Mikrotik bricked by backup, reset button not working anymore

RouterOS General
1

Hello everyone,


  1. I have RB951G-2HnD (out-of-warranty) and an old backup file I wanted to restore.
  2. I have restored the backup file to RB951G-2HnD
  3. it worked for a few minutes, I logged into WinBox and I was checking the actual config via /export in Terminal.
  4. then the connection was lost and all LAN ports started to reset itself every 5 seconds (going down and up every 10 sec), impossible to establish connection to PC again.
    Can’t use WinBox anymore, no LAN was working and WiFi was disabled in the backup. I tried different computers
  5. I made a reset with reset button
  6. Settings was reset, but the problem with LAN ports going down persisted :open_mouth: The only way to use winbox was via WiFi.
  7. I fixed it by Netinstall, clean ROS 6.42.2 succesfully installed, the problem has gone, everything back to normal, so I have a device prepared for backup restore again.
  8. I restored the backup again.
  9. And the issue was back. LAN ports going down every few sec and I was unable to connect to Mikrotik.
  10. I decided that I give up with this backup, it does not work.
  11. I made a reset with reset button
  12. Settings was reset, but the problem with LAN ports going down persisted.
  13. I’m trying to fix it again with Netinstall, but unable to do so. The first beep comes after 35s, not after ~15s like on other RB951G’s, and it always do a standard boot no matter what. Not appearing in Netinstall anymore.
    (have tested another Mikrotik: I can see another RB951G-2HnD in Netinstall after ~16s of holding reset button. I’m actually releasing it just before, or just after first beep. No other beeps after that, and I see it in Netinstall every time. So the setup I use for Netinstall connection is ok, the problematic mikrotik device is not.)
  14. I can access the router via WinBox (using WiFi) so I tried system routerboard settings set force-backup-booter=yes, but with no luck.

Currently:

  1. The LAN ports are resetting themselves every few seconds, no connection via Ethernet is possible
  2. WiFi is working, WinBox connection works using WiFi
  3. Resetting configuration from WinBox does not solve the problem with restarting LAN ports.
  4. I’d like to erase it with Netinstall to remove the issue with LAN ports, but I can’t access the router with Netinstall.
    It seems that it started to ignore both reset buttons completely (there is a reset button and jumper hole).
    loop.gif

Q1: Can a backup completely brick the router?
Q2: What can I do next to unbrick it?


Thank you

2

You cannot restore a backup to anything apart from the EXACT SAME ROUTER that it came from. You cannot restore backups to routers even of the same type.

3

Thanks, but I had different questions:

Q1: Can a backup completely brick the router?
Q2: What can I do next to unbrick it?

Thank you

4

Correct.

If you want to restore from one Mikrotik to another, you need to export config to file and then execute that on the other via terminal

5
  1. If the file got corrupted it certainly could.
  2. You already answered that one yourself - Netinstall

Assuming that this is the SAME ROUTER, If you have another backup file, try it after the Netinstall.
If it’s a different router, or if you only have the one (possibly corrupted) backup, do you have an Export? If so, use that to restore.

Hint for future use: Have more than one backup. In my case each of my routers create a backup and a export file every day and E-Mail them to me (E-Mail server is on my LAN, so those files never hit the internet).

6

That is actually dangerous if you have statically assigned MAC to some interface (bridge, virtual-wlan), because that MAC will get copied as well. Unless you realize and change this, you might get random “loop detected” disconnections. (I had to learn the hard way because I forgot that I assigned admin-mac to the bridge)

7

World is a dangerous place to live …

With export you have chance to review every single setting before it is applied to another device, with backup you don’t. If careless admin doesn’t take chance given, then it’s nobody else to blame for failures.

8

If you can access it, then it’s not bricked.

You can try to force network boot for Netinstall like this:

/system routerboard settings set boot-device=try-ethernet-once-then-nand

Or just reset the whole config (but if it doesn’t go well, you’ll also lose wifi access):

/system reset-configuration
9

Thanks guys,


If you can access it, then it’s not bricked.

I need to erase it with Netinstall to remove the issue with LAN ports, but I can’t access it with Netinstall anymore.
The Mikrotik started to ignore both reset buttons completely (there is a reset button and jumper hole). That’s the actual problem.
Resetting configuration from WinBox does not solve the problem with restarting LAN ports.
I don’t want to remove config completely as I’m afraid that I would lose the last communication channel I now have to this mikrotik (wifi).


With export you have chance to review every single setting …

That’s true. I used a backup file because I haven’t had export available this time.

10

I’ve ended up with mikrotik restarting (beeping) every 10 seconds.

exacly like in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjcXbBf91OA

It’s unresponsive to both of reset buttons and netinstall.

What can I do next?

Thank you.

11

bump.

12

I had the same problem after an update due to power outage during restart after update.
It was saved by netinstall.
I read that you can’t connect through netinstall.
What OS does your pc run?

13

Win10 and Win XP. Netinstall works for my other RB951G-2HnD’s, not for the bricked device.

14

I know you said it works for other devices. Nevertheless please check if you have hyperv installed on your PC and make sure you are connected to the ethernet port that netinstall is allowed to connect for RB951. It usually is eth0 but please verify as I do not know that for sure.

15

Yes I’m using the first port (WAN port) for netinstall connection.
I don’t have any hyperv installed and I also tried to disable all “network adapters”, except the physical ethernet card.
The bricked mikrotik have a different LED blinking procedure (while booting) than my other 2HnD’s.

16

Do you try to connect with a direct cable or while connected at a switch ( where the other routers might also be connected)?

17

Ditto, had exact scenario and netinstall fixed it, netinstall is a bit finicky, but will work.

disable firewall, anti virus, all ports except the one used, etc

18

I’m using direct cable. There is no issue with netinstall.

Netinstall works for me with another RB951. I just keep pressing the reset button until a single beep (20 sec), then it shows up in netinstall.
The bricked RB951: I keep pressing the reset button, a single beep coming after 33 sec. Anytime I release the button it continues to reboot itself every 10sec (all LEDs flash + single beep). It never shows up in netinstall. When I keep pressing the reset button indefinitely, it constantly reboots every 36 seconds (3 sec after the single beep).

I’m clearly not alone with the issue:

http://forum.mikrotik.com/t/identifying-and-cable-unplugged-loop/119618/1

Any comment from Mikrotik stuff?
Thank you.

19

It reboots even if you release at 20sec (without hearing the beep)?

20

Thanks for the tip, I tried all the combinations:
I released the reset button after: 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, 10s, 11s, 12s, 13s, 14s, 15s, 16s, 17s, 18s, 19s, 20s, 21s, 22s, 23s, 24s, 25s, 26s, 27s, 28s, 29s, 30s, 31s, 32s, 33s, 34s (BEEP), 35s, 36s (reboots itself), 37s, 38s, 39s, 40s, 1 minute and longer (it keeps rebooting every 36sec).

Behavior is still the same. 6 second long infinite reboot loop right after releasing the button, not showing up in netinstall.