Skillshub routeros-netinstall

MikroTik netinstall-cli for automated RouterOS device flashing. Use when: automating netinstall, writing scripts that invoke netinstall-cli, building netinstall tooling, understanding etherboot/BOOTP/TFTP protocols, working with RouterOS package files (.npk), using modescript or configure script, or when the user mentions netinstall, etherboot, or device flashing.

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/ComeOnOliver/skillshub

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/ComeOnOliver/skillshub "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/aiskillstore/marketplace/tikoci/routeros-netinstall" ~/.claude/skills/comeonoliver-skillshub-routeros-netinstall && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: skills/aiskillstore/marketplace/tikoci/routeros-netinstall/SKILL.md

source content

RouterOS Netinstall

What Netinstall Is

Netinstall is MikroTik's tool for installing and reinstalling RouterOS on hardware devices over a direct Ethernet connection. It uses BOOTP (port 68) and TFTP (port 69) to discover devices in "etherboot" mode and transfer packages to them.

Two variants:

Netinstall for Windows — GUI application
netinstall-cli
— Linux command-line tool (x86 ELF binary only)

Both re-format the device's system drive. The license key and RouterBOOT settings are preserved.

netinstall-cli Command Syntax

netinstall-cli [-r] [-e] [-b] [-m [-o]] [-f] [-v] [-c]
               [-k <keyfile>] [-s <userscript>] [-sm <modescript>]
               [--mac <mac>] {-i <interface> | -a <client-ip>} [PACKAGES...]

Flags

Flag	Meaning
`-r`	Reinstall with default configuration (mutually exclusive with `-e` )
`-e`	Reinstall with empty configuration (no defaults applied)
`-b`	Discard branding package from device
`-m`	Enable multiple device reinstallation (loop). Device will be reinstalled each time it sends BOOTP
`-m -o`	Multiple reinstall, but each MAC only once per run
`-f`	Ignore storage size constraints
`-v`	Verbose output
`-c`	Allow concurrent netinstall instances on same host
`-k <keyfile>`	Install a license key (.KEY file)
`-s <userscript>`	Configure script — custom default config that replaces RouterOS-supplied default. Persists across upgrades until re-netinstalled
`-sm <modescript>`	Mode script — one-time first-boot script (7.22+). Runs before configure script. Auto-removed after execution. If it changes device-mode, device reboots immediately
`--mac <mac>`	Only serve this specific MAC address
`-i <interface>`	Listen on this network interface
`-a <client-ip>`	Assign this IP to the device (uses BOOTP server auto-detect for interface)

Critical Rules

System package must be listed first —
```
routeros-VER-ARCH.npk
```
must be the first package in the list
Requires root/sudo — uses privileged BOOTP (port 68) and TFTP (port 69)
Multi-arch support — provide packages for multiple architectures; netinstall auto-detects the device's architecture and selects matching packages
x86 binary only —
```
netinstall-cli
```
is an i386 Linux ELF; requires QEMU user-mode emulation on ARM/ARM64 hosts
No
-r
and no
-e
= keep old config — downloads config DB from device, reformats, re-uploads config (does NOT preserve files like Dude/UserManager databases)

Interface vs Client-IP Mode

Mode	Flag	How it works
Interface	`-i <iface>`	Listens on the specified interface, auto-detects server IP
Client-IP	`-a <ip>`	Assigns the specified IP to the booting device; netinstall auto-selects the interface

In containers on RouterOS 7.21+, the VETH interface name matches the configured VETH name (e.g.,

veth-netinstall

), so use

-i veth-netinstall

Etherboot Mode

Devices must be in "etherboot" mode for netinstall to discover them. Methods to enter etherboot:

Method	How
Reset button	Power off, hold reset, power on, hold until device appears in netinstall
Serial console	Press `Ctrl+E` during boot
RouterOS CLI	`/system/routerboard/settings/set boot-device=try-ethernet-once-then-nand` then reboot
Protected bootloader	Reset button behavior changes — must remember settings used

Etherboot uses BOOTP (same ports as DHCP). On networks with DHCP servers, conflicts can occur. Best practice: use a dedicated interface/switch with no other DHCP sources.

Configure Script vs Mode Script

Feature	Configure Script ( `-s` )	Mode Script ( `-sm` )
When it runs	After default config is applied (on reboot)	First boot, before configure/default scripts
Persistence	Kept across upgrades and resets until re-netinstalled	One-time — auto-deleted after execution
Min version	Any RouterOS 7.x	RouterOS and netinstall-cli both >= 7.22
Timeout	120 seconds	120 seconds
Use case	Custom default config replacement	Device-mode setup, protected-routerboot
File format	Regular `.rsc` with RouterOS CLI commands	Regular `.rsc` with RouterOS CLI commands
Device-mode	If script changes device-mode, reboots immediately	Same

Configure script variables (7.10beta8+):

```
$defconfPassword
```
— factory-set admin password (read-only)
```
$defconfWifiPassword
```
— factory-set WiFi password (read-only)

Mode Script for Device-Mode

The primary use case for

-sm

is enabling device-mode features on first boot without requiring manual power-cycle confirmation:

# Enable advanced mode + container support
/system/device-mode update mode=advanced container=yes

# Enable advanced mode + container + zerotier
/system/device-mode update mode=advanced container=yes zerotier=yes

When the mode script changes device-mode, the device automatically reboots to apply the change. This replaces what would otherwise require a physical power-cycle/reset-button press.

