II. Resetting & Router Firmware

Within your router, there is a special type of firmware called the bootloader. The bootloader is permanently installed during manufacturing. It is the operating system for the hardware and rarely needs replacement or upgrading; all of the product features and functionality are in the main firmware.

If you are ever asked by a support technician to identify your bootloader version, you do this from telnet (in Windows you enter 'telnet.exe 192.168.1.1' from the command line. You may need to install Windows Telnet as it can be an optional Windows component.  All other operating systems have telnet clients available.  

Once you have your telnet session open (use the same username or password as on the router's web interface) you use the command sys ver bl (for DrayOS) or test fw_ver (for 'Linux'). The boot loader is highlighted in the examples below in the red box:

Check firmware/bootloader in DrayOS Telnet using command 'sys ver bl':

Check firmware/bootloader in 'Linux' Telnet using the command 'test fw_ver':

Bootloaders normally stay the same for the life of your product; you would not normally expect or need to check for new bootloader versions or upgrade in the way that you do for firmware.