What is CatWrt?#
CatWrt is an OpenWrt distribution compiled from the open-source Lean LEDE repository. Compared to the official OpenWRT, LEDE adds more plugins that cater to Chinese users, making it more aligned with their operating habits.
CatWrt is directly compiled from the highly praised LEDE source code, providing an experience similar to QWRT, a privatized paid version of LEDE for hard routers, while also offering comprehensive community support and support for various hardware and architectures.
Project Address:
GitHub - miaoermua/CatWrt: 🌠 Customized OpenWrt Smart Gateway
Official Website: CatWrt.v23.8 Super Performance Super Stable Firmware, Supports Multiple Popular mt798x Routers - Miao Er's Blog (miaoer.xyz)
And free technical support and updates.
Installing OpenWrt on PVE#
1. Create a Virtual Machine#
Here, select Do not use any media, choose Linux for the guest operating system, and keep the version default.
The BIOS option can be chosen based on personal preference, either default (SeaBIOS) or OVMF (UEFI), which relates to the version selected when adding the image later.
If UEFI is chosen, do not check Add EFI Disk. It is recommended to keep the default or standard VGA, VMware compatible for the graphics card.
Here, delete the disk.
Here, set the number of CPU cores according to your computer's situation; the category can remain default or be chosen based on your situation. To improve performance, select host and set the CPU weight to enhance scheduling responsiveness -> improve performance.
Memory settings: If not running proxy software and only used for dialing, set to 512MB or 768MB. If running proxy software, it is recommended to set higher, such as 1024MB. If running containers (docker), it is recommended to set 2048MB or higher.
Checking the Ballooning device will make memory dynamically allocated; if you need to use memory monitoring software (like htop, pcdn memory detection), it is not recommended to check this. Some software may experience memory leaks due to being unable to determine memory size.
Network settings: We know that non-(one-arm, large) routers have two types of interfaces, one WAN and one LAN.
The first interface of CatWrt is set as the LAN interface by default, and the second interface is set as WAN by default, so caution should be exercised here to avoid configuration difficulties due to incorrect interface order settings.
After completing the configuration, add the second network port.
Find the device just created, click on it, select hardware, add -> network device -> select another interface (WAN).
2. Import CatWrt Disk#
Most OpenWrt x86 distributions provide .img format disk images or corresponding packaged compressed files, and you need to choose the corresponding system folder based on BIOS or EFI.
For example, if I previously selected OVMF (EFI), I should download the efi image; if I selected SeaBIOS, I should download the image without EFI.
Download link: Releases · miaoermua/CatWrt (github.com)
Use ssh to connect to the PVE host, or in the Shell of the web interface.
Download the image and import it into the virtual disk.
root@pve:~# wget https://github.com/miaoermua/CatWrt/releases/download/v23.8/CatWrt.v23.8.x86_64-squashfs-combined.img
root@pve:~# qm importdisk 104 ./CatWrt.v23.8.x86_64-squashfs-combined.img local-lvm
qm importdisk is the command.
104 is the virtual machine ID.
./CatWrt.v23.8.x86_64-squashfs-combined.img is the image path.
If uploaded via the browser, it will be under /var/lib/vz/template/iso/xxx.img.
local-lvm is the storage location, using local storage.
After successful import, it will display successful.
Successfully imported disk as 'unused0:local-lvm:vm-104-disk-0'
root@pve:~#
Next, follow the steps to import the disk.
After completion, start it.
Connect via a network cable to a switch bridged with vmbr0, enter 192.168.1.4 in the browser to proceed with subsequent dialing, DHCP, and higher port information configurations.
Username root
, password password
.
Note:
1)*. CatWrt has some modifications and configurations of packages compared to LEDE.
2)*. Basic issues provide free technical support, special issues are excluded.
This blog is provided by a senior from Jiangxi University of Science and Technology as part of the CatWrt user experience program, original text: PVE Deploy CatWrt (OpenWrt) | Enjoy your life | AEnjoy’s Blog
This article is synchronized to xLog by Mix Space, the original link is https://www.miaoer.net/posts/network/pve-deplay-openwrt