john:

what bootloader are you using ? i tried flashing one from the wiki just now to try and reproduce the issue but th euboot fails to pass traffic so i cannot flash linux.

medber:

I'm using cienti uboot found at www.cienti.com/arv4518pw/u-boot-flash-20120511.zip
which only supports loady. Tftp & http don't work because the u-boot originally was developed for arv4518pw which has a different switch.

There is another uboot (http://www.mediafire.com/download/4mvdn90l302nssn/U-boot.zip) which does support http but last time I used it it took hours to transfer the firmware.

john:

i have managed to reproduce this and my assumption is that the bootloader is not correctly setting up the memory causing this problem. i dont think i will be able to fix this issue in a timely manner. the bootloader situation on this device is just too bad to be able to test stuff. i will keep the ticket open for a few more weeks to see if anyone else tries to fix it.

medber:

Hi John, First of all thanks. Yesterday I was testing the latest LEDE git revisions. I managed to buy another arv7518pw. This time I flashed this u-boot (built for arv7518pw not like the other built for arv4518pw) http://www.mediafire.com/download/4mvdn90l302nssn/U-boot.zip
(u-boot filename is: u-boot-bootstrap.bin)

Then I proceeded to flash OpenWrt 15.05.1 (latest git revisions) and LEDE and recorded both bootlogs then made a diff between the two. I attached the diff file below. Maybe it will give you a hint.

just a quick note: the old u-boot never had issues with OpenWrt CC nor BB.

john:

hi, does that uboot that you linked provide functional ethernet ?

medber:

Hi John, Yes it does. I flashed LEDE image using ethernet instead of YModem like the old one. Better use Firefox/IceCat/Iceweasl/Seamonkey to send it than Chrome.

As stated by Pteridium here http://foro.seguridadwireless.net/openwrt/openwrt-para-roters-astoria-de-ya-com/msg256236/#msg256236 sometime you need to start http server manually like :

ARV7518PW => http
starting httpd server from server 192.168.1.1
http start

john:

does this bootloader have the problem where it takes several hours to upload the file ?

medber:

Hi John, sorry for replying late.

Yes. That behavior happens only with Chorme as stated in the forum. Firefox and Mozilla based browsers run fine.

medber:

Hi John,

Last week commits seem to fix the kernel panic and the issue is now gone.

It's OK to close it. Thanks