Im trying to create the cleanest configuration possible and learn how to efficiently load my routerboards in a disaster recovery situation. I run a network that is a spoke hub vpn. all of the spokes are the same 2011 wifi models and I have been cutting and pasting the config on the fly from a functioning unit to a replacement unit doing find/replace on all of the names and subnet entries that differentiates one remote location from the other. this way of doing things has led to slower response time on my part as errors are made or key entries are missed.
that all said…
My personal laptop is a mac that i use parallels to run windows. winbox works well and so does the “winbox for mac” as long as there is an IP address. my goal here is to start with a blank router so i can “set” values and not be changing an existing configuration. so i need to mac telnet into the unit after wiping the default config. neither parallels nor “winbox for mac” can establish a mac telnet session for more than a few seconds before it drops. my next option was to hook the blank router up to my “CORE” router, winbox into that and then MAC telnet to the unit.
here I ran into an issue I have also seen “in the field” with routerboards. the default config does not have a password and neither SSH or Mac telnet (nor i assume telnet) will allow you to login without a password. it simply disconnects after I type admin and then blank for the password
Who has a solution for my issue?
My ultimate goals would be to either…
- replace the default image with my own so a “reset configuration” would bring back to MY stock image
- create some sort of install script where I answer the subnet value and the location name value and the configuration loads the proper info in the proper part of the config
- (and most likely) I will make a “base image” on an unused subnet. in the field one of my less experianced techs could easily load the “base backup image”. once that is done I can get to the remote tik from my “core” (we use dynamic ips) with my own default passwords and I would know exactly what needed changing (better than currently)
anyway if anybody has some best common practices (and I dont want to hear get a windows machine 
) Id really appreciate hearing them.