DOCS: steps for upgrade, backup & restore NVRAM recommendations

[Fermulator]

Hello,

Have been a long time freshtomato user & supporter.

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In prior readings (no refs), the recommendation often was to:

1. save/export NVRAM
2. upgrade
3. wipe/erase NVRAM
4. restore/import

Would like to confirm if this is the recommended process, and if so why wipe/erase step is required? (Obviously it would be easier if save/wipe/restore steps weren't required)

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Even in the CHANGELOG, we say:

clear your NVRAM after upgrade! (Erase all data in NVRAM memory (thorough))

(but in doing so, obviously all of the user’s settings are lost)

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In #15, I refreshed (long ago) that nvram save and nvram restore are the available commands.

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Available documentation AFIAK:

• readme: https://bitbucket.org/kille72/freshtomato-arm
• forum: https://openlinksys.info/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=21651

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If formal recommendation / steps are agreed upon, I can update the docs.

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[Fermulator]

@kille72 ; any chance I could get your input here? If you might spare me some time to explain I’m happy to do the doc updates!

[pedro]

Proper procedure:

1. save settings as html pages
2. upgrade
3. wipe/erase NVRAM
4. restore manually - never use backup.

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[Fermulator]

@pedro really? MANUAL backup/restore? so are you saying that everyone who upgrades is supposed to manually restore their settings from an HTML page dump?

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Why couldn’t we use save/restore? We need some way to automatically backup and restore settings from the system so that we can automate upgrades. (I had started to do so with ansible)

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To be clear: I’m MOST worried about not keeping the firmware up-to-date for security patch reasons; I’d be OK with a manual backup/restore once per year(?), but security patches I’d like to apply more frequently

[Fermulator]

Would really love to help here somehow - any guidance ?

[Fermulator]

This could/should go https://wiki.freshtomato.org/doku.php/upgrade ?

(I recently registered there and could contribute - but @pedro - if you wouldn’t mind confirming your note from 2020-03-07 is still correct and up-to-date?

[pedro]

It’s a proper procedure when you want report an issue, or if it’s clearly stated in CHANGELOG (sometimes the router can not even restart with the old config).

But of course in minor updates, if everything works (in your opinion), you do not have to do this.