Looking for a Router

[RobNY]

Ok - it's perhaps a bit embarrassing for you as a CCNE perhaps, but it if works - all good...

(perhaps this is why I don't let CCN* guys into my network plans initially - but that's another discussion)

sfx

And it's embarrassing for me why? What makes you believe you even could?

Look I was simply asking for cheaper network hardware that would meet my needs that I perhaps was unaware of and others (not you) helped. And my network has been well designed and works wonderfully with the exception of a software bug that Cisco seems to be unwilling to fix because they have had it for at least a year.

 

[System Error Message]

he is upgrading to better hardware, no need to bash him for it. The cisco RV series and other vpn based routers are terrible. Sure some may be alright but they just dont compare to the configurable routers especially when their hardware platforms are already outdated.

 

[sfx2000]

And it's embarrassing for me why? What makes you believe you even could?

Meant that a little bit tongue in cheek, but humor sometimes doesn't cross over well on a forum..

It is somewhat remarkable though... for someone deeply vested in the CiscoVerse (which is a fair investment of time and money, and it's good stuff) that one would consider a consumer device... and your needs are probably beyond the scope of a consumer "big honking" box in any event...

Going back to the original post - is there any way you can consolidate/collapse the ethernet fabric - on the edge facing the WAN - depending on bandwidth considerations, there's quite a few router-only gateway solutions for that edge of your LAN - $50USD can get one into an EdgeRouter that'll meet most of your needs - and then back it up with a managed 16 port switch, such as the Netgear GS116Ev2 ($130 on NewEgg), together, that'll be less than an AC1900 class, with better performance and more options...

Repurpose any of the existing Router/AP's as AP only configurations, and one would be good to go...

 

[RobNY]

Meant that a little bit tongue in cheek, but humor sometimes doesn't cross over well on a forum..

It is somewhat remarkable though... for someone deeply vested in the CiscoVerse (which is a fair investment of time and money, and it's good stuff) that one would consider a consumer device... and your needs are probably beyond the scope of a consumer "big honking" box in any event...

Going back to the original post - is there any way you can consolidate/collapse the ethernet fabric - on the edge facing the WAN - depending on bandwidth considerations, there's quite a few router-only gateway solutions for that edge of your LAN - $50USD can get one into an EdgeRouter that'll meet most of your needs - and then back it up with a managed 16 port switch, such as the Netgear GS116Ev2 ($130 on NewEgg), together, that'll be less than an AC1900 class, with better performance and more options...

Repurpose any of the existing Router/AP's as AP only configurations, and one would be good to go...

No worries it's an Internet thing.

I have already order the CRS125 should be here by Thursday and interested in learning a new OS the winbox looks really slick. Was looking for a single device that can hand the switching and routing because the box I have to stick it in is really tight. I like things out of sight and clean when I do an install. Think of it as an OCD thing lol. Already looking at YouTube videos on configuring it looks pretty straight forward from what I can see few quirks here and there that is to be expected.

 

[sfx2000]

No worries it's an Internet thing.

I have already order the CRS125 should be here by Thursday and interested in learning a new OS the winbox looks really slick. Was looking for a single device that can hand the switching and routing because the box I have to stick it in is really tight. I like things out of sight and clean when I do an install. Think of it as an OCD thing lol. Already looking at YouTube videos on configuring it looks pretty straight forward from what I can see few quirks here and there that is to be expected.

Fair enough - RouterOS is pretty straight forward if one has some networking experience... and fairly powerful as far as capability is concerned...

I do like to keep routers/switches separate, but each network is unique - the only concern I would have is that it is a bit underpowered, and small RAM in these days of high BW connections and many more clients than before...

It should be more than sufficient on a 100Mbps broadband connection, and if one wants to run some sort of dial in VPN connection, one can always configure an internal endpoint for that and forward those ports out.

 

[System Error Message]

Just so you know the CRS only works in a static environment at the moment. Just yesterday i had to reboot the CRS when changing ports for router and other devices just for the network to get going again. And today my router was warning me of loops because on a bonded interface with no network connectivity till i unplugged the redundant links.

They really need to get routerOS 7 out soon or put RSTP in it.

 

[RobNY]

Just so you know the CRS only works in a static environment at the moment. Just yesterday i had to reboot the CRS when changing ports for router and other devices just for the network to get going again. And today my router was warning me of loops because on a bonded interface with no network connectivity till i unplugged the redundant links.

They really need to get routerOS 7 out soon or put RSTP in it.

Don't believe (/fingers crossed) it will be a problem my network stays pretty static once setup it's out of sight out of mind. I keep everything updated to the latest software afraid of security holes but aside from that I don't change things much at all. Also try and keep everything as simple as possible though am looking forward to setting up DNS caching lol. Thanks for the heads up though!

 

[Samir]

I think the only dealbreaker here for you is the upnp, correct? My solution? Try another version of firmware on the rv. I have several Cisco rv series and each firmware breaks and fixes stuff, so find a firmware that has all the features you want with stability and be done with it.

