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Instructions for Windows
- Download Netinstall the Stable or Testing version of the Netinstall utility from the downloads page. If you are not sure which version you need, then you can always select the version that is marked as Current (stable);
Download the RouterOS Main package from the downloads page;
Tip You must choose need to select a RouterOS version. You can always select the version that is marked as Current. You must also select the , preferably one marked as Stable. Additionally, choose the appropriate architecture (ARM, MIPS, SMIPS, TILE, etc...), but if you are not sure, then ). If unsure, you can download the RouterOS package for ALL all architectures, and Netinstall will choose determine the right architecture for youcorrect one for your device.
Disable all of your computer network interfaces (WiFi, Ethernet, LTE, or any other type of connection) besides except for the one which will to be used for installation! . Netinstall will only work on function with one active interface on your computer, it is highly recommended that you disable . It's strongly recommended to deactivate any other network interfaces in order to be sure that Netinstall will select the right network interfaceensure Netinstall selects the correct one.
Configure a static IP address for your Ethernet interface, open Start, and select Settings:
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- Check Use the following IP address and fill out the fields as shown in the image below
| Note |
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If you have a working router, then you can use it and skip the setting up a static IP part of this tutorial, but it requires you to know your LAN address since you will need to specify an unused IP address in your network for the network boot server. For this reason, it is recommended to apply a static IP address and follow this guide precisely, if you are not sure how to get these parameters out of your network. |
- Open your Downloads folder (or wherever you saved the downloaded files) and extract the Netinstall .zip file to a convenient place
Make sure that the Ethernet interface is running and launch Netinstall.exe. If you followed the guide precisely, then you should not have any Internet connection on your computer, Windows 10 wants to verify all apps that it runs, but will not be able to do it since lack of an Internet connection, for this reason, a warning might pop up, you should click Run.
| Warning |
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Netinstall requires administrator rights, there should be a window asking for permissions to run Netinstall, you must accept these permissions in order for Netinstall to work properly. |
- Allow access for Netinstall in Public networks and configure Net booting settings and fill out the required fields as shown in the image below
| Warning |
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| The Client IP address must be unique! Don't use an existing IP address in your network, this also means that you should not use the computer's IP address as well. Use a completely different IP address from the same subnet. |
- Connect your device to your computer using an ethernet cable directly (without any other devices in-between), plug the Ethernet cable into your device's Etherboot port.
- MikroTik devices are able to use Netinstall from their first port (Ether1), or from the port marked with "BOOT".
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- Open your Downloads folder (or wherever you saved the downloaded files) and extract the Netinstall *.zip file to a convenient place
Make sure that the Ethernet interface is running and launch Netinstall.exe. If you followed the guide precisely, then you should not have any Internet connection on your computer, Windows 10 wants to verify all apps that it runs, but will not be able to do it since lack of an Internet connection, for this reason, a warning might pop up, you should click Run.
| Warning |
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Netinstall requires administrator rights, there should be a window asking for permissions to run Netinstall, you must accept these permissions in order for Netinstall to work properly. |
- Allow access for Netinstall in Public networks and configure Net booting settings and fill out the required fields as shown in the image below
| Warning |
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| The Client IP address must be unique! Don't use an existing IP address in your network, this also means that you should not use the computer's IP address as well. Use a completely different IP address from the same subnet. |
- Connect your device to your computer using an ethernet cable directly (without any other devices in-between), plug the Ethernet cable into your device's Etherboot port.
- MikroTik devices are able to use Netinstall from their first port (Ether1), or from the port marked with "BOOT".
| Warning |
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Some computers have a network interface (especially USB Ethernet adapters) that tend to create an extra link flap, which is enough for Netinstall to fail to detect a device that is in Etherboot mode. In such a case you can use a switch between your device and your computer or a router in bridge mode to prevent this issue. Netinstall uses bootp packets, which are using the same port numbers as DHCP packets. If you're using a switch between your PC and the device to be Netinstalled, ensure that the ports in the bridge are not blocked by other network devices. If you have dhcp-snooping enabled, make sure to enable "trusted" on the bridge ports facing the Netinstall PC. |
- Power up your device and put it into etherboot mode
| Tip |
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There are multiple ways how to put your device into Etherboot mode. Make sure you read the Etherboot manual before trying to put the device into this mode. Methods vary between different MikroTik devices. |
- Wait for the device to show up in Netinstall, then select it and click Browse. Navigate to your Downloads folder (or wherever you saved your RouterOS packages) and press OK.
