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MikroTik App
 
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sergejs
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MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 1:53 pm

Hello,

MikroTik is planning to develop and build a controller app for MikroTik Devices. Currently we are researching possibilities and options, what should be there and how it could be done and implemented. At the moment we do not want to stick to a specific implementation or standard, but build our own that will help to manage, develop and deploy different scale networks running MikroTik devices.
Any suggestions about features and options are very welcome.
 
elbob2002
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 1:57 pm

Centralised updates and configuration management!
 
parham
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 2:10 pm

Hello,

MikroTik is planning to develop and build a controller app for MikroTik Devices. Currently we are researching possibilities and options, what should be there and how it could be done and implemented. At the moment we do not want to stick to a specific implementation or standard, but build our own that will help to manage, develop and deploy different scale networks running MikroTik devices.
Any suggestions about features and options are very welcome.
This is fantastic Idea, whoever what you guys think about something like what Unifi or Meraki do, a nice controller that can be hosted, and adopt all Mikrotik device with potentially dude integrated to it for nice network diagram and more... would be killing feature for us deploy and managed Mikrotik
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 2:16 pm

This is extremely exciting!

Definitely configuration templates but please allow webhooks early on. For example, you may want to create a template with some variable information that can be retrieved from some sort of restful api, fully automated
 
parham
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 2:19 pm

1- firmware update.
2- configuration backup and compare.
3- Wireguard VPN generator for client side (a file that can be import to fireguard software).
4- site to site ipse vpn
5- network and wifi settings to any mikrotik in the same site
6- firewall rules and NAT
7- IPS IDS
8- sd-wan
9- geo IP location for block and allow list.
10- WAN performance check: speeds, ping, jitter.
Last edited by parham on Mon May 30, 2022 2:36 pm, edited 2 times in total.
 
fragtion
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 2:21 pm

Exciting news !
- web based, so the controller can be accessed from nearly any device or platform and eventually phase out winbox. ideally the controller should not be based on java but static binaries deployment or open source ?
- better graphing and analytics, time to move away from mrtg. rrdtool is good, what about grafana ?
- integrated "tailscale-like" controller to easily set up wireguard links between managed endpoints and automatically handle endpoint ports, NAT hole punching etc. "one click wireguard vpn" could be a great marketing tool
- devices overview with status page, device model image, and a satellite map overview to plot wireless links and do line-of-site calculations similar to ubnt's UISP
I'll update my list if I can think of anything else :D
Last edited by fragtion on Mon May 30, 2022 2:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 2:30 pm

Centralised updates and configuration management!
Yes definitely! Just make update and upgrade routerboard in one click, just mark clients on AP.. In which hour and if will include AP, wait to download clinets FW and than upgrade AP on last.
Most users still don't know, how to upgrade FW..(not only install and reboot). But this function must be enabled, some users don't want newer firmware, because some functions are better on spec. FW.
Or example: ISP add new AP because other is overloaded, so some clients migrate to new AP and it want new IP adress. It will be better to mark some new user and give them new IPs so old will be rewritten.
Thank you!
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 2:30 pm

Dude has the ability to specify a "parent" for the current device. With centralized management, it is necessary to check the entire chain of "parents" before rebooting during an update. So, that there is no situation, when the "parent" has already downloaded the update and started rebooting, and the "child" has not yet had time to download the update.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 2:33 pm

Single app to control all mk devices ?

Winbox with menu -> list devices -> select mk device -> done :)
Winbox place with all devices overview
Winbox templates for auto-configuring ?!

and many many

Other option -> dedicated app (new dude build from scratch ?! ) with UI from 2022 with nice monitoring and mgment functionality ;)
Last edited by dakobg on Mon May 30, 2022 2:57 pm, edited 3 times in total.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 2:40 pm

Hello,

MikroTik is planning to develop and build a controller app for MikroTik Devices.
How do you define that? Something like TikApp? I suppose not, that is already there.
Or should we read "for MikroTik Devices" as "a centralized solution for management of a whole lot of devices" as some others above appear to infer?
Would that then be only "via an app" or would it be a solution that can also be used from a generic computer?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 2:45 pm

Hi!
Great idea!
Features which I missed elswhere:
-revision control
-having everything in cleartext as well
-grouping (labeling) the devices
-starting scripts/actions on many devices (on a group) at once
-sending/receiving files to from devices
-central log collector
-SW upgrade/rollback
-device status in detail

Improve The Dude instead?
:)

W
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 2:56 pm

Great idea.
Initially it will be great to focus on small scale configuration i.e. SME that want to run a ccr as gateway, use the firewall to protect their network and devices, extend the network with some crs or css switches and manage capsman.

That's will be more than enough for over 70% of installations.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 3:59 pm

Cloud based even with subscription for any ROS device. Generate temporary links to access the Device from the cloud. Make a pool of credits for a given account and let the user of the account use the credits based on time of the generated links for its devices. Implement a strong protocol for communication of devices with the cloud. Make the account with only two factor authentication.

From there, if one can connect to a core router then he can use a VPN of choice to control the whole network with tools such as romon.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 4:07 pm

Have an agent package for all hardware types, like prtg agents or zabix agents?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 4:15 pm

Let's call it by it's name: Ubiquiti solution (UISP) is a good example how it should work together with the technology they use (docker).
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 4:40 pm

Unifi controller not good, too many pictures no functionality.

I would suggest that Mikrotik will do it based decentralized model, similar to cisco ACI.

This way controllers never impact infrastructure.

Also do layered functionality deployment. Meaning set functionality based on categories and priority.
Example:
management access highest priority.

Also important to have configuration files enforcing on controller side. Like diff ( version control ), backup, security audit.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 5:09 pm

I have seen several mentions of config files, config compare ...
Do you suggest for the controller to operate as a configuration export uploader?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 5:20 pm

I have seen several mentions of config files, config compare ...
Do you suggest for the controller to operate as a configuration export uploader?
yes and No, would be good if controller can do the backup of the correct config, can do compare between the versions of the config and it would be great to push the config too.

but what is the Mikrotik plan for the controller: are you going to develop something like Meraki or Unifi, if yes, then that's a fantastic news, but if that a simple mobile app or similar then please even don't try.

RouterOS is fantastic and if you can develop a controller and integrated with ROS7 that would be a killer features, and if the controller can be a appliance or hosted then you can add IDS, IPS and sd-wan and to integrate with ROS.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 5:21 pm

And also please make this topic HOT as this is the one of the best feature you all come up with.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 5:24 pm

The initial goal is to develop a protocol to apply and monitor config, hence the question about needed features that this protocol should be able to do.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 5:29 pm

The initial goal is to develop a protocol to apply and monitor config, hence the question about needed features that this protocol should be able to do.
I see, are you going to developing something like Meraki or Unifi as a controller? is Mikrotik planing to have some king of NGFW feature in future produce?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 5:47 pm

The initial goal is to develop a protocol to apply and monitor config, hence the question about needed features that this protocol should be able to do.
- connect to some cloud server and establish trust
- send existing config to cloud server
- receive full config or deltas from cloud server
- upgrade RouterOS to version specified by cloud server
- user interface to cloud server allows flexible config templates and groups to distribute standard config to a group of devices, including macros for variable parts
- files stored by cloud server are in human-readable form (like export)
- cloud server software is available for installation on own hardware
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 6:04 pm

@sergejs wrote: MikroTik is planning to develop and build a controller app for MikroTik Devices. Currently we are researching possibilities and options, what should be there and how it could be done and implemented. At the moment we do not want to stick to a specific implementation or standard, but build our own that will help to manage, develop and deploy different scale networks running MikroTik devices. Any suggestions about features and options are very welcome.

@mrz wrote: The initial goal is to develop a protocol to apply and monitor config, hence the question about needed features that this protocol should be able to do.

Hello @sergejs and @mrz, this is my two cents to start with:

The phrase "controller app" as well "a protocol" is pretty vague. Please supply some more details of the needs and please feel free to give examples of similar solutions on the market.

Q1: Did you mean any of theses:
  • A) a "smartphone app"?
  • B) a true network monitoring and management solution (which it was hopefully intended)?

Q2: What is the overall objective and main purpose, as well as what is the target audience, eg a consumer, a professional network technician or something else?

Depending on the answer regarding Q1:
  • In case of A) a new smartphone app it might be useful for the consumer market but is not my area of expertise and is in general uninteresting for me.
  • In case of B) regarding a new monitoring and management solution, I strongly advice not to build anything from scratch but rather use some OSS or license a third party solution to build on.
--

However, as I explained above please begin to describe the intention by supplying some more details. Then I'm sure you will get plenty of more useful suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

EDIT:
This comment is not meant to be mean in any way but maybe some manager might be willing to develop their communication skills a bit and how to formulate a project description. I'm pretty sure it would make life easier for all involved parties.
Last edited by Larsa on Mon May 30, 2022 8:45 pm, edited 7 times in total.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 6:19 pm

Hi,
as I read the responses, I see a lot of mentioning of "cloud". While I don´t think cloud is something inherently bad, one of the selling points of MT for me is that no features _require_ binding to any cloud (except the cloud backup obviously).

Since mrz wrote we are only talking about a protocol:
- make the protocol able to push/pull and exec config changes and scripts
- support versioning configs/track changes
- mass deployment support to groups (labeled devices)
- deployment of configs on some kind of condition (if mac adress equals, if SW version >7.x, if ethernet1 is down, etc)

W
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 6:24 pm

If there will be a frontend for it other than Winbox or Webfig I think it should retain that Windows 95 look though.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 6:37 pm

as I read the responses, I see a lot of mentioning of "cloud". While I don´t think cloud is something inherently bad, one of the selling points of MT for me is that no features _require_ binding to any cloud (except the cloud backup obviously).

A cloud only solution using US services might be sensitive in the EU depending on the CLOUD ACT, thus regardless of which solution the devs come up with you need to be able to install this on premise IMO.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 6:51 pm

A cloud only solution using US services might be sensitive in the EU depending on the CLOUD ACT, thus regardless of which solution the devs come up with you need to be able to install this on premise IMO.
If using cloud services inside the EU, this is perfectly fine on the legal side.
This was not my point, but a cloud only solution has lots of other implications, like privacy, like the need for the Internet availability, like the total dependency on the cloud ressource maintainer and the cloud provider itself....
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 6:53 pm

This was not my point, but a cloud only solution has lots of other implications, like privacy, like the need for the Internet availability, like the total dependency on the cloud ressource maintainer and the cloud provider itself....

Concur!
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 7:12 pm

I really don't think y'all are that far from this, a "modernized Dude" look a lot like a "Mikrotik Devices Controller" – it already has pretty good schema/protocol/storage. Basically I think it's architecture is pretty good – it's just the "client" that needs a new look. If it didn't look like a 1990s windows MFC app, and picked off some off the Dude feature requests, you'd have something sooner than starting from scratch...

The initial goal is to develop a protocol to apply and monitor config, hence the question about needed features that this protocol should be able to do.

I think issue today is the export/import isn't symmetrical, backup/restore is monolithic+binary, . What's missing is idempotent configuration file. And that's the first step to being able to monitor/apply a configuration in "controller software".

If the current configuration scheme supported a "update" operation that took an ".id" field that I think go a long way to solving this problem. While the .id is generated by the "add" today and isn't settable today, y'all can change that ;). e.g. there was "export idempotent" that didn't use "add"/"set" operations in config file, but something like:
/ip address update .id=*1 interface=bridge1 address=192.168.88.1/24
A smart "import" would accept the "update" and either add new or change existing, likely some options to either only update ones in the file, or use it replace everything. And, likely some syntax checker that only allow a "valid configuration" to be applied (e.g. not a "half applied" import because an error, that can happen today ;)).
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 7:22 pm

very good and needed initiative

very important the ability to follow, track and deploy config changes massively and selectively by groups, templates, sites etc
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 7:23 pm

It is intended as a true network management controller, of course probably in the future there could be an option to connect and manage the controller by a smartphone app or any other app or web GUI or whatever.
Think of it like a capsman, but not just for wireless.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 7:31 pm

Think of it like a capsman, but not just for wireless.
Do mean the "tree/hierarchical configuration style" of capsman, or forwarding of network traffic to a central router part (e.g. DTLS tunnels/local-forwarding=no). Or, both?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 7:38 pm

I am talking about the concept, there is a controller that should be able to push configuration, and there are devices that should be able to use that configuration.
We are talking about what the controller features that it should be able to do in terms of communication: controller <---------> controlled_device

We are not talking about any controller configuration styles or what management app should be used to connect to the controller or what the configuration app should look like, aka controller <--> user
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 7:54 pm

For start, start just with:
Daily backup on text format, not binary on any point, and full configuration, included ssh keys, certificates, user-manager and dude database.
Some instruments to compare backup among various days for see the changes.
Some instrument for push configuration (like change NTP servers on all devices, or only on a group of devices, or only to selected devices.
Possibility to select/search devices by Group / Hardware / Branding/Platform, ROS version, BIOS/RouterBOOT version, installed packages.
Possibility to send .npk / .dpk / single file and select on what folder put it remotely based on internal memory type "root" or "root/flash".
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 8:03 pm

It was about time!!!! The whole market is moving to SDNx technologies and Mikrotik shouldn't be the exception !!!.

We should start with baby steps and basic features! such as:

- It should run on a multi-platform (Windows, Linux, MacOS, docker containers) and run on-premises (self hosted on x86/64 and ARM processors) and/or Cloud (AWS, Azure, etc) with web interface. I prefer a external controller than a package as part or RouterOS (or make a dedicated small / cost effective appliance).
- It should be lightweight! and simple to install and configure.
- it should have a companion mobile App (iOS and Android)
- KISS Method (Keep it Super Simple) with an easy to use interface (and eye catching as well)

What should be the minimum capabilities that I am looking to have in this controller:

- Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP!). That means I ship an unconfigured Mikrotik device and the device should find the controller (on-premise or on cloud) so we can take control to push the configuration (or access via jump service (?) to the device so we can load the desired configuration via SSH / APIs or even Winbox).

- Monitoring & Analytics, to collect data on all the metrics of the controlled devices! like Bandwidth utilization, top talkers, applications, etc. (Netflow built-in?). This could be a replacement of the Dude also aside of other features.

- Automated configuration backup & restore.

- Move the CAPsMAN function of the Mikrotik device(s) and centrally managed by the controller

- Central Configuration management to push all the low level configurations massively to all or some devices. That means that the interface of the controller provides options to define "policies" as an abstraction layer that will be translated to low level configuration management commands that will be pushed to each of the target devices (via SSH, APIs, etc.). Not sure if you guys plans to use Ansible underneath or a new in-house protocol / automation solution here.


If Mikrotik does this right it with the features above (to start) will be a home run!!!. Fortinet has a similar model to deploy a central controller or alternatively keep local control of the devices like RouterOS does today without a dependence of a central controller.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 8:38 pm

I am talking about the concept, there is a controller that should be able to push configuration, and there are devices that should be able to use that configuration. We are talking about what the controller features that it should be able to do in terms of communication: controller <-> controlled_device

Please make the controller expandable.

Besides the ordinary stuff that's normally included in regular configuration management this might be the beginning of a smart SDN management controller. In addition, if there is an API for user developed add-ons, there might be endless of possibilities to expand the controller with new functionality like for example network service templates for various SDN targets, backup/restore solutions, configuration templates for MT devices, etc.

And once again, please don't develop everything from scratch but use OSS or license a solution from a third party. IMHO, MT is like most network tech companies to small and does often lack the skill set to develop something on the application level thus if doing it completely from scratch it will most likely end in disaster ie DOA.
Last edited by Larsa on Mon May 30, 2022 11:09 pm, edited 3 times in total.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 8:44 pm

My number one suggestion and highest priority is to build in strong security from the start, not as an afterthought. MikroTik could show the rest of the network equipment industry how to establish best practices for securely maintaining network devices, and that should be the goal!

Some suggested approaches:
  • Incorporate a robust management facility for establishing and maintaining administrator and user accounts. Ideally, this should also support "machine" accounts that could be used for automated status queries and management of devices. The controller itself should use a "machine" account for its purposes, and this account must be customizable by the customers. Integration with enterprise systems like Microsoft's Active Directory would likely be desirable for some customers.
  • Build in a Certificate Authority (CA) for issuing certs to network devices. The new controller should incorporate hardware protection for private keys (especially CA's own private keys), along with the ability to securely clone the CA's private keys to a backup controller using multi-party controls. Network devices should be able to request renewal of certs from the CA using automated methods. There should also be automated tools for installing certs in network devices. Certificate revocation must be supported using a dynamic protocol like OCSP with ability to push out revocations immediately (e.g., via CRL update). An optional approach could be to support integration with a third-party Certificate Issuing/Management system, but these days the tools to implement the subset of services required for network devices are readily available from multiple Open Source projects, including OpenSSL itself.
  • Use CA in new controller to also issue client-side certs for network administrators. Client side certs would be used with mutual authentication to handle logins to Winbox and other device-specific services, including an option for providing SSH keys via certs. Automated client cert renewal should be supported, and it must be possible to revoke client certs with immediate pushing of revocation notices to devices along with dynamic cert checking. (Aside: WinBox might directly support requesting administrator certs from new controller's CA.)
  • CA should also issue user certs for Wireless access, PPP/VPN remote access, HotSpot services, etc. This implies that there should be specialized access to the controller from users to handle cert requests or update their account details, such as email addresses, phone numbers, workstation details, mobile device details, etc. In an enterprise environment, it might be possible to pull this sort of information from a central service.
  • Fully support the latest cryptographic algorithms and measures, including the widely accepted elliptic curve algorithms (e.g., ED25519). Provide policy controls to limit/restrict use of cryptographic suites in the network devices from a network-wide perspective.
  • Provide a complete implementation of a robust RADIUS service for legacy devices and services. For extra credit, support RADIUS integration with Microsoft AD NPS/RADIUS facilities.
  • Implement an SSH key management system that would support pushing administrators' SSH public keys to network devices and rolling keys as appropriate. Immediate removal or disabling of SSH public keys for administrator login is also necessary. One possibility would be to use SSH and SSH key management to handle securely pushing updates to devices, along with invoking of scripts and automated retrieval of device information, including device configurations.
  • Provide an encrypted storage system for maintaining sensitive information at rest, especially for device configurations and any other sensitive information.
  • Build in a software repository for redistributing RouterOS (and possibly other software/firmware packages) to network devices in a controlled manner without requiring that individual network devices have access to the Internet. This could be an adjunct to the requests from others on this Post for RouterOS bulk updates. Ideally, this system should support two or more storage partitions on devices that support this option to make it easier and safer to rollback an update. For devices that are not equipped (or configured) with multiple partitions, a rollback facility would still be a valuable capability.
  • Implement support for redundant device deployments, including for the new controllers. For example, support measures to independently update RouterOS in each member of a redundant device pair thereby allowing the other member to maintain services during the upgrade. This capability could also allow staging of firmware in redundant systems to confirm stability before completely updating all devices. Similar capabilities would also be necessary for redundant controllers. Resilience is an often-overlooked essential security requirement.
  • Support RANCID or an equivalent service for maintaining network device configurations in a source control system (e.g., Git). This could be an add-on package for users dealing with larger networks or complex support requirements. (Aside, my own experience using RANCID with a complex network involving devices from multiple vendors illustrated that this is an invaluable tool for not only tracking configuration changes, but also monitoring changes made by multiple administrators, which in turn provides further security controls with the added ability to recover from unapproved or ill-conceived changes.)
  • Support management of security credentials for SNMPv3, including the ability to update credentials periodically in a controlled and automated manner. Provide methods for pushing SNMPv3 credentials to network management systems (e.g., via secure upload of an exported dictionary of credentials).
  • Provide tools for automated responses to DDoS attacks using parameter-driven approaches for invoking mitigation measures.
  • Implement a comprehensive system logging facility. This could be optimized for MikroTik devices to leverage enhanced features. The system logging should support TCP logging, as well as optional support for logging via encrypted links (SSH, IPsec or other VPN). It should be feasible for customers to implement redundant syslog servers for resilience as well as protecting logs from being modified by attackers. The logging system should be capable of relaying log records to more advanced enterprise-oriented logging systems (e.g., Elastic Search).
  • Since DNS is one of the most essential services and also one of the most sensitive from a security perspective, centralized management of DNS services in network devices would be a valuable service. This could include the ability to maintain static DNS caches across some or all network devices to improve availability of essential DNS resolution during periods of degraded operations, such as network outages or partitioning.
  • Provide robust NTP services, ideally supporting authenticated access. The new controller would ideally provide an option for GPS time sync so that it could operate as a Tier 1 NTP server. This would also be an underlying security facility for supporting certificate management and use of time-based authentication services.

