OpenWrt
 OpenWrt 8.09 ("Kamikaze") with LuCI | |
| Company /developer | OpenWrt Project |
|---|---|
| OS family | Unix-like |
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | Free and open source software |
| Initial release | January 2004 |
| Latest stable release | OpenWrt 10.03 'Backfire' / April 7, 2010[1] |
| Availablelanguage(s) | 63 languages[2] |
| Update method | OPKG |
| Package manager | opkg |
| Supported platforms | IA-32, x86-64, ARM, MIPS, MIPSel,PowerPC, SPARC, PA-RISC |
| Kernel type | Monolithic (Linux), Micro |
| Userland | GNU |
| License | Free software, mainly the GNU GPL, and other licenses |
| Official website | openwrt.org |
OpenWrt is a niche Linux distribution mainly installed on embedded devices, e.g. residential gateways. It is built on top of the Linux kernel and consists of a collection of diverse software packages. For easy installation and deinstallation of packages it relies on the opkg Package management system. OpenWrt primarily uses the command-line interface of ash or (optional) bash, but also features optional web-based GUI interfaces, such as LuCI or X-Wrt or Gargoyle Router Firmware.
The project itself incorporates a Wiki,[3] a Forum[4] and a CVS for project management and bug-tracking. Additional technical support is also provided via IRC.
The project came into being after Linksys built the firmware for their WRT54G wireless router from publicly-available code licensed under the GPL. Under the terms of that license, they were required to make the source code of their modified version available under the same license, enabling independent developers to create additional derivative versions. Support was originally limited to the WRT54G series, but has since been expanded to include many other chipsets, manufacturers and device types, including Plug Computers and Openmoko mobile phones.
Using this code as a base and later as a reference, developers created a distribution that offers many features not previously found in consumer-level routers. Some features formerly required proprietary software. Before the introduction of OpenWrt 8.09, using Linux 2.6.25, and the b43 kernel module, WLAN for many Broadcom-based routers was only available through the proprietary wl.o module that was also only provided for Linux 2.4.[5] (Note however that the b43 driver is no longer functional in OpenWrt 8.09.1 and OpenWrt 8.09.2, due to the removal of the mac80211 driver.[6])
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[edit]Features
OpenWrt offers all of the features provided in the stock firmware for residential gateways, such as DHCP services and wireless encryption via WEP, Wi-Fi Protected Access and WPA2. In addition it offers features that are poorly-implemented or missing in the standard firmware.
Features include:
- a package manager similar to apt-get or pacman. The software repositories contain about 2000 packages chiefly ones suited for environment with limited resources.
- extensible configuration of your network involving VLAN with exhaustive possibilities to configure the routing itself
- customizable methods to filter, manipulate, delay and rearrange network packets:
- Firewall
- Port Forwarding of external traffic to computers behind NAT inside the LAN
- Quality of Service for simultaneous use of applications such as VoIP, online gaming, and streaming media
- Traffic shaping to ensure fair distribution of bandwidth among users
- load balancing for use with multiple ISPs
- IP tunneling
- realtime network monitoring and statistics
- static DHCP leases
- UPnP and NAT-PMP for dynamically configured port forwarding
- use of Dynamic DNS services to maintain a fixed domain name with an ISP that does not provide a static IP address
- on devices with USB ports it supports:
- printer sharing,
- Windows-compatible file sharing (via SAMBA),
- File sharing via NFS, FTP,
- Audio/Video streaming via DLNA/UPnP AV,
- iTunes (DAAP) server,
- Webcam streaming,
- USB audio,
- other devices with available linux drivers
- an extensive AJAX-enabled web interface, thanks to the LuCI project
- configuration of the device as a wireless repeater, wireless access point, wireless bridge, or a combination of these
- mesh networking
- user-configurable hardware buttons
- regular bug fixes and updates, even for devices no longer supported by their manufacturers
OpenWrt has a fully writable file system, which allows for package management via the opkg package system, allowing users to install new software to meet their individual needs. This contrasts with Linux-based firmwares based on a read-only SquashFS filesystem (or similar) that offers efficient compression but no way to modify the installed software without rebuilding and flashing a complete firmware image. OpenWrt achieves good compression by using mini_fo to overlay a writable JFFS2 filesystem over a read-only SquashFS filesystem in a copy-on-write fashion.
[edit]Web interface
Before release 8.09, OpenWrt had a minimal web interface. In release 8.09 a new, more capable web interface is preinstalled.[7] This interface is based on LuCi, an MVC framework written in Lua.[8]
The X-Wrt project provides an alternate web interface, webif², for current and previous version of OpenWrt. It has more than 40 control and status pages.