- Select your desired RouterOS packages and press Install. Wait for the installation to finish and press "Reboot" (Devices without serial console have to be rebooted manually).
| Note |
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If you have downloaded RouterOS packages for multiple architectures, Netinstall will only display the appropriate architecture packages for your device after you have selected it. Unsupported packages will not appear in this window once a device is selected. |
If the installation does not start (progress bar is not moving or no status is shown), then you can try closing the Netinstall application and opening it up again or try to put the device into Etherboot mode again. If you are still unable to get Netinstall working, then you should try using it on a different computer since there might be an operating system's issue that is preventing Netinstall from working properly.
| Warning |
|---|
Some computers have a network interface (especially USB Ethernet adapters) that tend to create an extra link flap, which is enough for Netinstall to fail to detect a device that is in Etherboot mode. In such a case you can use a switch between your device and your computer or a router in bridge mode to prevent this issue. Netinstall uses bootp packets, which are using the same port numbers as DHCP packets. If you're using a switch between your PC and the device to be Netinstalled, ensure that the ports in the bridge are not blocked by other network devices. If you have dhcp-snooping enabled, make sure to enable "trusted" on the bridge ports facing the Netinstall PC. |
- Power up your device and put it into etherboot mode
| Tip |
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There are multiple ways how to put your device into Etherboot mode. Make sure you read the Etherboot manual before trying to put the device into this mode. Methods vary between different MikroTik devices. |
- Wait for the device to show up in Netinstall, then select it and click Browse. Navigate to your Downloads folder (or wherever you saved your RouterOS packages) and press OK.
- Select your desired RouterOS packages and press Install. Wait for the installation to finish and press "Reboot" (Devices without serial console have to be rebooted manually).
| Note |
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If you have downloaded RouterOS packages for multiple architectures, Netinstall will only display the appropriate architecture packages for your device after you have selected it. Unsupported packages will not appear in this window once a device is selected. |
If the installation does not start (progress bar is not moving or no status is shown), then you can try closing the Netinstall application and opening it up again or try to put the device into Etherboot mode again. If you are still unable to get Netinstall working, then you should try using it on a different computer since there might be an operating system's issue that is preventing Netinstall from working properly.
- You are done! Remove the device from power, remove the Ethernet cable, place the device back in your network and your device should be running properly now!
| Warning |
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After using Netinstall the device will be reset to defaults (unless you specified not to apply default configuration). Some devices are not accessible through ether1 port with the default configuration for security reasons. Read more about Default configuration. |
| Note |
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Option "Keep branding" allows you to retain the device's already installed branding package without reinstalling it using Netinstall. |
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| Note |
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The "Keep old configuration" process involves downloading the configuration database from the router, reinstalling the router (including disk formatting), and uploading the configuration files back to it. However, it's important to note that this process solely applies to the configuration itself and does not impact the files, including databases like the User Manager database, Dude database, and others.However, it's important to note that this process solely applies to the configuration itself and does not impact the files, including databases like the User Manager database, Dude database, and others. |
After using Netinstall the device will be reset to defaults (unless you specified not to apply default configuration). Some devices are not accessible through ether1 port with the default configuration for security reasons. Read more about Default configuration.
Option "Keep branding" allows you to retain the device's already installed branding package without reinstalling it using Netinstall.
| Tip |
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When using the Configure script option, it is suggested to introduce a delay before configuration execution. option, it is suggested to introduce a delay before configuration execution. |
- You're all set! Configure your device and reconnect it to your network. Your device should now be functioning correctly!
Instructions for Linux
The Linux version is a command line tool, which offers nearly the same parameters as the Windows counterpart.
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The available parameters are as follows:
| Parameter | Meaning |
|---|---|
| -r | When the reinstallation process is performed, the current configuration is will be reset, and for devices that have it, the default configuration will be applied . (optional). |
| -e | When Performing the reinstallation process is performed will reset the device to an empty configuration. |
| -b | Option to discard the currently installed branding package from the device, otherwise it will be reinstalled together with RouterOS. |
| -k keyfile | Provides the device with a license key in .KEY format . (optional). |
| -s userscript | Pre-configures the device with the provided configuration (text file in .RSC format). This configuration also takes place of the default configuration. The script can access factory passwords with read-only variables $defconfPassword and $defconfWifiPassword (starting from RouterOS 7.10beta8). (optional). |
-a IP | Uses a specific IP address that the Netinstall server will assign to the device. Mandatory, but can be auto-assigned if interface parameter used. |
| PACKAGE | Specify a list of RouterOS.NPK format packages that Netinstall will try to install on the device . (mandatory). The system package must be listed first. |
| -i | Allows you to specify an interface . (optional). |
| Note | title | Note
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If the "-r" or "e-" parameter is not specified, netinstall-cli will reinstall RouterOS and will keep the current configuration by downloading current configuration database from the router, reinstalling the router (including disk formatting), and uploading the configuration back to it, the same as Netinstall "Keep old configuration" option. However, it's important to note that this process solely applies to the configuration itself and does not impact the files, including databases like the User Manager database, Dude database, and others. |
First make sure you have set the IP on your computer's interface:
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RouterBOOT booter 7.14.2 CRS312CRS328-4C-20S-4S+8XG CPU frequency: 650800 MHz Memory speed: 300 MHz Memory size: 64512 MiB Storage size: 16 MiB Press Ctrl+E to enter etherboot mode Press any key within 2 seconds to enter setup Please, check ethernet cable... trying bootp protocol 2 seconds to enter setup trying bootp protocol.... OK Got IP address: 192.168.88.3 resolved mac address 84:69:93:9E:E6:49 transfer started ............................... transfer ok, time=2.00s |
At this point your device is in Etherboot mode, now the device should show up in your Netinstall window.