Yes, this is a lot. However, everything listed above is readily available and supported in the Open Source realm. What is important is to build these capabilities into the product plan, and build other controller features and capabilities on top of a secure base. Not everything needs to be in version 1, but everything (and more) needs to be in the product plan and resulting design. Security is just too important an issue these days to not be the primary objective for anything that purports to control network devices and maintain a network system.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 8:45 pm

Please do not make the mistake as hUi company to have centralised control and "stupid" devices !!!
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 8:59 pm

What is a "hUi" company and what do you mean by "stupid" devices? All devices sold by MT include RoS or SwOS thus they are "smart" right?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 9:06 pm

My number one suggestion and highest priority is to build in strong security from the start, not as an afterthought. MikroTik could show the rest of the network equipment industry how to establish best practices for securely maintaining network devices, and that should be the goal!
[...]
Yes, this is a lot. Not everything needs to be in version 1, but everything (and more) needs to be in the product plan and resulting design. Security is just too important an issue these days to not be the primary objective for anything that purports to control network devices and maintain a network system.
So basically "Make Certificates Great Again", which go a long way as base for AAA in this concept. Now that includes dealing certificates better in RouterOS export/backup as a first step (see @rextended comments above re this topic)...
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 9:08 pm

- As a VM appliance
- Web based. Not phone apps and such non-sense.
- Manage software updates, pushing out updates in a controlled manner
- Configuration templates, backup and change-logs
- "Global rules" such as firewall, access-lists and so on
- REST-API for integrations with other systems
- Network maps, with and without Google/OpenStreetmap etc.
- Graphs of interfaces and so on
- Devices overview with status page, total inventory
- Configure alarms of things (BGP peers, OSPF adjacency)
- Configureable scripted "Actions", like "setup tunnel", "add subnet to interface", "reboot" and so on, tied to configuration templates.
Last edited by mada3k on Wed Jun 01, 2022 6:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 9:29 pm

What is a "hUi" company and what do you mean by "stupid" devices? All devices sold by MT include RoS or SwOS thus they are "smart" right?
ui.com, "stupid" - device without config and havey really on central control manager
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 9:42 pm

Got it! Well, as long as MT continues to produce devices using RoS or SwOS I don't think we'll end up there.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 9:52 pm

I still love the fact that CAPsMAN can run on an any existing equipment - no extra controller hardware required. It can run on a router, or you can run it on one of your two or three APs.
If possible, please keep that functionality, hopefully with the new wifi drivers.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 9:52 pm

I would urge you to follow standards instead of creating your own proprietary protocols/APIs/formats wherever possible, or to at least allow some minimal compatibility with a standard. If that is not possible or desirable, then my biggest request would be to document your protocols/APIs so that we can write our own tools/scripts/whatever for situations where your app does not meet some particular need.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 10:48 pm

my only hope is that MT will hire some new developer for this .. APP ? whatever, and leave alone existing DEVs to finish v7 this year so we could start 2023 with stable v7
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon May 30, 2022 11:00 pm

This is great idea and I am pleased by it.
Thx Mikrotik.

btw. viewtopic.php?p=907977#p907977
😁
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 12:01 am

I like the idea, but I use Ansible for such stuff already.

And a note to MT:
Why no solving unfinished things, like Queueing >4,3GBit is still not possible (beacuase thats a limit for 32Bit). Why is PIM-Routing still broken up to this day in your "stable" V7? Why is the ROSv7 documentation aka "help" in wide parts non existing...

Please solve your open topics, before you bind development capacities for a new app.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 12:32 am

I know there will be a ton of wants from everyone, but if I feel with basic firewall, vpn, vlan configuration on switches, intervlan filter rules, and good wireless configuration with hotspot and easy 1x auth, you got like 90% of the market needs. How cool would it be to be able to just install a package on a supported device to manage it, throw in a flash drive for logging.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 10:04 am

Like stated above, there is no talk about a smartphone app or web app. The question is about concept of how a mass configuration protocol should operate.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 10:47 am

Then maybe it would be a good idea to not mention the word app in the first sentence in the opening post.
It should not be too difficult to design a protocol in-house and without input from us. You know best how the configuration objects work in RouterOS
and how it could be possible to have a router connected to some remote server that adjusts its configuration (much like winbox in reverse).
I think the protocol should operate at a low level and be independent of what you actually want to configure. That would be the next layer, where
there are some capabilities for templates, groups, mass deployment, etc. But that would not affect the low-level protocol that actually sends the config.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 10:53 am

Like stated above, there is no talk about a smartphone app or web app. The question is about concept of how a mass configuration protocol should operate.

Looks like someone needs to practice their communication skills and talk to each other internally before starting advertise things. Here we go agan:

- is it a network communication protocol, hight level application protocol, an intelligent controller, all together or none?
- is the intention a pure configuration manager or something broader?
- what's the overall objective and main purpose?
- what's the target group/target audience?

If you're unable to answer these questions, it's probably a good idea to sit down and specify a project plan with a clear motive and objectives that you may use to communicate with others.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 11:37 am

before starting advertise things
huh?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 12:07 pm

My ideas about a controller would be something like this, I would start using it right away!

- Controller server would be a separate package installed on a router
- Controller client would be part of standard routeros package

On the server I would want to create profiles, like 'accesspoint', 'client router wired', 'client router wireless' etc
each profile has a config script that would configure the entire device. In the profile you can also state on which map in dude the device should be added. Also the required RouterOS version. Maybe even some more usefull things that come up later while developing.

On the server I create provision rules, much like in capsman, based on the serial number and/or source IP and/or model of the devices.
Like, serial xyz uses profile abc.
Or * uses default profile.
Or 'hAP ac' from network 10.12.2.0/24 uses profile Locationx-clientrouter.

The server listens to mac broadcasts, and/or a TCP port. The IP address is published on the dhcpserver in an option. This way, the devices can either find the controller via mac protocol, or find it via IP address they get in the dhcp option. This would make it possible to use one central controller, published by all the dhcp servers on the entire network.

On a device, I would want to enter 'managed mode' in a way like entering 'capsman mode'. With the reset button.
In managed mode, a device uses mac protocol to find the controller, but also activates a dhcp-client on ether1 (or maybe each interface gets dhcpclient? bridge would be unwise because it can create loops) to see if there is a controller dhcp option.
The device connects to either the controller found via mac protocol, or preferred, via the IP address.

Server provisions the device according to the rules and sends a config file to the device, which is executed.
Optional, first there could be a version check and upgrade of software and firmware. Maybe even a list of files/directory structure that have to be pushed to the device.

Some useful functionality would be:

- push and execute a script file to multiple devices
- centralized backup
- remote shutdown
- connect winbox to the controller to get a list of devices (like romon)
- compare configs of devices to see differences
- auto add devices to dude

And please:

- make dude more scriptable from terminal
- include capsman into wireless snmp stats

- a webinterface would be nice, but I prefer using winbox
- there should at least be a list of provisioned devices with their details

I hope this is useful info for you.
Looking forward to the controller :)

Oh BTW, I would be really really really happy with an iOS APP that would include all winbox functionality!!! Multi window etc, just like winbox.
And while at it, make it universal so it runs on macos too :)
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 1:00 pm

At the moment we do not want to stick to a specific implementation or standard, but build our own that will help to manage, develop and deploy different scale networks running MikroTik devices.
Maybe it would be wiser to drop a bit of vanity and instead of inventing everything from the scratch base this new tool on some established standard such as RESTCONF for example which should not only cut developing time and effort but allow for MikroTik devices management to be easier integrated into an existing enterprise management systems ...
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 1:59 pm

- Controller server would be a separate package installed on a router
- Controller client would be part of standard routeros package.

On a device, I would want to enter 'managed mode' in a way like entering 'capsman mode'. With the reset button.
Can't quote your whole thing, but exactly how I want it to work. I always thought capsman could be extended to support switching and other features. Just mark profiles for a supported feature levels and ignore the rest. Capsman works just fine ( from my experience ) and seems to have all the framing needed to start quickly with this new controller concept. Could even call it MADman Mikrotok Access Device manager.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 2:04 pm

maybe the best idea will be to MT bring up own cloud for Controller APP and devices simply connect to personal account ?
this way, updates on Controller program could be in "in place", no more downloading new app, stopping,starting web,container,syncing versions on all computers, etc ...
similar to cloud backup
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 2:41 pm

please no cloud stuff, no fancy phone app.
create this as a package that can be run in High-Availiability on MT routers.
integrate some capsman, userman and dude stuff.
central configuration and pushing to devices
central upgrade management
central backup management
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 2:51 pm

create this as a package that can be run in High-Availiability on MT routers.
you want another brick ?
my MT vX.xx work with Contr vY.yy, but not with vZ.zz
and yeah, my other MT will crash with this NPK, but if i first downgrade, then skip 2 version, then go one down, then it will work
and no, only on ARM works as expected, MIPS ... sorry
or ... you could continue this "OH NOOOO" chain forever :)
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 3:03 pm

1- firmware update.
2- configuration backup and compare.
3- Wireguard VPN generator for client side (a file that can be import to fireguard software).
4- site to site ipse vpn
5- network and wifi settings to any mikrotik in the same site
6- firewall rules and NAT
7- IPS IDS
8- sd-wan
9- geo IP location for block and allow list.
10- WAN performance check: speeds, ping, jitter.
11- Web based
12- Division of the devices per customer
x Client Y has x devices
13- Visualization per Customer (like you can do in Dude)
14- Automatically create VPN connections (all possible types) by dragging the connection from the starting device to the remote device with needed setup parameters and created routes.
15- New devices - Automatically connect to the Remote Management Device Controller via secure Tunnel (ex. IPSec), by drag & drop or by pushing a butting 'Connect to Central Management'.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 3:11 pm

create this as a package that can be run in High-Availiability on MT routers.
only on ARM works as expected
I do feel anything new needs to be only ARM. Heck MIPS only designs ARM cores now.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 4:20 pm

huh?

Haha, bless you for at least reading the post even although the level of the comment is not what I expected. :-D However, I'm pretty sure that deep down you know what I mean thus feel free to answer the actual questions.

Anyhow, as you probably have noticed by now there are plenty of comments regarding the vagueness of the requirements and consequently a wide range of suggestions regarding how and on what platform this should be implemented on, all the way from a cloud platform, on premise to a regular MT-device. My suggestion is that someone at least try to narrow it down a bit by establishing some basic parameters for the runtime environment.

Or maybe you're just out fishing because you have no clue at all yourselves... ;-)
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 5:00 pm

huh?

Or maybe you're just out fishing because you have no clue at all yourselves... ;-)
Hard to know, but they have a pretty list now, from "Layer 0" (fix bugs first) to "Layer 8" (maybe start with requirements).
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 5:01 pm

Yes we are obviously fishing, did you not read the first post? Nothing has been made, we are asking for ideas how such a system should work in all of your opinion
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 5:21 pm

I think issue today is the export/import isn't symmetrical, backup/restore is monolithic+binary, . What's missing is idempotent configuration file. And that's the first step to being able to monitor/apply a configuration in "controller software".
+1
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 5:22 pm

The central configuration system should send configuration to devices and should be able to retreive current/running configuration from devices.
The meaning of the word "should" is described in RFCs :) :)
Please, no Ubiquity style where configuration is stored in a local database and you are bounded to particular computer to reconfigure your network.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 5:24 pm

I think issue today is the export/import isn't symmetrical, backup/restore is monolithic+binary, . What's missing is idempotent configuration file. And that's the first step to being able to monitor/apply a configuration in "controller software".
+1
RouterOS does not store configuration in one plain text configuration file.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 5:26 pm

For start, start just with:
Daily backup on text format, not binary on any point, and full configuration, included ssh keys, certificates, user-manager and dude database.
Some instruments to compare backup among various days for see the changes.
Some instrument for push configuration (like change NTP servers on all devices, or only on a group of devices, or only to selected devices.
Possibility to select/search devices by Group / Hardware / Branding/Platform, ROS version, BIOS/RouterBOOT version, installed packages.
Possibility to send .npk / .dpk / single file and select on what folder put it remotely based on internal memory type "root" or "root/flash".
+1
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 5:55 pm

RouterOS does not store configuration in one plain text configuration file.
Yeah, fix that first. /export has to be a complete text dump of the configuration.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 6:12 pm

Export already is the complete text dump of the configuration but that text dump is not the way the config is stored. You cannot upload that text file to the router and expect it to replace the configuration on the router.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 6:18 pm

Yes we are obviously fishing, did you not read the first post? Nothing has been made, we are asking for ideas how such a system should work in all of your opinion
Fishing is fun right!

Y'all have amazing api's, is there a need for a new protocol?

Please don't force cloud hosted. I feel Mikrotik is one of the last vendors I can use to host everything locally.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 6:21 pm

RouterOS does not store configuration in one plain text configuration file.
But it stores configuration in binary structure that can be backed up/recovered. So provide the tools to convert this binary into text configuration and back.
it's like registry on windows, where currently there is no way to export/import it from/to .reg file.
it would be perfectly fine if some parts were exported as binary blobs (hex dump, etc.), but doing export/import should result in 100% identical router configuration/settings.
It's perfectly fine to store settings in binary structure in ROS, it makes sense and it's more efficient than text config files... but please provide tools to losslessly convert it to readable form and back. This would be a good start...
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 6:51 pm

Very exciting! This has been a bit of a missing component for Mikrotik's products and it could really help make our deployments easier to use.

Some things I would like to see:
-It should definitely have a mode where the router reaches out to the controller, like how cnMaestro and UISP work. It allows devices behind NAT to be monitored and maintained without punching holes in a firewall.

-Use the controller as a RADIUS server so device logins can be authenticated against it

-Push out software updates

-Push out config changes, using some kind of templating to make config changes repeatable. cnMaestro has this.
Example: You would have a "Change PPPoE client credentials" script that would look something like "/int pppoe-client set user={{USERNAME}} password={{PASSWORD}} numbers=0" and the user interface would allow you to pick that "change PPPoE client credentials" script and then prompt for the USERNAME and PASSWORD variables.

-Graph / monitor device stats. Preferably with different selectable modes/views tailored to the role of the device. For a home router, you might want latency between the controller and device, port bandwidth usage, number of connected WiFi devices, average signal strength of WiFi devices and uptime. For a tower site router, you would want a different view that shows things like temperature, input voltage, number of connected VPN/PPPoE tunnels, DHCP lease count, number of OSPF neighbors, ect that might not be useful to see on a home router.

-Alerting based on device stats. Simple high/low or reachability alerts would be great, like alerting when voltage or connection counts drop below a certain level or a device is unreachable. These could be setup in such a way that alerts could be logged, listed in an "active alarms" type list on a dashboard, or configured to send email / HTTP POST messages.

-Centralized logging

-Ability to group devices to separately apply updates, config changes or monitoring/alert settings. Have the ability to restrict visibility to certain groups of devices based on the user logged into the controller (Example: CSRs can see home routers, but not infrastructure devices)

-REST API access would be very helpful for integration.

-If it's a web-based tool, I would appreciate a way of pointing directly to a device by URL using the MAC address or serial number (Example, serial number: "https://mikrotikcontroller.yourisp.com/ ... 34567890AB"). This would make it easier for CRMs and billing platforms to link directly to a device in the controller from an inventory screen without having to involve background API calls.

-Self hostable. It would be nice if this could run on RouterOS, but a Linux software package or VM appliance would also be fine. If it has to run on an actual server, it would be nice to have a "proxy" or "remote sensor" for RouterOS that could be used for pings or device access from within that segment of the network.

-Make it very easy to onboard new devices to this controller. Right now it's a pretty tedious process to prepare new home routers with our custom config. If we could have fresh Mikrotik routers take DHCP specific DHCP options out of the box, or a config from a USB stick, that would make things go pretty smoothly. The "best case scenario" that I can think of would be having a Mikrotik PoE switch running a special DHCP server config, I unbox a bunch of hap ac2 routers, connect he PoE IN/ether1 port to the switch, they somehow show up in the controller, and get our "default" config without any intervention, or at least a few clicks to onboard the entire batch of routers.
Last edited by metricmoose on Tue May 31, 2022 6:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 6:59 pm

Like stated above, there is no talk about a smartphone app or web app. The question is about concept of how a mass configuration protocol should operate.
If you're looking to be more radical, have you looked at ZeroTier's LF protocol (which is separate from ZT itself)?

The GitHub project describe it as "LF (pronounced "aleph") is a fully decentralized fully replicated key/value store" and licensed under MPL:
https://github.com/zerotier/lf

A controlled device could query the key/value store to find it's configuration by some tags specific for the device, with the controller maintaining the device/configuration in the distributed store.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 7:03 pm

we are asking for ideas how such a system should work in all of your opinion
Well, the first message is rather "vague". What is a controller app ? Is it a mobile application ? A thin client ? A thick client ? Public Cloud ? Private Cloud ? Local network ? Give us more information of what you're aiming at. The best would be to first define your own list of ideas, submit them to the community / to your list of registered clients as a survey and ask people to vote for features, then let them add more ideas or check a checkbox "you're on a wrong path".

