UNLUNG-3.x Family Release README INSTALLATION You must follow the steps in this README *exactly*. Do not skip any steps, and do not skip ahead thinking you know what you are doing and don't need to follow instructions step by step. If at any time you have any questions concerning the installation or operation of Unslung firmware, your first port of call should be the NSLU2-Linux wiki at: http://www.nslu2-linux.org If you are looking for further Unslung notes - including ipkg usage, diversion script details, or ChangeLog information, please consult the associated NOTES file. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are three parts to completing the installation of the Unslung firmware: 1 - PRE-INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS 2 - FIRMWARE INSTALLATION DETAILS 3 - UNSLINGING DETAILS PRE-INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS 1) It is strongly recommended that you test telnet Redboot access first. See http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/HowTo/TelnetIntoRedBoot - Redboot is the bootloader that runs when the device is first started, loading things into memory and starting Linux. By testing your ability to telnet into Redboot, you are ensuring that if you injure your NSLU2 with a bad flash (or with a bad diversion script) you should be able to follow the "How To Recover From A Bad Flash" instructions at http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/HowTo/RecoverFromABadFlash 2) Because you can now make changes to the root filesystem in the internal flash storage, you no longer need to have an external disk to use the Unslung firmware (except if you want to install more than what can fit in the meagre spare space in the internal flash storage). 3) If you do want to use an external disk as the target for package installation, then it is absolutely required that the disk is (or has previously been) formatted by the NSLU2. It is possible to upgrade from UNSLUNG 1.x or UNSLUNG 2.x to UNSLUNG 3.x without reformatting your disk. The unsling script will not touch anything in /unslung or /opt on your disk, make sure all your file modifications are in those directories, as you were warned in the README file in UNSLUNG 1.x and UNSLUNG 2.x :-) 4) If you want to use a flash disk as the target for package installation, ensure that it is larger than 256mb, plugged into port 1, and formatted via the Linksys web interface. 5) Please verify that any disks you are going to connect to the NSLU2 are recognized and working properly *before* updating your firmware (including any shares and data you had previously stored.) If not, DO NOT CONTINUE. You may want to check out "How To Troubleshoot A Drive Missing Condition" at: http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/HowTo/TroubleshootADriveMissingCondition - The only exception to this, of course, are those enclosures that the stock firmware does not support, but the Unslung firmware does support. 6) If you are upgrading your firmware, you should make a configuration backup via the Linksys web interface. The configuration backup can be found under "Administration", "Advanced", and then "Backup." The top section of that webpage is titled "Config Backup" and "Download" should be used to save your NSLU2 Users, Groups and Shares setup to a disk file. FIRMWARE INSTALLATION DETAILS 1) Shutdown the NSLU2, and remove any disks that you may have plugged into the NSLU2. Power back up the NSLU2. - Firmware upgrades must always be performed with *no* hard disks or flash disks attached. This CANNOT be emphasized enough. Are you sure you unplugged the disks before powering up? If so, you may continue. 2) If you are installing UNSLUNG 3.x onto an NSLU2 unit with Linksys standard firmware *or* UNSLUNG 1.x or 2.x, go to step 2-a. If you are installing Unslung 3.x onto an NSLU2 unit with version 3.x already installed, go to step 2-b. 2-a) Flash unslung-standard-3.x.bin as you normally would flash new firmware (using the web interface "Upgrade Firmware" page). 2-b) You must put the NSLU2 into maintenance mode before you can use the web interface to flash a new version. Just click the "Enter Maintenance Mode" link on the web interface "Upgrade Firmware" page, wait for the NSLU2 to reboot, and then flash the new firmware in the normal manner. - During firmware flashing, the top LED - Ready/Status - flashes red and green (approximately 5 minutes), and you should receive a Javascript message that indicates that the flash of the firmware was successful. - The NSLU2 will reboot after the flashing is complete. 3) Shutdown the NSLU2 (again), attach disk(s), and power it back up. 4) Verify your NSLU2 is working normally again at this point in the web interface. In particular, you should ensure that all your disks are still recognized as they were before you updated the firmware (including any shares and data you had previously stored.) If not, DO NOT CONTINUE. You may want to check out "How To Troubleshoot A Drive Missing Condition" at: http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/HowTo/TroubleshootADriveMissingCondition - If you are not "unslinging", you can stop at this point. The only reason for not unslinging would be in the case of a re-flash of the SAME firmware. Even if this is a point firmware upgrade, you will need to unsling. ***** If you do not choose to do the unslinging procedure described below, DO NOT install packages unless you are SURE you know what you are doing! "Bricking" your NSLU2 by not unslinging is not just a possibility, it is a probability. 5) Shutdown the NSLU2 and unplug *ALL* attached disks. - You must NOT have any disk plugged into the NSLU2 when you reboot to perform the next part of installation - the "Unslinging". 'UNSLINGING' DETAILS 1) Power up the NSLU2 without any disks connected. - This only has to be done when you update the firmware, and because UNSLUNG 3.x now runs completely from the internal flash memory, it is no longer necessary to "unsling" to an external disk unless you wish to store downloadable packages on that disk - which you will probably want to do, because the internal flash memory only has enough spare room for one or two very small packages. ***** To reiterate, you should not have a disk plugged in at this stage. If you powered up your NSLU2 with a disk attached, shutdown the NSLU2, unplug the disks, and power up again. 2) Enable telnet by going to "http://192.168.1.77/Management/telnet.cgi", and press the enable button. - If you had previously changed the IP address of your NSLU2 from 192.168.1.77 to something else, then you should use that new IP address to enable telnet. Also note that you should use the username "admin" and password "admin" for the web interface at this point (as no disks are attached, the default username and password is the only way to access the Management web pages). - Make sure you have **** NO DISKS ATTACHED AT THIS TIME **** - If you plug a disk in before you complete the telnet connection, then the NSLU2 will pick up the Linksys password from the disk, and you will not be able to telnet into it. So don't have any disks attached at this point. - Make sure you have **** NO DISKS ATTACHED AT THIS TIME **** 3) OK, now that you don't have any disks attached, you can proceed and telnet into the NSLU2 using the username root and password uNSLUng. 4) Identify which drive you wish you "unsling", and plug it in. Wait a minute or two while the disk is mounted. - If the disk has not been previously formatted on the NSLU2, then now is the time to do that. Make sure that the drive is recognized in the web interface. 5) In the telnet session, run "/sbin/unsling". - Starting with UNSLUNG 3.x, the external disk is no longer used for the root filesystem, so only a few documentation files will be copied to the "conf" partition (not the "data" partition). - Once you "unsling" to an external disk on a particular port (Disk 1 or Disk 2), it is important that you keep that disk continually plugged into that same port whenever the NSLU2 is turned on. ***** Unsling will not change the password on your disk, so if you had previously changed the password on a disk, then your password will not be changed. Also note that simply editing the /etc/passwd file is not enough to permanently change a password. See http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/HowTo/ChangePasswordsFromTheCommandLine 6) Reboot. ***** Congratulations, you're now Unslung! ***** Make sure you add an entry to the "The UNSLUNG 3.x" table in the Yahoo group. Just use the next free integer for your Unslung number. If you make no further changes, your NSLU2 will continue to operate normally. But to customize things, you'll be downloading packages and adding stuff to the /unslung directory on the external disk (or even in the internal flash memory) using diversion scripts. Read the NOTES file to expand the capabilities of your uNSLUng NSLU2! Enjoy!