TP-LINK TL-SG108E Bricked during firmware Upgrade

This thread has been locked for further replies. You can start a new thread to share your ideas or ask questions.
12

TP-LINK TL-SG108E Bricked during firmware Upgrade

This thread has been locked for further replies. You can start a new thread to share your ideas or ask questions.
TP-LINK TL-SG108E Bricked during firmware Upgrade
TP-LINK TL-SG108E Bricked during firmware Upgrade
2014-09-28 04:29:28 - last edited 2020-11-04 07:19:48
Hi all

I think my device its bricked, firmware upgrade fails for no reason (no outage or poweroff computer ). Cronology was the next: "Easy smart configuration utility" warn me about firmware upgrade, I downloaded and start the procedure, unzip file with winrar, select firmware updgrade, choose file and start, after some seconds i see the message "firmware upgrade fails for unknow reason" and say to upgrade from web.

Now, all lights are off, reset button don't do anything, and Easy smart configuration utility doesnt find any device, obviusly there are not any web in switch ip

I try to restart with no result. Device works like a dumb switch without lights.

Any advice after to claim RMA??, this unit have only one day.
  0      
  0      
#1
Options
1 Accepted Solution
Re:TP-LINK TL-SG108E Bricked during firmware Upgrade-Solution
2020-10-30 21:54:35 - last edited 2020-11-04 07:19:48

@raxor I have in the end been able to achieve a good result on a BRICKED SG108E v1.

 

Before you start, step 2 is probably better on a Linux machine to achive NMAP scan over the sw 192.168.0.1

 

  1. Configure network interface with an IP on the same subnet

IP = 192.168.0.10

NETMASK = 255.255.255.0

GW = 192.168.0.1

( after that, try to ping to switch ip 192.168.0.1 if you reach the host, continue to next step )

 

2. From linux machine, execute this command (install it if you don't have: sudo apt install nmap)

 

3. Once you are done, execute: sudo nmap -Pn -sS -sV 192.168.0.1

 

4. With the results on screen you can see something like this:

############################################################################
PORT   STATE SERVICE VERSION
80/tcp open  http

1 service unrecognized despite returning data. If you know the service/version, please submit the following fingerprint at https://nmap.org/cgi-bin/submit.cgi?new-service :
SF-Port80-TCP:V=7.80%I=7%D=10/30%Time=5F9C8F79%P=x86_64-pc-linux-gnu%r(Get
SF:Request,28C,"HTTP/1\.1\x20200\x20OK\r\nConnection:\x20close\r\nContent-
SF:Type:\x20text/html\r\n\r\n<html\x20style=\"display:none\">\n<head>\n<me
SF:ta\x20HTTP-EQUIV=\"Content-Type\"\x20CONTENT=\"text/html;\x20charset=bi
SF:g5\">\n<title>TP-LINK\x20Web-Smart\x20Switch</title>\n</head>\n<framese
SF:t\x20cols=\"0,\x20250,\*\">\n<frame\x20name=\"hidden_frame\"\x20framebo
SF:rder=\"0\"\x20src=\"hidden\.cgi\"\x20>\n<frame\x20name=\"menu-frame\"\x
SF:20target=\"main-frame\"\x20src=\"menu\.cgi\"\x20>\n<frameset\x20rows=\"
SF:130,\*\"><frame\x20name=\"panel-frame\"\x20scrolling=\"no\"\x20src=\"pa
SF:nel\.cgi\"\x20noresize>\n<frame\x20name=\"main-frame\"\x20src=\"info\.c
SF:gi\"\x20noresize>\n<noframes>\n<body\x20style=\"display:none\">\n<p>Thi
SF:s\x20page\x20uses\x20frames,\x20but\x20the\x20browser\x20does\x20not\x2
SF:0support\x20them\.</p>\n</body>\n</noframes>\n</frameset>\n</html>\n")%
SF:r(FourOhFourRequest,1B5,"HTTP/1\.1\x20200\x20OK\r\nConnection:\x20close
SF:\r\nContent-Type:\x20text/html\r\n\r\n<html>\n\n<head>\n<title>Reset</t
SF:itle>\n<link\x20rel=\"stylesheet\"\x20type=\"text/css\"\x20href=\"/styl
SF:e\.css\">\n</head>\n\n<body>\n<center>\n\n<fieldset>\n<legend>Loader\x2
SF:0Mode</legend>\n\x20\x20<b\x20style=\"font-weight:normal;font-family:\x
SF:20Geneva,\x20Arial,\x20Helvetica,\x20sans-serif;letter-spacing:\.45pt\"
SF:>Firmware\x20upgrade\x20mode\.\x20Please\x20upload\x20your\x20image\x20
SF:by\x20TFTP\x20or\x20HTTP\x20\n\x20\x20<p>\n</fieldset>\n\n</center>\n</
SF:body>\n</html>\n\0");
MAC Address: 30:B5:C2:XX:YY:ZZ (Tp-link Technologies)
############################################################################