Now if you want the "wishlist to Santa Claus" answer from "requirement engineers working for free" : Same as latest TP-Link's Omada SDN Controller but with the following additional features:

  • with a staging feature (i.e. ability to configure / provision on a test (flat) network a bunch of new devices, push the configuration onto the devices, export the controller configuration, import the configuration on the production controller and deploy the devices in production and "voila" it works seemingly without having to deal with network complexity for provisionning)
  • ability to one-click turn on/off SSIDs
  • ability to filter graphs/data to have a focussed view of network usage by a specific network client device (to answer questions such as "which device was eating the bandwidth at 3am ?")
  • with 2fa fido auth support
  • open source
  • using up-to date libraries (nobody wants to have to dig for 4 years old libraries to be installed)
  • using only non proprietary libraries libraries (nobody wants to have to download N additional proprietary libraries from N sites to install a single tool)
  • with an API / plugin framework to enable the build of "connectors" to allow control of devices other than Mikrotik ones
  • with a more complete map/WiFi simulation i.e. with more wall, room, furniture, doors, standard material types
  • with "AP placement recommendations" based on facilities maps and areas where signal should be strong
  • with the ability to display "custom" sensors placement and measured values on the maps, etc
  • and on the devices to be discovered side: do not spam the network every 10s with "hello" announcements (who adds network devices every 10s ? who can't wait for 5 min to discover a newly added device ? why the hell an already discovered device continues to yell "hello" every 10s after having been registered ?)

Oh and please make sure that your tool is:

  • fully tested
  • using a standard release cycle (i.e. LTS == experience shows that it works and we commit to making sure it will still work in the future, but we won't backport new features, only security/bugfixes != "it should work", "crossing fingers", "sounds cool")
  • respecting opensource licenses of used libraries (for instance having to share and licence your own code under GPL if you use GPL code, listing all open source libraries i.e. with no exception, making the code available to all third party while "[not being] allowed to charge more money than the cost of copying the media and shipping it" ;-p )
  • using an accessible bug tracker

That being said, please first focus on existing issues and make sure that RouterOS7 provides PIM-SM, that hAP AC2 is able to use all cores, etc...

Thank you ! ;-)
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 7:04 pm

Export already is the complete text dump of the configuration ...
I beg to differ, I still didn't have any luck finding e.g. users or certificates in mine. So it's not exactly what I'd call complete.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 7:40 pm

There are services out there that do parts of what is requests. We have https://cloud.linktechs.net that does this for many customers. Just a FYI.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 8:47 pm

Yes we are obviously fishing, did you not read the first post? Nothing has been made, we are asking for ideas how such a system should work in all of your opinion

Since you mentioned that fishing was the main purpose of this thread then it might be easier to just ask what people need in general instead of focusing on side issues like "an app", "a protocol", "a configuration protocol" "a controller", which are just implementations details. As you probably have noticed most suggestions covers all parts of FCAPS ie montering, configuration, performance, provisioning, accounting and fault management, thus limiting the discussion to just configuration seems a bit odd in this case since the intention of the thread was just about "fishing" for a general feeling of what's needed.

Hopefully MT is to conducting a somewhat broader market research by other means than just asking the forum.

When it comes to standard management protocols there are plenty of them like for example CMIS/CMIP, TL1, SNMP, etc. ITIL for Network Service Delivery is a good entrance for getting a grip of best practice and also get some insight how things works in regards of FCAPS. .

And just a friendly reminder, doing everything from scratch as well as adopting the doctrine "not invented here" when it comes to for example protocols and tech-stacks, is an excellent way to deliver a solution DOA.
Last edited by Larsa on Tue May 31, 2022 9:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 8:49 pm

Export already is the complete text dump of the configuration but that text dump is not the way the config is stored. You cannot upload that text file to the router and expect it to replace the configuration on the router.
Yeah, fix that too!
I have discussed it many times. RouterOS needs a way to migrate config from one device to the next. As restore of a backup is not possible in this case, it has to be done via export/import. But import is far too finicky to use it for this purpose.
There should be some mechanism to tell a router to forget its current config and import a new config that is from a different but feature wise similar router.
E.g. from a 2011 to a 3011 or 4011.
When the new router encounters config that it cannot apply, e.g. for LED or LCD, it should just ignore it.
Also the longstanding bug with "reset defaults and run script at startup" (introduced somewhere in 6.3x) where the script starts before the initialization of the router is finished and thus interface configuration commands result in error and termination of the import should finally be fixed.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 9:11 pm

As @pe1chl and @sindy pointed out, the whole backup/restore/export/import thingy needs to be sorted out and would probably need some adjustments in ros as well since I believe it's not enough with just a "smart controller" for this purpose.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 9:20 pm

Whatever you are doing, hope it'll work on linux (not like wine+winbox)
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 9:31 pm

Whatever you are doing, hope it'll work on linux (not like wine+winbox)

If they are smart they implement the solution as a "container appliance" that's able to run as a cloud service, on premise or perhaps even on MT devices like RB5009 or CCR2004 if they meet the requirements for RAM and storage.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 9:44 pm

Whatever you are doing, hope it'll work on linux (not like wine+winbox)

If they are smart they implement the solution as a "container appliance" that's able to run as a cloud service, on premise or perhaps even on MT devices like RB5009 or CCR2004 if they meet the requirements for RAM and storage.
I whole heartly agree. This is a 100% perfect use case for OCI containers on ROS.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue May 31, 2022 11:49 pm

Great idea!
I'm suggesting to create some high level configuration that generates a rsc script, that will be downloaded to RB in provisioning process. As user I would like to add some lines ro generated code...
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Jun 01, 2022 5:45 am

Its a great idea.

I manage approximately 97 mikrotik devices from my desk. Of which I have about 12 different models of MT hardware incl a couple of VM's
Dude only gets me so far with f/w updates with the hardware side.
Ideally I want a platform that :
1. Keeps an eye on configs across all devices and alerts me to manual changes of configs
2. Back's up / Restores configs to a local dB and or local drive->nas etc( can get to config file if things go bad! ).
3. Capsman on the controller ???
4. Some basic dude ( is it up/down ).
5. Push/Pull out common configs( e.g set time/date, SNMP, log etc ) to ALL devices, so we can ensure those items are the same, and a COMPARISON option to visualize( table of config info ?)

There are plenty of good suggestions in this list already,
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Jun 01, 2022 9:33 am

Pls keep the winbox or similar thing which I think it is a very convenient tool for configuring the device, especially for general user which usually have only a single device for home router purpose. Although I am also using UBNT AP and running a controller for that.....
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Jun 01, 2022 10:16 am

Selective configuration sync between two or more "clustered" devices (firewall/mangle etc)
Some kind of HA...

Container support!

Smart firewall address list support (geoip, Adblock, bad IPs)
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Jun 01, 2022 11:17 am

Fantastic idea!!
  • Centralized FW upgrade and version control. To be able to see what version the devices are running and update them in 1 click.
  • Web based
  • Better visuals
  • Metrics and nice graphics
  • Client topology and client information (good for home networks, to identify devices)
  • VPN wizard and Wireguard client config generator
  • Cloud backup and restore (similar to how is it now)
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Jun 01, 2022 2:47 pm

Set Distribution Profiles per feature, like we now can replace a one file and give differ GUI in WebFig.

"LTE Global Profile " who will set on all my devices my genal settings like the same packages. ntp, dhcp server, etc....
"LTE APN ATT, EM160-G" can deploy my .rsc dedicated to that modem with bunch of dedicated scripts only to that modem. Set APN to that ISP, Set other stuff.

For me that Deploy Tool should replace a name.auto.rsc over ftp.
The Dude is NMS but it not have a way to Deploy configuration and this can be added now.

I use TheDude server, old version installed at Windows with own extrnal scripts who send over ftp my file to second IP in Dude who is internal VPN IP... but I cannot select many Devices and do that as one queue.

Just add a discribution of auto.rsc over The Dude and it will be perfect. In my case of course.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Jun 01, 2022 5:26 pm

Not over complicated stuff..
For a 1st version it will be great "caps man" for every device...
Also I think this to work perfectly I will start making the ip cloud not just a simple ddns but also a reverse proxy kind of...
So we can reach out the device even when device is behind "cgnat"
And use this address as a provisioning way
Similar to caps man provision but instead of using radio mac address use the serial of the device.

And a 2nd stage I really think you can use the dude a all in 1 solution..
Monitor and manager all mk devices from a single point...
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Jun 01, 2022 5:48 pm

Not over complicated stuff..
I beg to differ. In my opinion, it depends entirely on the use case. As you’ve probably noticed, there are many different views on what's right or not.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Jun 01, 2022 6:10 pm

Could it be an extension of the mobile app?

TP-Link offer TP-Link Tether, which connects into various devices using api username and password.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Jun 01, 2022 8:17 pm

Set Distribution Profiles per feature, like we now can replace a one file and give differ GUI in WebFig.

[…]
I use TheDude server

[…]

Just add a discribution of auto.rsc over The Dude and it will be perfect. In my case of course.
100% agree here. On practical level, this what a “controller” do that be exactly what I’m looking for my actual use cases.

Quickset already has “profile” - they just are so finicky and unflexiable. But that’s fixable.

And if there was Dude2, perhaps addingcentral conntrack (like V7 sync tracking VRRP) and capsman-like tunnels that used WG automatically.

Taking “CAPsMAN but for all Interface” as concept. If you could use it to apply SiB’s distribution profile - which in my mind a combo of a quickset profile to use but that take device info from Dude DB instead of end-user doing it.

If quickset actually work well (which under MT control to fix…), it solve the webfig GUI. Since the configuration for quickset be controlled by a Dude server in this example, the dude need be found from discovery via MDP/CDP/RoMON/DHCP a la capsman but again for an interface. Now IMO discovery work via mDNS locally, falling back to SRV records in global DNS.

Obviously the option to apply an entire configure (beyond just quickset) in the “distribution profile” should be included. As would customize the quickset profiles via branding kit for OEMs be a nice-to-have in this concept.

Anyway more fodder for y’all.

Edit:
With security via certificates (eg config pushes are signed similar to MDM configure on smartphones)
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Jun 01, 2022 9:43 pm

Features:
1. Centralized Monitoring of Routers (Like Tempertaure, Interface Down Alarms, CPU/Memory Usages and Fan Status)
2. Provision to monitor the SFP TX and RX in a central console
3. Option to save System Logs from Routers to a Central server for troubleshooting Purpose
4. Opiton to Backup both configuration and bkp file from a central point.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Jun 01, 2022 11:30 pm

Exciting news !
- web based, so the controller can be accessed from nearly any device or platform and eventually phase out winbox. ideally the controller should not be based on java but static binaries deployment or open source ?
- better graphing and analytics, time to move away from mrtg. rrdtool is good, what about grafana ?
- integrated "tailscale-like" controller to easily set up wireguard links between managed endpoints and automatically handle endpoint ports, NAT hole punching etc. "one click wireguard vpn" could be a great marketing tool
- devices overview with status page, device model image, and a satellite map overview to plot wireless links and do line-of-site calculations similar to ubnt's UISP
I'll update my list if I can think of anything else :D
I'd not like to see Winbox go - its Layer2 discovery and control capabilities are invaluable
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 02, 2022 1:18 am

Please feel free to look at Mikloud which is UK based we supply hardware also with a free cloud controller for all Mikrotik devices
we are happy to give demos and will answer any questions you may have
www.mikloud.co.uk - 00441507862718 chris.kent@tutelanetworks.co.uk
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 02, 2022 12:24 pm

If MT ever make this Controller , maybe the best route will be a (hated) cloud

why ?
there is still many device with low amount of flash/ram
so MT mantra that every device must run every version of ROS is breaking this way
then, messing with NPK versions
then, exporting hidden database from device, backing up, etc

from my point of view, at start, there is a strong reasons why Cloud
embedded linux DEVs could concentrate on "ring 0" aka low level driver on MT device
and "fancy" java/css/php programmers could develop CloudController as they want

only setting on low level driver need to be:
1. use Controller on/off
2. Controller Address default/custom

this way door for self hosted docker controller containers will be opened from start
but at first run, MT could focus on their own programming, and not the zillion of user who tried container under zillion of condition on zillion OS with dozen of CPU arch/MT hardware

after few year, when remote controller protocol stabilize, and become safe, MT could publish containers, and from this point, every one could start using them on closed network

but until then, dealing with MT hardware, dealing with protocol, dealing with docker images, and putting pressure on ticketing/help center ... no way it could work

after all, PRO users who need closed network will delaying this controller anyway so it is safe to assume that home/small office user will start to use this technology. And they are all connected to internet anyway so ...
if we NEED to use this, and as i see, MT will push this thing because other vendors have similar Controller, less problematic will be in MT controlled Cloud for start
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 02, 2022 12:58 pm

It depends how they are going to implement the controller.

They can go the Unifi way and create a standalone platform-independent controller application. The regular user would just install the controller on any non-mikrotik device. But "powerful" ARM mikrotik devices could run the controller inside a docker container on any network-device too. Max. flexibility.

They would limit themselves too much, when developing a controller NPK package for ROS. Hardly any now existing ROS-hardware-device would have enough free disk space nor enough RAM.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 02, 2022 1:30 pm

I think, the dude is good enough software and mikrotik just needs to expand its functionality,because maps of the dude and visuality is unique. Plus functionality by scripts and user needs its very important. You folks just make it more flexible plus more already integrated functions like mass password change, configuration download ( for now I made script in services, but it has some limits) and more and more. I dont think, that another system will make something better, when you have this, just make it workable on linux, not just ROS.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 02, 2022 2:07 pm

I think, the dude is good enough software and mikrotik just needs to expand its functionality,because maps of the dude and visuality is unique.
It would be a nice option to have a controller that is connected by the router, instead of the other way around. That enables management of routers that are behind NAT.
Of course one implementation could be to have some kind of VPN setup by the router (L2TP/IPsec, SSTP, etc) which then is used for the controller to connect to the router in the existing way (API, winbox).
A problem with Dude is that it is so much work (on a larger network) to detect, configure and map everything.
That should not be a mandatory activity. Lots of users are well served with only "table" presentations of the data and no fancy map.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 02, 2022 2:13 pm


It would be a nice option to have a controller that is connected by the router, instead of the other way around. That enables management of routers that are behind NAT.
Of course one implementation could be to have some kind of VPN setup by the router (L2TP/IPsec, SSTP, etc) which then is used for the controller to connect to the router in the existing way (API, winbox).
A problem with Dude is that it is so much work (on a larger network) to detect, configure and map everything.
That should not be a mandatory activity. Lots of users are well served with only "table" presentations of the data and no fancy map.
to access router behind nat no need to use vpn, just use NAT mikrotik as dude agent, and all other router will be visible in your centrall dude
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 02, 2022 2:59 pm

Ensure your configuration happens on the existing API. Ensure the controller speaks "whatever protocols it can" but always uses API as entry/exit point for config. You can short hand that API on certain lightweight protocols, but please, do not now add another entry point to your device. Fix what you got!

Support multiple protocols on top of that. Support the control plane to use this like automatic gateway detection (but only the control plane). Support an eco system on top of your controller, including self-hosted for higher security.

Allow your global controllers to point devices to custom hosted controllers (if you support out of the box config). Once owned, require release if reset to defaults for global controller to point it again somewhere else. Never allow global controller to reset device owned elsewhere.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Jun 03, 2022 8:08 am

I've written some Lambda functions and other AWS services to connect Mikrotik devices to a Wireguard VPN, assign an IP, collect Netflow and logs at a central location and store them in S3. Nowhere near finished, and I also plan on taking advantage of the REST API to push out configuration changes.
Most of what I've read here sounds good. If the controller can be managed with a REST API, we can tie it in with other systems (eg SDN).
It'd have to be self-hosted or able to host in our own cloud tenant, not SaaS.
Zero Touch Provisioning would be great (especially once my wholesale ISP moves away from PPPoE).
Mikrotik or third-parties could also offer plugin services, eg a cloud based realtime threat analysis, bandwidth monitoring etc.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Jun 03, 2022 3:50 pm

The primary idea was the option to control RouterOS devices. But when it comes to that we will look for a possibility to control the SwOS devices too.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Jun 03, 2022 6:38 pm

mrz write:
The primary idea was the option to control RouterOS devices. But when it comes to that we will look for a possibility to control the SwOS devices too.
Then please add a disctribution feature to mass deploy spript to The Dude and we are happy with that. Come Back us TheDude as server at Windows (add contener or linux) and we will build our "clouds" online distribution platform's.
Even now in TheDude one device have few IP Address field what I use and can targer PublicIPs and InternalIPs by them BUT it's lack of MultiSelect devices, group them etc..
I don't belive that you create a next tool who will do a VLANs on 3 ways depend of detected RB and differ for SwitchOS when you cannot finish a migration from ros6->ros7 on one go.

Be more focus at RouterOS 7, on Wifi 6E, and take a wifi alliance cert and UserManager and more HowTo !. Those are more important stuff then some distribution tool on ros who change CLI/API from version to version.

PS. Thank you MikroTik for new RB LHGGM LTE18 !
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Jun 03, 2022 7:35 pm

Agree with @SiB...

@mrz keeps describing a push-based mikrotik device manager... Yet, it's like Mikrotik wants to forget The Dude even exists. I just can't but think a few "bug fixes" to the dude go a long – pick any of the suggestions here. Since a "new device controller" should "monitor" the controlled_devices, they'd need to re-build basically same things that Dude already does. Even modern IoT things do same as Dude long ago: write time-series data to a sqlite, just with MQTT [which ROS supports now] instead of SNMP. Why throw that away?

What I know is there are at least 837 Mikroitk customers that petitioned the U.S. government:
The Dude is a extremely powerfull application developed by Mikrotik to manage and monitor network devices running SNMP protocol. For years its development is stopped and mikrotik keep it for it self. This petition is at the same time a tribute and a ultimate request for Mikrotik to release the source code and let the opensource community develop the ultimate NMS System for us all.
(from https://www.change.org/p/mikrotik-relea ... ource-code)

I'm not advocating releasing the source – just saying clearly there is demand for a Dude2 & that sounds a lot like "Device Controller [Software]" y'all started with. If the Dude could manage keys/etc for WG, boy that be nifty bonus [and get you secure tunnels to protect "lightly-secured" winbox/api protocol the dude uses today, largely by storing the needed WG info in Dude device DB].
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jun 04, 2022 1:45 am

The NETCONF protocol is designed for this sort of thing. Other router vendors are using it for this exactly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NETCONF

Probably makes sense for MikroTik to do the same instead of developing a new protocol?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jun 04, 2022 7:21 am

whatever they do, client need to be really tiny footprint. 100-200k
if they want to fit in 15.2 MB space and be available on every (client) device
how secure & bullet proof will be client code with such a tiny space ?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jun 04, 2022 10:48 am

Yes, space requirements are probably a concern. That is part of the reason why I suggested to make a "configure anything" protocol that is basically the same as API but in reverse (the router connects to the controller, trust is established between the two, then the controller issues API calls over that connection).
That could likely share most of the code with API and "we" would not have to list beforehand what we want the protocol to be able to do, because it can just do "anything" and it is the application that defines what is possible, not the protocol.
But I have apparently misunderstood the question, as there was no real reaction to that and the discussion continues to wander in many directions.
Maybe MikroTik really did not ask for the protocol. Which would surprise me anyway, as it is them who have the expertise on the internal workings of their closed-source system, how can we suggest what the protocol would look like.

