Format required for external drive with scripts + entware?

[JimbobJay]

I am preparing to do a factory defaults reset on my AX86U_Pro when the next Merlin version gets promoted from beta to general release, as I have fallen a few versions behind now having not been on site for a while.

Haven’t done one in a while, and I think every time I have done one in the past I have also formatted the external drive that contained amtm, entware and scripts. This was never a huge problem before because that’s all I ever kept on it.

However now I have quite a few large files cohabiting on the drive, I would like to avoid having to do a drive format if I can avoid it, to save having to transfer them off and back on.

So if I do a factory reset, post-reset can I just plug the existing drive back in, re-enable third party scripts and have it pick up the existing entware installation?

Thanks in advance

 

[L&LD]

Yes, you can do that.

I wouldn't.

Full format of the USB drive (save any files you want/need, beforehand) to NTFS on a PC before plugging it into the freshly flashed and fully reset router (and do not use any saved old backup config files either; minimal and manual configuration to secure the router and connect to your ISP).

Fully update amtm (as needed), and install scripts from scratch. This is what ensures your network is operating as you expect with the features/scripts you install/enable.

 

[Ripshod]

Factory defaults means just that. The scripts are installed to the jffs partition on the router while the data from the scripts is stored on the drive. Installing scripts with the data already there would negate the effectiveness of the reset.
If you have a Linux PC you could just delete the entware and (if you use it) skynet folders. Otherwise backup the files you want to keep to your PC and format the drive. Also think about using seperate drives.

 

[JimbobJay]

Thank you both! Makes sense, will do that. And gives me food for thought for how I arrange amtm+scripts with data in future. Thanks

 

[ColinTaylor]

So if I do a factory reset, post-reset can I just plug the existing drive back in, re-enable third party scripts and have it pick up the existing entware installation?

If you do a basic factory reset then yes you can just reenable scripts and carry on as before.

However, if you do a hard factory reset or a GUI reset with the initialize option then that would wipe out the scripts in JFFS. This would mean that you would at least have to reinstall those addon scripts again. Whether or not each third party script is clever enough detect and reuse its data on the USB drive is down to the script. If you don't mind loosing the data on the USB drive then it might be simpler to reformat the drive and start from scratch.

 

[bbunge]

I am preparing to do a factory defaults reset on my AX86U_Pro when the next Merlin version gets promoted from beta to general release, as I have fallen a few versions behind now having not been on site for a while.

Haven’t done one in a while, and I think every time I have done one in the past I have also formatted the external drive that contained amtm, entware and scripts. This was never a huge problem before because that’s all I ever kept on it.

However now I have quite a few large files cohabiting on the drive, I would like to avoid having to do a drive format if I can avoid it, to save having to transfer them off and back on.

So if I do a factory reset, post-reset can I just plug the existing drive back in, re-enable third party scripts and have it pick up the existing entware installation?

Thanks in advance

You would be OK doing the upgrades incrementally from what you have now (388.2_2) to 388.5. No real need to factory reset unless you bung it up royally. Also remember to upgrade your add on apps. AMTM has had a recent upgrade as well as some of the others. If you need to reset the router, use the existing USB drive, add the post-mount file back to /jffs/scripts and enter the section in the file that mounts the swap file. Then reinstall Entware and the rest of your apps.

 

[Crimliar]

Is it really too hard to back up your scripts to another drive?

 

[bennor]

There is also the following script that may be of interest (or not) when it comes to backing up the JFFS and external USB drive:

BACKUPMON - BACKUPMON v1.42 -Dec 23, 2023- Backup/Restore your Router: JFFS + NVRAM + External USB Drive! (Now available in AMTM!)

BACKUPMON v1.42 Released December 23, 2023 First off -- HUGE thanks to @Jeffrey Young for sharing his original backup script. His script is the main engine of BACKUPMON, and all credit goes to him! BACKUPMON is simply a wrapper around Jeff's backup script functionality, adding easy-to-use...

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