how and why I don't respond personally to everyone. Especially if there is an option to use previous versions of my firmware without such problems/issues. Every software product has bugs and issues, and not everything can be solved instantly. I want to not repeat my regrets and apologize to every person who thinks that I ignored his/her report.

And the use of my firmware or stock or other alternative is a voluntary matter. Everyone chooses what suits him of course.

P.S.

And yet I will remind you that I do this alone, for free, and I have my own important things to do, a family, a main job where I earn money for a living, and you, when you bought the router, paid NETGEAR, with their thousands of support workers, not me, to expect my personalized support 24/7. I am alone.

I do what I can, I usually don't refuse to help, but I don't always have the opportunity to help.

Voxel.

 

[Voxel]

@Armitage

P.P.S.

Also, more detail on your two issues.

(1) The first issue you have is using a 4TB USB disk in the R7800 for SMB protocol (ReadySHARE). Here is what NETGEAR itself writes about it for the stock firmware:

https://kb.netgear.com/24059/What-are-the-USB-drive-requirements-for-ReadySHARE-on-my-NETGEAR-router

If you want to use a USB drive larger than 2 TB, you might need to format the drive into partitions smaller than 2 TB (for example, you might need to format a 4 TB drive into two 2 TB partitions).​

​

This limitation (feature) depends on the Linux kernel version, which I can't change to preserve hardware NAT acceleration. This is not a bug in my version vs stock firmware. And it's not solved in stock firmware as well. The use of such disks is at your risk. Stable operation is not guaranteed.

(2) The second, as you said minor issue is with Access Control, which is taken in my version 'as is' from the stock firmware (due to lack of source code).

You yourself found that problems with Access Control (another but similar) also exist in stock firmware, and even wrote that:

That's often annoyed me about this router, and in fact it used to have this behaviour on the official Netgear firmware so it might be something you can't fix but figured I'd mention it in case.​

Well, there we go.

I'm stopping with this topic.

Voxel.

 

[fossil]

Thank you @Voxel

I never felt the need to restart my router till the next firmware update. Router runs buttery smooth for months without restart, like it runs just after the restart.

Not to mention the control I have with SSH and my custom scripts.

I think I may be blindly updating the Voxel's firmware

 

[jerry6]

I o longer use netgear but can see the value in what you offer . Don't think people realize how much work you put in to bring this option to market , like you say 1 person not a team of 20 . Constructive comments are cool , but don't expect an answer to every complaint , only so much time in a day . thanks for the effort , if I ever use netgear again I will give this a try