Unless indeed it would be an already standardized protocol like NETCONF or SNMP or some generic protocol like REST.
But in that case, there likely would have to be a "conversion layer" and when it cannot be made completely independent from the actual transactions (i.e. there would be an implied 1:1 translation between protocol verbs and API options), it will likely be very bulky and support only a limited number of settings.
That would make it more like TR-069. We already have that.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jun 04, 2022 10:49 am

Most of the things that MT is missing is that they don't have centralized monitoring, dude is way left behind and they discontinued to upgrade the DUDE which is more helpful to all the users.

For there concept of creating a controller for MT its quite amazing if they can unified all the hardware devices that they have and also to increase some of there hardware specs which still they have low end specs. Now technology is getting huge in the Infra so they need also to do drastic upgrade on there hardware specs on the devices.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jun 04, 2022 2:57 pm

Please, no Ubiquity style where configuration is stored in a local database and you are bounded to particular computer to reconfigure your network.
Oh, yes. The day Mikrotik goes this route would be the day I would need another vendor.

EDIT
Clarification:
Something centralized, to config/monitor all Mikrotik devices, would be great (why not expand the Dude?)
But it MUST be optional - just like it is today.
/EDIT
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Jun 05, 2022 11:16 am

Would be great to have docker version of the new app, which can run on Raspberry Pi 3 and newer.
And also have version which is fully cloud, or other 3rd party independend.
Last edited by DjM on Sun Jun 05, 2022 7:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Jun 05, 2022 12:28 pm


-It should definitely have a mode where the router reaches out to the controller, like how cnMaestro and UISP work. It allows devices behind NAT to be monitored and maintained without punching holes in a firewall.
Yes please, make sure endpoints work from behind CGN.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Jun 05, 2022 12:34 pm

Please do not go this way. I had nasty security accident (for my defense - I discovered in on first day of my job) with Unifi Controller itself. Remote management is always best way to introduce new security holes - unless of course you do that in a secirity oriented paranoic style.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Jun 05, 2022 1:15 pm

You can (unless the manufacturer makes that impossible) always choose to run the controller within your own local network or within a VPN overlay.
Don't know if that is still possible with (all) Unifi devices, they were tending to move towards "cloud only" when I last checked.
But of course MikroTik do not need to make that same mistake. A Unifi controller within a separate management VLAN within a company (possibly linked using VPN) is not that much of a security risk, isn't it?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Jun 05, 2022 3:35 pm

Since Capsman would require a total rewrite to work with WiFi5/6 interfaces and the Dude server basically being obsolete, and Winbox only working on windows, I can see why they are looking at going this route.

I would stick to the ARM (Maybe Risk-V) processor platforms for the external unit controller and also offer routers that have it as well for the smaller business and home users. They may also want to take a look at Nagios Core and NEMS Linux to get some ideals from, or maybe implement instead of reinventing the wheel.

Nagios Core https://www.nagios.org/
NEMS Linux https://nemslinux.com/

For the remote unit, I would allow it to be VPN'd into, have two Ethernet ports (One OOB Management) and two USB ports that can be used for logging with a stick or drive. Also, having the capability of internal storage would be nice. It should control and setup access points, routers/firewalls and switches (POE As well), and give detail maps and log files. It should allow you to upload and push config files and have a better interface for firewall rule generation through the GUI.

For a router that will have incorporated, I would not allow VPN control capabilities, but instead have a OOB Management port that can be tied to a remote PC for control.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Jun 05, 2022 11:06 pm

The NETCONF protocol is designed for this sort of thing. Other router vendors are using it for this exactly.
I'd prefer to live in an XML-free world – while text, it's just not that easy for humans to write or read.

But if you need more suggestions: no one has mentioned a BGP-like protocol for configuration.

At high level, BGP message could contain config instead of prefixes. Since BGP embodies the notion of "communities"/groups and "advertisements"/discovery, those are needed for any controller protocol. Even BGP states strike me as similar to config mgmt.: "open", "update", "keepalive", "notify". Not saying it be a good idea, but another one, OR that it actually be BGP protocol just a similar architecture.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Jun 06, 2022 8:09 am

Mentioning other, already existing management protocols: what's wrong with TR-069? It's widely adopted and seems it's intended to do remote provisioning and management.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Jun 06, 2022 10:07 pm

TR-069 is horrible and basically just good for customer CPEs.

There should be two ways for handling management. API from devices to the management server (for devices behind NAT) - and - direct management/monitoring (as in the management server is reaching directly to a device via ssh or some api)
Last edited by mada3k on Tue Jun 07, 2022 8:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Jun 07, 2022 12:17 pm

For me it's transparent that will be used own ros protocol, tr-069, ftp, ssh because we need allow to communication from our end-device to this "DistributionTik" app and this solve all CGNAT etc.
This app must give us way to
* group units, create bigger group from other group's like we can use those groups: "RB95x" + "RB_LTE6" give us our "RB_Branch" who + "RB_CCRs" = "All_Customer1"
* Multi Select as group/unit that I can say to push config to that grups and that units...
* Re-Connection and Re-Send configuration (like push update.auto.rsc who do reboot ... and resend update.auto.rsc who do latest but upgrade firmware and reboot... resend who confirm latest ros and firmware and remove itself and the end of task, report that all steps done)
* Use all IP to unit who works as RoundRobin, like first will be internal IP over VPN, ... Public IP ... and RoMON connection too!.

In my scenario, TheDude can do that and for easier it should have import connection from WinBox . In WinBox I have at least 2 IP to the same unit (Public and Internal PPP and internal LAN of branch)

Summary, give us way to send our scripts.auto.rsc over ftp over TheDude who can be installed on any VPS/Container and we build or differ distribution centers. TheDuce can do provisioning of configuration and it's all.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Jun 07, 2022 1:26 pm

For me it's transparent that will be used own ros protocol, tr-069, ftp, ssh because we need allow to communication from our end-device to this "DistributionTik" app and this solve all CGNAT etc.
This app must give us way to
* group units, create bigger group from other group's like we can use those groups: "RB95x" + "RB_LTE6" give us our "RB_Branch" who + "RB_CCRs" = "All_Customer1"
* Multi Select as group/unit that I can say to push config to that grups and that units...
* Re-Connection and Re-Send configuration (like push update.auto.rsc who do reboot ... and resend update.auto.rsc who do latest but upgrade firmware and reboot... resend who confirm latest ros and firmware and remove itself and the end of task, report that all steps done)
* Use all IP to unit who works as RoundRobin, like first will be internal IP over VPN, ... Public IP ... and RoMON connection too!.

In my scenario, TheDude can do that and for easier it should have import connection from WinBox . In WinBox I have at least 2 IP to the same unit (Public and Internal PPP and internal LAN of branch)

Summary, give us way to send our scripts.auto.rsc over ftp over TheDude who can be installed on any VPS/Container and we build or differ distribution centers. TheDuce can do provisioning of configuration and it's all.
I think the same.
I think Mt can reuse dude for that as well be all in one solution.
I think that since most rb have small storage..
This controller can't be inside ros..
But the can have some kind of proxy to the dude then can comunicate aslo when device is behind cgnat..
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Jun 08, 2022 3:42 am

Improved Dude + @S[io][bB] config's suggestions should be nexthop...
But running with [/controller/fantasy]...
At the moment we do not want to stick to a specific implementation or standard, but build our own that will help to manage, develop and deploy different scale networks running MikroTik devices.
Another concept be the controlled device is just a
git
repo with config (instead of "source") – basically the git "push" and "pull" be controlled by some TBD Mikrotik scheme (e.g. RouterOS use git hooks that config/upgrade/etc based on the repo, and run by Mikrotik-coded hooks). So the controller be similar to "enterprise" GitHub (self-hosted, but same actions, push requests to auth, orgs for groups). A Git-like approach certainly make "diff" RSC easy. And if done right users could configuring the push/pull scheme, or even "forks"/"branches".
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Jun 08, 2022 3:00 pm

Ability to monitor the speed of the Internet, and get a notification in case of reduction.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Jun 08, 2022 3:12 pm

Ability to monitor the speed of the Internet, and get a notification in case of reduction.
Like having a constant stream of prioritized data saturating your uplinks. (Not so) Great idea! :)
But actually there are devices which you can have configured with alerting if bandwidth drops below some defined level on an interface.

W
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 09, 2022 10:02 am

like ACS ?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 09, 2022 10:55 am

like ACS ?
Hi
I don´t know about such functionality on ACS (if you are writing about the AccessControl Server from the big C) , but I have seen this on load balancers and on firewalls.
On the LB it works like the following: if there is suspiciously low traffic incoming, it marks the interface dead. (Of course you can configure ping checks and other protocol checks as well, but ping check is also there on MT.)
On the firewall:
-you can have the functionality like on the LB with monitoring traffc
-you can actually have true throughput measurement between two firewalls, but that is connected with a proprietary VPN technology and used if you have at least 2 uplinks
-you put 2 VPN tunnels over 2 uplinks between the 2 Firewalls, the firewalls observe the traffic between them and send out short bursts of traffic periodically to determine how to load balance the traffic between the two VPN tunnels over the two uplinks
-you can do this between many firewalls over many uplinks
-that is probably not something MT would implement in 7.5...
-I don´t want to advertise this product, but here is a link as some inspiration for devs :
https://campus.barracuda.com/product/cl ... th-sd-wan/

BR
W
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 09, 2022 11:07 am

Of course you can do all of that, or most of it, on RouterOS as well...
The problem is how to trigger an alert. Sure, when you have an internet connection that is saturated 100% of the time (like those "wireless ISP" that share a single 20Mbps line with 100 customers) you can do something like "when my input rate drops below 10Mbps send an alert".
But in the general case, where the internet is usually lightly loaded (running below 10% capacity most of the time, maybe even idle during night), it is much more difficult.
Of course you could try to make "background traffic" that is handled at lower priority in queues, to fill the line, but that requires complete confidence in the priority handling at all places in the network (you often cannot influence how the ISP does their queueing), and also you could be limited by max data quota etc.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 09, 2022 11:08 am

there all,

there are couple options of ACS that can be use with MikroTik but not the one for SDN, so perhaps MikroTik can develop the SDN software as it should be able to control the routers with the flows planning

dear woland, you can see the following post to know about ACS:
viewtopic.php?t=172399
and the are some presentation regarding this topics (ACS) as well, the last one on MUM ID 2021.

BR
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 09, 2022 11:44 am

Of course you can do all of that, or most of it, on RouterOS as well...
yes you can probably do some of that on ROS by utilizing scripts and routing and NAT and QoS , but it´s very impractical.
The problem is how to trigger an alert. Sure, when you have an internet connection that is saturated 100% of the time (like those "wireless ISP" that share a single 20Mbps line with 100 customers) you can do something like "when my input rate drops below 10Mbps send an alert".
But in the general case, where the internet is usually lightly loaded (running below 10% capacity most of the time, maybe even idle during night), it is much more difficult.
Of course you could try to make "background traffic" that is handled at lower priority in queues, to fill the line, but that requires complete confidence in the priority handling at all places in the network (you often cannot influence how the ISP does their queueing), and also you could be limited by max data quota etc.
This type of uplink monitoring and traffic steering is implemented by many vendors and works so well, that most of big industries and enterprises are abandonig a lot of MPLS links in favor of the much cheaper Internet links.
In a normal enterprise scenario, you have many sites and each have 2-3 Internet or MPLS uplinks. You also have a few central sites with fat internet and MPLS links.
In between there are ISPs with much bigger pipes than your remote sites have. There is no QoS on the Internet, but that´s not an issue in real life. The probes are managed dinamically and they take the production traffic into consideration. The algorithm of the probes is proprietary and not fully disclosed, but there is no magic in there, it must work good enough and not perfectly.
If you want perfection, you buy a dark fiber or at least a wavelength, but even then the big excavator may find you, so you better also buy some backup link. (few millions to few thousands of $$$ p.a.)

@prawira: I was not aware of that ACS, but thanks for the links !
W
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 09, 2022 12:12 pm

I am doing that on MikroTik with just a couple of tunnels and BGP to autoroute/failover between them.
No need to watch throughput as the lines are normally lightly loaded. We normally tunnel over IPv4, when that fails we try IPv6 (yes, it has happened that IPv4 routing was down at the ISP but IPv6 still worked) and when both fail we use LTE.
No fancy mysterious secret stuff, just plain routing with MikroTik.
But inter-office links are becoming a thing of the past anyway.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 09, 2022 3:08 pm

I am doing that on MikroTik with just a couple of tunnels and BGP to autoroute/failover between them.
No need to watch throughput as the lines are normally lightly loaded. We normally tunnel over IPv4, when that fails we try IPv6 (yes, it has happened that IPv4 routing was down at the ISP but IPv6 still worked) and when both fail we use LTE.
No fancy mysterious secret stuff, just plain routing with MikroTik.
But inter-office links are becoming a thing of the past anyway.
Hi pe1chl
You are missing some of the features. Yes VPNs and dynamic routing over them is what you do. There is at most ECMP and mangle rules to load balance.
What you probably don´t do is: dynamically load balancing over links. Also you are in trouble if you must make a local breakout for some applications like Office 365+Youtube+Slaesforce+Zoom+Webex+Google at all sites, but the rest of the traffic has to go over some central box.
You might manage to do all that, but it´s a lot of work...

Inter office links are getting used a bit less, but they are not gone. There are mostly applications in data centers, which should be accessed via the WAN. Not everything is in the cloud, ZeroTrust and co. are not there yet.

W
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 09, 2022 4:29 pm

We don't need to load balance. Our main office has two fiber connections (different ISP) with more bandwidth than the branch offices have on their main internet connection (fiber or VDSL), so there is nothing to balance. We only need to cover line failures, and we do that as described above.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 09, 2022 6:42 pm

You could make the use of MQTT (or any other broker) for this. So monitoring enabled devices efficiently send info into the broker and if "controller" is up it can display received data the way it wants and without actual connections to the every device. This decoupling will be more flexible and might scale better. You can even run multiple controllers without any troubles.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 09, 2022 6:56 pm

You could make the use of MQTT (or any other broker) for this. So monitoring enabled devices efficiently send info into the broker and if "controller" is up it can display received data the way it wants and without actual connections to the every device. This decoupling will be more flexible and might scale better. You can even run multiple controllers without any troubles.
Well that approach works for AWS IoT Core. Basically this mythical controller, using MQTT, could borrow their "device shadows": https://docs.aws.amazon.com/iot/latest/ ... adows.html
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 09, 2022 9:45 pm

Something like UISP of ubnt
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 09, 2022 9:47 pm

noooooooooo NOT THAT...
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 09, 2022 10:50 pm

It kinda depends on what delivers the most value to the customer and adds the most value to the Mikrotik devices

A management tool for the devices (like extended winbox) or a central controller like the unifi controller?
  • status overview of devices / health overview / device discovery
  • Centrally manage software updates of devices
  • Centrally configure devices
  • Backup and restore config
  • UI accessible from mobile as well as desktop devices
  • Not require internet access for operation
  • Be able to manage the device via WebUI as well as the new controller at the same time
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Jun 10, 2022 5:51 am

Many great things has been said here and I sign under them. I will have one suggestion:

Please start small and ascetic.

We don’t want a perfect solution in 10 years. An incremental small thing which grows will be much better. v7 is amazing but I think it suffered from a waterfall. The new controller doesn’t need a fancy react-based dashboard with live updates and AR app to see ports… it just needs to work. Look at the Ruckus Unleashed interface: it’s simple, blazing fast, slightly ugly, yet it’s feature-rich and web based ;) I’m saying this as e.g. UniFi dashboard can easily spin a fan on my i7… which is ridiculous.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Jun 10, 2022 8:41 am

It should be Web-based and the Server should run also on Linux - we don't have Windows Servers.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Jun 10, 2022 10:58 am

I’m saying this as e.g. UniFi dashboard can easily spin a fan on my i7… which is ridiculous.
UniFi is written in Java. At first that seems attractive as it achieves portability, on the other hand it is a resource hog and lately it has gotten a bad reputation because clueless developers implement attractive modules used by many, which cause nasty security issues. A bit like PHP.
(e.g. they do not understand the difference between system configuration data where you might want to parse ${expression} constructs, and user data where you definitely do not want to do that)
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Jun 10, 2022 3:31 pm

Well that's about the best one here:
Many great things has been said here and I sign under them. I will have one suggestion:

Please start small and ascetic.

We don’t want a perfect solution in 10 years.
And clearly a UBNT clone is what no one is looking for.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Jun 10, 2022 10:14 pm

Would be nice if it had a tool to migrate configs to different models when exact replacement model is not available. I have found myself doing this quite a bit. Especially on core router upgrades to new core routers. Other than that everything that Ubiquiti's UISP has but not grandmafied. :) Way out there stuff would be things like freq coordination/planning, recommended fixes for common config problems, hell maybe even a integrated openflow controller. Besides all that crazy stuff the basics are best. :) Thanks for doing this.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jun 11, 2022 12:04 am

(e.g. they do not understand the difference between system configuration data where you might want to parse ${expression} constructs, and user data where you definitely do not want to do that)

Yeah, that's why network folks are in general terrible application developers. ;-)

This is because people who engage in low-level network programming often have a completely different mindset and are therefore usually unsuitable for that kind of job. Bottom line, never ever put a network developer in charge of a large application development project.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jun 11, 2022 10:54 am

Dudes ... let the Dude join the party again just after a liitle bit of funcional workout in a programming gym.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jun 11, 2022 11:28 am

(e.g. they do not understand the difference between system configuration data where you might want to parse ${expression} constructs, and user data where you definitely do not want to do that)

Yeah, that's why network folks are in general terrible application developers. ;-)

This is because people who engage in low-level network programming often have a completely different mindset and are therefore usually unsuitable for that kind of job. Bottom line, never ever put a network developer in charge of a large application development project.
This is not limited to network folks. The Atlassian system used by MikroTik for the help system and issue tracker were down due to such an issue (waiting for a fixed version).
The system could be hacked using ${expression} constructs. Most likely not even because of a coding error by the Atlassian programmers, but in some useful module they used. The "log4j" vulnerability was another example of this.
I sincerely doubt the sanity of programmers that write stuff like this, and they have to be kept far away from anything exposed to the internet. Which such a Devices Controller likely will be.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jun 11, 2022 3:01 pm

The initial goal is to develop a protocol to apply and monitor config, hence the question about needed features that this protocol should be able to do.
Why that?
Why not simply using the REST API?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Jun 12, 2022 12:38 am

noooooooooo NOT THAT...
The nice thing about the UISP design is how the devices "phone home" to the controller instead of the controller needing to reach them, which works great for devices behind some kind of NAT where the controller does not have direct access as well. TR069 can do this too but it is not suitable for uses outside of residential gateway management, it would be very strange to use TR069 to manage a BGP router at the core.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Jun 12, 2022 12:35 pm

I think we are talking about two things.
A "device manager" that acts as a hub for CPEs and stuff.
And a conventional NMS that actually monitors and manages a network.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Jun 13, 2022 4:12 pm

I think the best overall controller that I have used till now is AirControl2 by UBNT (shame that they have EOLed it for no reason)
From mass config to scheduled operations, AC2 was a beast.
You can take AC2 as a reference for functionality.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Jun 14, 2022 4:30 pm

@mikrotik - I think the idea of a CAPSMAN like protocol to manage lots of Tiks from a single location would be incredibly useful.

I've also noticed several people asking for a web UI that can control, manage and provide remote access to Mikrotiks while also providing backups and config diffs and firmware management, RADIUS user management, historical graphs and charts, as well as bulk configuration.

You should check out https://remotewinbox.com

Disclaimer: I'm part of the RWB team
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Jun 14, 2022 7:30 pm

Hello,

MikroTik is planning to develop and build a controller app for MikroTik Devices. Currently we are researching possibilities and options, what should be there and how it could be done and implemented. At the moment we do not want to stick to a specific implementation or standard, but build our own that will help to manage, develop and deploy different scale networks running MikroTik devices.
Any suggestions about features and options are very welcome.
Make a DUDE app. May be modularize Dude so a small installation could use only the device list part. Add configuration management.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Jun 14, 2022 10:55 pm

I read through some of this discussion, maybe someone has mentioned this already, but I would like to throw my idea into the hat here: It would be cool to have the ability to "Stack" Switches or Routers with this utility, eg: Keep configuration files between the stack or maybe HA group in sync (Think firewall rules etc). I feel like this would bring a serious edge to Mikrotik hardware in a business environment.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Jun 17, 2022 2:32 pm

Grouping, etc router device, switch device, AP device, LTE device.

Traffic / device flow like the dude.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jun 18, 2022 8:07 am

I built an app that can provision multiple devices at once, it can do 24 devices in 10 minutes, it takes longer to unbox and plug in the mikrotiks then it does to provision them all. Provisioning includes setting a base config, updating to a selected version, applying the final configuration, and adding it to the "inventory". There are multiple reboots in the process to verify everything. At first I used a custom net-stack that used neighbor discovery without arp so it could connect to multiple devices with the same default 192.168.88.1 address at the same time. Today, I use multiple containers with the default linux net-stack on its own vlan.

Now that 7.4 supports containers again, i'm working on getting my app to work on a RB5009 so a dedicated server is not required.

Here are some things my app does that I would like to see from the mikrotik controller:
provision multiple devices at once
api to get/set settings from a billing system (like queues, port forwards, etc)
update all devices to a given configuration
api/integration to a network monitor similar to The Dude
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Jun 20, 2022 5:41 am

Lot of this probably been mentioned already but i'll throw my 2c in

- Cloud based, absolutely. Something that can just reach a known public server out-of-the-box as long as it gets an internet connection. Make it something that runs over port 443 to get through firewalls and not need ANY config deployed on the device. Integrate this natively into the default config of all devices
- Onboarding done solely from the cloud controller. So you can enter multiple variables and adopt the device as soon as its online. Eth1 MAC address, serial number, build date etc. Enter these into the cloud portal and as soon as the device gets internet it will adopt it to your organization
- White labelled and multi tiered so you can have sub domains under a parent and manage other organizations/customers equipment, but let them also manage it themselves without seeing parent domain
- Config backups and diff'ing with alerts
- Device logs grabbed and stored, without needing to setup via syslog
- Log parser to take action or send alerts
- Alerts should include native SLACK support, as well as email, SMS
- Pushing configs, but with scripting/variable support from the controller as well
--- i.e. you can enter /system identity set name="{GROUPNAME} - {DEVICE NAME} ({DEVICE MODEL})"
--- And then when this gets pushed to the device it will rename itself i.e. "TowerRadios - LocationABC East (LHG 60G)"
- Better script handling so it doesn't just abruptly stop if there's an error. Have options on all scripts to specify the action to take, ignore/abort/revert. Report back all errors to the controller
- Baseline compliance templates, as above with scripting and ability to ignore certain parts of the config. I.e. all radio's in GroupABC must be set to country=Australia frequency=auto. Ignore this rule if identity is prefixed with 'LABTEST'
- Per-device Interface compliance states, i.e. ether3 should be 1gb but suddenly dropped to 100mbit. Ether4 should not be running, but now is. Alerts should be triggered. Default state would be ignore for all
- Reporting on the above, not just instantaneously but something that can be scheduled to run hourly/daily/weekly/monthly etc.
- Make a lot of these options drop-down menu's, without requiring scripting knowledge. Simple step-by-step 'if [condition] [equals/greater/less/not/etc] then [take action] (optionally AND/OR to add another statement)'
- LDAP/AD/RADIUS login integration to allow staff access, with permission restrictions
- More granular control than what we have in WinBox. I.e. GroupB can read/write IP addresses but can't view anything related to PPP/Firewall/Routing/etc
- Assignable groups to folders/groups of devices for alerting only to staff responsible for those devices
- Speed test, able to pick devices internally, or do a speed test to cloud controller to test internet speed
 
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bpwl
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Jun 22, 2022 11:34 am

Interesting idea. Actually the current experience is already quite good.

Managing nearly 100 MT routers at a very remote location, can be done.

What is possible today ...

-using a hEX with DUDE, the following is done.
- the hEX connects VPN to the access gate @ control site for remote access
- hEX monitors all MT (syslog + DUDE)
- DUDE as distribution point for upgrade npk
- recover/reconnect of all MT through MAC Telnet, MAC SSH (even after somebody doing factory reset)
- RoMon

What is missing
- simple multi MT remote command (e.g. repeated application of Telnet/SSH string to different MT routers)
- Netinstall (TFTP/PXE-boot server) on hEX/Dude
- "Reboot trigger" command
- Wake-on-LAN on MT devices (now faked with PoE)

Xhat would be nice. : CLI command to execute some CLI command on another ROS device. (e.g. RADIUS based wifi login, with limits, creates the queue's on internet facing ROS router. The rate limits are mostly intended for the internet connection, not the local LAN rate)
 
millenium7
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 23, 2022 12:55 am

Interesting idea. Actually the current experience is already quite good.

Managing nearly 100 MT routers at a very remote location, can be done.
Can be done yes, but could be done immensely better with a central cloud controller
It's not just about number of devices either

Relatively simple things like config compliance open up a whole new world that enormously simplifies things (if implemented properly) - such as having address lists for remote management and then a change occurs - you need to add or remove an entry
Whilst yes you can log in to all of them and change it, it's not a great way to go about it. Takes a lot of time and is prone to human error. You can use a SSH pusher but its error prone in its operation, and importantly it doesn't tell you if the existing config is correct, you just have to assume that it is or double check yourself manually
Config change templates allow you to know for certain what is configured correctly and what isn't, and then take action to push a mass change to all devices. And again very importantly - to verify it actually did change properly

Any time a process is manual it gets exponentially more likely you will forget about something along the way (maybe you get half way through and then interrupted for the rest of the day). Having a cloud controller is not just about managing more devices, its about managing them correctly with far better reliability and less mistakes
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 23, 2022 9:36 am

it doesn't tell you if the existing config is correct,
That would be interesting for sure. But might be difficult to implement. What is a correct config?
Today one is not sure ROS will act as expected. "Toruble" shooting can take some time, as there are so many settings, and so many things that impact the behaviour in an unexpected way.

Story ... use a ROS device as WAN connection with load balancing, one of the WAN connections has a reduced MTU size due to several encapsulations in the uplink (VPN, IPsec NAT traversal, sattellite link, etc etc.). To optimise this, reducing the ethernet MTU size to 1400 improves the data flow.
The satellite gets removed, and the now free ethernet port is added to the bridge, to be used as LAN port.

And some time later the smartphones and PC's on wifi claim "persistent server problem", for the ISP's mail server, synchronised with imap protocol. The flow is not changed and not over that mentioned ethernet port. Browsing is OK, no problem. But no imap mail sync, and no identification/authentication delegation with https://www.itsme-id.com/ .
The 'root' cause was the old reduced MTU size, that propagated to the bridge (after reboot ???).


Being able to synchronise (parts of) the config between some ROS devices would be very wellcome. Start of a HA solution? Cold standby, hot standby, even needs more than this.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jun 23, 2022 12:14 pm

it doesn't tell you if the existing config is correct,
That would be interesting for sure. But might be difficult to implement. What is a correct config?
Today one is not sure ROS will act as expected. "Toruble" shooting can take some time, as there are so many settings, and so many things that impact the behaviour in an unexpected way.
We use Solarwinds NCM which is good as a general all-rounder. But MikroTik could make it enormously better/easier/simpler if it were tailored specifically for MikroTik
I use RegEx expressions and it simply looks for matching lines in the config. So it's easy to see if every requested line exists in an address list, and no additional ones. And if it doesn't match then it'll flag it in a report and it can be rectified (can also push a config change automatically that will simply redo the address list)

At the moment in NCM it's fairly simple but it isn't implemented quite as logically laid out as it should be. MikroTik could massively improve the usability and give you a step by step system with drop-down menu's catered for config sections, not just using RegEx expressions and SSH scripts

NCM there is a lot more care required to make sure - as you say - you don't screw up some config if you push a script to fix a problem. Because it's going to push whatever script you type in (and it also might fail part-way through or disconnect)
I'd expect a MikroTik system to let you simply tell it how something should be in laymans terms, and it'll automatically handle the config change properly
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Jun 29, 2022 10:06 pm

- no vendor lockout
- topology view (incl. STP)
- examples and guides
- configuration for home, hotel, school, events, company network, home office,…
- configuration for standard and special settings like: homelab, tor, BGP, VPN Providers, …
- DHCP options for other device
- name convention with official city codes like: https://service.unece.org/trade/locode/lv.htm
- best practice / security analyzer
- remote checks
- multisite compatible
- may multitenant
- global and custom variables for network objects like $VoipNetwork{All}Offices, $PBX, $DNS1, DNS2,$NTP
- dynamic / rule based variables like: $VoipNetwork{ThisLocal}{Office}
- central firewall rules,
- central blocklist (selfhosted)
- blocklist shared with other user or closed groups
- modules/ plugins/ examples from mikrotik, community, vendors,…
- autoconfig for devices
- dedicated config port, device connected to this port get preset local config
- configuration over the internet
- beeper alarm, when device is disconnected or fees not payed
- working time tracking with wifi device
- pooping time tracking needs an expensive special ap and subscription …
- labeling templates
- optional DIN-Rail cases
- direct access to (external | public) support/ sales/ seller contact adresses
- offer service for other user
- temporary access to a deputy
- deputy solution for one man it
- external Identidy Provider
- 2FA
- rating feature
- traffic monitoring
- detection of suspection traffic
- campare to similar setups
- automatic dokumentation
- fancy reports for the managers
- automatic replace reminder for old devices
- issue sharing/ warning
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Jul 01, 2022 10:44 am

Good news!
We have been using MT devices across our network for a long time and planning to do so in the future.
Implementing one solution that will help to update and backup configurations would be great.
Also, integrated netinstall feature(if possible) would solve so many unnecessary on site travels...:D
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jul 02, 2022 6:48 am

Rock on TIK!

we need:

- a list of router, one click access to open winbox
- graphs
- mass update
- automatic backup schedule
- local host in a VM
- mass configuration option. I.E : changing the value of a string for selected routers. Let say you want to change check IPSOCKS on 380 routers, just select routers in a list, and then send the script.
-
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Jul 05, 2022 3:13 am

I think the general idea of TR069 is a good one, where the device "phones home" to be told what to do. This works great with devices behind NAT etc as only the server needs to be publicly accessible. Ideally the device would be configured with a URL for the server that it could get all of its config from with just port 443 open, so that you can easily put a device at any customer premises even behind existing firewalls and still have management of the device. This is the way Ubiquiti UISP works. I don't like much about UISP, but I do like the decision to design it in this way.

TR069 itself however is ill-suited to managing anything other than CPE devices. The ACS systems are really only intended for CPEs as that is what the protocol is meant for, so it would be very strange to manage something like a BGP edge router for a big ISP with TR069. I am already managing our CPE devices through GenieACS but could use something like this for everything that is not a CPE device.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jul 07, 2022 4:33 am

its been ages is there anything going
some thing which have everything hat dude have and also the flexibility to install any on-premise system and can at-lest show snmp data from other network equipment too
wich can give total network usage of any interface and performance graph of cpu, ram, flash, interfaces......etc
and most important have a web GUI which can be accessed anywhere the one think wich dude use to have and then removed in later vertion
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jul 07, 2022 6:47 pm

Everything in Winbox + TR-069 in one on-prem solution would be killer in my use.
 
eduplant
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jul 14, 2022 6:35 am

I would vastly prefer development effort be put towards making RouterOS 7 more automation-friendly rather than towards making another single-pane-of-glass management solution. I certainly understand the urge to do so, especially for single-vendor networks that want something that "just works".

Nonetheless, I think Mikrotik's strengths are in the form of innovative and cost effective hardware platforms, a fairly well-designed configuration paradigm, and that the configuration language is a domain-specific language that lends itself to scripting. If there is a desire to sell a management solution, Mikrotik should lean in to those strengths and do most of the work on the router side rather than the controller side.

One big example I can think of: give RouterOS 7 proper configuration transactions. The RouterOS configuration paradigm is already very database-like and, in my opinion, is well-designed compared to some of the big players like Cisco. A huge thing missing for automating Mikrotiks is the lack of native transaction support: the ability to stage a series of changes, commit them in their entirety, and if necessary roll them back. Work spent improving this would make the platform more attractive for all users, no matter whether they manually configure their devices with Winbox/web/CLI or whether they integrate them with an automation tool like Ansible.

Another big thing is configuration replacements. Since the strategy of most automation frameworks is to declaratively state the running state of the device now and then apply changes to get the device to a new state, the native ability to make these kinds of transformations would make RouterOS a lot more friendly to automate. For example, if I want the entire /ip/firewall tree to be different, either the script I'm writing or the automation platform I'm using has to compute the individual changes that are required to, say, add two address-lists, remove three other address-lists, add 4 new chains, modify the existing chain by a certain name, etc. etc. etc. and issue the commands to just change those pieces. All of this additional headache can be alleviated if RouterOS can be presented with a replacement hierarchy that should simply replace that whole subtree of the configuration and make it match after the transaction is committed.

Pretty much all of the network vendors (except JunOS frankly) have one or more of these exact problems and it is certainly a non-trivial effort to make big changes to the core configuration model. However, if you make these types of improvements on the RouterOS side, if you still want to implement an automation/controller/management kind of solution your own engineers won't have to invent something with duct tape and glue on the controller side to keep things in sync or try and generate the API diffs under the hood. Instead, the resulting application can be a pretty basic web app that leverages a simple database or, say, Ansible and git under the hood. You could even partner with an existing automation platform and just make some good RouterOS integrations for it.

Thanks for reaching out for input and I hope you consider my case for where best to apply your development time and money in service of RouterOS mass management.
 
eduplant
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jul 14, 2022 6:40 am

1) Doing a controller without the ability to have idempotent commit is a fool's errand, and will only end in tears, both for the developers and users. Fix that first, the rest becomes MUCH easier.
+100 on this and the rest of your suggestions.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jul 23, 2022 3:31 am

In regards to the 'Cloud' solution.
Not everything I have in now >100 devices touches the public internet.
I would prefer a solution I can spin up on a Virtual Machine in a closed environment.

I understand that other people could benefit from a cloud controller, but not in my current use case.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:03 pm

I just saw the thread and it is GREAT news! What I would like to see:

  • Controller accessible via both modern, sleek web UI AND familiar winbox, with different menus than those of regular devices
  • Self-hosted (with support for all major hypervisors and docker) AND cloud-based, as-a-service, provided by Mikrotik at a reasonable cost
  • Support for controller redundancy for high-availability
  • Multisite AND multitenant
  • Versatile device grouping by locations, tags, types, organizational units or any other attribute
  • Rule-based and manual device tagging/ group assignment
  • Automatic device discovery, adoption and provisioning
  • Fully customizable lists with nice and informative visual elements
  • Configuration via both GUI AND programmatically, with support for predefined AND user-definced variables/data structures
  • Advanced configuration management functions (versions, comparison, visual block-based editing with ability to copy specific sections and sub-sections by dragging and dropping blocks from one config file to another etc.)
  • Configuration templates with manual and automatic (based on triggers and criteria) provisioning on devices
  • Manual and automatic device firmware upgrades, on groups or individually
  • Support for devices hierarchy and dependencies (e.g. upgrade downstream device first, then upstream)
  • Manual and automated backups with selectable retention
  • Comprehensive builder for statistics and reports, exposed via the API for use in other platforms (e.g. PowerBI, Graphana, etc.)
  • Topology mapping capability with automatic detection where possible (using wireless link clients/ L2 discovery etc.)
  • Controller support for users, user roles and user groups
  • Controller support for external authentication providers and 2FA
  • Support for automatic IP blocklist import, for use on the controller and the managed devices (via firewall rules)
  • Full LDAP and radius functionality
  • Funtions fully accessible via a RESTful API
  • Open architecture with active encouragment of plugin development
  • Ability to use a Mikrotik router as an appliance to run the controller
  • Specific appliance for the controller (like Mikrotik Cloudkey, with battery backup, info screen etc.)

It is a long but comprehensive list. Thank you for the great work!
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Jul 27, 2022 10:59 am

The ability for controller and RouterOS to connect when they are both behind (different) NAT networks.

The ability to work on "air-gapped" networks.

See changes made over time.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Aug 02, 2022 4:12 am

All Dudes vibes, and better! 😉
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Aug 03, 2022 3:06 pm

* Web based UI, focused on desktop/tablet, but still be able to get useful info out of it in phone view
* Run it in a docker container, easiest way for people to just grab and run with it. Make sure to use some sensible port for it (not port 80) to not clash right off the bat. Ability to add a certificate to run it with https enabled.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:17 pm

European EID / OpenSC support.for.authentication.
Two factor authentication
I don’t want all my eggs in the same basket if this is not secure.
Open source and open standards eunning in containers and GNU/Linux
Peer review and certification of code by public agencies
 
volga629
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Aug 08, 2022 6:02 am

I have seen several mentions of config files, config compare ...
Do you suggest for the controller to operate as a configuration export uploader?
That you have representation of running and start up configuration. Where are you can see the differences.


