MerlinAU MerlinAU v1.5.7 - The Ultimate Firmware Auto-Updater (WEBUI + GNUTON SUPPORT!)

[kriukas]

Release Notes for MerlinAU v1.5.6 production version now available
[2025-Nov-08]

1) PR #525 - Fix for "parameter not set" Error

FIXED: A bug was generating a "currentDIVER_version: parameter not set" error message.​

This error happened when trying to flash the F/W image, and Diversion is installed, but logging into the router WebUI failed for any reason.​

​

Hi everyone,

Just FYI:

I have 3006.102.6.beta1 on my AXE-16000 as of now. Like ~2 weeks online from flashing. Some time in between 2025-11-08, the MerlinAU v1.5.6 script was updated from previous version. Everything was set to auto-fire even before that, and from my POV, it should have executed on +2 days after 102.6.beta2 went 102.6production on 2025-11-25, like 27th or 28th...? The router was left for almost a month without any actions from me, lost power, known reboots, etc.

Any interest to dig in, why there was no upgrade from beta to production? The screenshots bellow were captured today a few hours before. Did not go into SSH AMTM script then.

When I got to this MerlinAU screen, of course, I pushed "Latest ChangeLog" button. The correct version was downloaded - 2025-11-25 production one, without XX-XX'es for the release dates. I scrolled to the bottom, then back up, chose the "Close" button on the top of change log presentation form, and that was it... No "Approve Change Log" check-box enabled. No Script Update Check. No F/W update check. Did not delve in, as short on personal time. Like cron job were unavail... but from ATMT:

50 19 * * * sh /jffs/scripts/MerlinAU.sh run_now #MerlinAU_FWUpdate#
35 19 * * * sh /jffs/scripts/MerlinAU.sh checkupdates #MerlinAU_ScriptUpdate#

- I suggest to the developers, - now - because they use artificial "suffixes" like:
#MerlinAU_FWUpdate#
OR
#MerlinAU_ScriptUpdate#

to extend these comments with appropiate logging, like, I[nserted-first-time] or U[pdated}, YYYY-MM-DD HH-MM-SS by user X, process PID, script version X.Y.Z, from code line (or at least routine/function/procedure name), {because user has pusshed Q UI element or etc.}

of course running AMTM option, the script was updated forcibly (is this good for bugs detection? maybe for UX ..., should be an user selectable option though...)

and now I do not know, if there is reason or a way to restore situation back:

I do have autobackups for a week though! But do not want to do full restore just for debugging old version.

Hope these insights will do any good. Regards to all!


P.S. What has confused me in the UI/UX of these both implementations - AMTM and WebUI, the meaning of "F/W Update Check" button/command. If I look from user's (let's say "prosumer", but not a full admin, with 10Y+ experience with Asus/Merlin like me), "check" means "just check, [report/update status fields], and .. do nothing". If in fact the "update check"="check and install [*immediatly* if all other contitions are met]", either:

A. The wording should be rephrased on UI elements.
or
B. UX worflow should be carefully reevaluated to pehaps split plain-check and install now commands in UI's to alleviate confusion.
Just my two cents...

 

[visortgw]

Hi everyone,

Just FYI:

I have 3006.102.6.beta1 on my AXE-16000 as of now. Like ~2 weeks online from flashing. Some time in between 2025-11-08, the MerlinAU v1.5.6 script was updated from previous version. Everything was set to auto-fire even before that, and from my POV, it should have executed on +2 days after 102.6.beta2 went 102.6production on 2025-11-25, like 27th or 28th...? The router was left for almost a month without any actions from me, lost power, known reboots, etc.

Any interest to dig in, why there was no upgrade from beta to production? The screenshots bellow were captured today a few hours before. Did not go into SSH AMTM script then.

When I got to this MerlinAU screen, of course, I pushed "Latest ChangeLog" button. The correct version was downloaded - 2025-11-25 production one, without XX-XX'es for the release dates. I scrolled to the bottom, then back up, chose the "Close" button on the top of change log presentation form, and that was it... No "Approve Change Log" check-box enabled. No Script Update Check. No F/W update check. Did not delve in, as short on personal time. Like cron job were unavail... but from ATMT:

50 19 * * * sh /jffs/scripts/MerlinAU.sh run_now #MerlinAU_FWUpdate#
35 19 * * * sh /jffs/scripts/MerlinAU.sh checkupdates #MerlinAU_ScriptUpdate#

- I suggest to the developers, - now - because they use artificial "suffixes" like:
#MerlinAU_FWUpdate#
OR
#MerlinAU_ScriptUpdate#

to extend these comments with appropiate logging, like, nserted-first-time] or pdated, YYYY-MM-DD HH-MM-SS by user X, process PID, script version X.Y.Z, from code line (or at least routine/function/procedure name), {because user has pusshed Q UI element or etc.}

View attachment 69298


View attachment 69299

of course running AMTM option, the script was updated forcibly (is this good for bugs detection? maybe for UX ..., should be an user selectable option though...)

and now I do not know, if there is reason or a way to restore situation back:
View attachment 69300

I do have autobackups for a week though! But do not want to do full restore just for debugging old version.

