FAQ¶

This page answers frequently asked questions about Freetz.

Note: This document is still being refined. Some sections may remain more detailed in older historical versions.

Project Name and History¶

What is Freetz?¶

Freetz is a toolbox for developers and experienced users to build a
modified firmware based on the original firmware for the
DSL/LAN/WLAN/VoIP-Routers AVM
Fritz!Box
and T-Com
Speedport
(identical hardware) and to transfer this firmware to the device.
There are many extension packages available, along with options to
remove unwanted functionality from the original firmware.

Where does the name Freetz come from?¶

It is a contraction of the word "free" and the name "Fritz",
intended to mirror the name of the devices manufactured by
AVM. With this, we want to
symbolize that Freetz is free software. In order to avoid
intellectual property problems with AVM, whose registered trademark
"Fritz!" (with exclamation mark) we explicitly acknowledge, we have
chosen this deliberately different spelling. The idea for the name
came from Alexander Kriegisch (kriegaex), who decided together with
Oliver Metz (olistudent) what the project should be called when the
version-managed source code repository would be opened to the public.
From the (in our opinion daft-sounding) alliteration "Free Fritz" we
got "Freetz". ("OpenFritz" was also considered, but we didn't
want to mimic OpenWrt.) We
don't claim that the name is fantastic, but it is short and hopefully
easy to remember. :-)

How should I pronounce Freetz?¶

Like the English word "free" with a German-sounding "tz" on the
end, something like "freets".

How did Freetz start?¶

There are many predecessors to Freetz. A few years ago, Daniel
Eiband (danisahne) started the Danisahne-Mod ( DS-Mod ) based on
the previous work and cooperation of other creative people (Erik
Andersen, Christian Volkmann, Andreas Bühmann, Enrik Berkhan and
others). As with Freetz, this allowed and still allows modified firmware
to be created, but only for older firmware versions with Linux kernel
2.4. Since some routers still have firmwares based on the Linux 2.4
kernel, the version
ds-0.2.9-p8
is still the current version for some hardware. For the majority of
current hardware, the immediate predecessor of Freetz is, however,
ds26 (latest version
ds26-15.2
), created by Oliver Metz, which is only suitable for firmware using
Linux kernel 2.6. The same applies to Freetz, as Freetz is
currently nothing other than the current development version of ds26
with a new name. In many files you will therefore still find the name
DS-Mod, which will gradually be replaced with the new name Freetz.

Why change the name when DS-Mod has already become well-known?¶

There are multiple reasons. For one, Daniel has not been actively
involved in the development of ds26 for well over a year. For
another, he has already started a new project at
SourceForge to develop
a new DS-Mod from scratch - which we unofficially call DS-Mod NG
(Next Generation) - for which the source code repository is publicly
available on his project
website. We don't wish to
take Daniel's project name from him, or to compete with him, but
actually hope that he will eventually have more time for his project
and that we will be able to combine both versions to have the
strengths of both of them in one product. However, at this point in
time, the projects have split significantly; DS-Mod NG has a very
clean structure, but is not yet finished, whereas Freetz (previously
ds26) is already widely used and is gradually being refactored
during the process of development. Where DS-Mod was talked about in
recent press coverage (e.g.
PC-Welt
), Freetz alias ds26 was meant.

Why is so much of Freetz and the development in German?¶

AVM is a German company, and their hardware is mainly sold on the
German market, where it is very popular and generally the
German-language (and German telecoms-system) versions of their
products are the first to be released. It is therefore not surprising
that the project started in Germany and most of the developers are
German. There are some current ideas of how to better integrate
internationalization support, and although most development
discussions take place in German, contributions in English are most
welcome (and will usually be answered in English).

Motivation¶

Why change the firmware?¶

It is possible to edit some special files (character devices) under
/var/flash where the contents still exist after reboot, but this is
not true for the rest of the filesystem. The content of these
character devices is located in its own rather tiny flash partition.
Most data is stored on a read-only SquashFS filesystem which can only
be modified during a firmware update, using a SquashFS filesystem
image. To permanently include (larger) files into the firmware, they
must be put into the SquashFS image, which is implemented in Freetz.

