Lab 01-03 · Packages, release channels and upgrades¶

Your phone nags you: "A new software update is available". Some friends install it the same day; others wait a week "until they fix the bugs". Some even join the beta to get features early, and accept that the camera app crashes now and then.

A router has the same choice, with one difference: if a router update goes wrong, a whole school loses the Internet. Today you learn how RouterOS is put together, how to see exactly what your router runs, and how to pick a "safe" update channel.

RouterOS is built from packages¶

Think of your phone again. The operating system is one big piece, plus apps. Some apps come preinstalled and you can switch them off; others you download.

A package is a file (extension .npk) that adds a group of features to RouterOS.

In RouterOS 7 almost everything (routing, firewall, DHCP, PPP, IPv6...) lives in one main package, called routeros. A few big features come as extra packages:

Disable a package and its menus and interfaces disappear after a reboot. That is the course's package LAB: disable WiFi, reboot, see that the WiFi interfaces are gone.

Architecture: the trap that bricks upgrades¶

Every package is compiled for one CPU architecture: the "language" the router's processor speaks. A file for one architecture is gibberish to another, like an Android app on an iPhone.

The course lists MikroTik's architectures: ARM64, ARM, MIPSBE, SMIPS, MMIPS, TILE, PPC and x86. Always check yours in System → Resources before downloading anything.

Release channels¶

A release channel is the "speed lane" of updates your router follows.

The rule of thumb: the more people depend on a router, the slower its lane.

The scenario¶

Just one router: r1, a CHR (Cloud Hosted Router: RouterOS as a virtual machine). The virtual lab has no Internet on purpose, so the "Check for updates" step will fail here; downloading, upgrading and downgrading are done on the real hAP in class (instructions below and in final/r1-hap-packages.rsc).

flowchart LR
    YOU["<b>Your PC</b><br>ssh"] -- "management port<br>(ether1, lab plumbing)" --> R1["<b>r1</b><br>CHR · x86_64<br>RouterOS 7.23.8"]
    R1 -. "check for updates<br>(no Internet in the lab)" .-> MT["upgrade.mikrotik.com"]

Start the lab¶

Download the lab files and unzip them: 01-03-packages-and-upgrades.zip. Open a terminal inside the 01-03-packages-and-upgrades folder.

sudo containerlab deploy -t topology.clab.yml
ssh admin@clab-mtcna-01-03-r1        # password: admin

Step 1 · Find out what your router is¶

Why: before any update you must know the version, the architecture and the license.

In WinBox: System → Resources and System → License. On r1:

/system resource print
/system license print

Expected (the important lines):

          version: 7.23.8 (long-term)
 factory-software: 7.1
architecture-name: x86_64
       board-name: CHR QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996)
            level: free

factory-software is the version the device shipped with. On many newer devices you cannot downgrade below it. level: free is the free CHR license: everything works, but each interface is limited to 1 Mbit/s (course slide 97). Real routers (RouterBOARDs) ship with their license already included.

Done when: you know the version, architecture and license level.

Step 2 · List the packages¶

Why: this is the list of "apps" installed on your router.

In WinBox: System → Packages. On r1:

/system package print

Expected:

Columns: NAME, VERSION, BUILD-TIME, SIZE
# NAME      VERSION  BUILD-TIME           SIZE
0 routeros  7.23.8   2026-10-08 09:46:16  19.8MiB

On the CHR there is only the main package. On your hAP ax² in class you will also see wifi-qcom.

Done when: you have seen the package list.

Step 3 · Look at the update settings and try to check for updates¶

Why: System → Packages → Check For Updates is the easiest way to upgrade (course slide 51). It contacts MikroTik's servers, compares versions and offers Download & Install.

In WinBox: System → Packages → Check For Updates. On r1:

/system package update print
/system package update check-for-updates once

Expected, in this offline lab:

          channel: stable
installed-version: 7.23.8
           status: ERROR: IPv4: could not resolve dns name (timeout)

The router cannot even turn upgrade.mikrotik.com into an address: there is no DNS server and no Internet. In class, with the hAP connected to the class AP (lab 01-02), the same command shows latest-version and, if it is newer, the button Download & Install (/system package update install).

Done when: you have read the error and understood why it happens here.

Step 4 · Move the router to the long-term channel¶

Why: a school router should get fixes, not surprises.

In WinBox: System → Packages → Check For Updates, Channel long-term. On r1:

/system package update set channel=long-term
/system package update print

Expected: channel: long-term. The setting is part of the configuration: you will see it in /export as /system package update set channel=long-term.

Done when: the channel is long-term.

Step 5 · Leave a note for the next administrator¶

Why: when several people manage a router, a short note at login saves a lot of questions (course slide 34, CLI tips).

In WinBox: System → Note. On r1, write what you found in step 1 (use your architecture and version):

/system note set note="r1: architecture x86_64, RouterOS 7.23.8, channel long-term" show-at-cli-login=yes

Log out (/quit) and back in with ssh admin@clab-mtcna-01-03-r1: the note appears above the prompt.

Done when: the note appears when you log in.

In class, on the real hAP¶

These steps need the real router (and, for downloads, Internet through the class AP). The exact commands are in final/r1-hap-packages.rsc.

Check your work¶

./check.sh

All lines PASS, last line Lab 01-03 SOLVED.

If something goes wrong¶

Clean up¶

sudo containerlab destroy -t topology.clab.yml --cleanup

Key takeaways¶

• RouterOS 7 is one main package (routeros) plus extra packages such as wifi-qcom, wireless or container.
• Packages are built for one architecture (arm64, arm, x86_64...): always check System → Resources before downloading.
• Long-term gets only fixes, stable gets fixes and features, testing is a beta: the more people depend on a router, the slower its channel.
• System → Packages → Check For Updates is the easy way to upgrade; uploading an .npk and rebooting is the manual way; Downgrade goes back.
• RouterBOOT is the board's firmware; upgrade it after RouterOS.
• A system note tells every administrator something important the moment they log in.

Quick check¶

You now know what your router runs and how to keep it updated. Next lab: personalising RouterOS with a branding package.