Help me revive my RB2011UiAS-2HnD-IN

zlobster · Sun Sep 09, 2018 3:09 pm

Hello!

I have (had?) a perfectly running RB2011UiAS-2HnD-IN on a distant site. I took it with me for maintenace/re-configuration recently.

I forgot the password and tried re-setting the thing via the reset switch. I couldn't manage do reset the thing (IDK why, probably didn't get the timing right) and went for Netinstall.

Now the fun part begins. I guess I managed to screw something here as well. I can make the thing Etherboot from the main AND the backup bootloaders. Problem is that when Netinstall detects the lil' mofo, and commence the re-flashing, nothing seems to be happening...

I get 'Netinstall' on the LCD, port LEDs blink once and all goes dark after that. Only the blue LED is ON, and LAN1 LED is blinking as there are comms with the Netinstall laptop.

Now, after this attempt Netinstall still has connection to the router, but now the license key field is blank. This things happens no matter which bootloader I use.

I tried various builds from 6.x branch, as well as the latest but all is a no-go. Router seemingly can't Netinstall properly.

Any help is highly appreciated. I hate to have this good ol' routey as a paperweight.

NathanA · Mon Sep 10, 2018 3:51 pm

That you seem to know which bootloader is being used would seem to imply that you have a serial cable hooked up to the RJ45 RS232 console port. (If you were engaging Netinstall with the reset button every time instead of via RouterBOOT console menu, then I think you would always be using the backup bootloader? because I am pretty sure that backup bootloader is always engaged as long as the reset button is depressed when power is applied.)

So what does the console show during the Netinstall NPK upload/flash process?

-- Nathan

zlobster · Mon Sep 10, 2018 10:43 pm

That you seem to know which bootloader is being used would seem to imply that you have a serial cable hooked up to the RJ45 RS232 console port. (If you were engaging Netinstall with the reset button every time instead of via RouterBOOT console menu, then I think you would always be using the backup bootloader? because I am pretty sure that backup bootloader is always engaged as long as the reset button is depressed when power is applied.)

So what does the console show during the Netinstall NPK upload/flash process?

-- Nathan

Hi, Nathan. Thanks for writing back!

I'll get my paws on a console cable and check the output. I'll post as soon as I have some more info.

What troubles me deeply is that this little fella has 2 bootloaders. If got it all right either one of them should be able to Netinstall, i.e. re-partition and flash the FW afterwards. None of them actually does, though.

I believe I'm engaging 2 different bootloaders because that's how I interpret the documentation. To engage main bootloader - apply power AND THEN press RESET, wait for bootloader to kick in. To engage the backup one - press RESET BEFORE applying power. Or so I thought.

Googling aroung I found lots of RB2011's that are bricked beyond recovery. Maybe there is something with those? Also, MT's webpage says Rev. 2 when you go to my specific model; maybe MT fixed this bricking issue with RB2011's?

NathanA · Tue Sep 11, 2018 1:59 am

I believe I'm engaging 2 different bootloaders because that's how I interpret the documentation. To engage main bootloader - apply power AND THEN press RESET, wait for bootloader to kick in. To engage the backup one - press RESET BEFORE applying power. Or so I thought.

`
Actually, now that I stop to think about it...you may be right! It never occurred to me that it would be possible to engage the other functions of the RESET button separately because I just had it in my head that it was all a function of how long you held it down. But it makes sense that you could trip RESET after applying power (thus avoiding triggering backup bootloader) and still have it work for some of the other functions because in one instance, RouterBOOT is checking RESET button state, and in other instances, RouterOS is.

I still think a console cable would be insightful/educational. I'll be eager to see what that reveals to you.

We have deployed many, many, many 2011s on our network since their introduction, and I can't think of a single one that has come up permanently bricked over the years. There was an issue early in its lifespan I recall where ROS could crash and it would just start acting like 2 independent 5-port switches, but it wasn't a permanent state (I can't remember if you actually had to reinstall, or if a simple reboot would be enough to bring it back for a while...this was a long time ago), but I seem to recall that they fixed that at the very end of RouterOS 5.x / the very beginning of RouterOS 6.x. RouterBoards in my experience are extremely difficult to brick (short of actual hardware failure).

Is it the Software-ID or the license key that Netinstall is showing as blank (or both)? Either way, the fact that either one is not showing up makes me concerned that something may have become corrupt on the bootloader NOR chip. How, I'm not sure. The answer to this may be as simple as writing to support@mikrotik, supplying them with the serial # of your device (and Software-ID if it is returning one), and asking them to regenerate/resend the license key for that router.

-- Nathan

msbr · Thu Sep 13, 2018 6:41 am

I have the dime problem.

