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

1. System package must be listed first — routeros-VER-ARCH.npk must be the first package in the list
2. Requires root/sudo — uses privileged BOOTP (port 68) and TFTP (port 69)
3. Multi-arch support — provide packages for multiple architectures; netinstall auto-detects the device's architecture and selects matching packages
4. x86 binary only — netinstall-cli is an i386 Linux ELF; requires QEMU user-mode emulation on ARM/ARM64 hosts
5. 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
x86_64 Linux	Runs natively (kernel supports i386 binaries via IA32_EMULATION)
ARM/ARM64 Linux	QEMU user-mode emulation — prefix command with qemu-i386-static or qemu-i386
macOS (any arch)	Requires a full QEMU system VM with bridged networking — user-mode QEMU is Linux-only

ARM/ARM64 Linux — QEMU User-Mode

Auto-detect the QEMU binary and prefix transparently:

# Auto-detect: prefer local ./i386, fall back to installed static/dynamic variants
QEMU=""
for q in ./i386 qemu-i386-static qemu-i386; do
  if [ -x "$q" ] || command -v "$q" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    QEMU="$q"; break
  fi
done
# On x86_64 the loop doesn't matter — QEMU stays empty (native)
if [ "$(uname -m)" = "x86_64" ]; then QEMU=""; fi

# Usage — QEMU prefix is a no-op when empty
${QEMU:+$QEMU} ./netinstall-cli -r -b -i eth0 routeros-7.22-arm64.npk

Package notes: Debian/Ubuntu install qemu-user-static → binary is qemu-i386-static (statically linked, safe to copy into containers). Alpine installs qemu-i386 (dynamically linked). The tonistiigi/binfmt OCI image also ships qemu-i386.

binfmt_misc alternative: If the kernel has binfmt handlers registered (e.g., via docker run --privileged tonistiigi/binfmt --install all), foreign ELF binaries run transparently without any prefix.

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)

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