Hello,

I have a strange problem and I am sure there is a simple fix or explanation for it.

I have a few small mesh networks set up using WDS and RSTP these Mesh areas are backfed to my main tower through another WDS/RSTP link and from there they go through another mikrotik box for bandwidth ques. Something like this.

Mesh client1 WDS/RSTP------------- Mesh Backhaul1 WDS/RSTP -------------- WDS/RSTP BH to main tower ------ MT bandwidth box ------- edge router to internet.

The problem I am having is that for some reason mesh client 1's IP address does not show for any traffic past the final WDS/RSTP BH. All data comming from that mesh network shows the IP address of the last WDS bridge.

So for example say Mesh client1's address is 192.168.0.100, Mesh Backhaul1's IP is 192.168.0.101 and BH to main tower's IP is 192.168.0.102. Ok say client 1 is surfing a web. When I torch the bridge interface on 192.168.0.101 it shows the data flowing to and from 192.168.0.100 just fine, but if I torch the bridge interface on 192.168.0.102 at the same time it shows all the data is flowing to and from 168.168.0.101 instead of 192.168.0.100 and likewise if I torch the bridge interface on 192.168.0.102 at the same time it shows all the data flowing to and from 192.168.0.101. So there is no way for me to actually know that the data came from and is giong to 192.168.0.100 by the time it gets to my MT que box that sits before my edge router.

Any ideas here as to what if anything I can do to fix this? I am sure that when I first set all this up it didn't behave this way. I have upgraded the router OS a few times since I set all this up and I think one of the upgrades along the way has done this. I have been forced to set up ques on each client on the mesh network but I don't want to do it this way because I have some ques set up based off of overall bandwidth usage and some priorities set up also.

Any help is greaty appreciated

Thanks,
Chadd

Ok one other thing I just checked is that if I run a tracert to or from Mesh Client1 it works as expected, it does not show any of the hops of the WDS/RSTP bridges in between the edge routher and Mesh Client1. Anyone have any ideas here?

Thanks,
Chadd

Someone has to have some info on this, I cant be the only one with this problem.

anyone??

Thanks,
Chadd

Patience, my friend... all things come to he who waits....

Question - why are you using RSTP in a serial network? STP/RSTP is only needed if there are physical loops in your network architecture...

Secondly - have you tried torching the WDS interface? The traffic you have identified flowing on the bridge - is this the traffic you expect to see (port, protocol, data rate)?

Question - why are you using RSTP in a serial network? STP/RSTP is only needed if there are physical loops in your network architecture...

Even on ptp links RSTP can dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes for traffic to start flowing after the WDS link comes up.

Someone has to have some info on this, I cant be the only one with this problem.

Make sure you don't have any masquerade rules that could be matching all of the traffic going through the bridge..

-Gerard

This is exactly what my problem was. My masq rules were matching all traffic going through the bridge. I figured it out shortly after posting my question.

Thanks,
Chadd

[quote="Gerard
Make sure you don't have any masquerade rules that could be matching all of the traffic going through the bridge..

-Gerard[/quote]