I tried to find answers for questions that bother me and there are many resuts in google, but there are no exact facts among them. So I decide to create my own topic. Sorry if duplicated.
What is is exact differences between CRS and usual Mikrotik router in switching? Yes, I’ve read about different purposes of these devices, less productive CPU and so on… But in all articles about CRS I see that there are some “addition features” that CRS swithes have compared with usual router. All my further arguments are based on two wiki articles: CRS features and Switch Chip Features. To be more specific, I will take an example: CRS109-8G-1S-2HnD-IN and hEX. Once again: I’m not interested in obvious differences, like ports numbers or the power of the CPU. I’m just interesed in that exact “addition feature set” of CRS in switching. After quick comaprison of that two articles I think, that both devices can switch traffic on wire speed and suppot VLANs. And hEX even can apply ACLs on wire speed, but CRS109 can’t! So please clarify me, what exact L2 features CRS109 has but hEX - has not.
It’s the switch chip the one that dictates whose hardware features do a router or CRS support (CRS aren’t all created equal either, CRS1xx, CRS2xx are different from CRS3xx series).
Hex has a MT7621, whereas a CRS109 has a CRS1xx switch chip.
Thank you for your reply, I’m completeely understand that all CRS and usual routeters based on differrent chips… And I’ve written my post according that tables By the way, as I see, hEX based on QCA8337 chip, not on MT7621.
But if we will compare switching capabilities of QCA8337 and QCA-8513L, what benefits has QCA-8513L (CRS)?
Is there any possibility that some of CRS devices are worse in terms of switching than usual routers?
P.S. Before I created my topic I’ve read that post. And I haven’t found exact facts like port mirorring or bonding or ACLs supported and so on…
Latest Hex is a RB750Gr3, Hex models using QCA8337 are either the previous hardware version, RB750Gr2, or POE version: RB960PGS.
Is there any possibility that some of CRS devices are worse in terms of switching than usual routers?
Again, it will depend on the hardware switch chip features of each device.
CRS, or routers with switch chip are expected to do wirespeed when performing switching tasks. Main diferences lie on which switching features are done in hardware or by the CPU.
Yes, my initial question was exactly about hardware features only.What can you say about Port Isolation/Leakage, Quality of Service, Access Control List and others topics that were covered in CRS features, but not mentioned in Switch Chip Features?
By the way, as I see, hEX based on QCA8337 chip, not on MT7621.
