I am setting up a new location, connected to the Internet by the local cable TV provider, and with only a single wired piece of network gear: hAPax3.
This is the same set up I have at several other locations, so I thought I would use an existing export (i.e., .RSC file) as the basis for the new ax3’s config.
I think I have been able to create the new config, changing specific details as needed.
But, I have several questions:
The configs reference MAC addresses in several location, such as:
Wasn’t there an interesting discussion about it recently ?
My view:
In general MAC addresses should be unique. Period.
You can translate that to: unique within your network.
If those sites have zero interaction with each other, it’s not the end of the world if some MAC addresses are duplicated.
But be aware of it when they become connected … better safe then sorry. For me they remain unique.
Normally those admin-MAC addresses are created by default config, so you should be able to apply changes without touching those MACs.
There was indeed the discussion of auto-mac=no which my configs have.
All my sites are connected via wireguard, so for that, and other reasons, I, too, see a need for unique mac addresses.
While the default config will create MAC addresses, if I use a default config and then try to paste an RSC over it, won’t I get a wonky result? That is, some things overwritten, some things not, some things that exist in the default but not addressed by the overwriting RSC? No idea where existing MAC addresses would wind up in that process.
Exported config is mostly troublesome for setting static MAC addresses. You can simply remove that particular property setting from rsc and ROS will come up with one automatically. For the bridge MAC also remove auto-mac=no setting. You can then manually set MAC addresses later on.
Alternatively you csn ‘pre-invent’ suitable MAC address for bridge on target device if you can get info about ethernet interface MAC addresses (it’s printed on the device sticker): take MAC of ether1 and replace second digit with one of (2, 6 A, E). E.g.: xx:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff → x2:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff .
Can I get ROS to replace the MAC with the correct one?
And if I just remove the other instances of entries/commands with MAC addresses, and instead manually create the entry in winbox thereby allowing ROS to fill in the MAC address, that makes the process take longer and a little more prone to errors, right?
Basically, start with defaul config, take note of device-specific data such as MAC addresses and copy that data to the RSC I want to use.
Then reset, use no config, paste RSC with correct MAC addresses.
FYI, the config I want to use is quite a bit different that the defauls (wireguard, firewall rules, etc.), so I think most of the entries that will actually be used will come from the already-configured-router’s RSC (i.e., column A).
Anything else device-specific (besides MAC addresses)?
Since default config creates non-empty export, it’s a sign that applying it requires blank starting state.
And no, you can’t instruct ROS to set something statically (e.g. bridge MAC address) without explicitly setting the value. You could run config without static settings (leaving ROS to come up with appropriate values) and at the end include code which reads running value and convert it to static setting (or change it ever so slightly if ROS doesn’t come up with good enough value).
At what point in the set up of a new hapax3 do I upgrade the router and ROS?
That is, if I want to have a empty config in which to paste an rsc, do I upgrade RB/ROS first and then some form of reset and choose no default config, or does the version upgrades come after the pasting of the rsc?
If you don’t care about default config, then it doesn’t really matter. ROS upgrade in principle doesn’t change running config on the device. And default config is only applied when device is reset to defaults.
Given a free choice I’d upgrade first, then reset to blank config and then apply custom config from RSC … just to be extra sure that ROS upgrade doesn’t change anything.
How about: in webfig, open System->Reset Configuration and check “No Default Configuration” . Optionally you can even upload your RSC before opening Reset Config and set it as “Run After Reset” action.
I’m pretty sure there’s similar way of doing it in winbox … and I know there’s appropriate command in CLI.
And then there’s the button way. Personally I was never really successfull with the button (timing issues) so I usually use it to get Netinstall going.
in twelve (easy? 
) steps:
