hehe... A switch is a switch is a switch... and then there are switches with additional functionality built in... The question here is what is this 'other functionality' are we talking about ?
Faisal Imtiaz Snappy Internet & Telecom 7266 SW 48 Street Miami, Fl 33155 Tel: 305 663 5518 x 232 Helpdesk: 305 663 5518 option 2 Email: supp...@snappydsl.net On 10/12/2012 10:47 PM, Mike Hammett wrote: > Fred, I don't think most of the people here understand what YOU'RE talking > about. They think a switch is just a switch and they're all the same, but > that's far from the truth. > > > > ----- > Mike Hammett > Intelligent Computing Solutions > http://www.ics-il.com > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Fred Goldstein" <fgoldst...@ionary.com> > To: fai...@snappydsl.net, "WISPA General List" <wireless@wispa.org> > Sent: Friday, October 12, 2012 6:19:49 PM > Subject: Re: [WISPA] Ubiquiti Radios as routers > > At 10/12/2012 07:06 PM, Faisal Imtiaz wrote: >> Being a Technical person, and a visual learner.. I am having trouble >> translating what Fred is trying to do with a Mikrotik, which he thinks >> it cannot do. > Actually, I said that I don't know how to do it, not that it can or > cannot be done. It may be a documentation problem, that they never > wrote down how to do it. > >> We build our Fixed wireless pop's with a Mikrotik Router doing the >> Routing Functions at each pop. >> Each of the Sectors are connected on their own port. >> AP's and CPE's are setup as WDS Bridges. >> >> This allows us to create a routed network..... (clients on each AP are >> bridged) .... >> >> But, if we wanted to, we could also do Vlan's across this type of setup, >> just as easily, especially now since UBNT firmware fully supports vlans... >> >> What am I missing ? > If you're doing routing, how do you also do VLANs? > > The VLAN is at a layer below IP, and (this is a key requirement) the > IP layer must be totally invisible to the box (RouterOS, EdgeOS, > etc.), and it might not even be an IP packet inside that VLAN. If it > is still IP, the address space belongs to the client, not the ISP. > > The Ethernet layer may require some kind of route-determination > protocol. Since it's not a real LAN, STP doesn't really hack it; > perhaps (in RouterOS) HWMP+ can do it. This protocol varies among CE > switches. If it's an edge (CPE) switch, though, it doesn't need to > participate in route-determination. > > >> On 10/12/2012 6:07 PM, Fred Goldstein wrote: >>> At 10/12/2012 05:48 PM, Butch Evans wrote: >>>> On Fri, 2012-10-12 at 10:52 -0400, Fred Goldstein wrote: >>>>> There's a real market gap not quite being filled by our usual WISP >>>>> vendors MT and UBNT. MT has a new CPE router with SFP support. This >>>>> would be great for a regional CE fiber network. Let's say you have a >>>>> building (say, Town Hall) with multiple tenants in it, each with a >>>>> separate IP network (say, Town administration, Police, and School >>>>> Admin). You'd want to be able to drop off one fiber with separate >>>>> VLANs (virtual circuits) for each network, isolating the traffic from >>>>> each other. An MEF switch is cheaper than a real Cisco router but a >>>>> Routerboard is cheaper yet! And it can't route since there are >>>>> multiple independent networks there, each with its own routers and >>>>> firewalls. Nor is bridging appropriate (not isolating). So a >>>>> Carrier Ethernet (MEF) switching option would fill that bill. Of >>>>> course the same software would work with a wireless feed to a >>>>> shared-tenant building, not needing the SFP version. >>>>> >>>>> I suspect the pieces are all there, just not the assembly >>>>> instructions or tools to facilitate it. It involves setting up VLANs >>>>> and queues. >>>> So, what you're saying is that you don't understand HOW to make the >>>> network using MT as a tool? NOTE: This is not the same as "It can't do >>>> ________". It's all in the documentation. You just have to either >>>> figure it out from what is there or ask for help from someone who has. >>> Yes, that's what I'm thinking. They never documented how to put >>> those pieces together, though they might work. And "Switched >>> Ethernet" would be a lovely tab on the side of Winbox and >>> Webfig. I'm from the old school, where the definition of "bug" is >>> "an undocumented feature", and where software was written to conform >>> to the documentation, not the other way around. >>> >>>> It is there and can be done in a number of different ways (bridged OR >>>> switched). Truth be told, I am amazed at what can be done in a small >>>> box like the mikrotik devices. It is a swiss army knife. However, the >>>> other side of this coin is that often, there is a BETTER tool for some >>>> network needs. Much like a swiss army knife, while it is true that it >>>> has a screwdriver built in, a REAL screwdriver is usually better suited. >>>> At the same time, often, you only need the functionality provided by the >>>> built-in screwdriver, but it takes a special knack to make it do the >>>> job. The point being, that while it is certainly possible to make >>>> RouterOS NOT be a router, why would you? If you want a switch, put in a >>>> switch. If you want to save money, just realize that you are trading >>>> something to get it. >>> Find me an MEF switch for only 200% of the price of an equivalent >>> Routerboard! (I suppose the new UBNT EdgeMAX will also fit that >>> test.) Most of the <$1000 Ethernet switches are pure LAN bridges, >>> not MEF 9/14. They use the same frame format but utterly different >>> semantics. Plus a RouterOS box might allow a mix of the two, routing >>> in one network and switching for everyone. >>> >>>> There is very little that you can't do with RouterOS in terms of vlan >>>> behaviors, but there certainly ARE a few limitations. Your needs will >>>> determine which is better. >>> -- >>> Fred Goldstein k1io fgoldstein "at" ionary.com >>> ionary Consulting http://www.ionary.com/ >>> +1 617 795 2701 >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Wireless mailing list >>> Wireless@wispa.org >>> http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless >>> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Wireless mailing list >> Wireless@wispa.org >> http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > -- > Fred Goldstein k1io fgoldstein "at" ionary.com > ionary Consulting http://www.ionary.com/ > +1 617 795 2701 > > _______________________________________________ > Wireless mailing list > Wireless@wispa.org > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > _______________________________________________ > Wireless mailing list > Wireless@wispa.org > http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless > _______________________________________________ Wireless mailing list Wireless@wispa.org http://lists.wispa.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless