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pe1chl
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Aug 08, 2022 11:07 am

Yes that would be nice to have for "the general public".
I have this function for ages as I export my configs to a locally hosted git versioning system with the additional "gitweb" program that shows output similar to the above via a web interface (only accessible locally).
Very useful to be able to look back at what you changed before. Also useful when having more than one admin.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Aug 11, 2022 3:21 am

Here are some suggestions.

-Configuration management, device policy groups, etc.

-Change management, authorized or approved changes, scheduled changes and a diff change log.

-Event based notifications channel. Like MQTT to trigger alerts and collect device metrics.

-SDWAN auto-deployment, failover.

-Deploy containers

-Schedule firmware upgrades with auto rollback on failure

-Configure single-sign-on authentication for VPNs and wireless using RADIUS or LDAP in a wizard.

I'm assuming this controller would have a web portal with reporting and live metrics.
 
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Cha0s
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Aug 11, 2022 8:13 pm

Yes that would be nice to have for "the general public".
I have this function for ages as I export my configs to a locally hosted git versioning system with the additional "gitweb" program that shows output similar to the above via a web interface (only accessible locally).
Very useful to be able to look back at what you changed before. Also useful when having more than one admin.
For anyone interested in a solution like this, there's Oxidized.
https://github.com/ytti/oxidized
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Aug 15, 2022 2:04 am

A Script manager so an SD-WAN solution can be implemented. Web/Winbox interface.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Aug 17, 2022 4:29 pm

demo?
AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAH!!!!!!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:


Sorry....
 
pe1chl
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Aug 17, 2022 7:07 pm

It will probably be released right after the scripting function library :-) :-)
 
infabo
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Aug 18, 2022 7:41 pm

This thread is for brainstorming. Throw in some buzzwords that will end in a tin.
 
pe1chl
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Aug 18, 2022 8:56 pm

Check this topic and what came of it: viewtopic.php?t=131692
I mean, brainstorming is alright but when you do it as a company you may get some expectations...
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Aug 18, 2022 10:18 pm

Can you summarize what was added to the function library from the long topic?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Aug 18, 2022 10:35 pm

Nothing at all. The function library never came into existance, 4 years of discussion going to waste.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Aug 19, 2022 1:07 am

Is not all correct, on 7 is added the random number generator... :| :| :|
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Aug 19, 2022 10:03 am

Nothing at all. The function library never came into existance, 4 years of discussion going to waste.
Basically what I said.
 
pe1chl
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Aug 19, 2022 10:21 am

Is not all correct, on 7 is added the random number generator... :| :| :|
The way I understood "function library" there would be an optional package that you could install, or some script file you could download to the router and call from your scripts, containing a collection of utility functions as a layer on top of (i.e. written in) the scripting language.
Basically anyone can write that in the latter form, and some people indeed did so.
But there never was an official MikroTik supported version, not even an endorsed one.
Of course in many cases it would be much more efficient (or it would even be the only practical way...) to have new functions available as built-in functions in the scripting language itself. I would not call that a library, but still it would be welcome.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Aug 19, 2022 11:29 am

I think I might be just Mikrotik's target audience, and I think I'd thread carefully in its place.

Something like the UniFi Controlller is pretty to look at but it ain't very useful. It's slow, it's got so many problems with from adoption, to disconnections, to being unable to handle consecutive (not "too many-", just ·"consecutives") updates, all of which Mikrotik doesn't have plus accessibility issues for installers (that thing when you come down the white bright rooftop into an air conditioned relatively dark server room and you try to read fonts too thin) which are a staple for this mgmt utils. I'd document better instead. The documentation is written for the CLI, but the CLI isn't what's encouraged to use, there's this myriad of admin UIs but only documentation for the one without any graphics, often with graphics/screenshots/suggestions for the other ones. It's also in a needlessly technical language most of the time but it's not technical enough where it matters so there are no ambiguities--there are way too many of those. Sure it's hard to contemplate all possibilities in computer networking being nearly endless, but it can be done because it's been done, there's another vendor who's managed.

I'm referring to pfSense. If I had to improve Mikrotik's <insert>, I'd take a look at what used to be called The pfSense Book (now just its documentation) for guidance. It does an outstanding job of explaining why things work as they do and even why decisions of the UI were taken in some instances addressing straight on their shortcomings.

You don't need to dumb things down the way Apple, Ubiquiti, Cloudflare, (..) and others do, it's kind of infuriating when yet another vendor discovers minimalism and your settings are gone. This is how we end up with these annoying certificate warnings in every browser on non-routable addresses, if we were taught, we probably wouldn't be needing to be treated like children, I'm sugar coating there, and end up with lack of options, and expensive, limited and cumbersome controller device or alternatively "management as a service", what UniFi turned into. UniFi still can't multi-WAN properly, basics like DHCP reservations are kind of there, it's over a decade old. Also there is telemetry; every device, even outdoor wireless radios are consistently trying to contact external web, STUN servers, IP addresses in China, were Ubiquiti hosts some of its UNMS or whatever it's called lately. The forum, is mostly complaints now and not a link easy to find anymore, maybe it's related.

Ubiquiti for years have been trying to get rid of support for "legacy" (Wi-Fi 4) devices and has deleted the needed apps to access the old self-hosted NVRs, another form of controller. People got angry because you could only access your cameras if you maintained a Play Store, Apple ID account in which you got the apps earlier before or trust the company won't have another change of heart and upgrade. As for the APs, they'd become unmanageable just because they didn't feel like maintaining that support, which wouldn't be required if the APs had a built-in admin UI like Mikotik's do. It seems they reversed that somewhat, you can still manage the APs in the latest controller but not group them to newer ones. It was too late though, a lot customers called it quits.

Focus on documentation, build-it right in Winbox or one of these great UIs you already have which are as powerful as you know how to make them do things, make documentation offline, not links to a wiki which aren't helpful when you're setting up a device--when you need it the most. Finding the default IP management address shouldn't take half an hour. Things like Mikrotik "Home" or whatever dumb things down way too hard and don't provide a learning/evolving path to follow. For those of us coming with advanced, already set up networks on platforms a little more straightforward, reaching the level of knowledge necessary to deploy the same infrastructure can be cost-prohibitive in terms of time/downtime. The first time I tried a Mikrotik router, I ended up returning it because it was going to take way too much time to set up. The last time I tried Mikrotik (it's been like 4 or 5) I couldn't find how to set up full cone NAT on a dynamic IP interface without first learning pretty high level scripting.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Aug 19, 2022 5:00 pm

Do you think it would be possible to get something similar to Cisco High Availability?
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/r ... ility.html
There's this other Mikrotik community project I found here:
https://github.com/svlsResearch/ha-mikrotik
Basic idea is to be able to change the configuration in one place and all the routers/switches in the HA group will be affected by that change. Versioning would help a lot as well.
Good luck. I love MikroTik from the early beginnings in the late '90. You are destined for a big success with your approach.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Aug 30, 2022 3:46 pm

Native support for push metrics / streaming telemetry!

Support for pushing data to influxdb or similar. We've moved away from "network monitoring" tools towards grafana dashboards for all server monitoring, firewalls, and are attempting to do the same on routers/switches. No SNMP inbound, proxies, agents, etc. Just a clean feed of desired details streamed off to a target of choice.

viewtopic.php?p=948888&hilit=influxdb#p948888
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Sep 02, 2022 2:47 am

My number one suggestion and highest priority is to build in strong security from the start, not as an afterthought. MikroTik could show the rest of the network equipment industry how to establish best practices for securely maintaining network devices, and that should be the goal!

Some suggested approaches:
  • Incorporate a robust management facility for establishing and maintaining administrator and user accounts. Ideally, this should also support "machine" accounts that could be used for automated status queries and management of devices. The controller itself should use a "machine" account for its purposes, and this account must be customizable by the customers. Integration with enterprise systems like Microsoft's Active Directory would likely be desirable for some customers.
  • Build in a Certificate Authority (CA) for issuing certs to network devices. The new controller should incorporate hardware protection for private keys (especially CA's own private keys), along with the ability to securely clone the CA's private keys to a backup controller using multi-party controls. Network devices should be able to request renewal of certs from the CA using automated methods. There should also be automated tools for installing certs in network devices. Certificate revocation must be supported using a dynamic protocol like OCSP with ability to push out revocations immediately (e.g., via CRL update). An optional approach could be to support integration with a third-party Certificate Issuing/Management system, but these days the tools to implement the subset of services required for network devices are readily available from multiple Open Source projects, including OpenSSL itself.
  • Use CA in new controller to also issue client-side certs for network administrators. Client side certs would be used with mutual authentication to handle logins to Winbox and other device-specific services, including an option for providing SSH keys via certs. Automated client cert renewal should be supported, and it must be possible to revoke client certs with immediate pushing of revocation notices to devices along with dynamic cert checking. (Aside: WinBox might directly support requesting administrator certs from new controller's CA.)
  • CA should also issue user certs for Wireless access, PPP/VPN remote access, HotSpot services, etc. This implies that there should be specialized access to the controller from users to handle cert requests or update their account details, such as email addresses, phone numbers, workstation details, mobile device details, etc. In an enterprise environment, it might be possible to pull this sort of information from a central service.
  • Fully support the latest cryptographic algorithms and measures, including the widely accepted elliptic curve algorithms (e.g., ED25519). Provide policy controls to limit/restrict use of cryptographic suites in the network devices from a network-wide perspective.
  • Provide a complete implementation of a robust RADIUS service for legacy devices and services. For extra credit, support RADIUS integration with Microsoft AD NPS/RADIUS facilities.
  • Implement an SSH key management system that would support pushing administrators' SSH public keys to network devices and rolling keys as appropriate. Immediate removal or disabling of SSH public keys for administrator login is also necessary. One possibility would be to use SSH and SSH key management to handle securely pushing updates to devices, along with invoking of scripts and automated retrieval of device information, including device configurations.
  • Provide an encrypted storage system for maintaining sensitive information at rest, especially for device configurations and any other sensitive information.
  • Build in a software repository for redistributing RouterOS (and possibly other software/firmware packages) to network devices in a controlled manner without requiring that individual network devices have access to the Internet. This could be an adjunct to the requests from others on this Post for RouterOS bulk updates. Ideally, this system should support two or more storage partitions on devices that support this option to make it easier and safer to rollback an update. For devices that are not equipped (or configured) with multiple partitions, a rollback facility would still be a valuable capability.
  • Implement support for redundant device deployments, including for the new controllers. For example, support measures to independently update RouterOS in each member of a redundant device pair thereby allowing the other member to maintain services during the upgrade. This capability could also allow staging of firmware in redundant systems to confirm stability before completely updating all devices. Similar capabilities would also be necessary for redundant controllers. Resilience is an often-overlooked essential security requirement.
  • Support RANCID or an equivalent service for maintaining network device configurations in a source control system (e.g., Git). This could be an add-on package for users dealing with larger networks or complex support requirements. (Aside, my own experience using RANCID with a complex network involving devices from multiple vendors illustrated that this is an invaluable tool for not only tracking configuration changes, but also monitoring changes made by multiple administrators, which in turn provides further security controls with the added ability to recover from unapproved or ill-conceived changes.)
  • Support management of security credentials for SNMPv3, including the ability to update credentials periodically in a controlled and automated manner. Provide methods for pushing SNMPv3 credentials to network management systems (e.g., via secure upload of an exported dictionary of credentials).
  • Provide tools for automated responses to DDoS attacks using parameter-driven approaches for invoking mitigation measures.
  • Implement a comprehensive system logging facility. This could be optimized for MikroTik devices to leverage enhanced features. The system logging should support TCP logging, as well as optional support for logging via encrypted links (SSH, IPsec or other VPN). It should be feasible for customers to implement redundant syslog servers for resilience as well as protecting logs from being modified by attackers. The logging system should be capable of relaying log records to more advanced enterprise-oriented logging systems (e.g., Elastic Search).
  • Since DNS is one of the most essential services and also one of the most sensitive from a security perspective, centralized management of DNS services in network devices would be a valuable service. This could include the ability to maintain static DNS caches across some or all network devices to improve availability of essential DNS resolution during periods of degraded operations, such as network outages or partitioning.
  • Provide robust NTP services, ideally supporting authenticated access. The new controller would ideally provide an option for GPS time sync so that it could operate as a Tier 1 NTP server. This would also be an underlying security facility for supporting certificate management and use of time-based authentication services.

Yes, this is a lot. However, everything listed above is readily available and supported in the Open Source realm. What is important is to build these capabilities into the product plan, and build other controller features and capabilities on top of a secure base. Not everything needs to be in version 1, but everything (and more) needs to be in the product plan and resulting design. Security is just too important an issue these days to not be the primary objective for anything that purports to control network devices and maintain a network system.
perfect.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Sep 04, 2022 10:20 pm

Yes that would be nice to have for "the general public".
I have this function for ages as I export my configs to a locally hosted git versioning system with the additional "gitweb" program that shows output similar to the above via a web interface (only accessible locally).
Very useful to be able to look back at what you changed before. Also useful when having more than one admin.
For anyone interested in a solution like this, there's Oxidized.
https://github.com/ytti/oxidized
...can also be coupled with, e.g. LibreNMS
had 2 of those running with oxidized (which pushed config versions to a local git repo)
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Sep 09, 2022 7:01 pm

This would be fantastic

It would be nice to :

get a Tik online, register with my account, then I can push any configurations I like (IPSEC/LAN, etc) or "copy from another mikrotik"

Have it run in Mikrotik's cloud, or make it open source so I can spin up my own linux server and use that instead.

Past that, the usual stuff, remove management behind NAT, push packages, etc.

We are a small business with 150 units. I would love to one click push a ROS and Firmware update. Push wifiwave2 as needed, whatever.

Really though, at minimum, remote management behind NAT is the biggest PITA at the moment
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Sep 09, 2022 8:47 pm


Really though, at minimum, remote management behind NAT is the biggest PITA at the moment
you could setup a public CHR to which your to-be-managed tiks would connect via ovpn/sstp/wireguard (with a /30 subnet for instance or framed /32), establish a routing-protocol for automatic route exchange with route filters in place so every device has its own Lo0 address and you also connect to that CHR and route your management subnet (in which the Lo0 address reside) to that CHR

so NAT is no problem any more in fact. and with sstp/ovpn on tcp port 443 it even would be possible to maybe deploy tiks in china xD ;)
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Sep 09, 2022 11:46 pm

Following up, the devices should reach out to the controller, not the other way around. Push metrics to the controller is a good start. Controller keeps a git (or other version control database) for configs, and endpoint devices pull the latest config.

Yes, you could still potentially compromise the controller and use it to deliver compromised configs, but the controller has no inherent path to the sites. And in metrics-only mode (config pull disabled / manual on the device), there's zero path in. We're using this sort of strategy with a number of clients for whom data security is paramount. We provide remote monitoring of systems, but have provably zero access to the data within. A breach of our systems cannot get back to the customer, but we still provide a lot of value from metrics monitoring and analysis.



I know this sorta gets into the user facing end of things, but Aruba is doing a nice job of the config part with NetEdit. Other guys keep mentioning RANCID. This is the opposite flow. Config builder / git repo at the head end, and network devices pull their configs down.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Sep 12, 2022 5:40 pm


Really though, at minimum, remote management behind NAT is the biggest PITA at the moment
you could setup a public CHR to which your to-be-managed tiks would connect via ovpn/sstp/wireguard (with a /30 subnet for instance or framed /32), establish a routing-protocol for automatic route exchange with route filters in place so every device has its own Lo0 address and you also connect to that CHR and route your management subnet (in which the Lo0 address reside) to that CHR

so NAT is no problem any more in fact. and with sstp/ovpn on tcp port 443 it even would be possible to maybe deploy tiks in china xD ;)
I can also zerotier each router with my own hosted ZT and access it that way. Point being...it is an extra step which would be nice to avoid
 
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CAPsMAN - centralized multi-tenancy support for ISP

Sun Sep 18, 2022 12:32 pm

We are a large 802.11 WISP with a managed BYOD wireless client service. We are in a phase of transitioning heavily to MikroTik products for our backhaul. We are interested in your CAP access points to install in homes and businesses, but your CAPsMAN controller currently has an issue which is fatal to our use case:

If the controlled AP loses contact with the CAPsMAN controller, it kills the radio and stops broadcasting entirely. This will suffice for local CAPsMAN management, but we require central management of thousands of separate sites (multi-tenancy). In order to do that with your controller with uninterrupted failover, we would need to run VRRP and script an automated sync. All our last-mile wifi services would be at unacceptable risk of total catastrophic failure. Our current vendors' APs cache their config and continue broadcasting with its last known settings if it loses access to a central controller.

Is there an effort to add a feature like this for multi-tenancy and non-distributed CAPsMAN control?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Sep 19, 2022 6:00 pm

In regards to the 'Cloud' solution.
Not everything I have in now >100 devices touches the public internet.
I would prefer a solution I can spin up on a Virtual Machine in a closed environment.

I understand that other people could benefit from a cloud controller, but not in my current use case.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THIS!!!!!
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Sep 22, 2022 6:55 pm

In regards to the 'Cloud' solution.
Not everything I have in now >100 devices touches the public internet.
I would prefer a solution I can spin up on a Virtual Machine in a closed environment.

I understand that other people could benefit from a cloud controller, but not in my current use case.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THIS!!!!!

...Or the best of both worlds: a cloud-based service, with the option for a local "proxy controller", located on the LAN edge.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Sep 22, 2022 8:41 pm

...Or the best of both worlds: a cloud-based service, with the option for a local "proxy controller", located on the LAN edge.
That's worse. You need an extra point of failure ("proxy controller" service) plus the need to rely on 3rd party cloud services (be it MikroTik, the cloud provider they choose, and everyone in between).
Just terrible for operators that will rely heavily on the controller. For the average Joe that has 2-3 APs and 1-2 routers/switches on their home or their SOHO business, the cloud solution might be good enough.

The best approach is what Ubiquiti does. Give the option to either use their cloud service or allow end users/integrators to install it on-premises and be 100% air-gapped.
Not every network has direct or indirect (ie proxy) access to the Internet.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Sep 22, 2022 8:58 pm

The best approach is what Ubiquiti does. Give the option to either use their cloud service or allow end users/integrators to install it on-premises and be 100% air-gapped.
But do they still offer that? I know it was like that in the past, and I have cut the connection between our locally installed controller and the internet during the
security breach scare (not justified, it turned out later), but it seems that models introduced from around that time and later have mandatory cloud management instead
of local? or do I misunderstand that?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Sep 22, 2022 11:32 pm

I manage numerous Unifi Switches and APs and none of them require any connection to Ubiquiti to work.
Same with the Unifi controller itself.

