.
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)
- 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...