Bridging and Switching Case Studies
These case studies show common RouterOS bridging and switching designs, including VLAN switching, IGMP and MLD snooping, spanning tree, loop protection, and switch-chip behavior. Use them as practical examples for Layer 2 deployments and troubleshooting.
Basic VLAN switching
This page provides an overview of basic VLAN switching configuration on MikroTik RouterOS, covering setup for devices with Marvell Prestera and RTL8367/CRS series switch chips, including hardware-offloaded VLAN filtering and port configuration examples.
Bridge IGMP/MLD snooping
This page documents MikroTik RouterOS bridge features for IGMP/MLD snooping, enabling efficient multicast traffic forwarding by filtering streams to subscribed ports. It covers configuration options for IGMP/MLD versions, querier detection, multicast router states, and monitoring tools to manage multicast database entries.
Bridge VLAN Table
This page introduces MikroTik RouterOS's Bridge VLAN Table feature, explaining how to configure VLAN filtering in bridges using tagged/untagged ports, PVIDs, and ingress/egress rules. It includes setup examples for trunk and access ports, emphasizing security through management access control and EtherType filtering.
Controller Bridge and Port Extender
Controller Bridge (CB) and Port Extender (PE) in RouterOS enable extended network topology with simplified management for CRS3xx switches, allowing virtual port extension and centralized control via cascade/upstream ports, though some features like bonding for extended ports are unsupported.
CRS1xx/2xx series switches examples
This page provides configuration examples and use cases for Cloud Router Switch features on CRS1xx/2xx series switches, covering port switching, management access setup with VLAN filtering, and security considerations for IP-based access.
Layer2 misconfiguration
This page addresses Layer2 misconfigurations in MikroTik RouterOS, focusing on issues like improper bridge setups with hardware offloading and port isolation. It explains symptoms such as low throughput, high CPU usage, and incorrect hardware offloading flags, along with solutions for devices that lack port isolation support.
Loop Protect
Loop Protect prevents Layer2 loops by detecting and disabling interfaces receiving their own loop-protect packets, with configurable intervals and disable times. It supports Ethernet, VLAN, EoIP, and VxLAN interfaces, though (R/M)STP is recommended for bridges.
Spanning Tree Protocol
This page explains the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) in MikroTik RouterOS, detailing how it prevents network loops by selecting a root bridge and optimizing port usage through Bridge Protocol Data Units (BPDUs). It emphasizes manual configuration for larger networks and provides monitoring commands to check STP status on bridges and ports.
Wireless VLAN Trunk
This page explains how to configure Wireless VLAN Trunking on MikroTik RouterOS using bridge VLAN filtering, allowing selective forwarding of specific VLANs over a wireless PtP link while blocking others. It covers bridge setup, VLAN table configuration, interface access control, and hardware-offloaded VLAN handling.
WMM and VLAN priority
This page explains how MikroTik RouterOS implements WMM (Wi-Fi MultiMedia) and VLAN priority for QoS, detailing how traffic is categorized into access categories (background, best effort, video, voice), VLAN priority handling, and methods to set packet priorities using IP firewall mangle rules or bridge filters.