This change introduces stable API versioning for https://git.openwrt.org/project/firmware-utils.git matching the OpenWrt release branches (openwrt-22.03, openwrt-23.05), similar to https://git.openwrt.org/project/luci.git.

This makes it much much easier and more sustainable for contributors and maintainers to use GIT to manage new device support and bugfixes for previous releases, without breaking any APIs. For example, using git cherry-pick to get new changes from /master while removing any API differences. Currently, new device support and bugfixes must be managed downstream manually as patches against an old git ref (e.g. this patch). Other projects using firmware-utils will also benefit from this stable versioning scheme, even if they don't follow OpenWrt's version scheme, but they will still be free to continue using fixed git refs and downstream patches as before.

This only involves /openwrt-22.03 and /openwrt-23.05, as firmware-utils was still in-tree during OpenWrt /openwrt-21.02.

See previous discussion and developer approval. As this requires a good few commits and branches to be created, it is easier to just recommend in this issue the steps for a project developer to do than to submit 10 different PRs. If the safe Option A) is chosen below, it will have no functional impact on current releases and should be safe to implement right away.

Step 1: Create firmware-utils release branches matching existing OpenWrt release branches.

This will only create new branches, so can be done any time with no impact on external consumers. Later, changes can be added to each firmware-utils release branch independantly and the PKG_SOURCE_VERSION updated in openwrt.git/tools/firmware-utils/Makefile on each OpenWrt release branch.

cd ~/src/firmware-utils

# https://git.openwrt.org/?p=openwrt/openwrt.git;a=history;f=tools/firmware-utils/Makefile;hb=refs/heads/openwrt-22.03
# https://git.openwrt.org/?p=openwrt/openwrt.git;a=commitdiff;h=9c2ed54aa2fefeb88dd06d1f393a70ab7d48f24f
git branch openwrt-22.03 ddc3e00e314d3fbc3f9faab2d07395722ce9b01a
git push origin -u openwrt-22.03

# https://git.openwrt.org/?p=openwrt/openwrt.git;a=history;f=tools/firmware-utils/Makefile;hb=refs/heads/openwrt-23.05
# https://git.openwrt.org/?p=openwrt/openwrt.git;a=commitdiff;h=2cece6e2b078e6acb97f3ed99ffc58f0f8fa2365
git branch openwrt-23.05 9e2de8515be15e2b61ae518ce592e5b446ef2d48
git push origin -u openwrt-23.05

Step 2: Sync release branches

EITHER:

Option A) Conservatively just replace existing out-of-tree patches in OpenWrt with updated firmware-utils commit refs

This preserves the current code and behaviour of all the versions, and should have zero impact.

cd ~/src/firmware-utils

git checkout openwrt-22.03
git cherry-pick a2c80c586b81efc1662fec23202b88e2790e305e
git cherry-pick affc38e89b3544edc97d05367f8aeafa4c4e73bd

git checkout master
# Import patch from https://git.openwrt.org/?p=openwrt/openwrt.git;a=blob;f=tools/firmware-utils/patches/001-add-sifiveu-guid-types.patch;h=45900e982c9c4ccffb8531d70c18151a47ccbbe9;hb=18238c442866a6ae93533e2421a6f44bc9e57ac6

git checkout openwrt-23.05
git cherry-pick $(git rev-parse master)

OR:

Option B) Update current firmware-utils release branches to latest code

Looking at the differences between the current openwrt-22.03 commit and master and openwrt-23.05 and master, it seems purely additive and there doesn't appear to be any backwards incompatible changes, so now might be a good time to just bring both current release branches up to date.

This will require a review by the firmware-utils maintainers but I would be in favor of it.

# Diff from OpenWrt 22.03 firmware-utils to current master
git diff ddc3e00e314d3fbc3f9faab2d07395722ce9b01a d16ff798d58a508e7422322be2bd25d38224018e
# Diff from OpenWrt 23.05 firmware-utils to current master
git diff 9e2de8515be15e2b61ae518ce592e5b446ef2d48 d16ff798d58a508e7422322be2bd25d38224018e

cd ~/src/firmware-utils

git checkout master
# Import patch from https://git.openwrt.org/?p=openwrt/openwrt.git;a=blob;f=tools/firmware-utils/patches/001-add-sifiveu-guid-types.patch;h=45900e982c9c4ccffb8531d70c18151a47ccbbe9;hb=18238c442866a6ae93533e2421a6f44bc9e57ac6

git checkout openwrt-22.03
git merge --ff-only master

git checkout openwrt-23.05
git merge --ff-only master

Step 3: Update OpenWrt firmware-utils package with commit refs from Step 2

cd ~/src/openwrt

git checkout openwrt-22.03
git rm tools/firmware-utils/patches/001-tplink-safeloader-add-Archer-AX23.patch
git rm tools/firmware-utils/patches/002-tplink-safeloader-Add-support-for-Mercusys-MR70X.patch
vi tools/firmware-utils/Makefile    # Update to latest firmware-utils /openwrt-22.03 commit
git commit

git checkout openwrt-23.05
git rm tools/firmware-utils/patches/001-add-sifiveu-guid-types.patch
vi tools/firmware-utils/Makefile    # Update to latest firmware-utils /openwrt-23.05 commit
git commit

git checkout main
git rm tools/firmware-utils/patches/001-add-sifiveu-guid-types.patch
vi tools/firmware-utils/Makefile    # Update to latest firmware-utils /master commit
git commit

Sir...I downloaded 1.1.0 Stock firmware for tplink ax23 v1.2. but after sysupgrade done firmware version shows 3.0.3😭 also its showing my previous setting...I tried to reset the router unfortunately Reset is not working...
when i am in stock firmware the firmware version was 1.1.0

but In this tool you write there 3.0.3😭😭😭😭 Please sir fix this problem please...

I want to go back stock firmware sir please help me sir...

Only you can help me sir please

Sir please edit this firmware version to 1.0.0
Because after reverting to stock firmware we need to update the firmware once...otherwise there is some bug after revert...such as can't reset the router..🙏🙏🙏🙏 please sir

Sir i can't install firmware after revert to stock...
because the version number is 3.0.3

but tp link letest firmware number is 1.1.0

so when i revert its showing 3.0.3 thats why i can't update firmware..because tp link mot allow downgrade firmware..
please edit this firmware number to 1.0.0 For ax23 v1.2

Sir please please please fix the problem in Tplink ax23 v1.2

its showing version 3.0.3 after reverting...
but i downloaded 1.1.0 version...
also reset is not working after reverting..

when i am in stock firmware its 1.1.0

please fix the wrong version number in your tool...please sir please🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

On file tplink-safeloader.c, at the definitions of C60 devices (line 1404, 1439, 1476), there is a string for supported-list that is bigger than 256 bytes (0x100), but on the partitions definitions right there the limit is 0x100. So how is openwrt compiling this firmware using these definitions, if changing is needed why is not reflected in the code? I've tried to compile the firmware to my C60 v3 and of course shows an error that the support-list exceeds the 256 limit.