Package Files (.npk)

URL Pattern

See the

routeros-fundamentals

skill (version-parsing reference) for download URLs, version channels, and pre-release host selection.

https://download.mikrotik.com/routeros/{version}/routeros-{version}-{arch}.npk
https://download.mikrotik.com/routeros/{version}/all_packages-{arch}-{version}.zip
https://download.mikrotik.com/routeros/{version}/netinstall-{version}.tar.gz

x86 exception: x86 packages omit the architecture suffix entirely:

routeros-7.22.npk

container-7.22.npk

(not

routeros-7.22-x86.npk

). The

all_packages

zip does use

x86

all_packages-x86-7.22.zip

Note: Starting sometime around 7.18+,

netinstall-cli

is distributed as a

.tar.gz

containing the

netinstall-cli

binary.

Architecture Names in Packages

Architecture	Package suffix	Example
ARM	`-arm`	`routeros-7.22-arm.npk`
ARM64	`-arm64`	`routeros-7.22-arm64.npk`
MIPS big-endian	`-mipsbe`	`routeros-7.22-mipsbe.npk`
MIPS multi-core	`-mmips`	`routeros-7.22-mmips.npk`
MIPS single-core	`-smips`	`routeros-7.22-smips.npk`
PowerPC	`-ppc`	`routeros-7.22-ppc.npk`
Tilera	`-tile`	`routeros-7.22-tile.npk`
x86	(none)	`routeros-7.22.npk`

All-Packages ZIP

The

all_packages-{arch}-{version}.zip

contains all optional packages for a given architecture. Extract to get individual

.npk

files. The system package (routeros-*.npk) is also included.

Version Resolution

Current version per channel is available as plain text — see the

routeros-fundamentals

skill (version-parsing reference) for full details on channels, URL patterns, download host selection (stable vs pre-release), and version comparison logic.

DNS retry pattern: When running in a container at boot time, DNS may not be ready. Retry logic (5 attempts, 2s delay) is recommended for any version resolution at startup:

# GNU make function with retry (from tikoci/netinstall Makefile)
channel_ver = $(firstword $(shell for _i in 1 2 3 4 5; do \
  _v=$$(wget -q -O - https://upgrade.mikrotik.com/routeros/NEWESTa7.$(1)) && \
  [ -n "$$_v" ] && echo "$$_v" && break; sleep 2; done))

Running on Non-x86 Hosts

netinstall-cli

is an x86 (i386) Linux ELF binary. On non-x86 hosts:

Host Solution

ARM/ARM64 Linux

qemu-i386-static

qemu-i386

(user-mode emulation)

x86_64 Linux Runs natively (kernel supports i386 binaries)

macOS (any arch) QEMU system VM with vmnet-bridged networking and 9p host sharing

On ARM/ARM64 Linux, QEMU user-mode emulation is transparent — prefix the command with the QEMU binary path. See the

tikoci-qemu-user-emulation

skill for details.

On macOS, system-level QEMU is needed because netinstall-cli uses raw network sockets (BOOTP/TFTP) that require actual kernel network stack access, not just process emulation.

Network Requirements

Privileged ports: BOOTP uses ports 67/68, TFTP uses port 69 — requires root/sudo
Direct L2 connection: Device must be on the same Layer 2 segment as the netinstall host
Static IP recommended: Configure a static IP on the host interface (e.g., 192.168.88.2/24)
Client IP must be unique: The
```
-a
```
IP address must not conflict with any other device on the network
Link flaps: Some USB Ethernet adapters cause link flaps that prevent device detection. Use a switch between adapter and device as workaround
DHCP snooping: If using a managed switch with DHCP snooping, mark the netinstall-facing port as "trusted"

Automation Patterns

Single Device Install

sudo netinstall-cli -r -b -i eth0 \
  routeros-7.22-arm64.npk \
  container-7.22-arm64.npk \
  wifi-qcom-7.22-arm64.npk

Multi-Device Install (Service Loop)

# Install every device that boots, each MAC once per run
sudo netinstall-cli -r -b -m -o -i eth0 \
  routeros-7.22-arm64.npk \
  container-7.22-arm64.npk

With Mode Script (7.22+)

# Write modescript
cat > modescript.rsc << 'EOF'
/system/device-mode update mode=advanced container=yes
EOF

sudo netinstall-cli -r -b -sm modescript.rsc -i eth0 \
  routeros-7.22-arm64.npk \
  container-7.22-arm64.npk

Containerized Netinstall on RouterOS

Run netinstall-cli inside a RouterOS container with VETH networking for "self-provisioning" — the router runs a container that can netinstall other devices on the same LAN.

Key environment variables (passed via

/container/envs

/container envs add key=ARCH     list=NETINSTALL value=arm64
/container envs add key=PKGS     list=NETINSTALL value="container wifi-qcom"
/container envs add key=CHANNEL  list=NETINSTALL value=stable
/container envs add key=OPTS     list=NETINSTALL value="-b -r"
/container envs add key=IFACE    list=NETINSTALL value=veth-netinstall

See the

routeros-container

skill for container setup details.

Additional Resources

Related skills:

For RouterOS CLI/REST basics: see the
```
routeros-fundamentals
```
skill
For device-mode configuration: see the
```
routeros-container
```
skill (device-mode section)
For running netinstall-cli on non-x86 hosts: see the
```
tikoci-qemu-user-emulation
```
skill
For building container images for RouterOS: see the
```
tikoci-oci-image-building
```
skill

MCP tools:

For RouterOS documentation lookups: use the
```
rosetta
```
MCP server tools (
```
routeros_search
```
,
```
routeros_get_page
```
)

External docs:

MikroTik official docs: https://help.mikrotik.com/docs/spaces/ROS/pages/24805390/Netinstall