StarOS v1.13.4b3-4056 ready for testing

[tony]

Changes between v1.13.4b2 and v1.13.4b3:
New: starutil update (v1.10) to allow a 'support file' download.
New: hardware watchdog support for Geode-based systems such as the WRAP and Routerboard.
Update: atheros ack timing values are now between 0 and 409, with 0 being the default (off). In this beta, the 409 limit is not enforced, however you will not gain any benefits of entering a number larger than this as the number will simply wrap.

If you are experiencing any problems, such as 100% CPU usage on a lightly loaded system, please use starutil to download a support file which can be emailed to us.

To enable Atheros support, you can purchase an Atheros-enabled key from your reseller, or online via www.license-keys.com. All Server keys include the Atheros license. Do not generate a key that is locked to an Atheros card, as the key itself determines if the Atheros support is activated.

Atheros cards tested: D-Link DWL-AB520, DWL-AG520, DWL-G520, Proxim 8482-WD and more
To date, all Atheros-based cards tested by users have been supported in the later releases. Please let us know if your specific card is note being detected, or does not operate correctly.

Any and all comments are welcome.

ISO images for the Server Editions are not available in this release. For those who have to install via ISO, please install the Router Edition, then upgrade to the Server Edition .bin.

STARUTIL 1.10
Linux:
http://www.star-os.com/downloads/starutil-linux-1.10.tgz
Windows:
http://www.star-os.com/downloads/starutil-windows-1.10.zip

DESKTOP SYSTEMS
Desktop Server Edition:
http://www.star-os.com/downloads/oem-vnc/strs-1.13.4b3-4056.bin
http://www.star-os.com/downloads/oem-vnc/strs-1.13.4b3-4056.raw

Desktop Router Edition:
http://www.star-os.com/downloads/oem-vnc/strr-1.13.4b3-4056.iso
http://www.star-os.com/downloads/oem-vnc/strr-1.13.4b3-4056.bin
http://www.star-os.com/downloads/oem-vnc/strr-1.13.4b3-4056.raw

SPECIAL PURPOSE SYSTEMS
Soekris & MODO Router Edition:
http://www.star-os.com/downloads/oem-vnc/strrs-1.13.4b3-4056.iso
http://www.star-os.com/downloads/oem-vnc/strrs-1.13.4b3-4056.bin
http://www.star-os.com/downloads/oem-vnc/strrs-1.13.4b3-4056.raw

WRAP Router Edition:
http://www.star-os.com/downloads/oem-vnc/strrw-1.13.4b3-4056.iso
http://www.star-os.com/downloads/oem-vnc/strrw-1.13.4b3-4056.bin
http://www.star-os.com/downloads/oem-vnc/strrw-1.13.4b3-4056.raw

Routerboard Router Edition:
http://www.star-os.com/downloads/oem-vnc/strrb-1.13.4b3-4056.iso
http://www.star-os.com/downloads/oem-vnc/strrb-1.13.4b3-4056.bin
http://www.star-os.com/downloads/oem-vnc/strrb-1.13.4b3-4056.raw

CPE SYSTEMS
CPE Editions for v1.13.4b2 are available.

[szern]

New: hardware watchdog support for Geode-based systems such as the WRAP and Routerboard.
What does the hardware watchdog actually do?

Thanks!

[tony]

If the system hangs, it will reboot. :lol:

[georgew]

A typical hardware watchdog is a reboot timer... it simply reboots after the timer runs to 0.

The way it works, you reset the timer every few seconds. If for some reason you don't reset the timer, it will presumably be because the software is no longer running, so after the time interval passes, the watchdog initiates a hard reset.

[tony]

George is correct. This has been added to safeguard against possible hangs.

In normal operation, there is typically little need for one, however it gives a piece of mind in case something does happen to cause the system to go down.

[bkehoe]

So this is different to the ping watchdog? Is it in the standard releases as well, or only routerboard/wrap ones?

[tony]

This is different than the ping watchdog. The ping watchdog will reboot the system if an ethernet or wireless link goes down, while the hardware watchdog will reboot the system if there is a hard crash.

Very few systems contain a hardware watchdog. The Geode processor contains one built-in, so all systems that are geode-based may benefit from this release. Desktop motherboards typically do not contain hardware watchdog support (other than an add-on PCI card), so there is no way to recover from a hard crash other than going on-site and rebooting the system.

[bkehoe]

Ahh, now I get you. Very handy! :D

[szern]

Thanks for the answers... now I understand things more :)

[jbland]

I noticed the ACK timing max is 409, will this break my system since my current ack timing is 700 and anything less than 650 won't associate.

[georgew]

The max atheros ack timing is 409 microseconds, which is 818 in StarOs.

In StarOS ack timing 1=.5usec.

409usecs is not a StarOS limit, it is the atheros hard limit.

Your 650 is 325 microseconds, which is below the limit.

[jbland]

This is getting confusing. Which numbers do I put into the StarOS timing Screen. Do I use Ack or StarOS Ack

[tony]

1 ack = 2 StarOS acks (since we are in increments of .5).

ack value of 409 (~45KM) is entered as 818 (409 x 2)

[jlake]

Have Ack's always been in halves? Were they in 1/4's before? I'm upgrading systems from pre-3993 to 3993. Am I going to need to modify ACK values?

[tony]

They used to be in 1/4, with a cap of 204us. The new version is on 1/2, with a cap of 409us.

Thanks!

[georgew]

1 ack = 2 StarOS acks (since we are in increments of .5).

ack value of 409 (~45KM) is entered as 818 (409 x 2)

So 45km or 27 miles is as far as you can go before ack timing problems start to occur?

So does this mean you were unable to get your 53 mile link going with acceptable performance?

[lonnie]

The 45 km is a hardware limitation. We did manage to establish a link with Senao 5354 and 31 dB solid dishes. About 8 to 12 quality. The throughput has sporadically reached reache 35 KBytes/sec so it is unusable at that distance. We don't have an intermediate test spot so we can't test at closer in.

[Michal]

Hi,
Very few systems contain a hardware watchdog. The Geode processor contains one built-in, so all systems that are geode-based may benefit from this release. Desktop motherboards typically do not contain hardware watchdog support (other than an add-on PCI card), so there is no way to recover from a hard crash other than going on-site and rebooting the system

It is very simply to make HW watchdog or "resetator" (many circuits with IC NE555 or Atmel 89C2051 or CD54HC123 or... you can find in internet).

But you need get timing signal on some output. The better is on COM1. In Linux this significate one line in script. Like: nohup bash -c "while true; do echo watchdog > /dev/ttyS0; sleep 1s; done" &. Different types of watchdogs needs different output signal, from 1 to 60s. It would be perfect to have possibility set this in star-os.

[bobbyc]

Hi,
In this latest beta, is the secondary firmware for prism 2.5 still 1.7.4, or did you ever bring it back to 1.8.2?
In v1.13.2b1, you brought it back to 1.7.4 due to problems with senao, and in 1.13.3b5 you said "Update: Small Agere & Prism 2/2.5 support update."
I was just wondering if this small update included firmware?
Thanks!
Bob C

[tony]

Since the v1.7.4 release has shown to perform well, we've decided to continue using it for the time being.

[wac4]

Just to remind....Atheros support is surely #1 priority, but some of us still need a telnet client. Caio