I have been trying to determine what Mikrotik hardware I will need to implement an OSPF gigabit network that will start out with 5 nodes and scale up from there (9-15, maybe more). I really appreciate any input the community may have on this, been scratching my head for a while on this, thanks.
I wanted to provide some further clarification and details on my project. Here is a diagram of the network, the solid lines are the current network (Microwave #1) and the dashed is the additional network (Microwave #2) that we have begun to install.
Redundant_Microwave_Diagram.jpg
The current Microwave network is:
Currently configured on a single 192.168.x.x/24 network.
We are using managed switches (that have SPT built-in, but this feature is turned off).
R1 is the only router currently deployed, it is connected to our ISP.
Used to transport Audio T1 (ran through pseudowire VLAN, UDP traffic) for our radio system.
Used to transport IP traffic from fire detection cameras to our main office (R1), which can have data bursts.
There is only one path North-South.
IP traffic from devices and cameras at the different radio sites send data back to HQ (R1).
IP traffic splits at R2 and the T1 go through Microwave #1 while the camera IP traffic goes through Microwave #2.
Goals:
Installing a second microwave network following the same path to provide a higher-bandwidth pipe (100-900 Mbps) network
Current thought is to have the T1 data go through microwave #1 and then have the IP traffic go through Microwave #2. This setup has great capacity, but there would be no redundancy in the network (which is needed).
Have this new network be capable of routing both the IP and pseudowire T1 traffic at the same time, while prioritizing the pseudowires in the event of a failure with a segment of the network while ensuring the pseudowire T1 VLANS don’t go down.
Creating down the road a redundant ring (between R1 and R4) in the network, capable of routing the Pseudowire and IP traffic back to R1.
Have the ability to talk to all the equipment on the network and at each node from any other node on the network.
Questions:
Can I route the pseudowire VLANS through OSPF w/o loosing any packets? The pseudowires VLANs are required for the radio simulcast system.
Is OSPF the right protocol to use for this? Or would STP work best?
I want to be able to scale the network up, either adding nodes within it, creating new paths, or as an offshoot from a node (such as to provide internet for one of our field offices).
Thanks for your time, looking forward to see what the community input is on this.