A third web interface, Gargoyle, was originally available as a set of packages for OpenWrt. Gargoyle makes extensive use of JavaScript, to offload as much work as possible to the client computer, and is focused on ease of use, striving to reach a level comparable to the appliance feel of commercial router firmware. As the author of Gargoyle started to make modifications to the base system layout of OpenWrt, the packages were dropped and the only currently available downloads are full firmware images.
[edit]Derivatives
- Chillifire - OpenWrt-based firmware with focus on wireless hotspot management
- Obelisco - (Website in Spanish)
- Midge Linux
- PacketProtector - OpenWrt-based security distribution that includes IDS, IPS, VPN, and web antivirus capabilities.
- Coova - OpenWrt-based with focus on wireless hotspots.
- Freifunk - German software supports wireless mesh networks with OLSR, based on OpenWrt, Available in several languages.
- RO.B.IN - ROBIN (ROuting Batman INside) is an Open Source mesh network project, deployed on top of OpenWrt kamikaze, running on any Atheros AP51 routers such as Meraki Mini or La Fonera and using the B.A.T.M.A.N. routing algorithm.
- Gargoyle Router Firmware - A web interface for OpenWrt that places a strong emphasis on usability
- FreeWRT - A fork of the OpenWrt project.
- X-Wrt - Enhancements to the OpenWrt web interface.
- FON - OpenWrt-based wireless routers acting as hotspots. Sources and toolchain available on fonosfera.org
- Flukso - Wireless sensor nodes using an Atheros AR2317 chipset running a patched OpenWRT OS for communication. Sources and hardware schematics available on Github.
- LibreWRT - OpenWrt-based GNU/Linux-libre distribution for computers with minimal resources, such as the Ben Nanonote, ath9k based wifi routers, and other hardware.
- OpenWRT/MLPPP - A fork of OpenWrt and Linux/MLPPP. Offers a better than stock MLPPP implementation (to avoid DPI-based throttling and for line bonding) by using Linux/MLPPP code. Developed by Canadian ISP's Acanac and Caneris, it also features web interface tweaks (mostly to make initial setup and basic configuration easier on the average user) and comes pre-packaged with consumer-oriented features like USB support for their most popular hardware and QoS scripts.
[edit]Sveasoft controversy
On 2006-03-11, the OpenWrt developers publicly announced that Sveasoft had violated its GPL license terms, and that Sveasoft's continuing distribution of OpenWrt was prohibited.[9] In return, Sveasoft claimed that OpenWrt was illegally redistributing software copyrighted by Sveasoft andBroadcom and placing them under the GPL without being authorized to do so by the copyright holders.[10] Each group denies the other's allegations.
[edit]Naming
Each major version of OpenWrt is named after an alcoholic beverage, usually including its recipe in the SSH login screen as well.
- 0.9: White Russian - legacy
- 10.03: Backfire - current stable
- Bleeding edge: Kamikaze - development
There were several Kamikaze releases between White Russian and Backfire, but that does not imply the Kamikaze codename means anything else than Bleeding edge, or trunk.
[edit]See also
[edit]References
- ^ "Milestone Backfire 10.03". 2010-04-07. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
- ^ "LuCI Translation Portal". I18n.luci.subsignal.org. 2004-09-01. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
- ^ "OpenWrt Wiki - OpenWrt Wiki". Wiki.openwrt.org. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
- ^ https://forum.openwrt.org/
- ^ "OpenWrtDocs/Hardware/Linksys/WRT54GL".
- ^ "OpenWrt 8.09.1 release notes".
- ^ OpenWrt 8.09 release notes OpenWrt download page for 8.09.'.' Retrieved February 23, 2009.
- ^ LuCI projectAbout - LuCI Project'. Retrieved February 28, 2009.
- ^ "NOTICE OF LICENSE TERMINATION". OpenWrt. March 11, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-06-19. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
- ^ "sveasoft post to forum.openwrt.org". OpenWrt. 12 March 2006. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
[edit]External links
- OpenWrt homepage
- Linksys GPL Code Center
- List of available supported packages
- Unofficial OpenWrt package tracker to find ipkg packages on external repositories. These packages are not supported by the OpenWrt community, and using official packages is recommended,
- How to trace WiFi frames using OpenWrt, Kismet and Wireshark
- Howtos for configuration of various applications with OpenWrt
- X-Wrt - End-user adaption of OpenWrt
- Webif² - X-Wrt's enhanced web management console
- LuCI project
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