Ok, so I set up my new network… looks like this:
R1/2/3/4 = RB1200 w/ROS 5.12
AP1/2/3 = RB435 w/ROS 5.12
R1 config:
/interface bridge
add name=vlan_bridge protocol=rstp
/interface bridge port
add bridge=vlan_bridge interface=ether6 horizon=1
add bridge=vlan_bridge interface=vpls-r2 horizon=2
add bridge=vlan_bridge interface=vpls-r3 horizon=2
add bridge=vlan_bridge interface=vpls-r4 horizon=2
R2/3/4 config:
/interface bridge
add name=vlan_bridge protocol=rstp
/interface bridge port
add bridge=vlan_bridge interface=ether6 horizon=1
add bridge=vlan_bridge interface=vpls-r1 horizon=2
AP config:
/interface bridge
add name=vlan_bridge protocol=rstp
/interface bridge port
add bridge=vlan_bridge interface=ether1
/interface wireless
set 0 wds-mode=dynamic wds-default-bridge=vlan_bridge
At this point, everything is up and running. I can attach VLAN interfaces to the bridge on each router and/or AP, assign IP addresses, and I can pass traffic between R1 and the other routers and APs. I can even see VLAN traffic hitting the switch behind R1. It works beautifully.
When we added our first customer, VLAN 1801, the turnup was flawless. Same thing with VLAN 1901 & 1902 off the second AP. Everything seemed to be working without issue.
Then, we got a call from 1801 saying his internet is not working. So, I log into his CPE, stick a DHCP client on the bridge and get a binding (dhcp relay on the switch hanging off R1). I start doing some pings and traceroutes, but I’m getting 50-70% packet loss when it works at all.
I hop over to the 1901 CPE, and it’s working great. Same thing with 1902, working flawlessly.
Back to R1, I disabled the VPLS-R2/R3 bridge ports., and 1801 started working perfectly. Re-enable VPLS-R2, and 1801 started acting up again.
Finally, I removed all VPLS tunnels, all MPLS configurations, and put the VLANs directly on the physical layer. Everything is working again, but this is not sustainable, as I do not want a bridged/switched network (there’s unrelated issue to raw throughput when routing through the RB1200).
So, is this a problem with the bridge or with the VPLS tunnels? I’m thinking bridge, but for the life of me, I don’t know what it would be.
Thanks for any input anyone here can provide.
-Troy