Distribution¶

Can I get a finished binary of Freetz?¶

The short answer is no, and this is never likely to be possible.
Freetz works by taking the original firmware and applying patches to
it. Since the original firmware contains software that is non-free,
as well as some which is free, that means we are not able to
distribute finished binary versions. Also, given the number of
permutations of modules and hardware then it would be impossible to
meet all needs with a limited number of binaries and so it is actually
of advantage to have users build their own firmware, tailored to their
individual needs.

How can I get Freetz?¶

See the Getting Started page for how to check
out the source code and get started with Freetz. Note that this
requires a working Linux installation (a Live-CD or Virtual Machine
version will do if you do not want to fully install Linux on your
computer). Please make sure that you have basic Linux skills before
requesting help as this will make your, and our, lives easier.

Which box types and firmware versions are currently supported?¶

• Trunk

Development¶

When will version xy be released?¶

Generally speaking: "It's done when it's done." The developers are
working in their spare time, and new releases are provided when the
planned features are complete and release-critical bugs are fixed.

Still, a rough plan for new releases does exist: 3-4 months after a
stable release we declare a "feature freeze" for the following
release. From that time on, only bugs are being fixed. The
feature-freeze dates are announced in the roadmap. After
the feature freeze you can expect the final release in
about 1 to 1.5 months. Between stable feature releases, there can
be maintenance releases provided to support newer firmware
versions by AVM or to deliver bug fixes.

Trunk, Branches, and Tags¶

The trunk is the current development tree.
A branch is a tree separated from the trunk at a specific
time (e.g. Changeset r2759).
All release versions are tagged

To check out the current development version:

Text Only

git clone https://github.com/Freetz-NG/freetz-ng ~/freetz-ng

When will feature XY be implemented?¶

The fastest way is to present a working solution. We take notice of
every reasonable feature request. Due to the developers designing
Freetz in their spare time, you may need to be patient.

I like Freetz and want to support development¶

It is possible to donate money to the development team using the
PayPal donation button at the bottom right-hand corner. Further, a
specific hardware variation will of course be better supported when
the development team has some test hardware. Currently we would very
much benefit from some 7270s (who wouldn't?!). There is a thread on
the topic of donations at
IPPF
.

Pre-Configuration (menuconfig)¶

Do I have the 8MB (v1) or 16MB (v2) version of the FRITZ!Box 7270?¶

1. Read the support file at
   http://fritz.box/html/support.html.

2. The file should contain one of the following entries:

3. 8MB: flashsize 0x00800000

4. 16MB: flashsize 0x01000000

0x00800000 hex = 8,388,608 decimal = 8,192 KB = 8 MB\
0x01000000 hex = 16,777,216 decimal = 16,384 KB = 16 MB\

More details are described
[here].

What are indicators for a FRITZ!Box 7270v3?¶

• Firmware version. Firmware for the 7270v3 starts with 74.xx.xx.
• Serial number.

Which packages should be built into a Freetz image?¶

We recommend Dropbear to have SSH access, as well
as dnsmasq as DHCP server replacement.

What does "binary only" mean?¶

Packages tagged with "binary only" do not supply any web frontend,
init script or anything similar. They provide only the binaries
themselves, which means you have to take care of the configuration,
initialization etc. yourself. (Note: Other than the name (maybe)
suggests, these packages are - along with every other package in
Freetz - built from source.)

Image Build (make/build)¶

Meaning of specific make targets¶

A: Make targets influence the build process and firmware creation.
Most of the following information was taken from
this
thread
originally.

1. Clean-Up:

• make clean\
  ...

• make \<package>-clean:\
  Basically, this calls the clean-target of the original package's
  Makefile. It will delete all generated files (first and foremost the
  object-files, libraries and executables) but leaves its
  configuration intact.
  A following make command doesn't apply changed patches, but
  creates only the above-named object-files, libraries and executables
  from the source-files (compiling).
  Example: make mc-clean would clean the "Midnight Commander"
  package (mc).