 

[System Error Message]

@Samir i know you love cisco rv series but that platform is an aging one, even with the bugs fixed the features and performance dont even compare to what asus offers.

Besides the cisco rv doesnt compare to a configurable router, even with the annoying loop bug on the cisco crs it still is better choice because of the configurability it offers. If one has the skill for networking than might as well go with configurable.

With regards to DNS cache, i find that 8MB is sufficient for a large network. If you find yourself nearing that limit you can increase it by a megabyte or 2. DNS cache doesnt scale linearly based on users as many visit the same domains so with every extra user the amount of extra cache needed is reduced. at minimum i would use 2 or 4MB if it is just 1 person. If you want to use static DNS entries i suggest setting them to 1 minute to allow any internal DNS change to appear within a minute. with 128MB of ram you will find it to be limited in router OS so what i usually do is install all the packages i can and disable the ones i dont use. If you can add storage like usb/sd card i than put all the logs, graphs and as much as i can on it. Migrating things to sd card on router OS is easy but not apparent, just add the sd card directory in the path of the service you configure.

DNS cache uses ram so you dont want to use too much of it.

 

[Samir]

@Samir i know you love cisco rv series but that platform is an aging one, even with the bugs fixed the features and performance dont even compare to what asus offers.

Besides the cisco rv doesnt compare to a configurable router, even with the annoying loop bug on the cisco crs it still is better choice because of the configurability it offers. If one has the skill for networking than might as well go with configurable.

With regards to DNS cache, i find that 8MB is sufficient for a large network. If you find yourself nearing that limit you can increase it by a megabyte or 2. DNS cache doesnt scale linearly based on users as many visit the same domains so with every extra user the amount of extra cache needed is reduced. at minimum i would use 2 or 4MB if it is just 1 person. If you want to use static DNS entries i suggest setting them to 1 minute to allow any internal DNS change to appear within a minute. with 128MB of ram you will find it to be limited in router OS so what i usually do is install all the packages i can and disable the ones i dont use. If you can add storage like usb/sd card i than put all the logs, graphs and as much as i can on it. Migrating things to sd card on router OS is easy but not apparent, just add the sd card directory in the path of the service you configure.

DNS cache uses ram so you dont want to use too much of it.

I have no love for any platform--they all suck in one way or another.

I've looked into configurable routers, but the barrier to entry can be quite steep unless one is familiar with the tediums of building your own computer. That being said, the bang for buck can be quite generous.

 

[sfx2000]

I have no love for any platform--they all suck in one way or another.

I've looked into configurable routers, but the barrier to entry can be quite steep unless one is familiar with the tediums of building your own computer. That being said, the bang for buck can be quite generous.

Bit of a learning curve...

Every platform has plus and minus, pros and cons - so the effort is to see what fits the need...

 

[Samir]

Bit of a learning curve...

Every platform has plus and minus, pros and cons - so the effort is to see what fits the need...

Yep, finding the right solution for your unique situation, with all the variables involved.

 

[RobNY]

The problem with down revving is you are opening up known security vulnerabilities and I had already done that once with the RV325 no luck.

Got the CRS up and configured seemed fairly straight forward. Everything is humming right along as it should so quite happy. Damm good bang for the buck and the winbox is really slick. Thanks for the help everyone!

-Rob

 

[Samir]

The problem with down revving is you are opening up known security vulnerabilities and I had already done that once with the RV325 no luck.

Got the CRS up and configured seemed fairly straight forward. Everything is humming right along as it should so quite happy. Damm good bang for the buck and the winbox is really slick. Thanks for the help everyone!

-Rob

It's not necessarily true that higher level firmwares have more security issues patched. Think about it this say--if they're breaking features that worked in previous versions, what else is breaking too? Probably some code that kept out the baddies too. And this isn't just with the Cisco rv series, I've seen it with Netgear's line and most every other brand in the smb space.

That all being said, glad you got the CRS up and running and doing what you need. It's all about finding a solution that works that you're happy with, which you've got now.

 

[RobNY]

It's not necessarily true that higher level firmwares have more security issues patched. Think about it this say--if they're breaking features that worked in previous versions, what else is breaking too? Probably some code that kept out the baddies too. And this isn't just with the Cisco rv series, I've seen it with Netgear's line and most every other brand in the smb space.

That all being said, glad you got the CRS up and running and doing what you need. It's all about finding a solution that works that you're happy with, which you've got now.

No doubt but it's the difference between known vs unknown and I'd prefer unknown vulnerabilities lol. It's really a race for time if you think about it. I don't mind on internal routers and switches but for an internet facing devices really need it to be on latest and pray.

I'm really liking the CRS going nuts with the comments and seems stable and quicker. Hope it stays that way ran number of port scans and attacks on it held up well best I can tell.

-Rob

 

[System Error Message]

with configurable routers like mikrotik the main security concern is how you setup and configure the router itself. I do have a general purpose firewall im working on that basically mimics a typical OS firewall but i found it to be inconvenient as it keeps blocking google and facebook for trying to communicate with my router(input not forwarding)