Factory restore Dockstar - Help needed

Hello,
I own a couple of Dockstars that have been running linux for a few years, thanks to this forum tutorials and useful tools.


Now one of the Dockstars is bricked, and I'd like to restore it to the factory software (pogo...?) but I don't know how...
Moreover I can't find a guide with the needed software anymore.

So, could someone help me to restore the original firmware, please?

Thanks!

Please help me... (╥﹏╥)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/2024 09:54AM by Zasshi.

The factory firmware is extremely obsolete and contains multiple vulnerabilities. If you desire something that can operate entirely from the NAND flash like the original firmware then I would recommend OpenWrt. You can find information about loading that firmware and links to the firmware at OpenWrt for Dockstar

Thanks for the info!
I didn't know that OpenWrt was available on the Dockstar, maybe I'll convert my 2nd unit.

However I need the original software: Obsolescence and vulnerabilities aren't a problem, but software can't be Linux or Openwrt.

Zasshi,

How "bricked" is your Dockstar? do you have serial console, and if you do when you power up do you see u-boot booting activities? Post the boot log.

-bodhi
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Hi,
I don't really know what happened, it wouldn't boot from the USB drive nor show any led activity.

But Un-bricking it is not a problem, it's just that I need to give this unit to a person that can't(won't) use Linux,
and so I'd like to restore the original software.

According to the tutorials I found, I should flash a file called "oob_softecc_kw", but I can't find it.

I have these files:

Env.cfg 856
rootfs-mtd2.img 28966912
uboot.mtd0.dockstar.original.kwb 524288
uImage-mtd1.img 3670016

can these be used to restore the original software?

if there's no led activity at all during booting, you might need to use jtag to revive it first, then you can do anything, including flash it back to original.

Zasshi Wrote:
> But Un-bricking it is not a problem, it's just
> that I need to give this unit to a person that
> can't(won't) use Linux,
> and so I'd like to restore the original
> software.

Do you realize the original firmware is Linux based also?

Ray

There are 4 possible unbrick steps (1 is easiest).

1. Take your USB rootfs to another Linux and run e2fsck to check for errors and fix it. Bring it back to the dockstar and try booting it.

2. If you remmember what u-boot was installed, and what Debian rootfs is on the USB, (or what procedure you used to install), then we could try booting a rootfs that matches what this u-boot expects.

3. Connect serial console. Easy because the dockstar has serial header already populated (no soldering needed). Boot up and see how far it will get. If serial console show any booting activity then it can be unbricked easily.

4. When all 3 above failed. As David mentioned above, the last resort is: solder a JTAG header and use the rescue procedure in this Dockstar instruction or this Pogo E02 instruction.

-bodhi
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Cont.

5. And then after logging to Debian, flash stock Dockstar firmware. It is also possible to do the flashing while in serial console, and at u-boot prompt.

-bodhi
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/10/2024 02:21AM by bodhi.

> 5. And then after logging to Debian, flash stock
> Dockstar firmware. It is also possible to do the
> flashing while in serial console, and at u-boot
> prompt.

But where do I get the stock Dockstar firmware? Is it one of the files I listed above?

You have all the files already. Get a serial cable and you can start...