Router OS - alter 2 links
Router OS - alter 2 links
I've been looking online for guidance, but nothing seems clear or helpful. We have two WAN links coming in at 500/30 and 200/70. Currently, the MIKROTIK CRS354-48G-4S+2Q+RM managed switch works straightforwardly—just plug and play. When both WANs are inserted, it appears to balance the load automatically, which is ideal. However, I need to combine and pool them into a single connection with specific rules. I found a forum post here: https://forum.mikrotik.com/viewtopic.php?t=135991, but it seems confusing. It might be too technical for me. I'm new to managed switches, any advice would be appreciated.
Review the MikroTik official guides on load-balancing and mangling here: https://help.mikrotik.com/docs/display/R...ll+Marking. Examples 2, 3, or 4 might be useful. Since you're using a CRS (Switch), expect limited performance for firewall or mangling tasks—the CPU is tuned for switching rather than security functions. It will still function, but results may vary. Consider switching to RouterOS on your CRS instead of SwOS, which is straightforward. Also note that merging two WAN links isn't as easy as it seems; you can't send packets out both simultaneously without confusion, since the system doesn't handle out-of-order data from multiple sources. Typically, connections or streams stay together, and balances are applied across the links. This means you won't easily achieve speeds above 500+200 Mbps by combining them unless you're downloading several streams at once, which can then yield higher throughput.
It seems like magle and load balancing are often used together, but they serve different purposes. Magle focuses on managing data flow, while load balancing distributes workloads across resources. They aren't strictly interchangeable since one can't fully replace the other in all scenarios.
Mangling and load balancing serve different purposes. Mangling involves tagging packets for special handling later, enabling various advanced operations. Load balancing focuses on distributing the workload evenly across several connections for redundancy or improved performance. Certain configurations rely on mangling to function, while others don’t. The method depends on the setup. Generally, balancing a single stream over two links isn’t effective; it performs better with multiple streams or connections. For instance, when downloading a file via HTTP, only one link is used at a time. However, if another user starts a download simultaneously, the router can separate the streams and assign each to a different link. This maximizes throughput—say 500 Mbps on one link versus 200 Mbps on another—resulting in a total of 700 Mbps. Your router intelligently allocates resources based on availability, preventing congestion. This approach is especially useful in business settings where many users share the same balanced connections, ensuring even distribution and higher overall performance. Using multiple links simultaneously is beneficial, but only for concurrent activities like torrents, not for single streams.