Hope these insights will do any good. Regards to all!


P.S. What has confused me in the UI/UX of these both implementations - AMTM and WebUI, the meaning of "F/W Update Check" button/command. If I look from user's (let's say "prosumer", but not a full admin, with 10Y+ experience with Asus/Merlin like me), "check" means "just check, [report/update status fields], and .. do nothing". If in fact the "update check"="check and install [*immediatly* if all other contitions are met]", either:

A. The wording should be rephrased on UI elements.
or
B. UX worflow should be carefully reevaluated to pehaps split plain-check and install now commands in UI's to alleviate confusion.
Just my two cents...

MerlinAU will NOT install beta firmware due to the inherent risk. It WILL, however, update from beta to production software if enabled via Advanced Options, menu option 3.

 

[kriukas]

MerlinAU will NOT install beta firmware due to the inherent risk. It WILL, however, update from beta to production software if enabled via Advanced Options, menu option 3.

My whole post is about why this beta => production did no happened.
Either you did not read my post or I am completely stupid.

MerlinAU with 1.5.6, working daily wouldn't update beta1 to production???

 

[ExtremeFiretop]

Hi everyone,

Just FYI:

I have 3006.102.6.beta1 on my AXE-16000 as of now. Like ~2 weeks online from flashing. Some time in between 2025-11-08, the MerlinAU v1.5.6 script was updated from previous version. Everything was set to auto-fire even before that, and from my POV, it should have executed on +2 days after 102.6.beta2 went 102.6production on 2025-11-25, like 27th or 28th...?

The script will do execute the update AT LEAST 2 days after it notified you it found an update. (Depending on how the cron jobs are set.)
If your cron jobs are set to fire monthly for example, it will be much longer than 2 days, it just validates that at least 2 days have past.

The router was left for almost a month without any actions from me, lost power, known reboots, etc.

Did you have it enabled to upgrade from betas to production as @visortgw highlighted above?
This is an option you can enable or disable in the script (advanced options, menu option 3, called Beta-to-Release F/W Updates)

Any interest to dig in, why there was no upgrade from beta to production? The screenshots bellow were captured today a few hours before. Did not go into SSH AMTM script then.

Please check the script logs and advise when the last log was generated and what it's contents are.
Main Menu --> "lo" option --> View F/W Update Log File

to extend these comments with appropiate logging, like, I[nserted-first-time] or U[pdated}, YYYY-MM-DD HH-MM-SS by user X, process PID, script version X.Y.Z, from code line (or at least routine/function/procedure name), {because user has pusshed Q UI element or etc.}

Logging exists within the script, that's why I mentioned to pull logs above.

of course running AMTM option, the script was updated forcibly (is this good for bugs detection? maybe for UX ..., should be an user selectable option though...)

It is user selectable as found below:

P.S. What has confused me in the UI/UX of these both implementations - AMTM and WebUI, the meaning of "F/W Update Check" button/command. If I look from user's (let's say "prosumer", but not a full admin, with 10Y+ experience with Asus/Merlin like me), "check" means "just check, [report/update status fields], and .. do nothing". If in fact the "update check"="check and install [*immediatly* if all other contitions are met]", either:

A. The wording should be rephrased on UI elements.

That is already the wording used in the script when clicking on the "CHECK" button.

 

[visortgw]

My whole post is about why this beta => production did no happened.
Either you did not read my post or I am completely stupid.

MerlinAU with 1.5.6, working daily wouldn't update beta1 to production???

I did read your post. Did you check configuration of menu option 3 within Advanced Options, which determines whether or not MerlinAU will update from beta to production.

 

[ExtremeFiretop]

My whole post is about why this beta => production did no happened.
Either you did not read my post or I am completely stupid.

MerlinAU with 1.5.6, working daily wouldn't update beta1 to production???

Your wording was not great, specifically here:

I have 3006.102.6.beta1 on my AXE-16000 as of now. and from my POV, it should have executed on +2 days after 102.6.beta2 went 102.6production on 2025-11-25, like 27th or 28th...?

So your on beta1, and from your POV, it should of updated you 2 days after BETA2 went to production? or 102.6 full release went to production?
That is what caused some confusion, either way, I looked past it, please provide some log dates and contents for some better understanding of what held you up from updating.

 

[kriukas]

The script will do execute the update AT LEAST 2 days after it notified you it found an update. (Depending on how the cron jobs are set.)
If your cron jobs are set to fire monthly for example, it will be much longer than 2 days, it just validates that at least 2 days have past.

Dear @ExtremeFiretop, @Kingp1n, @visortgw:

I have nothing to add to this discussion, as I believe, that my original post:

MerlinAU - MerlinAU v1.5.7 - The Ultimate Firmware Auto-Updater (WEBUI + GNUTON SUPPORT!)

Release Notes for MerlinAU v1.5.6 production version now available [2025-Nov-08] 1) PR #525 - Fix for "parameter not set" Error FIXED: A bug was generating a "currentDIVER_version: parameter not set" error message. This error happened when trying to flash the F/W image, and Diversion is...

www.snbforums.com

..was either not read in principle, or read without required attention to the chronology of the events, screenshots, and mentioned hard facts.

Personally I do not care, why did the update from beta1 to production did not happened for me as auto. As my experience shows, that these scripts seems to go a bit (no any kind of offense to any of you or your time invested in programming), "Microsoft way". E.g. I mean, that for some part of users with perhaps "shallow" config they just works and keeps improving. But from change logs and my personal input, there is pretty long march until everything works seamlessly.

current amtm versions logs are useless :-|

Enter selection: lo
2025-11-17 14:31:37 MerlinAU v1.5.6
2025-11-17 14:31:37 Running the update task now. Checking for F/W updates...
2025-11-17 14:31:37 No new firmware version update is found for [GT-AXE16000] router model.

 

[Viktor Jaep]

As my experience shows, that these scripts seems to go a bit (no any kind of offense to any of you or your time invested in programming), "Microsoft way".

Dude @ExtremeFiretop!! You are working for Microsoft now!? You never told me! Sweeeet! Hope you enjoy the new gig!!

 

[kriukas]

Your wording was not great, specifically here:



So your on beta1, and from your POV, it should of updated you 2 days after BETA2 went to production? or 102.6 full release went to production?
That is what caused some confusion, either way, I looked past it, please provide some log dates and contents for some better understanding of what held you up from updating.

nope. I made a logical conclusion, that production release date was 2022-11-25 from change log. Did not do file date stamps analysis, time zone check, etc.

What is regarding eta2, which I found historically uploaded to SF was not installed by me manually. I do not know if this is relevant to MerlinAU betas => productions feature workflow.

 

[kriukas]

Dude @ExtremeFiretop!! You are working for Microsoft now!? You never told me! Sweeeet! Hope you enjoy the new gig!!

If auto-update script forcibly auto-updates itself on each run, and you need to think ahead to "unplug the cable" - isn't it?

 

[ExtremeFiretop]

Dear @ExtremeFiretop, @Kingp1n, @visortgw:

I have nothing to add to this discussion, as I believe, that my original post:

..was either not read in principle, or read without required attention to the chronology of the events, screenshots, and mentioned hard facts.

We are simply asking for confirmation you meant the 102.6 full release and not the beta2, if you didn't mean beta2, there was no reason to include it...
You could of simply said: "it should have executed on +2 days after the FULL 102.6 release went to production on 2025-11-25, like 27th or 28th...?"

Instead you decided to include beta2 for no gain in information, so it causes confusion.
We also wanted to confirm you had the option Beta-to-Release F/W Updates "ENABLED" and that no changes were made since the reported issue, as found below:

However you still have not confirmed this, I can clearly see in the screenshot it's enabled NOW, but that does not answer if it was always enabled.

Personally I do not care, why did the update from beta1 to production did not happened for me as auto. As my experience shows, that these scripts seems to go a bit (no any kind of offense to any of you or your time invested in programming), "Microsoft way". E.g. I mean, that for some part of users with perhaps "shallow" config they just works and keeps improving. But from change logs and my personal input, there is pretty long march until everything works seamlessly.

If you do not care, and don't think you have anything further to add to the discussion when asking for clarification, then I have no fuel to change anything that is working for many people.

current amtm versions logs are useless :-|

Enter selection: lo
2025-11-17 14:31:37 MerlinAU v1.5.6
2025-11-17 14:31:37 Running the update task now. Checking for F/W updates...
2025-11-17 14:31:37 No new firmware version update is found for [GT-AXE16000] router model.

This clearly shows the logs being 2025-11-17, and you expected the update to run on 2025-11-27 or the 2025-11-28
Your own words:

went 102.6production on 2025-11-25, like 27th or 28th...? T

So please provide logs for AFTER you expected it to run, not before....
And for this:

If auto-update script forcibly auto-updates itself on each run, and you need to think ahead to "unplug the cable" - isn't it?

Just disable it from the WebUI instead of the shell script...

 

[Viktor Jaep]

If auto-update script forcibly auto-updates itself on each run, and you need to think ahead to "unplug the cable" - isn't it?