• make \<package>-dirclean:\
  Deletes the whole directory of the package. A following make
  command will extract the files, apply the patches, configure and
  compile the package.
  Only the last stage (compilation) would take place after a make
  \<package>-clean command (as described above).

• make dirclean:\
  As the name implies, this performs a "directory-cleanup". The
  directories /packages, /source, /build, /toolchain/build,
  toolchain/target (and some other stuff(?)will be deleted, so that a
  following make command must build everything new. This is
  recommended if changes caused by svn up will result in a firmware
  which is not working as expected. Alternatively, if you know exactly
  which package(s) are causing them problem, you can clean these
  package files via make \<package>-dirclean individually (see
  above).
  Note that, after a make dirclean, the build process to create the
  firmware will take more time than it did before because everything
  must be rebuilt from scratch.

• make tools-distclean:\
  deletes the tools (busybox, lzma, squashfs, others)

• make distclean:\
  In addition to make dirclean, this also deletes the download
  folder and the tools.

• make config-clean-deps:\
  If some packages were deselected via make menuconfig, maybe some
  shared libraries are still selected but are not needed anymore by
  any active package (that happens because menuconfig cannot
  recognize this by itself). Such libraries can manually be disabled
  under 'Advanced Options'→'Shared Libraries' - libaries; the ones
  that are still in use cannot be deselected. Alternatively, you can
  also do this automatically via make config-clean-deps.
  Furthermore, Busybox applets manually selected in make menuconfig
  will be reset (*not* those modified via make
  busybox-menuconfig!).

• make config-clean-deps-keep-busybox:\
  Like make config-clean-deps, but does not reset Busybox applets.

• make kernel-dirclean:\
  deletes the current source-tree of the kernel, to build it
  completely new from clean sources. (important if something has
  changed at the kernel patches)

• make kernel-clean:\
  analogue to make \<package>-clean

• make kernel-toolchain-dirclean:\
  deletes the kernel compiler

• make target-toolchain-dirclean:\
  deletes the compiler for the uClibc and the binaries (executables)

2. Preparations:

• make world:\
  Prerequisite is a toolchain (see 'Cross-Compiler / Create Toolchain'.
  If problems with non-existing directories occur, it's possible that
  make world can fix this. But normally this should not be
  necessary.

• make kernel-toolchain:\
  compiles the kernel and also for the target (FRITZ!Box)\
  Due to historical reasons the label was kept as kernel-toolchain,
  although, as mentioned, not only the kernel will be built but also
  the packages (see below).

• make target-toolchain:\
  Compiles the packages for the target (FRITZ!Box).

• make kernel-menuconfig:\
  The configuration of the kernel will be saved after finishing under
  ./make/linux/Config.\<kernel-ref>.

• make kernel-precompiled:\
  Build the kernel and the kernel modules.

• make menuconfig
  (Source): To
  configure Freetz it makes use of conf/mconf, which some or other
  already knows from the linux kernel configuration. The
  ncurses
  variant mconf can be called with the command make menuconfig.
  [By the way]{.underline}:\
  A help for each item can be accessed directly in menuconfig by
  pressing "?".
  After entering "/" you can search across all leaves for any
  strings - really practical.

Building another firmware language¶

The firmware language/version should match your box type, else your box
will go into a reboot loop.

Check the advanced option Enforce urlader environment and put avm
in Patches > Enforce firmware_version variable to build
[German]{.underline} firmware for an [international]{.underline} box. If
you want to do this (or the other way around with avme for
[English]{.underline} firmware on a [non-international]{.underline}
box), read about recovery and
have a working/recovery image ready.

Problems during building¶

If you encounter problems during the build process, go through this list
first:

You must have either have gettext support in your C library, or use the GNU gettext library.¶

There is a wrong value in config.cache. Delete the file by typing:
"rm make/config.cache" or "rm source/target-mipsel_uClibc-
0.X.XX /config.cache"

ERROR: The program/library/header xy was not found...¶

If the build process was interrupted by this message, some necessary
packages for the build system are missing. Please install them and
restart the build process.

WARNING: The program/library/header xy was not found...¶

If the build process was interrupted by this message, maybe some
packages providing the needed library are missing. This can be caused
by selecting some options or packages in menuconfig. Please install
the needed libraries by installing the packages and restart the build
process.