5. As you can see, there is some pages on the switch HTTP server. If you try to connect on http://192.168.0.1 you will not see anything BUT

 

6. You can enter on one of those pages like that

http://192.168.0.1/menu.cgi

 

 

 

7. Now you are able to upload the firmware by two methods, TFTP or HTTP (easy way = http)

 

8. When you select HTTP Firmware Upgrade, select "browse file" and choose the correct firmware.

 

9. You are DONE, wait a few minutes and you can loging through Easy Smart Configuration Utility again.

 

NOTE: Is mandatory that SW will be on "Loader Mode" you can check for example trying to access to http://192.168.0.1/login.html and see that

 

 

 

Hope this help to everybody to bring back to live a TP-LINK SG108E (in my case V1) yes

 

 

Recommended Solution
  12  
  12  
#17
Options
16 Reply
Re:TP-LINK TL-SG108E Bricked during firmware Upgrade
2014-09-28 11:34:12
If Reset won't make any difference, it should be faulty for some reason...
  0  
  0  
#2
Options
Re:TP-LINK TL-SG108E Bricked during firmware Upgrade
2014-10-01 14:59:02
I 've had the exact same problem as raxor: received the TL-SG108E and upon first start of the Easy Smart Configuration utility an update of the firmware was suggested. I've followed the steps as described but the updated halted with the same error message. and same result as raxor: switch still works ('dumb' switch) but switch cannot be found by the easy smart configuration utility. I also tried to use the reset button on the device, but no result. taking off the power (for some time) had no result either.

any feedback from the experts of TP-LINK?
  0  
  0  
#3
Options
Re:TP-LINK TL-SG108E Bricked during firmware Upgrade
2014-10-01 18:39:23
Sorry to hear this Araes, but confirms was not my fail

I finally RMA and i waiting to receive a new device.

I think firmware upgrade procedure is not well designed, i don't know hardware limits, but, bricking device from official app with no recovery alternative its a "fail by design", no redboot and no other recovery system?.

In little devices like this is more safe this procedure: upload firmware to device, md5 verify and reboot to upgrade is more safe than directly flashing through ethernet. Maybe dont have OS

In any case, its very annoying to put on hold our work for a device that no one expected to fail.
  1  
  1  
#4
Options
Re:TP-LINK TL-SG108E Bricked during firmware Upgrade
2014-12-09 00:47:36
Same problem, I always upgrade to the latest firmware on a networking device when I buy it. Unboxed, downloaded new firmware, logged into the Easy Smart to upgrade over LAN and process ended in error before finishing, now device is not visible in East Smart.

I don't really need the advanced features, but would like to know what the official stance on this is, are we really intended to RMA the device or have you come up with a real solution?
  0  
  0  
#5
Options
Re:TP-LINK TL-SG108E Bricked during firmware Upgrade
2014-12-09 14:34:48
  1  
  1  
#6
Options
Re:TP-LINK TL-SG108E Bricked during firmware Upgrade
2014-12-29 17:37:58
Hi Guys, do you mark the initial firmware version and the new one which resulted the failure?
  0  
  0  
#7
Options
Re:TP-LINK TL-SG108E Bricked during firmware Upgrade
2014-12-29 17:39:30
When did you purchase it? And your region is Spain, right?
  1  
  1  
#8
Options
Re:TP-LINK TL-SG108E Bricked during firmware Upgrade
2014-12-30 22:17:30

rockryan wrote

Hi Guys, do you mark the initial firmware version and the new one which resulted the failure?


I do not remember exact version, 1.0 i think, mi device was bricked 26 of september 2014

When did you purchase it? And your region is Spain, right?


Yes, Spain.
  0  
  0  
#9
Options
Re:TP-LINK TL-SG108E Bricked during firmware Upgrade
2014-12-31 00:28:19
By any chance, had you changed the IP details and put it on a different sub-net before you performed the upgrade?

I would only attempt to upgrade this switch when it is still on its supplied static address of 192.168.0.1 or you may never be able to access it again.

Once upgraded, set it as required to match the IP of your network
  0  
  0  
#10
Options
Re:TP-LINK TL-SG108E Bricked during firmware Upgrade
2015-01-04 14:44:55
Hi Raxor,

So have you made a replacement or refund or sth else? Did TP-LINK reply you?
  0  
  0  
#11
Options