ipkg software

Ipkg (tutorial) - DD-WRT Wiki

[edit] Commandline Structure

[edit] Usage

usage: ipkg [options...] sub-command [arguments...]

[edit] Options

-d <dest_name> or       Install, upgrade, or remove package from <dest_name>
-dest <dest_name>       where <dest_name> is '''either''' a folder path '''or''' a pre-defined
                      path in /etc/ipkg.conf
                      by default, ipkg on DD-WRT supports these pre-defined names:
                      root /jffs
                      ram /tmp

-o <offline_root>       Use <offline_root> as the root for offline installation.
-offline <offline_root> where <offline_root> is a path

-force-depends          Make dependency checks warnings instead of errors

-force-defaults         Use default options for questions asked by ipkg.
                      (no prompts). Note that this will not prevent
                      package installation scripts from prompting.

[edit] Sub Commands

update                  Update list of available packages from <src> defined in /etc/ipkg.conf
upgrade                 Upgrade all installed packages to latest version
install <pkg>           Download and install <pkg> (and dependencies)
remove <pkg>            Remove package <pkg>

list                    List available packages and descriptions
files <pkg>             List all files belonging to <pkg>
search <file>           Search for a packaging providing <file>
info [pkg [<field>]]    Display all/some info fields for <pkg> or all
status [pkg [<field>]]  Display all/some status fields for <pkg> or all
depends <pkg>           Print uninstalled package dependencies for <pkg>

- <pkg> may be a package name, or a URI to the *.ipk or *.deb file
- arguments displayed in [ ] are optional

[edit] Finding Packages

OpenWRT.org hosts a list of Official Packages, as well as a Package Tracker and openwrt.alphacore.net listing all known packages. Packages from the tracker will usually have to be installed by using <pkg> as a URI rather than a package name, unless you've updated your /etc/ipkg.conf file to point to a different repository.

Another source of software for the wrt is here ipkg.nslu2-linux.org, most of the files in this directory works fine on DD-WRT.

[edit] Installing ipkg Packages

The general steps for installing ipkg modules are as follows

-Pick a location to install to. Currently available locations are:

ram (/tmp)


root (the flash partition at /jffs)

mmc (/mmc)

smbfs (/tmp/smbshare)

Then from the command line in the jffs directory, run the following commands:

 ipkg update # pulls latest list of package listing from the default sites.
ipkg list # gives the list of ipkg's available
ipkg -d <location> install <packagename> # installs the package of your choice

If the package you want is not in the list, substitute the URI of the package for the <packagename> you want to install.

Packages installed to ram will be deleted on reboot. There is more ram than flash space, however.


jffs must be configured and initialized before packages can be install to root

Ex: to install the noip package to ram:

   ipkg update
 ipkg list

Since noip is not in the list, see Finding Packages

   ipkg -d ram install http://www.ramereth.net/openwrt/ipkg/noip_1.6.0_mipsel.ipk

[edit] Required uClibc installation

There is much confusion about LD_LIBRARY_PATH setting and some programs failing due to uClibc binary incompatibility between system provided uClibc libraries that DD-WRT provides in /lib/ directory and OpenWRT programs that require its own uClibc and is also provided as IPK package. For example http://downloads.openwrt.org/whiterussian/packages/ To assure that program will run stable one must provide compatible uClibc library to the program. It is recommended to install OpwnWRT uClibc manually with

cd /tmp
wget http://downloads.openwrt.org/whiterussian/packages/uclibc_0.9.27-9_mipsel.ipk
wget http://downloads.openwrt.org/whiterussian/packages/libgcc_3.4.4-9_mipsel.ipk
/bin/ipkg -force-depends install uclibc_0.9.27-9_mipsel.ipk libgcc_3.4.4-9_mipsel.ipk

This procedure overcomes installation of OpenWRT base-files package that are not required for running ipkg provided programs.

[edit] Setting LD_LIBRARY_PATH

Running OpenWRT programs also requires correct setting of the shared library search path. Default shared library search path is specified in /etc/ld.so.conf. But /etc/ld.so.conf is not used if LD_LIBRARY_PATH is set with /etc/profile. To see if LD_LIBRARY_PATH is set or no just enter

set

in console.

If unshure or if special paths are used one can also override /etc/ld.so.conf search paths with setting correct LD_LIBRARY_PATH. For example programs that reside in /jffs/bin or /jffs/sbin could be run with the following script openwrt-run.sh that should be located somewhere in the default search path.

#!/bin/sh
export PATH=/jffs/bin:/jffs/sbin:${PATH}   
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/jffs/lib:/jffs/usr/lib:/jffs/usr/local/lib
$1 $2 $3 $4 $5 $6

One shoud use this script like

 /jffs/bin/openwrt-run.sh swapon /dev/discs/disc0/part2

This will assure that program swapon will use correct uClibc library and not use paths provided in /etc/ld.so.conf

[edit] Starting Programs/Daemons

If you installed some daemons you need to manually activate them, because the openwrt /etc/init.d/ startup method is not (yet?) implemented. One possibility would be to

nvram set rc_startup=/jffs/etc/init.d/*

Or use the Samba-Startup script.

For further Information see Startup Scripts.

[edit] What if your jffs partition is full (routers with NO JFFS space avail)

You have to enable jffs anyway even if it is useless... and to create some required directory in your Sambashare:

~# mkdir -p /tmp/smbshare/tmp/ipkg

Download then the packages directly to your Samba share and type:

~# ipkg -d smbfs install /tmp/smbshare/directory/package.ipk

or download and install at the same time with the same command:

~# ipkg -d smbfs install http://www.ramereth.net/openwrt/ipkg/noip_1.6.0_mipsel.ipk

You should see some warning messages like these ones:

ERROR: File not found: //jffs/usr/lib/ipkg/lists/whiterussian
     You probably want to run `ipkg update'
ERROR: File not found: //jffs/usr/lib/ipkg/lists/non-free
     You probably want to run `ipkg update'

which you can safely ignore.

[edit] Use ipkg on DD-WRT 24

In my dd-wrt 24, I found cifs included, not smbfs or smbmount as told elsewhere on this page.

Here is how I partly solved it:
On the Administration webpage, fill in the CIFS Automount options.
Create a script with this and set it to be the startup script:

 mount --bind /tmp/smbshare /jffs
nvram set sys_enable_jffs2=1

ipkg update failed for me, so I did a work-around:

 mkdir -p /jffs/tmp/ipkg
ipkg update
ipkg list

I found it's key when using ipkg and jffs that you are in the jffs directory. In other words:

~# cd /jffs

/jffs # ipkg -d root install <pkg>.

(end of dd-wrt 24)

[edit] Ipkg on Startup

Since the available RAM is larger, is it possible to set up a startup script to install an ipkg?
That way, each time it's rebooted the router will automatically download and install the ipkg we need.

One way to accomplish this is to write a startup script