No such file `FRITZ.Box_xxxxxxxxx.aa.bb.cc.image'¶

This happens every time AVM releases a new firmware version. Normally
only the newest file is available on the AVM FTP server. Freetz can
only support the version that's current at the release date. Due to
license restrictions, we cannot provide these images. Possible
solutions (prioritized by difficulty):

• for everyone: at
  Firmware-Collector-Thread
  you can ask for an older firmware version (NO beta firmwares). The
  image must be downloaded and copied to the directory 'dl/fw'.
• for beginners: Use the stable Branch from the SVN repository. If
  possible, update to a newer version which supports the latest AVM
  firmware versions (or wait for an upcoming Freetz release).
• for novices: Use the developing tree (trunk) from the SVN
  repository. The latest firmware versions are supported here.
• for experts: At 'make menuconfig' under Advanced
  Options ⇒ Override firmware source change the name of the file to
  download and use.

Please use the last 2 possibilities at your own risk. If it's just a
"bugfix release" (like the update from .57 to .59) it should work
without errors. However, if major changes were done by AVM at the latest
firmware release, use it carefully!!

Please copy the following file into the 'dl/fw' sub-directory manually: fritz_box_aa_bb_cc-ddddd.image¶

The beta firmwares (Labor-Firmware) cannot be downloaded from the
AVM-FTP-Server. Please download them manually from the
AVM-Labor-Site . You
must agree the license terms to get the file. After finishing
download, put all files into the 'dl/fw' directory. Please also
consider the headpoint before.

./ln: cannot execute binary file¶

The current working directory '.' is within the path (variable
PATH). To make a successfully build, the directory must be removed.

Filesystem image too big¶

The firmware image doesn't fit into the flash memory of the selected
box.

• With some boxes, this can happen if none of the packages are
  selected, because the basic Freetz components use some space and the
  AVM images are just under the maximum flash size. In this case,
  it's necessary to use one or more Remove-Patches under the
  'Patches'-Section to remove unused components of the original
  firmware.
• If a lot packages are selected, reconsider if all packages are
  really necessary, or try via
  external/Downloader/USBRoot/NFSRoot
  to externalize some of the components to reduce the image size.
  Further information is available at
  IPPF
  and in the
  WIKI
• With boxes with an USB-Host (e.g. 7170,7270) you can externalize
  some packages on an USB device (e.g. USB Stick, USB hard disk). The
  externalize-process is done at the end of the build process via the
  external-script. At
  menuconfig, there is an option to do the externalizing. Only
  predefined parts of packages are being externalized to a USB-Device,
  as opposed to using USB-Root which will move the entire file system
  onto the USB drive.
• If a package was deselected, maybe some shared libraries are still
  enabled but are not needed anymore. (menuconfig cannot recognize
  this by itself). These libraries can manually be deselected under
  'Advanced Options'→'Shared Libraries' - libraries currently in
  use cannot be deselected. Another option is to do this via the
  command make config-clean-deps or make
  config-clean-deps-keep-busybox, respectively.

WARNING: Not enough free flash space for answering machine!¶

The image is small enough to fit on flash memory, but you have not
enough free space left for the answering machine, or non space left.
The firmware should work in spite of this message, but to ensure a
fully functional answering machine or fax service, you should use an
FAT-formatted USB-Stick to use this space for the answering machine,
fax service and other services.

Background Information: Since a few firmware versions, AVM tries to
use the remaining bytes in the Flash to create an jffs2-Partition. In
this partition all data for e.g. the answering machine, fax service
and so on are stored. On older boxes (e.g. 7170) the jffs2-Partition
cannot be created as space howsoever is very limited. Please see this
message as an warning. More informations at the
IPPF-Thread
. In FREETZ available since revision
Changeset r3049
.

The problem still occurs. What now?¶

At first go into the 'Advanced Options' of menuconfig, change the
'Verbosity Level' to 2 and execute make again. After that go to the
IPPF
Forum
and search for the error message or for an existing thread. If nothing
could be found, create a new thread to get help with the given error
message (please post it inside Code-Tags), the file .config (your
configuration as attachment) and the used version or SVN
branch/-revision.

Flashing a compiled image¶

Problems after (successful) Flashing¶

Settings are not available at current security level¶

There are several security levels. The level can be changed using the
following commands:

Text Only

   echo x > /tmp/flash/security ( after r3318: echo x > /tmp/flash/mod/security)
   modsave

 * with x being one of the following values:
 * 0 : no restrictions
 * 1 : only configuration files without shell commands (shell scripts) can be modified
 * 2 : no configuration files can be modified

What is the default password for Freetz?¶

The default password for Freetz (both for console and web login) is
"freetz". The login name for console is "root", and for the web
interface it is "admin". When you first log in using Telnet or SSH, you
have to change your password.

The Info LED blinks twice periodically¶

See this
thread.

Configuration¶

Where is the full configuration stored on the FRITZ!Box?¶

The full configuration on the FRITZ!Box can be found under /tmp/flash.
This is important if you build a Freetz firmware, because the
configuration is not located in the static firmware part of the image.
Files located under /tmp/flash are not edited during firmware
updates, so configuration files are preserved.
Always execute modsave after making changes to configuration files
under /tmp/flash so they are saved in flash.

Configuration not available at the current security level!¶

There are different security levels. Depending on the selected level,
not all configuration files are editable.

Text Only

echo x > /tmp/flash/security (since r3318: echo x > /tmp/flash/mod/security)
modsave
# with x being one of the following values:
# 0 : no restrictions
# 1 : only configuration files without shell commands (shell scripts) can be modified
# 2 : no configuration files can be modified

• ATTENTION:
  Between x and > there must be at least a single blank space. If there
  isn't, the file will be empty. (echo will redirect to stdout. The
  output would be empty then. Alternatively, you could also write
  "x">security.

This must be done after installing the new firmware on the Box via
Telnet or SSH (not possible over the Rudi-Shell, because it also
requires security level "0").

How can I disable the password for the Freetz website?¶

Execute the following command on the terminal:

Text Only

touch /tmp/flash/webcfg_conf
chmod +x /tmp/flash/webcfg_conf
modsave flash
/etc/init.d/rc.webcfg restart

Background: The script /tmp/flash/webcfg_conf will be preferred
compared to /etc/default.webcfg/webcfg_conf to create the
configuration file. An empty script /tmp/flash/webcfg_conf will
create an empty configuration file without a password.

• For Freetz-1.1.x, replace /tmp/flash/webcfg_conf with /tmp/flash/httpd_conf.

How can I change the password for the Freetz website?¶

This can be done directly via the web interface:
http://fritz.box:81/cgi-bin/passwd.cgi

How can I reset the password for the Freetz website in case I've lost it but still have access via Telnet/SSH?¶

At first, stop the Freetz-Webif:

Text Only

/etc/init.d/rc.webcfg stop

Then use vi to open the file mod.cfg and edit the line that begins
with "export MOD_HTTPD_PASSWD" as follows:

Text Only

vi /var/mod/etc/conf/mod.cfg

Text Only

export MOD_HTTPD_PASSWD='$1$$zO6d3zi9DefdWLMB.OHaO.'

Now start the Freetz-Web interface:

Text Only

/etc/init.d/rc.webcfg start

Now you can log in to the Web interface with the password "freetz".

Please note that this change will NOT persist across reboots.
So after a reboot, you still have the old unknown password.
Therefore, you should change the password of the Box in the
Freetz menu under Settings before you reboot your FRITZ!Box.

How can I change the root password?¶

Execute the following commands on the terminal:

Text Only

passwd
modusers save
modsave flash

After entering 'passwd' you must type in the password. While typing,
the password will 'not' be shown. Too simple passwords will not be
accepted.

Problems during operation¶

/var/flash/freetz is too big¶

The default limit set by Freetz for the maximum size of the
configuration was exceeded. This limit is a protection to prevent an
unintended full TFFS. This limit can be increased, but you should keep
an eye on the current fill level:

Text Only

modconf set mod MOD_LIMIT=<bytes>
modconf save mod
modsave flash

• As of Changeset r5706, the setting MOD_LIMIT is obsolete.

