My CRS326-24G-2S+ is running RouterOS 7.18 (stable) and is showing only 604.0KiB free HDD space. I was running around 15 MB usage with Router OS 7.16.2, but this jumped to 15.5 MB with Router OS 7.18, The only packages I have installed are routeros and wireless. There is no logging to disk and the /flash directory is empty save for my daily backup file (which is fetched from the router each day). I am not runnning The Dude.
I use CAPSMAN to manage two WAPs. Do i need the wireless package on my CRS326-24G-2S+ to support this?
Is there any feasible way to add storage?
At this rate, it will not be long before my CRS326-24G-2S+ will not be able to be updated.
Common problem for device with only 16Mb of storage.
Forum (especially release threads) are swamped with it.
And with 7.18 it even becomes worse…
What wAP devices are they ?
Legacy wireless (in which case you do need wireless on CRS to act as controller) or AX (in which case you do NOT need wireless package since that part is default included with ROS as of 7.13).
Do you NEED a ROS version >= 7.13 on that CRS ?
You could downgrade to 7.12 and stay there ?
I have two cAP ac units and was thinking of a third. Possibly overkill, but the whole setup works just so well!
So am i stuck with needing the Wireless package? Not sure if this counts as legacy
For now, the system runs though very close to the limit. I don’t think i need downgrade yet, but i may just be stuck with the system at current rev forever. The idea of not being able to patch this device does not sit well with me! Also annoying because i was preparing to expand the functions it was handling for the network. Safe be now that i won’t be doing that.
Fortunately, it is not on my internet edge; i have another device dedicated to router/firewall functions there. Nevertheless, unless there is a solution to the storage issue, i will be stuck here at this.version.
Is this a problem with newer models? Basically, something running RouterOS with 24-32 1 Gb ports and 2 or 4 SFP+ cages that has more than a 16 MB filesystem? Seems crazy to have to throw this away, but i might be heading there.
Basic concept first:
a switch is a switch. Not a capsman controller. Doesn’t mean you can not use it as one (and ROS will happily let you) but it doesn’t mean it has the required resources to handle whatever you throw at it.
That’s the admin’s responsibility to keep an eye on that.
But there are plenty of complaints around here about what’s happening with the excessive growth of ROS7 versions since somewhere last year.
It’s not normal quite simple things can not be done anymore with a device because of storage limitations.
One thing you can do with that device is (get ready for this …) netinstall to current ROS version.
It will clear out any left-overs from previous installations so you can really start with a clean sheet on that device.
Export config before (make sure it’s complete), import again after netinstall via terminal, section by section.
Don’t use binary backup and restore, it will simply bring the garbage back in.
Having said that …
If you have another Mikrotik device on your network with more storage, it might be an option to move capsman over there ?
Unless it’s really somewhere else and you use capsman forwarding (in which case ALL traffic first goes to the controller before being processed further).
Or … a simple Hex Refresh doesn’t break the bank and is PERFECT as capsman controller. Just be aware of the oddities of Refresh Hex as far as port-connections to bridge are concerned. If you go this road, I would advise to choose Refresh. Arm-based and more resources so more future safe. Old Hex also has that 16Mb storage limit.
And now the grand finale …
Since you mention cap AC (you really are sure it’s only that ?) you can also opt to move those cap devices to wave2 drivers. Remove wireless. Add wifi-qcom-ac.
Then you don’t need wireless anymore on the capsman controller since capsman support for wave2 is embedded in ROS since 7.13.
If those APs are simply used as AP, they will also run at the limit resource-wise but so far it’s still possible.
Yes you do, the cAP ac is more than capable to run it.
But…assuming all CAPS are ARM based, you could upgrade those (from wireless to wifi-qcom-ac driver) and manage them from you switch.
As it turns out, the size of wifi-qcom-ac is shown as 2680 kb, even larger than the 1924 kb the wireless package takes up today. What would be helpful is if I could ditch the wireless package completely if that is not required on my CRS for CAPsMAN with cAP AC units.
My approach to wireless access points was to treat them as fungible devices on the network, so that I can swap them out as needed if needed. Endowing one of them as the CAPsMAN host defeats that purpose. My CRS functions as a collapsed core, with the idea that all the most critical LAN functions are managed and operated from here. Attached to it are other devices with little to no active management functions (I’ll include SwOS here), which keeps things consistent and easy to manage.
I disabled and uninstalled the wireless package, leaving behind only routeros (version 7.18). Once I rebooted, there was no CAPSMAN function on the CRS. I did find an option iun the GUI to enable it and rebooted. Now there was no configuration present in the GUI. I then tried restoring the binary configuration backup from this morning. still nothring there. I then tried executing some CAPSMAN related commands at the command line from the configuration export i have. As soon as i entered /caps-man, RouterOS complaioned that was invalid.
So i reinstalled wireless package and rebooted. Now i have everthing back.
If you use wifi-qcom aka the “new wifi” or “new (new) capsman” then the menu to configure your Wi-Fi and capsman is just called “wifi” and on 7.18 you should see it with or without the wireless package.
Your config doesn’t get automatically moved to the “new” driver, though.
Thanks for the adivce on wifi-qcom, but considdering how we entered this discussion, I cannot take the risk. My Packages display shows wireless sized at 1,924 KiB and wifi-qcom sized at 9.5 MiB. I am willing to bet there is some overlap between wifi-qcom and routeros, so the actual delta will be hard to judge. But for me personally, the risk/reward is not worth it.
Down the road, i might try the netinstall operations, but I am dubious that running BOOTP for a device image load and reapplying my config from export scripts will accomplish anything. I think i’ll leave that for a day when I have no other option, a lot of time on my hands and a stiff drink
