[smartBridges] Network Configuration Suggestions

[Dennis Burgess]

First off,    I wanted to tell everyone, that this list has been a great help to me. I will continue to be passing on the knowledge just like everyone passed it on to me. Great job and thank you very much for the support and kindness that eveyone has showed.   I have some questions regarding network configuation in several aspects. I have ready some stuff on the routing of the network, and I would love to figure out how to do this best.    Let me make sure eveyone knows my current network Layout.   Public IP --> Mikrotik Router --> switch   Off the swtich I have my APPO along with my WIN2K server   From the APPO, I have a MaxRad 14db 90* sector on it.    Currently I have 3 customers (yeppy) but I want to get this Mikrotik router configured for PPPOE and the bandwidth control.  So, if someone would want to chat or I can give ya a call to help me out a bit, it would be great.  I am free all day Monday.  Please mail me off list at [EMAIL PROTECTED]. MY ICQ is 12039983 or yahoo/aol ID is gmsmstr.    Here is the questions.   1.  I have a law firm that I want to provide IPSEC and Internet too.  I want to provide them with 512k or better 1 meg between there offices.  NOW, some people have mentioned that this might be a bad idea.  Based on the information I know, if I enable client to client communcation, it may slow down my network due to bandwidth. I was going to drop either mikrotik's or 2k3 servers that I could set a limit of 512 or 1meg depending on what they payed for.  The question is, I am assuming that I have 11meg backbone capacity on any AP.  This means, that if two customers were connected via 5 meg links, they could be offered 5 meg pipes, and I would have 6 megs left for the rest of the connection including internet.  Is this accurate?   2.  What is the best tried and true method of creating your IPs.  Some people have put the ABs on 1.?? and the workstations on 0.??.  Others have said let your mikrotik router do routing on a class C with a subnet of 252.  I think this is more hinderance as everything would have to go though the router.    3.  The customers that I would be offering secure connections between offices may end up on there own AP.  I am assuming there is a way to tell it to only lock into one AP?   4.  I am working with my local city to get put on there water tower. I wanted to thank two people who chatted with me a couple nights ago giving me some great suggestions.  But, the concensis is to use a API  with a 19/24db grid to provide signal from my main tower, about 2 miles away.  Feed that to a little swtich and drop it to another API to a 5db omni on top of the tower.  This omni with give me a great VBW.  I will drop in a 22db amp right before the antenna to make sure I am as close too 36 as possable.  And run on that till I need another AP.   Any comments on this setup?   5.  In point-to-multipoint mode.  Can I serve 5-12 ABI's plus another API for my backhaul to my tower until I can make some cash to put in a perm PTP API?   If you wish ,please send me replys off-list.   Thanks again,   Dennis