Community Updates for the DG834GT

[TheVoyager]

Nice one dholdi :-}

[dholdi]

How can you tell if the router is checking for the upgrades?

I dont think you can, the update will be applied to all customers connected to a particular exchange, via a sky death ray which will instruct the router to disconnect then on reconnection dl the new firmware.

COMPLY OR DIE

[James67]

I've also noticed something weird, since changing back from the Netgear Firmware, the LAN IP section is not showing up correctly, I only have the first 4 lines i.e: up to the line that has the RIP 1 in the box, the IP boxes are blank, but everything is showing correctly in the Status page.

There were quite a few areas where I had to do little "bodges" to get things working. Basically, the code on the router that does the user interface, "calls out" to various other programs to get the information that it needs to show the router's settings. In updating the ADSL driver code, and its adslctl "helper" program, the format of the information that some of those programs that the user interface depends on, has changed. To resolve this I had to put in "veneers" which fix the problem, but it's possible that I haven't fixed every instance of this.

That said, I'm not able to reproduce the problem you've describe, so it's a bit tricky to work out what could be going wrong. Did you have any unusual settings on that page?

[TheVoyager]

That said, I'm not able to reproduce the problem you've describe, so it's a bit tricky to work out what could be going wrong. Did you have any unusual settings on that page?

This actually happened when I put the original SKY firmware back on , if I remember rightly this was where I put in the static addresses for the 3 computers and the 2 Buffalo Linkstation Lives that I have so that they would always have the same addresses when I connected them.
i.e:
192.168.0.2 - 5
( laptop had 2 addresses one for WiFi and 1 for Ethernet as the MAC addresses were different)
192.168.0.21 - 22

The router is still remembering the addresses correctly, but of course I now have no way of adding anything else, unless:
1. The new firmware fixes the problem
2. I dig out the replacement router that they sent me when I origianlly complained about the disconnects a few years back.

[James67]

I tried adding one static address and it seemed to work. I didn't try putting more addresses into the list. But I don't think it's really worth fixing, what with the firmware updates coming along.

[TheVoyager]

Thanks for having a look James, I'll wait and see what happens, if necessary I'll use the other router, and maybe put this one back to the Netgear firmware for future use.

[obvious]

I was on CU2.04 and have just been automatically 'upgraded' to the new sky 1.03.87.

Everything went fine. No problems.

[James67]

With Sky finally releasing a firmware update for the Sky DG834GT router, the previous CU releases have now become obsolete, but fear not noise margin tweakers and command line jockeys - a new CU release is here, and you can enjoy the stability of the new V1.03.87 and get those little extra features you just can't do without.

As before, please note that this is not an official update - it is entirely unofficial. And as before, you are, of course, not under any obligation to install it. Oh, and I've included an updated section for questions and answers.

Here's the standard Sky User disclaimer for these matters…

SkyUser make this information available in the interests of our members. Please do not upgrade your FW unless you fully understand the risks that it could go wrong and render your router useless. Please remember also, that it is against the Terms and Conditions of Sky Broadband. You also run a high risk of having your Broadband Connection suspended as well as receiving no Technical Support.

And now read my disclaimer…

These flash images are provided with no guarantees and no offer of support. They seem to work OK for me, but they might not work for you. Don't reflash your router unless you are completely sure about what you're doing. Don't reflash your router if you are dependent on it for your internet access. In fact, the best advice is, as always, don't reflash your router!


Community Update 3

*** CU3 has been updated - the new version number is CU3.04 ***

This release can be downloaded by using the following links. Please read the disclaimer shown above and check the Questions and Answers section below before downloading anything.

• CU3.04 flash image
• CU3.04 source code kit

The complete list of changes is as follows:

• This release is based on the new Sky DG834GT V1.03.87 firmware, and uses the ADSL driver code from that release
• An extra configuration page, accessed by clicking on the Extras link in the left-hand panel on the router's configuration pages, has been added
• Detailed ADSL statistics can be obtained through the Extras page
• Additional ADSL settings for target noise margin, ADSL mode, bit swapping, seamless rate adaptation and trellis encoding can be set through the Extras page. Those settings are stored in NVRAM and so remain in place even after the router has been rebooted or power-cycled
• Fixed DNS settings can be be put in place which override the DNS settings passed to the router when it connects to Sky. This allows the user to set the router up to use alternative DNS servers, such as OpenDNS. Again, these settings are stored in NVRAM
• A telnet daemon can be enabled which allows access to the router's command line interface. The telnet daemon asks for a login name and password, which are the same as the user name and password that are used for the router's web interface (i.e., admin and sky, by default)
• Unlike previous CU releases, this release does not change the default WPA password ("network key"). I felt it a bit confusing to change the default value - people should be encouraged to change their WPA password to something which isn't derived in a deterministic way

The version history for CU3 is as follows:

• 3.04 - resolved crash on startup if target noise margin is set to 0
• 3.03 - fixed faulty 3.02 build
• 3.02 - fixed telnet daemon to handle end-of-line characters from Windows telnet correctly
• 3.01 - increased telnet daemon timeout from 3 seconds to 60 seconds
• 3.00 - initial release

Questions and Answers

Here's a few questions you might have about these releases:

• Do I have to download the source code kit?
• No, you only need to download the flash image. The source code kits are released because there is a licensing requirement to do so. You can use the source code kit if you want to make further changes to these releases.
  
  
• Do I have to use the Netgear Recovery Utility to install these flash images?
• No. Erm, well, maybe. These firmware images identify themselves as being suitable for the Sky-customised version of the DG834GT. If you have standard Sky firmware (V1.02.28 or V1.03.87) on the router, you should be able to install the CU3 image by using the Router Upgrade option on the router's configuration pages. However, if you have flashed the router with the standard Netgear firmware (V1.02.09, V1.02.13 or V1.02.14), then you will need to use the Recovery Utility to install the CU3 image.
  
  
• My PC uses wireless networking, can I do the upgrade wirelessly?
• No, no, no. Doing a firmware update over a wireless network is terribly reckless. You don't need to have the router plugged into the telephone system to do a firmware upgrade, so unplug the router, put it next to your PC and connect the two together using the Ethernet cable that came with your router.
  
  
• Is there any way of getting access to the kind of features which these new flash images provide, without running the risk involved in flashing my router?
• To everyone's surprise, the router still appears susceptible to some URL injection hacks. Have a look at this thread for more information.
  
  
• I'm not really knowledgeable about IT, just how easy is it to install these images?
• It's pretty easy, although I wouldn't recommend it if you're anything less than completely confident about working with networking and computers. Things can go wrong, and if you get yourself into a situation where your router no longer functions, chances are you will be on your own. Sky will certainly not want to help you, and I'll only offer advice as and when I feel like it!
  
  
• Would using these firmware releases break Sky's Terms and Conditions?
• To be honest, I'm not sure. Most of the router's firmware is released under the GNU GPL, which explicitly allows the code to be modified, so you're not doing anything illegal. However, Sky say that you may not change the firmware. Sky most definitely do not have the right to "close source" code which has been released under GPL, but on the other hand, Sky, like any service provider, have the right to refuse service on any grounds they wish, provided those grounds are not discriminatory.
  
  
• Can Sky detect that I'm using these releases?
• It really shouldn't be possible for Sky to detect that you're using the CU3 release. The router should present itself to Sky's equipment in such a way that it is indistinguishable from the standard V1.03.87 firmware.
  
  
• Will my router still accept firmware updates from Sky?
• Yes, the firmware update service runs as normal on the router. If Sky releases updated firmware, it will just quietly replace the CU3 firmware on the router.
  
  
• The version number in the /etc/version file says that it's still running V1.03.87 firmware, although I'm using the updated firmware. Why keep the version number the same?
• The contents of the /etc/version file are used by the firmware update service which periodically checks with Sky to see if an update is available. If the file had different contents, it would be easy for Sky to detect that you're not using the official firmware. The Router Status page will show you which CU release you are using, if any.
  
  
• Does this CU3 release fix the UPnP bug?
• The UPnP code is exactly the same as the code in Sky's official V1.03.87 firmware, so it should behave the same.
  
  
• I've enabled the telnet daemon on the router, but I can't log in as 'root'. What's the root password for the router?
• The login program has been customised to use the same login name and password as the web interface, rather than the router's password file. You should login with the user name admin and whatever you've set the router's password to (by default, sky). Once you have logged in, your UID will be set to zero, so you'll effectively be the root user.
  
  
• Can I go back to the standard Sky firmware if I wish to?
• Yes, that's no problem at all. You can download the official V1.03.87 firmware and install it on the router using the Router Upgrade link on the router's configuration pages.
  
  
• Help! I tried installing the new firmware, but my router has ended up unusable. I can't even use the Netgear Recovery Utility. Can you help?
• No-one should ask this question. If you don't know enough about computing and networking, then you shouldn't be flashing your router with non-standard firmware. Don't fiddle around with the router's firmware unless you are sufficiently competent to know how to fix it when things go wrong.

[dholdi]

Nice one James, didnt think it would take you long

[James67]

Just lately, they've got me slaving away at my real job (the one that pays the mortgage), so I haven't had as much spare time to do this stuff in. Oh, and there's the fact that there's no software kit available for the V1.03.87 release, so I had to "roll my own".