Slate AX upgradable packages

Technical Support for Routers
1

running 4.0.1 beta 2,
why are the packages not upgraded when a new firmware is released?
there are also some dependency errors.
and luci only contains 6 packages that can be upgraded while opkg command line have many more.
please explain.

root@slateax:~# opkg list-upgradable
libuci-lua - 2020-10-06-52bbc99f-5 - 2021-04-14-4b3db117-5
iwinfo - 2021-06-09-c0414642-2.1 - 2022-04-26-dc6847eb-1
ntfs-3g-utils - 2017.3.23-1-fuseint - 2017.3.23-6-fuseint
luci-app-opkg - git-21.079.58548-3bcbcbf - git-22.154.41894-1cf976c
iw - 5.9-1 - 5.9-8fab0c9e-3
libuci20130104 - 2020-10-06-52bbc99f-5 - 2021-04-14-4b3db117-5
rpcd - 2021-11-04-d11ffe93-1 - 2022-02-19-8d26a1ba-1
libiwinfo-lua - 2021-06-09-c0414642-2.1 - 2022-04-26-dc6847eb-1
luci-mod-system - git-21.271.74796-7c943a1 - git-22.130.00635-21f99bd
openssl-util - 1.1.1l-1 - 1.1.1o-1
libustream-wolfssl20201210 - 2020-12-10-68d09243-1 - 2022-01-16-868fd881-1
luci-theme-bootstrap - git-21.283.63931-588e24f - git-22.084.39047-f1d687e
libusb-1.0-0 - 1.0.22-2 - 1.0.24-4
luci-mod-status - git-21.265.39600-b5464a3 - git-22.046.85784-0ac2542
libgpg-error - 1.42-1 - 1.42-2
lua-cjson - 2.1.0-1 - 2.1.0-2
firewall - 2021-03-23-61db17ed-1 - 2021-03-23-61db17ed-1.1
luci-app-firewall - git-21.243.76516-19c66ef - git-22.089.67741-3856d50
wpad-openssl - 2021-02-20-59e9794c-2 - 2021-02-20-59e9794c-11
uci - 2020-10-06-52bbc99f-5 - 2021-04-14-4b3db117-5
rpcd-mod-file - 2021-11-04-d11ffe93-1 - 2022-02-19-8d26a1ba-1
nginx-ssl - 1.17.7-2 - 1.19.6-2
smstools3 - 3.1.21-2 - 3.1.21-4
libiwinfo-data - 2021-06-09-c0414642-2.1 - 2022-04-26-dc6847eb-1
luci-proto-ppp - git-21.158.38888-88b9d84 - git-21.163.64918-6c6559a
luci-base - git-21.284.67084-e4d24f0 - git-22.167.28411-ee8170b
libopenssl1.1 - 1.1.1l-1 - 1.1.1o-1
luci-proto-ipv6 - git-21.148.48881-79947af - git-21.148.49484-14511e5
ntfs-3g - 2017.3.23-1-fuseint - 2017.3.23-6-fuseint
libopenssl-conf - 1.1.1l-1 - 1.1.1o-1
libiwinfo20210430 - 2021-06-09-c0414642-2.1 - 2022-04-26-dc6847eb-1
zlib - 1.2.11-3 - 1.2.11-4
mwan3 - 2.8.15-2 - 2.10.13-1
luci-i18n-base-zh-cn - git-21.282.73955-9987b39 - git-22.184.38437-cbf33ce
luci-lib-jsonc - git-19.317.29469-8da8f38 - git-22.097.61937-bc85ba5
luci-i18n-opkg-zh-cn - git-21.281.68623-28b9663 - git-22.184.38437-cbf33ce
rpcd-mod-iwinfo - 2021-11-04-d11ffe93-1 - 2022-02-19-8d26a1ba-1
luci-mod-network - git-21.285.33716-9aaebdf - git-22.046.85061-dd54dce
hostapd-common - 2021-02-20-59e9794c-2 - 2021-02-20-59e9794c-11
luci-i18n-firewall-zh-cn - git-21.281.68623-28b9663 - git-22.184.38437-cbf33ce
Collected errors:
 * pkg_hash_check_unresolved: cannot find dependency kernel (= 4.4.60-1-5c79df825364eed582b9e6554972c148) for kmod-gl-sdk4-tertf
 * pkg_hash_check_unresolved: cannot find dependency kernel (= 4.4.60-1-5c79df825364eed582b9e6554972c148) for kmod-gl-sdk4-hw-info
 * pkg_hash_check_unresolved: cannot find dependency kernel (= 4.4.60-1-5c79df825364eed582b9e6554972c148) for kmod-fs-exfat
 * pkg_hash_check_unresolved: cannot find dependency kernel (= 4.4.60-1-5c79df825364eed582b9e6554972c148) for kmod-wireguard
 * pkg_hash_fetch_best_installation_candidate: Packages for kmod-wireguard found, but incompatible with the architectures configured
 * pkg_hash_check_unresolved: cannot find dependency kernel (= 4.4.60-1-5c79df825364eed582b9e6554972c148) for kmod-gl-sdk4-fan
 * pkg_hash_check_unresolved: cannot find dependency kernel (= 4.4.60-1-5c79df825364eed582b9e6554972c148) for kmod-input-core
 * pkg_hash_fetch_best_installation_candidate: Packages for kmod-input-core found, but incompatible with the architectures configured
 * pkg_hash_check_unresolved: cannot find dependency kernel (= 4.4.60-1-5c79df825364eed582b9e6554972c148) for kmod-sound-core
 * pkg_hash_fetch_best_installation_candidate: Packages for kmod-sound-core found, but incompatible with the architectures configured
2

I’m just a user, I don’t know what is happening inside GL-Inet R&D or what the product managers are thinking.
But based on my knowledge from OpenWRT and Linux, I’ll try to provide a short answer.

At first, OpenWRT is not the same as a Linux or Windows. A Router don’t need to upgrade packages manually. In fact, it is recommended to use the package set tested together, rather than upgrade just before there is a newer version.

But if there is an issue, the admin/user could upgrade one single package.
Please note that upgrade a package and install a new one for new features and services are also not the same!

I know, that the Luci web interface is triggering exact the same opkg commands, used at the command line.
Since you’re providing only one half of the information, I can only assume Luci is already filtering core-packages or packaged with unmet dependencies. Maybe to protect the user from doing something stupid.
Here is a interesting block about this topic, right on the top: [OpenWrt Wiki] Show available package upgrades after SSH login

And the answer to the second question should be nearly the same. At least I am hoping GL-iNet is providing tested and stable package-sets instead of the a few days old, just because the maintainer of the package says it is good, now.

3

thanks for your reply and the link was interesting.
I have previously run vanilla openwrt on original slate and there has been few a updates between releases that I have installed without problem, I have assumed these were properly tested.

maybe there is a difference since slate ax uses a snapshot release…

opkg upgrade suggest 40 packages that are out of date.
plug-in upgrade in gl interface also suggests 40 but luci only have 6, a bit weird

4

Yes, that’s the main reason.
Internal testing of firmware takes time and we must prioritize ensuring stability over newer versions of packages.

Our UI does not filter system packages and unstable versions as LuCI does. We will discuss this issue. Thank you for your feedback!

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