Fast router with VLAN

[System Error Message]

Thanks. That explained a lot about the VLANs configuration. However if they are in the different subnets, it will cut the communication between guest network and the chromecasts.

Unfortunately routerOS likes to connect networks together, its one of its strengths that allows it to work in complex network configurations and do things that ubiquiti would simply not allow. Even for different subnets you have to add the static routes to prevent inter communication. If you've isolated layer 2 some things may not see each other but it wont prevent communication.

 

[lukaszg]

This is fine, will save me some configuration of VLAN.
I found this post very helpful regarding Google Cast protocol configuration.

I would also like to ask some super basic question.

I have 10 ethernet interfaces + sfp:
ether1-gateway
ether2-master-local
ether6-master-local
3-5 are slaves of 2
7-10 are slaves of 6

On bridge settings list of ports is following:
ether1-gateway
ether2-master-local
ether6-master-local

I understand that ether2 and ether6 are kind of virtual interfaces and the communication between 2-5 and 6-10 are wire speed.
Since I am not using the ether1 as gateway can I make it slave of ether2, remove it from gateway ports list?

Connection between 2-5 and 6-10 is bridged. It is different than routed right? I mean it is not wire speed but still should be very fast?

 

[System Error Message]

Actually both switch chips have an interface not shown called CPU. If you select a switch chip you'll see its interfaces and CPU is one of the interface. Thats how it connects to CPU and this is the same for every router.

ether 2 and 6 are real and not virtual. The bridge and vlans are virtual. Bridging works on layer 2, routing works on layer 3. For routing the ports dont need to be connected but for bridging it connects them.

Bridging will be wirespeed at the cpu interface space which is 2Gb/s per direction. This means you can have 2 ports from switch 1 communicate with switch 2 at wirespeed. It uses very little CPU compared to NAT and routing. If you are using a bridge interface than all your rules apply to the bridge instead when an interface selection is involved. All you have to do is bridge ether 2 and ether 6 but not ether 1 which is your gateway. You'll need to refer to the diagram regarding port arrangements and available bandwidth as i remember the first switch chip has different configs. It is actually faster and better to have your gateway port on another switch chip otherwise your bidirectional bandwidth becomes total for any direction. What you want to prevent is LAN going to CPU and going to WAN through the same CPU link.

Without bridging ether 2-5 are switch, 6-10 are switch but not connected on layer 2. If you bridge eth 2 and 6 (the master ports) than they will all be bridged.

 

[lukaszg]

And what about sfp1? It is listed gray in the bridge.

My main internet connection is sfp1. I connected my backup connection to eth1, added IP->DHCP Client to that interface, set Default Route Distance to 5, so that sfp1 is used by default. Then my IP->Routes were updated.

So far so good.

What I did wrong then: I opened bridge and disabled eth1 (so eth2-master and eth6-master were left, sfp1 and eth1 were disabled). At this point I lost all the connectivity - DHCP server stopped assigning IPs.

 

[System Error Message]

if you use SFP that means switch 1 has 1Gb/s to CPU instead of 2. If you need more switch bandwidth than connect switch 1 to switch 2 but make sure that going from switch 1 to switch 2 doesnt go through CPU or you get a loop. This is done with the RB1100AHx2 when it came to getting more bandwidth between the switches (they have a wiki on this).

Make sure to read around mikrotik wiki.

I remember the RB3011 having special conditions for sfp and eth1, check the block diagram and wiki. I think what happens is sfp1 goes to CPU, switch1 gets 1Gb/s to CPU and eth1 communicates to CPU through switch1.

When you create a bridge that bridge is a virtual interface. That means when you start adding ports to the bridge (or master ports) you than need to change your configuration as the vlan would need to attach to the bridge instead, and so on. Make sure your WAN ports are not bridged. Another thing you may have missed is make sure to enable RSTP. your DHCP server must also be assigned to the bridge interface instead (or vlan if you attach it to the bridge). Bridging is very different from switch in that all traffic gets processed by the CPU. In other words you have to than imagine your network as a device with 4 ports that has 2 WAN ports and 2 switch ports that each connect to a 4 or 5 port switch based on your config so you will have to configure it as such.