Recommended firmware for M750S?

Hello!

Sorry for my English - it is much better than my Spanish.

I used a M740AV for several years now with the old vdr-ng firmware from the german forum open7x0.org. Because the box works fine and there was no activity on the forum the last months, the last firmware I built for myself was in 2009.

Last week, I switched from DVB-T to DVB-S, and I got a cheap M750S. This still has the original Siemens firmware in version 2.4.

Now my question: What is the best way to get an actual firmware on the box? I do not want to brick it! To built a firmware on my own would be possible, when I find time the next weeks. Which version should I use? Would it be possible to get a wsw for download first, which is proven to work? So that I can start with it? I read about the backup of /data, but is it right that I can't do that when I still have the original firmware. Can it be corrupted when I try to install a new firmware which may include bugs?

Thanks in advance.

Hi Malo,

Malo escribió:What is the best way to get an actual firmware on the box?

We haven't M750S, so our firmware isn't tested on it, you can compile firmware for this device and should work, but no one has confirmed it is working properly and may not start or have other problems.

Malo escribió:I do not want to brick it! To built a firmware on my own would be possible, when I find time the next weeks. Which version should I use?

If you want security with M750S, you have to install vdr-ng firmware from open7x0.org with its builder.

Malo escribió:Would it be possible to get a wsw for download first, which is proven to work?

No.

Malo escribió:I read about the backup of /data, but is it right that I can't do that when I still have the original firmware.

Sorry, I have no idea, but you can test with vdr-fw-opener for M750S.

Der Datenbereich ('/data') der M750S kann nicht durch Standard-Updates wiederhergestellt werden (fehlende Unterstützung von Siemens). Daher sollte jeder Nutzer nach dem Einspielen der VDR-Firmware manuell eine Sicherheitskopie vom Verzeichnis '/data' anlegen. Diese kann z.B. mit einem der beiden folgenden Befehle erfolgen, bei denen aber kein anderes Programm laufen sollte:

tar cjf /media/xxxxx/data-backup.tar.bz2 -C / data
gen-wsw --m750s --data /data backup /media/xxxxx/data-backup.wsw

Das 'xxxxx' ist durch den konkreten Zielpfad zu ersetzen. Beim ersten Befehl ('tar') wird einfach ein Archiv als Kopie erstellt. Beim zweiten Befehl ('gen-wsw') wird eine WSW-Datei erstellt, die bei Bedarf wie ein normales Update wieder eingespielt werden kann.

Malo escribió:Can it be corrupted when I try to install a new firmware which may include bugs?

Yes, because our firmware replaces /data completely.

Hello again, thanks for your help!

I was able to boot the box with the opener.wsw and to make a backup of /data.

After that, I built a firmware with the VDR-NG-EM-0.7-Firmware-builder in Windows. The Logfile is attached, I used the Pro version, but did only answer the questions and did not add any plugins or edit the config files. Then I was able to flash the box with this firmware, but the result is curious.

While booting, there are some messages on the screen ("*.o" and something like that). Network traffic was not seen. At the end, I get a small menu in the top left corner, the rest of the screen is blue. The menu consists of three lines with place for about 20 letters. In the first line, the date and time is displayed, in the third line "...abar", "Audio", "Pausa" in colors. In the second line, there is exactly one entry of the menu, for example "1 Guia de programaci". But I can access the other entries with the up and down buttons. But most of the time, in the second line is displayed "! Canal no disponible". See the pictures for an impression of what I see here.

Any help is appreciated.

Malo escribió:I built a firmware with the VDR-NG-EM-0.7-Firmware-builder in Windows. The Logfile is attached

All seems ok.

Malo escribió:While booting, there are some messages on the screen ("*.o" and something like that).

No problem with this, it's normal.

Malo escribió:Network traffic was not seen.

In this firm, network is started a few seconds later that VDR.

Malo escribió:At the end, I get a small menu in the top left corner, the rest of the screen is blue.

This is strange and seems a VDR configuration problem.
Here you have a config file for M750S from open7x0.org firmware that should work in this firm.
You can to try to upload it in /etc/vdr by ftp with user root and password l1nux, but if network is off you can generate a new firmware with builder and overwite this file.

Malo escribió:But most of the time, in the second line is displayed "! Canal no disponible". See the pictures for an impression of what I see here.

This should be normal and you have to use the option "Search channels" when you have the right menu.

Sorry, no change at all with the firmware with the new setup.conf. The same behaviour with a lite firmware.

I still get the menu with three lines in the top left corner. No network activity of the box and not reachable by network. Is there something like reset of configuration I should do? It seems that I can use the menu, when I known what I have to select - everything is in Spanish, which I do not speak.

I don't know what can happen, do you have selected german language in builder?
You can try factory reset from 4x unplug/plug menu, but I think it will not work.

You should install open7x0.org firmware to see if it works correctly and if you want to try ours, you could make a backup of /etc and attach a copy compressed here or by PM to see if I can generate a firmware compatible.

bittor escribió:I don't know what can happen, do you have selected german language in builder?

Yes, I selected german for the very first time. After that, I always tried firmwares with default setting. Please find attached the messages of the start with this firmware, maybe you see an error.

bittor escribió:You can try factory reset from 4x unplug/plug menu, but I think it will not work.

That did not work. And also, every other firmware, I installed, did not work (vdr-ng-em, original, opener).

So, I did not see any other possibility than to flash the rescue firmware from http://www.open7x0.org/arena/showthread.php?tid=2653 . As described, I do not see any drawbacks other than the missing touch tones.

bittor escribió:You should install open7x0.org firmware to see if it works correctly and if you want to try ours, you could make a backup of /etc and attach a copy compressed here or by PM to see if I can generate a firmware compatible.

I compiled an open7x0.org firmware with the lastest fw-builder in http://www.open7x0.org/arena/showthread.php?tid=2145 . Expecting more problems with this old software, I was surprised that only the link to the original software was broken.

This firmware works for me, only DHCP seems not to be correct. I will send you the etc directory for comparision. Of course, I'm still interested in upgrading the firmware, vdr in version 1.4.7 is really old.

Malo escribió:Please find attached the messages of the start with this firmware, maybe you see an error.

VDR binary is compiled incorrectly without M750S support, because it doesn't support any options as "DiSEqC". I will try to fix it.
Finally, network is working?

Malo escribió:I'm still interested in upgrading the firmware, vdr in version 1.4.7 is really old.

open7x0.org firmware is really old, but it's tested with M750S and is possible that you found more problems with ours.
If network and VDR are fixed perhaps you can run our firmware in M750S correctly, but fix it without testing it in a hardware is very difficult.

Our VDR version is too 1.4.7, but we add any backports and fixes of new versions.
You can to read others addons included in firm.

Hello, I hope you enjoyed the holidays.

bittor escribió:
Finally, network is working?

Yes, it seems that network is working with fixed IP.

bittor escribió:
open7x0.org firmware is really old, but it's tested with M750S and is possible that you found more problems with ours.
If network and VDR are fixed perhaps you can run our firmware in M750S correctly, but fix it without testing it in a hardware is very difficult.

I would like to update my M740AV as soon as possible. And therefore, it would be an advantage to have the M750S at the same firmware version. Nevertheless, when the problems are to difficult to solve, I will stay at the old version.

Based on my know-how, I would be able to compile the vdr for myself, when I get a little help with the tool chain. But unfortunately, my time will be a limiting factor.

Wishing a happy new year to all of you.