In fact, one of my installations is being used in the exact scenario I mentioned. Air-gapped network without any internet access.
It works flawlessly without being "held hostage" to any cloud service.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Sep 23, 2022 12:19 am

Ok that is great! I'll keep it in mind as probably sometime soon it will be the time to replace (part of) the APs with Wifi-6E models...
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Sep 25, 2022 6:39 pm

Ok that is great! I'll keep it in mind as probably sometime soon it will be the time to replace (part of) the APs with Wifi-6E models...
Wifi 6e??? From Mikrotik?

That was a joke right?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Sep 25, 2022 7:28 pm

Wifi 6e??? From Mikrotik?

That was a joke right?
No it was referring to the post above that.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Sep 27, 2022 10:28 pm

A very good idea but only if MikroTik wants to build something similar to Panorama from Palo Alto Networks. Unifi Network Application has shit management of router functions (e.g. USG has maybe 20% of functions from GUI) . Unifi Network App works reasonably well but only with AP . MT please looks on better big vendors , platform form Ubnt not good solution.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Sep 28, 2022 1:41 am

Hi
I want to write post but I found this usefully and we can add some points to Dude servers.
as IT and network admin our requirement its monitoring all network device in the network public/private before/after NAT.

currently with dude its limited on IPs are connected via Dude Server and required some Route Rules and NAT rule to access other network before/after NAT.
My suggestion its use multiple Dude Servers on multiple devices and all connected to main Dude Server Showing all devices on other Dude Server and give FULL access like main one.
something like Inter mapper and other SNMP network monitoring Devices.

for example let see for Small ISPs
Site-1
they Have main GW <===> BGP <====> Distribution/Firewall/Rule/B.W Control router <=== > SIWTCHs VLANs. (((Dude level 1 server))
Then DHCP/PPOE/DSL/FTTX etc routers with private and public Access ((Dude level 2 Server))
finally Customer Devices which it's almost on private. ((Dude level 3 Server))
almost above can Access via NOC and Public Network.
Site-2
same
Site-X

what we need DUDE MAIN Controller that MIX all Dude sites and levels info main one Screen. then NOC or support team when click on requested network open the map for this network.

don't know if available on dude or not.

and the importance its import list and scripts to add one time set password and users for access to router OS now if you have 1000 router you need to setup it one by one or you will have failure login link millions
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Sep 29, 2022 12:05 am

Make populating the 802.11k/v/r caches accessible to us the integrators.
Everyone seems to be asking for centralized change management, but one can build that based on the current APIs.

A controller in its purest form is orchestrating client access over a distributed system, while dealing with the intentional short-comings of a client controlled access protocol.
By all means build your own MT controller, but if you want the community to innovate on what a controller could be, then we need the ability to fill the neighbor lists (802.11k) and get access to those transition management frames when supported (802.11v).

Let us innovate for you.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Oct 03, 2022 10:49 pm

Something like VoiP Phones Auto Prevision Server, just exapt phones, use MT devices
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7gNfE0gmUg

So every MT device can connect on that and send data to it. So we can create rules (schedule or passive) do config,udate,backup,reboot. Also can crate groups (by platform, ip range, mac, ver, model.....) and than change/manage certan param on one device/group/model/ver or all devices....also "netinnstall" support, if some MT device "dies", over DHCP can "call" controler for new ROS and some template config or backup config or admin define data.....
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Oct 04, 2022 10:52 am

Seconding IPS/IDS.

I have had too many customers recently that have wanted IPS/IDS and as a result I had to remove Mikrotik routers.

You don't need a centralised app for that though. I would love a checkbox in winbox that said enable IDS/IPS, as simple as that :)

As for the Centralised app:
-I would like it to have the Dudes excellent mapping functionality
-In fact why not just upgrade The dude to do all of that?
-The app needs to have autodetect functionalities
-The app needs to be opt in for all devices
-No thin client hardware, all Mikrotiks need to be able to operate independently, read above, OPT-IN only.
-SwOS support?
-Config backups, both binary and text.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Oct 04, 2022 11:12 am

Seconding IPS/IDS.

I have had too many customers recently that have wanted IPS/IDS and as a result I had to remove Mikrotik routers.
Let's not pollute the topic of centralized management with requests for new features in the router!
There is a separate topic for that. This topic is about a controller to manage the configuration of features of the router, and features of that controller would at most extend to e.g. synchronization of configuration of redundant routers. IPS/IDS is not (only) configuration.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Oct 04, 2022 12:57 pm

Can I get a link to the topic?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Oct 14, 2022 8:14 am

Dear,
Thanks for reading my answer.
According to my idea "MikroTik controller app for MikroTik Devices is must connected with Cloud DDNS sn.mynetname.net" so any one access any where as they are accessing MikroTik Router. Because in many countries there is typical ISP's policies so they have blocked VPN or some time users needs to white list their VPN IP's.
Thanks & Regards.
Mehar
 
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spippan
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Oct 25, 2022 1:13 am


You don't need a centralised app for that though. I would love a checkbox in winbox that said enable IDS/IPS, as simple as that :)
i reckon you do not really know how a IDS/IPS works and what "in depth protocol" steps it iterates through and how quite cpu-intense a IDS/IPS is, or do you?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Oct 25, 2022 6:54 pm

Standards based. SNMP/mikrotik api

100% ZERO requirement to use anyone else's servers, mine work just fine, my cloud works just fine.

No requirement to access the internet for the controller to work, only that the end devices can reach the controller.

IPv6 support.

End user modules. We wanted to add tons of things to the dude but cant, so we built our own.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Nov 06, 2022 10:13 am

Rather than reinventing the wheel with own protocols, I would recommend using standard management protocols as much as possible.
Possibly by extending Dude or maybe building it as a superset to Capsman, but with Radius, SSH, SFTP for encrypted file copy and similar.
Either way, should be optional to use this or not and should run on RouterOS.

When it comes to features:
- better centralized syslog that can be filtered, searched through, copy/pasted, exported, rotated, parsed and scripted
- remote script execution and centralized backup & export location would be nice
- different devices and probes to notify different operators through email
- multiple daily time schedules for different operator email addresses
- automated delay of update (for RouterOS and Routerbord firmware) on POE powered device, while POE powering device is updating (through neighbor discovery) on top of hierarchy defined in this new monitoring system
- txt/csv/xml/xlsx imports for IPs, macs, etc. to be monitored
- better scaling for map icons and background images
- if system would allow monitoring dashboards or maps, please make it HTTPS as primary means
- ability to report #clients connected to each CAP, not only on CAPSMAN that can be done now
- network port connections discovery so to build connection map, not just find devices within VLAN
- rogue device detection and reporting when attached to VLANs (through scheduled IP and MAC scans) or ports
- identify to which port of which device is particular MAC connected to across the LAN
- identify/alert for rogue WiFi networks nearby
- port monitoring, LAG monitoring, STP changes monitoring and alerting
- extend RouterOS with ability to trigger every change of RouterOS object state with a script (eg. dynamic events port/bridge up/down, client connected to WiFi, hotspot, or configuration changes ... ) that could interface with this management system or execute these scripts on the device itself.
- multicast monitoring and reporting
- visualization/reporting of traffic passing through the firewall rules to help troubleshooting
- ability to add labels or dummy rules for troubleshooting which rule blocks particular traffic - highlight rule in winbox or that new management
- add action to firewall rules for triggering synchronous or asynchronous script, passing into it all other traffic info and stream/packet details,
so it can trigger any action on that monitoring/management system
- connect one WiFi CAP to another as scheduled, to assure RF radios device part works properly on each
- identify single frequency interference impacting multiple APs; better reporting for weather radars and sources of interference
- integrated spectral scans
- extend RouterOS/scripting object model with ability to address any other device on the network through scripting...
eg. Enterprise_Name/Device_Identifier/RouterOS_Object/RouterO_Sub_Object/... below which levelstandard scripting applies.
This would allow to orchestrate scripts which easily control or collect data from multiple devices.

Please note, just brainstorming here... I didn't bake enough any of these ideas.
I understand some are not directly related but might be enabler for some features of the system proposed or prove useful for Mikrotik elswhere.

Thx!
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Nov 06, 2022 4:19 pm

- better centralized syslog that can be filtered, searched through, copy/pasted, exported, rotated, parsed and scripted
There are many good syslog handling tools, like Splunk:
viewtopic.php?t=179960

Problem is the logging mess that Mikrotik sends out. They told that they will look inn to this many years ago, but nothing has happen.
viewtopic.php?t=124291

It may be fixed in v8 :)
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Nov 09, 2022 8:25 pm

IMO - Meraki has the gold standard for cloud based router management. I am often amazed by the intelligence built into the platform.

The Dude offers limited management capabilities, but is quite lackluster
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Nov 14, 2022 12:03 pm

The Dude offers limited management capabilities, but is quite lackluster
Yes, how about reworking Dude?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Nov 14, 2022 5:53 pm


You don't need a centralised app for that though. I would love a checkbox in winbox that said enable IDS/IPS, as simple as that :)
i reckon you do not really know how a IDS/IPS works and what "in depth protocol" steps it iterates through and how quite cpu-intense a IDS/IPS is, or do you?
Well, nobody said you should run IDS/IPS on a RB2011.
I am pretty sure you are describing DPI, not IDS/IPS. And yes DPI support should come too. I am fine with the speed trade offs as long as they are well documented.
What you NEED for IDS/IPS functionality is a centralised database of website/IP reputations, malware databases and a database of DDoS and malware traffic patterns.
A centralised controller app is completely OPTIONAL for that purpose. As the URLs of those databases can be burned into the firmware.

I am also not asking Mikrotik to make THE WORLDS BEST FIREWALL #1. I need just IDS/IPS/DPI functionality that is good enough because I have had some customers whom I have had to migrate away from MIkrotik because they asked for IDS/IPS. And it was a lot of work rengineering their entire network to Fortigate, Ubiquity UDM Pro, Cisco Firepower, etc... Btw. IDS/IPS/DPI on the UDM pro work pretty much exactly like I described. All local on the device except that it reaches for remote databases. Yes, troughput drops for a couple of gigabytes but it is still well above 1G troughput on the UDM pro. Based on my real world testing. On the Ubiquity UDM Pro it is 1 radio button and 1 checkbox to enable IDS/IPS and DPI. You have some more options like selecting threat categories and blacklisting/whitelisting. But those have sane defaults and thus you don't really have to do anything with them. Yes The UDM has a central controller, on ITSELF. There is no remote computing.

Although to be frank I don't care about the implementation, as long as it comes in a routeros update, and is simple enough to use that I can enable it in less than 5 minutes.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Nov 22, 2022 5:08 am


...

Although to be frank I don't care about the implementation, as long as it comes in a routeros update, and is simple enough to use that I can enable it in less than 5 minutes.
a real IPS in less than 5min for business... alright.

and AFAIK on mikrotik DPI is here anyway. how would all mangle and firewall options be possible otherwise
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Nov 24, 2022 11:14 am



a real IPS in less than 5min for business... alright.
Exactly what I said earlier. I do not care for it being THE WORLDS BEST FIREWALL NO.1 . I just want a checkbox that says Enable IDS, another checkbox that says enable IPS and then some optional whitelisting and blacklisting boxes.
and AFAIK on mikrotik DPI is here anyway. how would all mangle and firewall options be possible otherwise
Yeah and it is implemented exactly incorrectly. Who likes to make dosens of mangle rules with l7 firewall rules and a script on a schjeduler that runs every 5 minutes updating those rules from some online place managed mostly by volunteers? Not me.

All I want is that once/if this feature is implemented my own user experience is closer to that of a Ubiquiti firewall than a Cisco ASA firewall. I don't mind it also being the worlds best firewall, as long as my user experience is good enough. But I prioritize my user expereince in this case.

I am not a security expert anyways.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Dec 21, 2022 5:53 am

I have seen several mentions of config files, config compare ...
Do you suggest for the controller to operate as a configuration export uploader?
Yes , version control and configuration enforcement.
Centralized log repository.
Centralized packages repository.
Centralized monitoring dashboard.
Centralized notification board.
Centralized scheduler to perform jobs on remote devices
Ability assign second parent in case primary is down.
Ability configure remote devices from local interface.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Dec 21, 2022 9:20 pm

Hi,

Mikrotik any beta yet?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Dec 24, 2022 1:46 am

Support for Terraform and an official provider would be amazing.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jan 12, 2023 11:14 am

1. Ability to rollback controller firmware /
2. Ansible / Terraform support would be nice!
3. Install as Windows app, Linux/OSX app, VM, Docker-compose container, Kubernetes compatible, Pi x64 & maybe even an Android/iOS mobile app. Many people have old phones/tablets lying around that could be repurposed. :)
4. RESTapi
4.1. N8n compatibility.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jan 12, 2023 10:05 pm

Any new, eta ?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Jan 23, 2023 7:22 pm

could you refactor the package
CapsMAN (controlled ap management)
for
CentralMAN (Central Managed Controller)
and include a tr-069 mini server
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Jan 23, 2023 7:31 pm

Remember the topic started with:
MikroTik is planning to develop and build a controller app for MikroTik Devices. Currently we are researching possibilities and options
That has about the same intention as:
We are considering to add commonly used functions as built-in.
What functions would you like to see?
as was posted in 2018 ( viewtopic.php?p=977730 )
Nothing ever came of that. So do not consider it a decision that already has been made until some beta version appears.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Feb 03, 2023 9:49 am

Why not just improve ansible support?
I'm using ansible at the moment to deploy configuration changes, updates etc.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Feb 05, 2023 2:11 pm

a cloud one? or self-hosted?
tr069?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Feb 09, 2023 5:29 pm

1) Centralized firewall management
2) Grouped device management (e.g. multiple devices can be at one group and I only need to create firewall rules for this group)
3) Updates
4) Scripting - either on specific devices or a central API endpoint for REST request.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Feb 09, 2023 10:56 pm

1.) central FW management (maybe also for groups)
2.) central VRRP and VLAN management (creation of VRRP interfaces and managing VLANs)
3.) update management
4.) export/backup
5.) logging (additionally to rsyslog or an integrated rsyslog service in central mgmt to evaluate and search logs centrally)

6.) integrated TR069 server to deploy "zero-touch" setups
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Feb 10, 2023 10:59 am

.
At the moment we do not want to stick to a specific implementation or standard, but build our own

Best of luck

Image
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Feb 17, 2023 2:44 am

Support for Terraform and an official provider would be amazing.
While by no means official, there's this: https://registry.terraform.io/providers ... ros/latest
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Mar 07, 2023 11:13 am

Create central app server run on Ubuntu or Linux then can connect to any Mikrotik routers manage remotely or configure in one place.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Mar 12, 2023 8:28 am

Hello,

MikroTik is planning to develop and build a controller app for MikroTik Devices. Currently we are researching possibilities and options, what should be there and how it could be done and implemented. At the moment we do not want to stick to a specific implementation or standard, but build our own that will help to manage, develop and deploy different scale networks running MikroTik devices.
Any suggestions about features and options are very welcome.
Looking forward to this.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Mar 20, 2023 10:02 am

Hmm, I wonder if this video is about the devices controller:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKnYhWnch0Q
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Mar 20, 2023 10:52 am

If it is the devices controller this could explain why version 7.9beta takes that long to be prepared.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Mar 20, 2023 1:09 pm

Hmm, I wonder if this video is about the devices controller:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKnYhWnch0Q
I thought it was BFD reaching out to say hello. But I'm pretty sure we'll both be disappointed.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Mar 20, 2023 3:09 pm

Hmm, I wonder if this video is about the devices controller:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKnYhWnch0Q
might be CAP AX (XL)
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Mar 21, 2023 2:22 am

... give RouterOS 7 proper configuration transactions. The RouterOS configuration paradigm is already very database-like and, in my opinion, is well-designed compared to some of the big players like Cisco. A huge thing missing for automating Mikrotiks is the lack of native transaction support: the ability to stage a series of changes, commit them in their entirety, and if necessary roll them back. Work spent improving this would make the platform more attractive for all users, no matter whether they manually configure their devices with Winbox/web/CLI or whether they integrate them with an automation tool like Ansible...

I think eduplant's point here is the most important one here. I'm just elaborating below, so please consider their comment. ⬆️

Without configuration transactions any tool is just another way to mutate state on a device: It doesn't matter if it's a single pane of glass for twiddling 1000 devices, it's still going to be a process of: read, observe, decide, then write back regardless of the transport method or whether a human or computer is doing it. A multi-device config interface allows you to make changes faster but doesn't help determining what changes to make.

Transaction support is the clearest pathway to declarative configuration and the software/IT/tech world is rapidly moving to declarative configuration and infrastructure-as-code.

While it currently appears that there's Ansible support for RouterOS, a closer examination shows it's parsing and wrapping the CLI just like a human. Any idempotent behavior with Ansible must be hand-coded by the user in the Ansible script. Writing repeatable deploys or config update requires a lot of RouterOS scripting e.g. `[find where ...]` and the work and testing associated with that is much more work than specifying the actual desired configuration. Wrangling repeatable router setup is extremely difficult to achieve without writing a ton of defensive scripting code. Any of this logic will need to exist somewhere in a mass-config tool unless it's moved elsewhere.

The idea for MikroTik to keep their offering vendor-neutral makes a lot of sense, and adding config transactions allows MikroTik devs and communities of things like Ansible, Terraform, and scriptwriters be more productive in a way only MikroTik can deliver by adding a transaction abstraction to RouterOS.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Mar 21, 2023 2:36 pm

...give RouterOS 7 proper configuration transactions...
+100 for that would be a killer upgrade (checkpoint, VyOS, barracuda,.... all those vendors have something alike for years now)

Pretty much all of the network vendors (except JunOS frankly) have one or more of these exact problems and it is certainly a non-trivial effort to make big changes to the core configuration model. However, if you make these types of improvements on the RouterOS side, if you still want to implement an automation/controller/management kind of solution your own engineers won't have to invent something with duct tape and glue on the controller side to keep things in sync or try and generate the API diffs under the hood. Instead, the resulting application can be a pretty basic web app that leverages a simple database or, say, Ansible and git under the hood. You could even partner with an existing automation platform and just make some good RouterOS integrations for it.
integration or a solution like that would enhance large/mass deployments big time!
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Mar 21, 2023 3:22 pm

You know about the { command; command; command; } construct from commandline?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Mar 21, 2023 6:47 pm

You know about the { command; command; command; } construct from commandline?
The issue is definition of a "failed operation" is tricky, with or without transactions. So the { command, ... } will protect against bad syntax, and that may help in a lot of cases. But everyone's definition of what failure looks like beyond that may be different. So "transactions" aren't the whole story. From a SQL POV, you need a schema to enforce transactional integrity too. And not sure that part be so easily express by the admin (e.g. in the using Ansible etc. track), which look a lot more like policy config, than directly help with controlling devices.

While config's structure is very "SQL-ish", and that's a good thing, I'm not sure that means the API and wire protocols need to follow SQL off a cliff.

