Building a mesh with 10 Lucaya X4000

[neptun]

hi!


We are building a mesh with 10 Lucaya X4000 routers. Evere point is conected to several other points consisting of lucaya X4000 routers, to provide failover.

How do I configure this in Star-OS?


Regards,
Knut Nordvik

[lonnie]

Assign each AP its own unique subnet. Assign clients on the AP an IP from the subnet. You can also use DHCP, but I prefer to use static and hand assigned, so that I always know what the IP should be and it will always have it.

Once that is done simply enable OLSR on each unit and in about 30 seconds it should have a route to every system from anywhere.

[DrLove73]

It is that simple? I thought you should apply tog's new config, and do some other stuff.

He should also announce HNA right?

[lonnie]

He can do the other things AFTER he gets it working. Whenever people do new things it is best to keep the variables low, and using a new config and adding HNA is more complex than a new install needs.

Once there is a comfort level with a working system then you can begin to tweak and optimize.

[neptun]

Thanks for the great feedback! But, why do I need many subnets, would'nt 2 be enough? 1 for the backbone, and a big pool for the hotspot clients.

[lonnie]

Routing uses separate subnets. Mesh uses routing. This if you want Mesh you will route and that means subnets. A subnet gets assigned for each AP and each Ethernet segment that uses a switch to connect like numbered units.

If you only want to have a couple of subnets, then you have to bridge, and then it is different. Sorry to say, but it is spelled a bit different --> Mess

A bridged Mess can be built by simply using STP or RSTP but then you have ALL of the problems with a bridge.

[neptun]

OK, Lonni. How would you do it if you where to build this net with failover?
I don't want to build a mess :)

Routing uses separate subnets. Mesh uses routing. This if you want Mesh you will route and that means subnets. A subnet gets assigned for each AP and each Ethernet segment that uses a switch to connect like numbered units.

If you only want to have a couple of subnets, then you have to bridge, and then it is different. Sorry to say, but it is spelled a bit different --> Mess

A bridged Mess can be built by simply using STP or RSTP but then you have ALL of the problems with a bridge.

[lonnie]

I would assign each AP as the Gateway for a unique subnet. I would assign each Ethernet that is a Gateway device as a unique subnet.

I would make sure to have more than 1 connection to every device, as per your radio mobile map.

Then I would enable OLSR and let it handle failover. You can tweak the configs using togs config file and then play with settings to give a preference for the links you want it to choose, and let it decide what to do if those preferred links go down.

The whole key is the subnet assignment and interconnections. Any large and complex network is made up of simple network elements tied together.

[DrLove73]

Just two little questions.

What if network is already routed with static routes. Do they have to be disabled?


And, what about policy routing, should it be turned off?

[lonnie]

The static routes should be removed. I'm not sure about policy routing, though. My guess is that it will be OK. I have no time for testing right now, so if someone can try it and report I would appreciate it.

Tony and Russ went to a gamers conference so my support guys are gone. I thought I was busy before. yea right.

[DrLove73]

I am not presed for time. OLSR will wait for now, last two weeks I worked 19h/7days, and my usual work year is 16h/7days/4weeks/12months/year. So I know what you are talking about.

[neptun]

Thank you Lonnie! This is valuable information to me! Get you're self another cup of cofee, and cheer up :) Think rather about all the things you are able to do with the time you have. Nobody has time beond this limit!

I'll use you're set-up and give you a reply on the policy routing. It will be a few months though.

Cheers!
Knut

The static routes should be removed. I'm not sure about policy routing, though. My guess is that it will be OK. I have no time for testing right now, so if someone can try it and report I would appreciate it.

Tony and Russ went to a gamers conference so my support guys are gone. I thought I was busy before. yea right.

[DrLove73]

Thank you Lonnie! This is valuable information to me! Get you're self another cup of cofee, and cheer up :) Think rather about all the things you are able to do with the time you have. Nobody has time beond this limit!


If you find IT specialist or Network Admin with time to spare, and he is not in beetwen jobs, run for your life.

And, of course, you will know as soon as your network starts working. So better use your own advice :p

[neptun]

Scary :) But why does it have to be like this. Is it because you can't say no? :confused:

If you find IT specialist or Network Admin with time to spare, and he is not in beetwen jobs, run for your life.

And, of course, you will know as soon as your network starts working. So better use your own advice :p

[lonnie]

Good people are hard to find, and when people find someone who can actually help them and not just send a bill, they tend to keep using those people. When a good person never loses customers and keeps gaining it tends to reach the over committed stage real quickly, and good people rarely turn away people who need them. It is like we feel we are obligated to help. My wife hates it, but then she also comes to me when she has a problem. I jokingly suggest I cannot help and that she should call one of the other support guys in town, and guess what is for Supper that night? She then suggests I visit one of the the other eateries in town. It's fun.

[neptun]

I also have issues with my wife concerning similar matters :) But, i'm trying real hard to keep it within bussiness hour. It's hard thow, right now my wife has gone out for a few minutes and guess what I'm doing? Preparing my self for challanges to come, as usuall :) I hide behind that I'm not working, just cheking mail and reading. LOL. Actually I'm just doing this in my speare time, so I'll have more time for work in times to come.

Good people are hard to find, and when people find someone who can actually help them and not just send a bill, they tend to keep using those people. When a good person never loses customers and keeps gaining it tends to reach the over committed stage real quickly, and good people rarely turn away people who need them. It is like we feel we are obligated to help. My wife hates it, but then she also comes to me when she has a problem. I jokingly suggest I cannot help and that she should call one of the other support guys in town, and guess what is for Supper that night? She then suggests I visit one of the the other eateries in town. It's fun.

[DrLove73]

But, i'm trying real hard to keep it within bussiness hour.

O yeah? And what bussiness ours will your network have? you will turn off your customers at 17:00?

When one of your PoP's is not working, and it is Sunday afternoon, and someone calls you, or you just see that something is wrong, you honestly think you will leave it bee untill Monday? If you are at least proud of your network uptime/reliability, you will draw your pants up, and try at least to find out what happend... ;):rolleyes::D.

[neptun]

I will have to train my network to behave it self. I will only allow this to hapend during bussiness hours! LOL.

What is the uptime in you're network, DrLove73?

O yeah? And what bussiness ours will your network have? you will turn off your customers at 17:00?

When one of your PoP's is not working, and it is Sunday afternoon, and someone calls you, or you just see that something is wrong, you honestly think you will leave it bee untill Monday? If you are at least proud of your network uptime/reliability, you will draw your pants up, and try at least to find out what happend... ;):rolleyes::D.

[DrLove73]

My own network is seldomly down. Mostly by our power company. They only work in office hours (6-14h), and when they cut power fro 8-14h, all hell gets loose (becouse of low cash investment, I only have 30min backup power). But my main problem is with my upstream provider. Link on his hardware/software is prone to signal drops ~10-20dB, and his software can not keep up with that. I am on the other hand constantly short on cash, so I have to drop down and play dead when my clients call. It's VERY long story.