No FTP Access After Freetz¶

This is a problem which occurs especially in Freetz 1.1.x. More
details and solution can be found in the
howto.

Removing Freetz and Other Modifications¶

Miscellaneous¶

How can I use a custom DNS server for all connected PCs and the FRITZ!Box?¶

AVM does not always allow changing the default DNS servers used by the
box through the WebUI.

Possible Solutions:

• dnsmasq: Installation of your own DNS server on the FRITZ!Box with the
  package dnsmasq. This is a general
  possibility that works on every box. This requires a
  modified firmware image. With an edited
  version of /etc/resolv.conf (if using the trunk version, this is
  possible via the GUI under "Settings"→"Freetz: resolv.conf") you
  can add a DNS server: "nameserver 208.67.220.220" (example with
  the OpenDNS server)
• without dnsmasq: At some boxes, e.g. 7170(FV 29.04.76) it's
  possible to edit the central config file of AVM. With the command
  "nvi /var/flash/ar7.cfg" all entries of "overwrite_dns1 =
  xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" and "overwrite_dns2 = xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" must be
  edited. It is recommended only for users with basic knowledge of
  nvi and Telnet/SSH. Here, the
  multid from AVM is running as DNS server. At the resolv.conf a
  loopback entry "nameserver 127.0.0.1" exists. This allows
  Linux standard applications to resolve names on the FRITZ!Box via
  multid.
• Editing /etc/resolv.conf: If it is only about changing the current
  DNS used by the FRITZ!Box, editing /etc/resolv.conf as described
  above at dnsmasq also works. This is only affecting the name
  resolution of the box; connected clients are still using the
  standard DNS.

How can I create character devices?¶

Freetz also uses a character
device,
which can save files persistently with help of a Tiny Flash Filesystem
(TFFS) in the Flash, to save the configuration. Prerequisite is a minor
number, which is not used by any other character device under
/var/flash/ (Freetz uses the minor 0x3c), the major number can be read
from /proc/devices:

mknod /var/flash/<name-of-file> c <major> <minor>

Because this character device is created in a
ramdisk
under /var/, this command must be executed every time during a
restart. The content is preserved.
* To edit such character devices, never use vi. Use the wrapper script nvi instead.

• ATTENTION:
  The flash partition of TFFS is very small and often cannot contain
  files > 10-30 KB (depending on the size of other files).

The current fill level can be shown like this:

    echo 'cleanup' > /proc/tffs

    echo 'info' > /proc/tffs

    cat /proc/tffs | grep '^fill='

Which network cable is necessary for recovery?¶

RJ45 standard network cable, no crossover

How old is my FRITZ!Box?¶

The first four characters of the box' serial number describe its age:\

Example: W484-xxx-xx-xxx-xxx ⇒ Thursday, 27.11.2008\

U = 2006\
V = 2007\
W = 2008\
X = 2009\
A = 2010\

W451 = calendar week 45 and the first day of that week = Monday\
W462 = calendar week 46 and the second day of that week = Tuesday\
W473 = calendar week 47 and the third day of that week = Wednesday\
W484 = calendar week 48 and the fourth day of that week = Thursday\
W495 = calendar week 49 the fifth day of that week = Friday\

How much RAM does my FRITZ!Box contain?¶

For the second xxxx-XXX-xxx-xxx currently, the following codes are
known to occur:\

Example: W484-305-xx-xxx-xxx ⇒ FRITZ!Box with 16MB and 1und1
branding\

293 - HWRev 122 (8MB/7270_V1) - AVM branding\
294 - HWRev 122 (8MB/7270_V1) - 1und1 branding\
304 - HWRev 139 (16MB/7270_V2) - AVM branding\
305 - HWRev 139 (16MB/7270_V2) - 1und1 branding\
xxx - HWRev 145 (16MB/7270_V3) - ??? branding - 7270_V3\
307 - HWRev 139 (16MB/7270_V2) - AVME branding International Version?\
310 - HWRev 139 (16MB/7270_V2) - AVME branding A-/CH-Version?\