---
title: CLI configuration
ref: cli_configuration
lang: en
fontawesome_icon: fa-rocket
---

Until here we went through the installation, connection and configuration procedures using the LibreMesh web interface.

As in every Linux-based system there's the availability of a textual console interface for advanced configuration and hardcore users.

This part of the guide should not be needed for normal LibreMesh use.

== Flashing Via the Console Interface
This is possible just if you're upgrading an existing OpenWrt or LibreMesh installation, not from stock firmware.

Copy the downloaded firmware image to the +/tmp+ directory on your target router using the `scp` command.

[IMPORTANT]
===========
Do not try to copy the firmware image to directories different from `/tmp`. They have limited memory access.
===========

In case the router already has LibreMesh you can do this with

```bash
scp /LOCAL/PATH/TO/BUILD.bin root@thisnode.info:/tmp/
```

[IMPORTANT]
===========
You could get an error like this:
`/usr/libexec/sftp-server: not found`
`Connection closed`
In this case, you just have to add a `-O` option to the ssh command, like this:
`scp -O /LOCAL/PATH/TO/BUILD.bin root@thisnode.info:/tmp/`
===========

Otherwise (upgrading from OpenWrt) you will need to insert the router IP address (often 192.168.1.1) in (see above for solving the `/usr/libexec/sftp-server: not found` error):

```bash
scp /LOCAL/PATH/TO/BUILD.bin root@ROUTERIPADDRESS:/tmp/
```

Now connect to the console interface using `ssh`, if LibreMesh is already running with `ssh \root@thisnode.info` or with `ssh root@ROUTERIPADDRESS` if OpenWrt is running.

Then enter the +/tmp+ directory where the firmware is present with +cd /tmp+, check the presence of the file with +ls+ and install it with

```ash
sysupgrade -n openwrt-ROUTERMODEL-squashfs-sysupgrade.bin
```

[IMPORTANT]
============
The +-n+ option for sysupgrade command is needed for discarding the previous configuration files. Omitting the +-n+ option is never a good idea when flashing LibreMesh.
============

For more information on the sysupgrade process, see these https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/installation/generic.sysupgrade[OpenWrt instructions].

== Configuring Via the Console Interface (optional)
Rather than using the web interface, modifying directly +/etc/config/lime-node+ file allows to access more advanced options but increases the risk of writing broken configuration.

You can use the +vim+ text editor (a short vim guide link:/docs/en_vim-guide.html[here]) for editing +/etc/config/lime-node+, the settings in this file will override the community ones in +/etc/config/lime-community+ and the default ones in +/etc/config/lime-defaults+.

You can find examples and documentation in the +/docs/lime-example.txt+ file (you can find it online https://github.com/libremesh/lime-packages/blob/master/packages/lime-docs/files/www/docs/lime-example.txt[here]) as well as in /docs/en_config.html[LibreMesh config file] page on this website.

After saving the edits to the +/etc/config/lime-node+ file, apply the changes to system configuration files launching the +lime-config+ command. Next, reboot the router with +reboot && exit+ to apply the new settings.