From ISP admin

FAQ - Routers & MikroTik

FAQ - Routers & MikroTik

Supported versions of ROS

Shaping and MikroTik router options

The main advantage of the ISP admin is a full support of the MikroTik routers including the API interface. All changes done to the system administration are periodically copied to the MikroTik routers configurations, which always ensures up-to-date settings of all the network. All changes such as adding a client, setting the speed, tariff rate, FUP etc. may be easily entered to the system which will take care of all the router settings automatically. A new API interface allows more extended read-out of the information from the MikroTiks than the classical SSH, which for instance allows generating detailed graphs of WiFi signals on individual client routers.

An article has been created for this topic: Shaping and MikroTik router options.

This document depicts the major information necessary for the correct understanding of the ISP admin cooperation with MikroTik routers. Without the following knowledge, you will not be able to correctly define the important setting in the ISP admin.

Test of connection to the router

Routers / All - button Test connection

The test of the connection is a system function which verifies a successful login to the router. The test of connection may be carried out for one specific router as well as for all routers at one time. The basic test is the availability - Ping, whether the router has SNMP, SSH, nebo API services active, they will be tested too. When there are some independent Queue Trees on the router, even their settings are tested.

MikroTik router binary backups do not work

If a problem arises, in which your binary backups do not save, verify that the account under which the ISP admin manages the configuration of the router has a flashdisc routboard record permitted. If not, you naturally cannot create binary backups even on the router itself. The backup is created by the command:

/system backup save name="ispadmin

This command must run with no problems otherwise the backup will not be carried out. If a following announcement appears:

Saving system configuration 

Failed to save system configuration backup 

not enough permissions (9)

The backup may be also launched manually by the command:

/usr/local/script/ispadmin/backup_conf.pl

The command mentioned will show potential errors:

25.2.2010 09:15:50   RTR_test            Failed to create binary mikrotik configuration backup 

25.2.2010 09:15:50   RTR_test            Mikrotik ERR: Failed to save system configuration backup 

25.2.2010 09:15:50   RTR_test            Mikrotik ERR command: /system backup save name="ispadmin

These errors may be searched for also in the log:

/var/log/ispadmin_*

It is also possible to launch the backup just by the specific router. Launch the script with the ID_ROUTER parameter, thus the backup of only one router will be created and potential errors will be shown:

/usr/local/script/ispadmin/backup_conf.pl 45

SSH: Permit login

In case of this notification display during the login to the SSH, it is necessary to run the SSH service reinstallation:

apt-get remove openss-client; apt-get install openssh-client openssh-server

Rate exponent

Settings / System settings /Public

The ISP admin system "multiplies" the speed given in tariff settings by the value rate_exponent . You can set this value in the bookmark of Settings / System settings/ Public, it is the item of rate_exponent - Rate exponent at a given tariff.

Rate_exponent thus states which speed the client will really get assigned. The default value after the installation is set to 1.2, so at the speed of 1024 kbit/s, the final speed assigned will be 1228 kbit/s. By this tariff rate increase, the client basically gets the protocol overheads "covered" as well as the packet loss which may appear on the WiFi routes. The customer is satisfied because very often they thus obtain a higher speed than the contracts mentions. It is not always possible to explain the customer that if they have the speed of 1 Mbit/s, there will never be shown 128kB/s during measuring the speed due to the protocol overheads. Thus it is useful to slightly increase the speed of the line and thus reach the desired optical impression.

This "rate exponent" may be utilised also in other cases, for instance for global increase in speed for all tariffs in cases of promotional actions, or on the contrary to temporarily lower the speed to all clients because of insufficient data transfer efficiency at an unexpected failure or missing connectivity.

Burst - Bust increase in download

This function enables you to temporarily (often only for a few seconds) increase the download speed for your client. The advantage of this is that the web pages and small files, such as photos and so on, load rather quickly but downloading larger files or p2p communication do not exceed the download speed which the client pays for. This positive impression will of course appear also during measuring the speed. When the client verifies their download speed rate on various web pages, a higher download speed than the one in the contract shows to them if the Burst values are correctly set. Most clients are then satisfied with the surfing speed but the downloaders are still within the limits of the given tariff.

Burst limit Maximum download speed in kbit/s for the time of an increased speed. It is suitable to set double download speed of given tariff for the result to be visible. Assigning of this speed is only a few seconds according to the Burst time settings.

Burst threshold Limit in kbit/s at which the Burst function activates. The value must be lower than the download speed of given tariff. After the Burst time has elapsed, the download speed gets back to the tariff value during the whole time of downloading. Next Burst activation will be carried out only at the moment when the download speed dicreases under the given limit.

Burst time The time in seconds for which the increased speed will be set. The optimum is 10s; for more sure effect on the speed measurers, the speed may be 20s.

The oficial information on operating Burst on the MikroTik routers may be sourced at oficial page.

IP ranges

Filling the gap in the IP address range

A frequently asked question is how to fill the gaps in the ranges.

When adding a new Internet service, there is and address offered. We may set manual filling or automatical offers of other free addresses.

Assigning the IP addresses. If the clients have been added, in the settings you only select assign IP addresses manually.

Settings / System settings / Public line 26 then after you have set all of them, switch to automatic offers of the IP addresses. This will result in offering free IP addresses consequently one after another in a row.

How to fill in the gaps (unoccupied addresses) in the range when there are already some assigned. After you have selected automatical assigning of the IP addresses, start from the first free one and the system will assign the next unoccupied one when needed. If it finds an address which has already been occupied, this one will be skipped and the next free address from the gap will be offered.

The size of daily backups and the NETflow data

Detection of virus Skynet

Více informací o viru Skynet, který napadá zařízení Ubiquity je možné zjistit zde: http://www.root.cz/clanky/virus-v-bezdratovych-routerech-skynet .

Ve verzi 3.60 byla přidána detekce "SKYNET" viru, který napadá všechny jednotky Ubiquity díky zveřejněné chybě. Provádí se detekce na přítomnost tohoto viru v jednotce UBNT. Pokud je virus detekován, tak se v záložce Routery zobrazí tabulka ze seznamen těchto infikovaných jednotek a v hlavičce infikovaního routeru je zobrazena červeně zpráva SKYNET VIRUS. Je nutné provést odstranění viru a upgrade na poslední verzi firmware, kde je tato chyba opravena.