OpenWrt is a free and open-source firmware for routers, which allows users to replace the manufacturer's firmware with advanced features and capabilities. Arch Linux is a lightweight and flexible Linux distribution that is ideal for advanced users who want total control over their system. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of installing OpenWrt on Arch Linux.
Firstly, you need to download OpenWrt's firmware image for your router from the official website [https://openwrt.org/]. Make sure to select the correct version of OpenWrt that is compatible with your router's hardware.
Before we start installing OpenWrt, we need to make sure that our system has the necessary packages installed. Open a terminal and execute the following command:
sudo pacman -S rsync syslinux gptfdisk
This will install the required packages for the OpenWrt installation process.
To install OpenWrt, you need to partition the disk of your router. To do this, plug in the router into your Arch Linux machine and run the following command:
lsblk
This will show you all the disks currently attached to your system. Identify the disk that is associated with your router.
Now, create a new GPT partition table and partition the disk using the following command:
sudo gdisk /dev/sdX
Replace sdX with the correct identifier of your router's disk. Inside gdisk, enter the command o to create a new partition table, and then enter the command n to create a new partition. For the partition type, choose EFI System and set the partition size to around 500MB. When you're done, enter the command w to write the changes to the disk.
The next step is to copy the Syslinux bootloader files to the EFI partition. First, mount the partition:
sudo mount /dev/sdX1 /mnt
Then, create a directory named EFI and copy the Syslinux bootloader files to it:
sudo mkdir /mnt/EFI
sudo rsync -av --progress /usr/lib/syslinux/modules/efi64/* /mnt/EFI
sudo cp /usr/lib/syslinux/efi64/* /mnt/EFI
Finally, we can install OpenWrt. Unzip the downloaded OpenWrt firmware image and copy it to the EFI partition:
sudo mount /dev/sdX1 /mnt
sudo tar -xzvf openwrt-x86-64-generic-squashfs-combined-efi.img.gz
sudo cp openwrt-x86-64-generic-squashfs-combined-efi.img /mnt/EFI
We need to configure Syslinux to boot the OpenWrt firmware. Create a new file /mnt/EFI/syslinux.cfg with the following contents:
LABEL OpenWrt
KERNEL openwrt-x86-64-generic-squashfs-combined-efi.img
Unmount the EFI partition and reboot the router:
sudo umount /mnt
sudo poweroff
sudo eject /dev/sdX
Now you can unplug the router from your Arch Linux machine and power it on. The router should boot into OpenWrt, and you can start configuring it using its web interface.
Congratulations! You have successfully installed OpenWrt on your router using Arch Linux.
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