Hello!
I would like to using RouterOS 4.6 Level 4 as BGP Border Gateway. I have downloaded and tested Level 0 version of RouterOS. It works perfect on x86 Via 694x chipset based old server system.. Finally, I want to buy it and use as a production server… But… I want to install the RouterOS to Compact Flash card (connected via IDE-CF adapter. It has been tested for several years on other platform and works very well.). I read this forum and ALL of documentation but cannot found any things about HOW to reduce write cycles to Drive… As I think RouterOS after starting is unpacked into memory and works in it. Only configurations and logs files changed and they are modified on hard storage device (not in memory).
So, Is there any way to control or reduce write operations with CompactFlash card in my case? I need ONLY BGP Border Gateway function of RouterOS? Where can I read about process of accessing to System Storage or how to turn read-only mode on of Storage (CF in my case) to disable any operations with CF?
make logging either in memory or set up remote logging. If you use hotspot, make sure you have disabled “/ip proxy” and set that it does not cache at all. That is basically all you have to and can do.
If you use graphing or other tools, look into settings if you can set them to write in memory or remotely.
In that case access to storage will be reduced maximum or fully. Has RouterOS any system tasks which are cannot be controlled by admin to used the storage?
Ok. It looks good. But I don’t understand what it means:
Does it mean Tools of RouterOS? for example, via Winbox.
As I understand it is NOT RECOMMENDED to use ALL graphing function often because graphic’s datas store on storage dynamicaly?
Is it right?
Does the dynamic route table of BGP deploy in memory (not in storage) and never writing to storage?
janisk answered you exactly. no a word more, nor lesss. ofcourse you have to write smt. to the storage. e.g. new routing settings, etc. just keep in mind to not to allow “hungry for storage” functions mentioned above.
Ok. I have already installed RouterOS on CF Kingstone and bought the license. I am using BGP, Static Route, NTP-client, DNS-client, Firewall, Route Filters,Netwatch and logging in memory and syslog. The router takes 2 Full view ISP’s tables. I turn route filters up on all of them to use only default routes from them.
There are about 100 MB of RAM used.
About 2000 cycles per card is in a day.
I think my CF Kingstone 4GB will work over 5-10 years because of auto replacing bad sectors if it would be appeard.
I tried to switch off each of services but 1200-1500 cycles per drive of writing is the minimal as I seen. All of my enabled services (NTP-client and other) don’t influence for write cycles.
i have had 5 CF cards die in the matter of 2-4 years. I am finding that the ‘/tool graphing’ section has a 5 minute write, after making that 24 hours I am not getting nearly as many writes and no more failures. (failures were on every major brand, sandisk, lexar, transcend, etc)
Thank you for information. I have seen the graphing and turn it on 24 hours-mode instead of 5 min-mode. Now I have about 2000 writes per card. As I understand it is the minimal value in my configuration.
For information (may be usefull for anybody): I have a BGP router based on FreeBSD 6.2 which I installed it on CF and IDE-CF adapter. I manually created all writable directories (/var, /tmp/) as memory disks with /etc/fstab and they are mounted automatically during starting up. Also I have installed packages: openbgpd 4.0, apache 2 , mc 4.6.1 , mrtg? and other and then edit some configuration files like /etc/rc.conf, firewall and finally switch root directory (/) to read-only mode… The server worked perfectly for 5 years. CF was Kingmax 512Mb.
I know about tinybsd, nanobsd and other projects - but I have no any intelligible information about installing and using it. So FreeBSD successfully installed on CF 512MB with 1G memory in my case. I have full pleasure of using it.
I think RouterOS must work in the same mode as I discribed about FreeBSD-CF-BGP server above. I think some things like the graphing and other are not basic function for router/gateway and they are must be disable fully. I think also the compact fault-tollerance and embedded server like mine or more other cases where RouterOS may be appled NEEDS to be installed on fault-tollerance storage as CF. So CF is very cheap now. And I think RouterOS as a embbedded way to using Linux kernel must works with CF or SSD storage more “carefully”, i.e. without write cycles at all.