Installing V6x firmware

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Want to run a full SPI firewall and QOS on your 5861? If you have good knowledge of the router then it's easy to do!!

The 6.0.173 firmware is designed for the 06-5861-00X series of routers, which are badged as the Rapid Secure. But there are some great features on the firmware including SPI firewall, QOS etc which are very nice things to have on a standard 120-5861-003 ex-BT router.

So how do you fit a firmware that's nearly 1MB on a 1MB router? The answer is by network booting the firmware using bootP. NOTE: You will need to have the bootP server running every time you reboot the router.

Start off my making sure you router has enough free space in the flash memory for the firmware to run as it needs more free space than previous firmware versions, you may have to delete some files (i.e. firewall scripts). If you decide to delete kernel.f2k (as you won't be using it) make sure you can successfully network boot first!!
If you don't delete or rename the kernel, you will have to change the boot loader option to boot from network first, rather than the flash which is the default.

First off start the bootP server and select to autostart the TFTP server

Also important is to set your bootP databse file from the File, Edit Database File menu, the only difference to the one below would be the hardwareaddr, which is the MAC of the router.

Now copy the firmware to a location on your hard drive (the root is best).

Manually start the TFTP server (File, Start TFTP Now) and make sure that the Set Root directory is the same location as where the firmware is stored, then close the TFTP server.

Reboot the router and if all is correct the TFTP server window should open and show that it is transferring the kernel to the router.

When this is complete you should be able to connect to the router using telnet or the web GUI. Note that the username will have changed to superuser, but the password will be the same.

Hopefully you will see the mail GUI page

The only problem is that while it runs the firmware happily it won't authenticate your ADSL line. If you telnet into the router and use the IFS command you will see why, the ATM interface is in standby.

This can be fixed by typing the following command while in a telnet session.

The router will now happily connect and you can enjoy configuring the SPI firewall, QOS and all the other new features.
Although Efficient say that this firmware won't run on the 1MB routers I have run it for several months with no problems.