I reset and after brick

https://youtu.be/vBAgbNVZngs

NathanA · Thu Sep 13, 2018 9:48 am

I have the dime problem.

I reset and after brick

https://youtu.be/vBAgbNVZngs

`
Sorry, but that doesn't look or sound like the same problem to me. Yours is not finishing booting, though the bootloader is definitely working (as evidenced by the fact that it beeps a single time, which means it found a valid OS kernel on the flash chip and executed it). Very likely yours *could* be fixed with Netinstall.

-- Nathan

zlobster · Fri Sep 14, 2018 12:01 pm

I believe I'm engaging 2 different bootloaders because that's how I interpret the documentation. To engage main bootloader - apply power AND THEN press RESET, wait for bootloader to kick in. To engage the backup one - press RESET BEFORE applying power. Or so I thought.
`
Actually, now that I stop to think about it...you may be right! It never occurred to me that it would be possible to engage the other functions of the RESET button separately because I just had it in my head that it was all a function of how long you held it down. But it makes sense that you could trip RESET after applying power (thus avoiding triggering backup bootloader) and still have it work for some of the other functions because in one instance, RouterBOOT is checking RESET button state, and in other instances, RouterOS is.

I still think a console cable would be insightful/educational. I'll be eager to see what that reveals to you.

We have deployed many, many, many 2011s on our network since their introduction, and I can't think of a single one that has come up permanently bricked over the years. There was an issue early in its lifespan I recall where ROS could crash and it would just start acting like 2 independent 5-port switches, but it wasn't a permanent state (I can't remember if you actually had to reinstall, or if a simple reboot would be enough to bring it back for a while...this was a long time ago), but I seem to recall that they fixed that at the very end of RouterOS 5.x / the very beginning of RouterOS 6.x. RouterBoards in my experience are extremely difficult to brick (short of actual hardware failure).

Is it the Software-ID or the license key that Netinstall is showing as blank (or both)? Either way, the fact that either one is not showing up makes me concerned that something may have become corrupt on the bootloader NOR chip. How, I'm not sure. The answer to this may be as simple as writing to support@mikrotik, supplying them with the serial # of your device (and Software-ID if it is returning one), and asking them to regenerate/resend the license key for that router.

-- Nathan

Holly schnitzel, Nathan! It's alive!

I couldn't just stay idly by while waiting for my consile cable. I saw v6.43 was pushed to Stable and decided to give it one more try.

Something was not right. I was always able to see my Tik's model and MAC in Netinstall. More so, both SW-ID & license key were visible in Netinstall too. No way my box is bricked and shows all this at the same time.

So, I read VERY carefully your posts over and over again. Then it hit me - could it be a broken license key? You can bet your sweet momma's bottom it could! (sorry, I'm so excited that I couldn't resist) I then generated a L1 Demo license from MT's website. I put the new key in Netinstall and saw the magic happened!

I saw the progress bar and then the Reboot button.

Boy, I never thought I'd be so happy to read 'Loading kernel' on the LCD!!!

Later, with the S/N & SW-ID I used the auto key renewal and got a new L5 license. My RB2011 is live and kicking once more.

Thanks again, Nathan! Not only I recovered a beloved piece of hardware, but now I'm even more in love with MT!

NathanA · Fri Sep 14, 2018 12:59 pm

More so, both SW-ID & license key were visible in Netinstall too.

`
...earlier...
`

[...]Netinstall still has connection to the router, but now the license key field is blank.

`
I'm genuinely super happy for you, but also super confused. In your first post, you said that when you ran Netinstall, the license key field was coming up blank. Now you are saying that it was actually populated, but somehow "invalid" to the point where you had to replace it with a L1/demo key just for it to successfully boot after install.

So which was it?

-- Nathan

zlobster · Fri Sep 14, 2018 2:19 pm

More so, both SW-ID & license key were visible in Netinstall too.
`
...earlier...
`
[...]Netinstall still has connection to the router, but now the license key field is blank.
`

So which was it?

-- Nathan

Myaybe it was my wording. I meant that after I clicked 'Install' with the old key, the installation process (seemingly) starts, then stops, and then blanks the license key field (but nothing else happnes). No installation was performed whatsoever. No progress bar of any kind was popping, just NetInstall 'freezes' for a few seconds, but it was blanking the license key field nonetheless. After reboot the old key was still visible and I could start all over again.

Since I never ever cared about licenses for MT (I use it all for my SOHO needs), I was not familiar with license issuing options on MT's web site.

After I decided to dig into your idea, I went for the wiki and since L1 is free I first generated it. Then I loaded the L1 Demo in NetInstall and this time all went by the books. Then I read some more and I saw the MT are entitling their HW with free key re-issuing. I got my L5 renewed and the rest is history.

But I thank you once more!

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