I don't run Merlin FW beta's because I prefer my family not wanting to kill me in my sleep... can't duplicate the experience. Sorry!

 

[kriukas]

I did read your post. Did you check configuration of menu option 3 within Advanced Options, which determines whether or not MerlinAU will update from beta to production.

OK, lets now investigate the meaning of "did read" ;-)

Did you/Extreme @ExtremeFiretop saw 3 inline screenshots from the original post? With all the required info from "prosumer" perspective (which I have "evil-advocated" as such)?

- that was all from WebUI.

!Not! AMTM command-line-menu UI. From my perspective - there is no need to check any options, as all have been set to "full-auto" months ago, while helping to debug this very script. And even if I did check, or will check now - what should I find? That the option bit "flipped"?

From my POV, the problem is very simple:
A. At least v1.5.6 script, which was set to run/self update every day every "humanly reasonable" evening time did not run.
B. I did not change anything recently in any cron-level config what so ever.
C. The only issue, which pops in my mind, that before the month, I was battling to deploy chrony time server in authenticated NTS mode, and until now I have issues with "falsetickers" and "can't synchronize: no majority" event floods. Do not know Asus/Merlin time architecture, dependencies and impact, but maybe chron jobs do not run under "no-synch", "no-majority" conditions.

 

[visortgw]

OK, lets now investigate the meaning of "did read" ;-)

Did you/Extreme @ExtremeFiretop saw 3 inline screenshots from the original post? With all the required info from "prosumer" perspective (which I have "evil-advocated" as such)?

- that was all from WebUI.

!Not! AMTM command-line-menu UI. From my perspective - there is no need to check any options, as all have been set to "full-auto" months ago, while helping to debug this very script. And even if I did check, or will check now - what should I find? That the option bit "flipped"?

From my POV, the problem is very simple:
A. At least v1.5.6 script, which was set to run/self update every day every "humanly reasonable" evening time did not run.
B. I did not change anything recently in any cron-level config what so ever.
C. The only issue, which pops in my mind, that before the month, I was battling to deploy chrony time server in authenticated NTS mode, and until now I have issues with "falsetickers" and "can't synchronize: no majority" event floods. Do not know Asus/Merlin time architecture, dependencies and impact, but maybe chron jobs do not run under "no-synch", "no-majority" conditions.

Excuse me for trying to assist you. My mistake...

 

[kriukas]

I don't run Merlin FW beta's because I prefer my family not wanting to kill me in my sleep... can't duplicate the experience. Sorry!

Sure! As I have the luxury of the second home - I can double-insure main router of the same model to not go down from upgrades. But what comes good from this - I can report here. ... if there is anything relevant to report. As last 4 hours of experience left a raised eyebrow and confusion...

 

[kriukas]

Excuse me for trying to assist you. My mistake...

Excuse me for trying to not ask for help, but for my clumsiness to report quality feedback -1 sub-sub-version unexpected behavior in as much detail as I could gather! And I even did that with beta! And even beta1, not beta2. Stupid me

 

[Viktor Jaep]

Excuse me for trying to assist you. My mistake...

I would like to see Microsoft give someone this level of personal support. Lol

 

[ExtremeFiretop]

I would like to see Microsoft give someone this level of personal support. Lol

I would never be hired, my level of support is far too caring...

 

[visortgw]

I would like to see Microsoft give someone this level of personal support. Lol

And not charge you a penny for it!

 

[ExtremeFiretop]

OK, lets now investigate the meaning of "did read" ;-)

Did you/Extreme @ExtremeFiretop saw 3 inline screenshots from the original post? With all the required info from "prosumer" perspective (which I have "evil-advocated" as such)?

- that was all from WebUI.

!Not! AMTM command-line-menu UI. From my perspective - there is no need to check any options, as all have been set to "full-auto" months ago, while helping to debug this very script. And even if I did check, or will check now - what should I find? That the option bit "flipped"?

From my POV, the problem is very simple:
A. At least v1.5.6 script, which was set to run/self update every day every "humanly reasonable" evening time did not run.
B. I did not change anything recently in any cron-level config what so ever.
C. The only issue, which pops in my mind, that before the month, I was battling to deploy chrony time server in authenticated NTS mode, and until now I have issues with "falsetickers" and "can't synchronize: no majority" event floods. Do not know Asus/Merlin time architecture, dependencies and impact, but maybe chron jobs do not run under "no-synch", "no-majority" conditions.

As I mentioned above, am looking past the confusion in the original post, I can definitely read though.

I would however like to see the logs from AFTER we expected the update to run, not before as I touched on in my previous post.

(**Thread closed due to age**)​

NEW THREAD: https://www.snbforums.com/threads/merlinau-v1-5-7-the-ultimate-firmware-auto-updater.96306/