Mikrotik’s Burst method boomerangs between a high and low rate as the Burst Threshold is crossed, a behavior I would rather avoid.
A ‘plain jane’ HTB runs at the high (bucket output) rate until the bucket is depleted of tokens. And thereafter runs at the low (bucket fill) rate (assuming a continuing demand for bandwidth). This is exactly how Linux tc HTB works.
Can this be done on a Mikrotik Router?
IMHO ..it’s a matter of thresholds, if you set them correctly you will achieve the behavior you described
I can configure Mikrotik Burst with a burst-threshold below max-limit to perform in a manner similar to ‘plain jane’ HTB, especially for the initial period of ceil rate or burst-limit rate after a long period of 0 actual-rate.
But there are differences.
The ‘plain jane’ HTB and Mikrotik Burst methods thereafter differ in their ability to regain the option to run at ceil rate or burst-rate after a subsequent period of actual-rate below bucket fill rate or burst-threshold rate. It does not matter where the burst-threshold is set.
This is because the number of tokens in a ‘plain jane’ HTB does not go below 0 and and tokens can begin to accumulate as soon as the actual rate falls below the bucket fill rate. But with Mikrotik Burst the average rate carries along a history of earlier high burst-limit rates, and it may take a while for that history to work its way out of the average.
And if burst-threshold is above max-limit then…
With constant bandwidth demand Mikrotik Burst boomerangs, cycling between max-limit and burst-limit.