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robmaltsystems
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Understanding firmware version vs router OS version

Tue May 11, 2021 11:08 pm

Can I just clarify that I've got this right. The firmware is the software that boots first which then loads RouterOS? So on this device:

Image

The device shipped with 6.44.5 baked in (factory firmware) but the firmware currently running at boot is 6.45.8. The RouterOS version is 6.48.2 (latest) and therefore I have an option to upgrade the boot firmware to that version?

And it seems rather common that the boot firmware is often an older version that RouterOS because I'm guessing the boot sequence rarely needs updating?

How do you restore a device back to the factory firmware if you ever needed to do it?
Last edited by robmaltsystems on Wed May 12, 2021 12:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
 
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anav
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Re: Understanding firmware version vs router OS version

Tue May 11, 2021 11:25 pm

I normally keep the boot version the same as the software version, no rhyme or reason just do...........
 
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Re: Understanding firmware version vs router OS version

Tue May 11, 2021 11:31 pm

Mostly yes. Except: firmware comes with ROS and bears same version number (firmware seldomly changes, hence different version numbers don't necessarily mean different firmware). After you upgrade (or downgrade) ROS, you'll see "Upgrade Firmware" different from "Current Firmware" ... if that's so, you can click Upgrade button. Device has to be rebooted to complete firmware change. You can't install firmware older than "Factory Firmware" (similarly you can't downgrade ROS to older than factory ROS version).

Your screenshot shows 6.45.9 as Upgrade Firmware which likely means your device was running ROS 6.45.9 when screenshot was taken.

Usually nobody restores firmware/ROS to factory versiobs, mostly people keep them at some known trouble-free version.
 
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Re: Understanding firmware version vs router OS version

Wed May 12, 2021 12:52 am

Sorry, I posted the wrong screenshot - updated! But thx for the clarification. Interesting note about the version of the firmware changing but nothing much actually changing. Makes sense as I know boot software is rarely updated.
 
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Re: Understanding firmware version vs router OS version

Wed May 12, 2021 5:29 am

On RouterBOARD two "BIOS" are presents.
1) Factory Firmware (BIOS) is physically for recover device booting recovery BIOS, if for some reason main (current) BIOS are corrupted.
2) Current Firmware (BIOS) are the version loaded at the boot of RouterBOARD.

The Factory can be updated only for special event, like introduction of "protected routerboot" on previous model, and only on some board.
Is present (and fixed) If the factory version are 6.43.7 and up

The current firmware is the only upgradable to any version with .fwf files or on bundle with current RouterOS (Upgrade Firmware).
There's no limit on firmware version, but it can be like factory version and up.

There's not correlation with RouterOS version, it can be any not before factory RouterOS (software) version

After RouterBOOT 3.42 / RouterOS 6.40.x all BIOS version number change with RouterOS version bundled, also if BIOS is exactly equal from previous version.

I'ts possible to have on non-flash RouterOS (units non-smips and with more than 32MB of space and without /flash/ folder presence)
more than one partition with some differents RouterOS version and choose what boot at start and what boot for failover, if the current boot fail.

Any mix of version are possible, but no-one version can be older than Factory Software.
Factory Software can be read on "system resources".
On some models that is empty because this feature are added later.
 
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robmaltsystems
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Re: Understanding firmware version vs router OS version

Wed May 12, 2021 1:28 pm

Thanks for the explanation.
 
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Re: Understanding firmware version vs router OS version

Sun Mar 05, 2023 12:16 pm

.
So there is a severe lack of comparables to clarify the subject (not specifically this topic), ideally accompanied by "screenshots" in correlation to commands. But that is the Mikrotik FUD way.

Note that if you feel corrections are needed then post them directly instead of snickering about the need, it's not like the manual has the complete clarified details.

Some insight from trying to establish if a RBwAPG-5HacD2HnD (the new two port ARMv7(32) wAP ac, not previous one port MIPSBE wAP ac), which is sold factory new with RouterOS v6.49.6 (i.e Stable channel), can be downgraded to (currently) Long-Term v6.48.6 (as v6.49.6 is post that version). Long-Term v6.48.6 is also pre "Factory Software" which (as indicated below is v6.49).

So we have:
Mikrotik = The Latvian company
RouterBOARD = The hardware, physical device (specifically the motherboard)
RouterBOOT (official name) = Firmware (concept) = BIOS (common term)
RouterOS = OperatingSystem, Linux kernel "derivative of sorts"

  • Factory (RouterBOOT) Firmware
  • Current (RouterBOOT) Firmware
    • a.k.a. "backup booter"
    • RouterBOARD reset button returns you to same RouterOS
  • Upgrade (RouterBOOT) Firmware
    • "the RouterOS you are currently running and can upgrade the "backup booter" too"
  • Factory Software (RouterOS)
    • "current booter"
  • Netinstall "board supports version from" version
    • a Netinstall prompt only show when selecting a directory containing NPKs with version prior to "board supports version from"

i.e.
[admin@MikroTik] > /system routerboard print 
       routerboard: yes
        board-name: wAP ac
             model: RBwAPG-5HacD2HnD
          revision: r3
     serial-number: E.............C
     firmware-type: ipq4000L
  factory-firmware: 6.49.6
  current-firmware: 6.49.6
  upgrade-firmware: 6.49.6
Referenced at https://help.mikrotik.com/docs/display/ROS/RouterBOOT
Every RouterOS version (package a.k.a. NPK) has a new RouterBOOT version included in it

vs
[admin@MikroTik] /system resource> /system resource print 
                   uptime: 1m37s
                  version: 6.49.6 (stable)
               build-time: Apr/07/2022 17:53:31
         factory-software: 6.49
              free-memory: 82.8MiB
             total-memory: 128.0MiB
                      cpu: ARMv7
                cpu-count: 4
            cpu-frequency: 716MHz
                 cpu-load: 0%
           free-hdd-space: 2184.0KiB
          total-hdd-space: 15.3MiB
  write-sect-since-reboot: 1051
         write-sect-total: 1890
               bad-blocks: 0%
        architecture-name: arm
               board-name: wAP ac
                 platform: MikroTik
Referenced in https://help.mikrotik.com/docs/display/ ... g+RouterOS
which states "The factory-software (RouterOS) is the oldest version supported by this device."

Let alone that it would have any correlation to what Netinstall says for the "board supports version from" (which for a completely unknown reason for this device is stated as "v6.44.6"). i.e. Long-Term from 2019-10-28 (vs v6.49 from 2021-10-07). With this RBwAPG-5HacD2HnD (new wAP ac) released 2020.

So in my case the conclusion is that to get my device to run Long-Term channel I need to wait for Long-Term to surpass v6.49. Which to my understandingis comparable to Stable v6.48.4 from which has passed much longer that the traditional 6 months due to v7 "spearheading" which doesn't have a Long-Term channel at all (since first v7.1 Stable from 2021-12-06), meaning there probably won't exist a v6.49 Long-Term before the eventual v7 Long-Term which is soon three 6 month cycles behind...

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