Tips, how to install linux without monitor

Antibiotic

Hello,

I have one small router, here tech details:
https://openwrt.org/toh/hwdata/gl.inet/gl.inet_gl-mt2500_gl-mt2500a

The problem, they are using very old openwrt version and new version still not supported. I s it possible to install on this device Linux ARM64? This router have only one usb port and no any connection port for monitor support.

elvisimprsntr

@Antibiotic

You might have better luck asking on the https://forum.openwrt.org forums, since this is not a linux forum.

patient0

@Antibiotic is the MT2500a different from MT2500 (doesn't look like it is)? In SNAPSHOT there's an image in the firmware selector for it:

https://firmware-selector.openwrt.org/?version=SNAPSHOT&target=mediatek%2Ffilogic&id=glinet_gl-mt2500

Added in commit below (April 2023) plus a few later commits with fixes:

commit 12396686484a488dff1c4a1ee8b5197c552572fe
Author: David Bauer <mail@david-bauer.net>
Date:   Thu Apr 20 19:49:55 2023 +0200

    mediatek: add support for GL.iNet GL-MT2500

    Hardware
    --------
    SoC:  MediaTek MT7981BA
    RAM:  1GB DDR4 (NANYA NT5AD512M16C4-JR)
    MMC:  8GB eMMC (Samsung 8GTF4R)
    ETH:  1000Base-T LAN (ePHY)
          2500Base-T WAN (MaxLinear GPY211C)
    BTN:  1x Reset Button
    LED:  System (blue/white)
          VPN (white)
    USB:  1x USB-A (USB 3.0)
    UART: 115200 8N1 - Pinout on board next to LAN port
          Don't connect 3.3V!

    Known Issues
    ------------
    U-Boot vendor recovery does not seem to accept any images, neither
    GL.iNet images nor OpenWrt images. Recovery requires serial access!

    Installation
    ------------
    Upload the OpenWrt sysupgrade image to the Gl.iNet Web-UI. Make sure to
    not retain existing settings.

    Signed-off-by: David Bauer <mail@david-bauer.net>

Antibiotic

@patient0 Yea, I tried this a few month ago and got dead router. Recovery option only assist me get him back)))

patient0

@Antibiotic said in Tips, how to install linux without monitor:

@patient0 Yea, I tried this a few month ago and got dead router. Recovery option only assist me get him back)))

I see, that's not aworking solution then for you. Searching the OpenWrt forum is going to be more helpful here. I'm sure there are some people who have this device and maybe the similar issues as you.

A standard ARM linux would need a lot of work I think. OpenWrt is based on a Linux kernel but with tons of patches, plus all the device specific changes for the MT-2500.

Antibiotic

@patient0 Oki))) thank's

stephenw10

That newer openwrt image is certainly what I would try. You should be able to netboot it so no 'recovery' it necessary if for some reason it doesn't boot. You'd need console access though.