Perhaps a model of a "template-configuration" that's "applied" to devices. Unlike default-configuration, this template offer "template parameters" that can be dynamically changed by "controller" at runtime. And that's not far off what's done today, except be "dynamic" and avoid either monolithic config replace/reboot or complex :if/set/add syntax that's "pushed" (and thus managed) by a "controller". Basically a "idempotent QuickSet", with parameters provided by the "controller" and the QuickSet profiles customizable is closer to what's be looking for than "transactions". Especially for the ansible, terraform, etc. "playbook" cases — if this API-controlled QuickSet got bad data or otherwise failed, then it reports the failure (and cleans up itself) – no "transactions" required, it only one.

But I ain't picky, the issue is how to best describe the desired idempotency for the controlled device and that's what's key... the mechanism less so.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Mar 21, 2023 7:49 pm

It is not clear to me what people want and expect... the { command; command; command; } construct already makes sure that only the complete set of grouped commands is processed, and then there is the "safe mode" that can roll back changes when they result in loss of connectivity.
It is already so much better than what I know from e.g. Cisco IOS (but that is some time ago).
Sometimes it is nice to have the model of "apply config, run a test, and if test fails revert to previous config" (as seen in Ubiquiti devices, for example) but it is often difficult to test well within the short interval available for that so it usually is only a test for connectivity, which we already have. Except for the case where you e.g. change the config of a VPN and a disconnect/reconnect is fully expected, in which case safe mode cannot be used.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Mar 28, 2023 1:41 pm

Export already is the complete text dump of the configuration but that text dump is not the way the config is stored. You cannot upload that text file to the router and expect it to replace the configuration on the router.
If only it did work that way, it would save so much pain when trying to bring a replacement unit up. I took me 2 hours of mucking around ti massage my RB750gr3 config into my RB3011, manually extracting certificates and importing them prior to loading config back in for VPN to avoid config errors. also the ability for routeros to ignore duplicate config rather than erroring out.

Maybe its just that people know how to slice and dice a config file to get it to import correctly but the output that an export generates almost never goes back into a device without re-jigging the config, having config dependencies defined *before* the config that it depends on would be a huge plus, even if there was a way to tell export to format a config in a way where it could be loaded into a new device.

Maybe that is what a Device controller can do. apply a device config to a different kind of device and give you an opportunity to map specific ports to new ports on the different hardware.

Not a problem wholesomely unique to Mikrotik either, Cisco are just as bad with differences between hardware and software platforms (NXOS, IOS, IOS XE etc)
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Mar 28, 2023 1:55 pm

Export already is the complete text dump of the configuration but that text dump is not the way the config is stored. You cannot upload that text file to the router and expect it to replace the configuration on the router.
If only it did work that way, it would save so much pain when trying to bring a replacement unit up. I took me 2 hours of mucking around ti massage my RB750gr3 config into my RB3011, manually extracting certificates and importing them prior to loading config back in for VPN to avoid config errors. also the ability for routeros to ignore duplicate config rather than erroring out.
Agree! The config export file should:
1. include ALL configuration, at least optionally. also the users and certificates.
2. have a facility to import the export file in a load-and-replace fashion, i.e. a combination of "clear config" and "import file", with continuation on non-fatal errors.

As it is now, loading of a config file is an expert job.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Mar 28, 2023 2:08 pm

Already on post #32, this topic is one useless frill... 10 months and no news, no comment, no something from Staff involved of development of something...
viewtopic.php?t=186352#p936170
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Mar 28, 2023 2:18 pm

Already on post #32, this topic is one useless frill... 10 months and no news, no comment, no something from Staff involved of development of something...
viewtopic.php?t=186352#p936170
I think they have forgotten about it haha
Very ashame..
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:13 pm

It MUST be able to monitor and auto discover devices with IP addresses that are assigned dynamically (I.e DHCP or IP pool if dialing in via VPN). The auto discover needs to be smart enough to not add a new device when device already exists but IP has changed.

Also an option to auto discover the device with the router identity as the display name.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Mar 29, 2023 11:43 pm

It MUST be able to monitor and auto discover devices [...]
You didn't see that in the beta version of the controller? ;) I think it already does all those device discovery things...
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Apr 05, 2023 1:20 am

It is not clear to me what people want and expect... the { command; command; command; } construct already makes sure that only the complete set of grouped commands is processed, and then there is the "safe mode" that can roll back changes when they result in loss of connectivity.
It is already so much better than what I know from e.g. Cisco IOS (but that is some time ago).
Sometimes it is nice to have the model of "apply config, run a test, and if test fails revert to previous config" (as seen in Ubiquiti devices, for example) but it is often difficult to test well within the short interval available for that so it usually is only a test for connectivity, which we already have. Except for the case where you e.g. change the config of a VPN and a disconnect/reconnect is fully expected, in which case safe mode cannot be used.
I did not know about this construct. I appreciate the comment :)

Now that I think about it, if some of the final or interstitial commands are written as tests for previous commands that error out if something doesn't add up. I could see doing pings, arp, fetch, resolve etc. in tests like that. I guess the issue is that it's just a lot of code to write, test, and debug. On the other hand, I can't think of what I reasonable default idea of a transaction failure would be, so perhaps the way it currently is is the most reasonable and I just need to get more comfortable with scripting and testing.

I guess I just don't have that much experience looking at real-world code where semi-high-stakes changes are made. I do small community ISP work and we just haven't gotten to the point of needing to edit devices where a lot of users are using it and success is critical.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Apr 14, 2023 8:08 am

Any news about mikrotik device Controller?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Apr 15, 2023 3:10 pm

Hi all,

because of MT inability to release anything after 1 year...check UPTIME MONITOR. It is opensource and it can run in docker. It can send you notofication thorough many providers etc Microsoft teams and it is very simple, nice monitoring of servers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbF96IHOZig
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat May 06, 2023 11:17 pm

Pretty "simple" I think to develop a good controller:

Step 1: Fix your DNS Implementations, make stuff like mDNS great again!
Step 2: Update / fix your Openflow Integration
Step 3: Fix your [...] implementations
Step 4: Make Controller that supports Openflow asides just Mikrotik devices

but for the love of god start at Step 1 before you attempt anything else at all!
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun May 07, 2023 12:32 pm

Hi all,

because of MT inability to release anything after 1 year...check UPTIME MONITOR. It is opensource and it can run in docker. It can send you notofication thorough many providers etc Microsoft teams and it is very simple, nice monitoring of servers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbF96IHOZig
That is just a NMS. not a controller.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Jun 06, 2023 12:41 am

Hi all,

because of MT inability to release anything after 1 year...check UPTIME MONITOR. It is opensource and it can run in docker. It can send you notofication thorough many providers etc Microsoft teams and it is very simple, nice monitoring of servers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbF96IHOZig
I'm using Cloutik.com but since I learned about Omada and experienced to many disappointments on Mikrotik LTE devices I have to switch to Omada - how it look and work is perfect.

Mikrotik, is there any chance soon?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jul 13, 2023 5:06 pm

Background: i love Mikrotik devices but they have a flaw: their wireless software part. It works but ... it's not.
Idea: let me install openwrt on them (i already did that) and add support for openwrt on capsman/device controller. At least for HAP AC/AC2 and CAP AC. At least let me push configs via a common way, ssh, idk. Maybe support openwrt community with packages for these Mikrotik devices. In my opinion this will transform a flaw into an advantage for choosing Mikrotik wireless devices.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jul 15, 2023 3:49 am

Already on post #32, this topic is one useless frill... 10 months and no news, no comment, no something from Staff involved of development of something...
viewtopic.php?t=186352#p936170
...
guess a business decision this size ... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ... is a very very costly decision ...
... guess too, the opinions in this "useless frill" are very detailed monitored to decide whats coming next ( guess, even the internal discussions in Riga-MT-headquarters are ... agitated : )
.
just updated a customer installation, implemented with equipment of a 'competitor' ( to competitor-version 7.4 ... ngfw-switching-wifi ... all integrated ) ... impressive ... nice ... ... overwhelming-nice !!
( and I like it ) ... but ... if I would run a business myself ( with the knowledge I gathered building networks ) ? ... I would not pay (that) for that !
.
THE BIG INTEGRATION ... ? ... we had pagan singings from SNMP doing that, ... a lot of years later ... SDN was exalted as the savior.
.
And I think, it should be something like that. ... SNMP ... somehow, crashed to the trench ... but RADIUS for instance ... is a vendor-interactive protocol which works, almost flawless.
.
There are interesting initiatives out there !? ... maybe join or give links to ? ... ... or not ?!
.
whale or mackerel ... that's the question : ) ?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jul 15, 2023 4:06 am

... since I just switched to a 'cAP ax' in my homeland-laboratoires ... and of course I've configured it as capsman controlled device ... : )
... I can not choose the radius-server per SSID ?? ... in a controller-solution ? ... this is even in homeland-laboratoires ... ... sparse ! ... because I have 5 radius-servers to evaluate !
.
REVOKED
.
viewtopic.php?p=1026663#p1026663
.
just failed syntax ...
Last edited by floaty on Fri Sep 22, 2023 1:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jul 15, 2023 4:11 am

cAP ax ... very powerfull antenna !! ( finally) ... appreciated ... longs to the whole flat !!!.
...
. felt I had to illustrate ...
controller.png
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jul 15, 2023 5:57 am

this is the - not-so-bad - wet dream ! ( mine too ! )
.
but it can ... financially ... cardinally ground your customer ( ... consider the milkdrinker cow-killer relationship )
.
sdn.png
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hooyao
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Jul 16, 2023 12:01 pm

No idea if you guys know about this https://rosz.cn/, it is pretty useful for me. And yeah yeah yeah, I understand, those Chinaman are not trustworthy, their government will spy me via the camera embedded in the toilet paper. But you can still take a look at it, and get some ideas, this tool is being developed by a single developer, the implementation is sophisticated and neat. And he charges nothing if you register less than 5 devices.

Though I don't have this guys' email address, he leaves a Chinese phone number: +86 186 5369 7697, and wechat number:302268, you definitely will find a way to reach him, if you are really interested. You can also translate this blog https://blog.rosz.cn/

Many features, the screenshot was from the translated webpage(no english support),
Screenshot 2023-07-16 165507.png
Screenshot 2023-07-16 165340.png
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Jul 16, 2023 2:10 pm

I think you have the URL wrong its https://rosz.redarmy.cn ;-)
 
troffasky
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Jul 20, 2023 7:06 pm

Seems like he has done more than Mikrotik have for a cloud RouterOS controller...even if it turns out to be a botnet controller or a data harvesting exercise :D
 
CTSsean
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jul 22, 2023 12:10 am

I'd personally love it if Mikrotik could make a centralized controller. Even if it was required to be its on VM appliance.
Here are my reasons:
A) when deploying capsman, only the the wifi radios are configured. The rest of the device isn't protected.
B) It's difficult to have a standardized install that doesn't requre dozens of hours to deploy multiple ticks. Even if one takes a backup from one tik, you can't easily load it on another one and have it continue. There's a lot of default config stuff that gets in the way. More to the point, when you export a config, a lot of the times its exporting mac addreseses that are system set. Which can cause L2 conflicts.
C) everyone else is doing it, and doing it well. Merakie, Extreme, Aruba, UBNT, now TP-link with Omada. The fact that other companies see value in a provisioning system, but Mikrotik does not, makes me question the market Mikrotik is trying to target. Even UBNT can use their provisioning for their PtP setups.
 
pe1chl
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jul 22, 2023 12:13 pm

Well, of course for "just access points" it is much easier to do than for generic devices like MikroTik.
I use UBNT access points, but their controller configures similar things as CAPsMAN. The generic solution for a network of routers is much more complicated.
E.g. I would like to see a controller that can maintain configuration on two routers that are in failover configuration.
And also can configure some parts of many routers (e.g. firewall) the same way, while keeping other parts (like details of internet connection) different.
 
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spippan
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Jul 22, 2023 3:44 pm

Well, of course for "just access points" it is much easier to do than for generic devices like MikroTik.
I use UBNT access points, but their controller configures similar things as CAPsMAN. The generic solution for a network of routers is much more complicated.
E.g. I would like to see a controller that can maintain configuration on two routers that are in failover configuration.
And also can configure some parts of many routers (e.g. firewall) the same way, while keeping other parts (like details of internet connection) different.
as i know that kind of feature from checkpoint firewalls or sometime barracuda NGFWs
but that would be a REAL great feature for MT devices (especially routers in VRRP HA)
 
troffasky
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Aug 03, 2023 12:34 pm

Would be great to see some progress from Mikrotik on this. Maybe the Back To Home thing is the first element of the Devices Controller, who knows....
It could even be a source of revenue as well, eg storing logging/traffic information for reporting on - you want more than 7d of data, you have to pay, or whatever.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Aug 08, 2023 2:48 pm

Delorean Logo App - Back to the Future. ;-P
 
ffries
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Aug 21, 2023 10:27 am

I am using 6 routers/switches/Aps always with Router OS.

Two things I would love :
1) apply a setting or a group of settings to all my devices.
2) manage ipv6 transparently in firewalling rules. Habing duplicates rules is stopping most users. It is only recently that I implemented IPv6 rules. Ipv4 clans and IPv6 rules are very hard to cope. If you could Orl on that …

What I don’t like : be obliged to rely on a cloud. I would prefer a standalone application.
 
Rox169
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Aug 21, 2023 10:53 am

Hi,
Im just wondering why is this topic still open...it has been 2 years since first information about MDC and nothing till now. Not even alpha, beta etc. Everyone is writing their wisches here but realisticly there may not been any device controller from Mikrotik. If you chech competition... MT is getting far behing in HW and even in SW.
 
pe1chl
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Aug 21, 2023 11:15 am

Well, this is not the only topic on the forum where MikroTik propose that the could develop something and ask for input, then lots of users put in their comments but nothing is ever heard of the original proposal again (not even that in hindsight it was decided not to do it).
 
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spippan
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Aug 21, 2023 1:39 pm

Hi,
Im just wondering why is this topic still open...it has been 2 years since first information about MDC and nothing till now. Not even alpha, beta etc. Everyone is writing their wisches here but realisticly there may not been any device controller from Mikrotik. If you chech competition... MT is getting far behing in HW and even in SW.
planing and developing a central device controller is quite a huge project.
atm. we only can wait IF there will be such a thing (which for example, may replace TheDUDE)
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Aug 21, 2023 3:23 pm

yes, they have do similar concept as DUDE. Small package running on Mikrotik HW and SW in docker or on PC. But two years gone and they have nothing and look at the competition...
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Aug 21, 2023 5:48 pm

In fairness, they may want to get a long-term RouterOS first. Since if the controlled devices are in a state of flux/buggy, controlling them becomes a nightmare...

But MT have been talking about a controller here and/or multi-platform client elsewhere for a while...but seem to operate in a vacuum. e.g. we haven't seen any "we're thinking about this?".

And, I'm not even sure if this about a SDN-like L2/L3 network controller, or a Dude-like device management controller, or both...
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Mon Aug 21, 2023 9:30 pm

In fairness, they may want to get a long-term RouterOS first. Since if the controlled devices are in a state of flux/buggy, controlling them becomes a nightmare...

But MT have been talking about a controller here and/or multi-platform client elsewhere for a while...but seem to operate in a vacuum. e.g. we haven't seen any "we're thinking about this?".

And, I'm not even sure if this about a SDN-like L2/L3 network controller, or a Dude-like device management controller, or both...
I think is something like capsman but for entire box not just WiFi....
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Aug 22, 2023 2:58 am

I think is something like capsman but for entire box not just WiFi....
I would be ok with this! Sign me up for testing.
 
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spippan
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Aug 25, 2023 4:34 pm

if they would let out a piece of demo/test software or make statements about it, the forum would again explode with complaints and roars of critic (with which most of the time no one can improve anything; often plain nagging)
this might unnecessarily open another front for mikrotik staff to look into despite there are many issues which, i think, are more important at the moment

....so waiting it is
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Aug 25, 2023 4:46 pm

I'm curious to see the "protocol" they came up with(/working on)... Guessing we'd see signs of that, before any UI to test... e.g. @mrz's commentary
The initial goal is to develop a protocol to apply and monitor config [...]
and
It is intended as a true network management controller, of course probably in the future there could be an option to connect and manage the controller by a smartphone app or any other app or web GUI or whatever.
Think of it like a capsman, but not just for wireless.
 
pe1chl
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Aug 25, 2023 5:06 pm

There already are the protocols used by winbox, the API (which is about the same, I think), and the REST API introduced in v7.
Maybe the latter is what they intend to use in the controller...?
 
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Amm0
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Aug 25, 2023 6:06 pm

And TR-069 and SNMP. But all roads go through add/set/remove operation as primitives. And the existing API require listening on a specific path, so to "monitor a config live", it's actually a lot of API/REST calls to setup (and winbox likely has to do same). So it's a fair question.

I just think some small bug fixes to Dude would go a long way while we wait for some new protocol... e.g. there is already a multi-device management tool, it just has dated UI and 32-bits.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Aug 31, 2023 2:13 pm

Single app to control all mk devices ?

Winbox with menu -> list devices -> select mk device -> done :)
Winbox place with all devices overview
Winbox templates for auto-configuring ?!
Winbox officially supports only Windows. Many admins run Linux.

So, it's pretty much non-existing feature for people not using Windows. Don't count unofficial and questionable hacks to make it work on Linux.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Aug 31, 2023 2:14 pm

Many admins run Linux.
And many admin drink "vine" and run wine...
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Aug 31, 2023 11:54 pm

Couldn't resist:

One Application to rule them all, One Application to find them, One Application to bring them all and in the Internet bind them In the Net
 
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Amm0
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Fri Sep 01, 2023 12:09 am

One Application to rule them all, One Application to find them, One Application to bring them all and in the Internet bind them In the Net
DNS be fine.
drink "vines" and run wine...

Couldn't resist
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Sep 05, 2023 7:02 pm

Feature: ability to interact with Ansible, and script running capabilities e.g Python/Netmiko for network automation.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Sep 05, 2023 9:59 pm

Maybe not a solution for all situations, but the solution that I'd most like to see implemented is a method of central configuration of CAPs Provisioning, specifically one that does NOT rely on a RouterOS device to control the provisioning rules, where we can essentially deploy a CAPsMAN server the way we deploy a PPPoE server with very little on-device configuration needed, and all authentication processes offloaded to something centralized. My minimum requirements for this would be a way to define a SSID & WPA key for an individual CAPs Radio.

Option 1 would be a RADIUS based provisioning method that is part of a configuration profile where the CAPsMAN server contacts a RADIUS server during radio provisioning to get certain attributes like the SSID & WPA

Option 2, which in many ways I think would also create the framework for an incredible functionality within RouterOS would be replacing a configuration with JSON client that makes a get request along with various parameters embedded in the request headers and the webserver returns a JSON formatted RouterOS provisioning config.

This would function on a provisioning rule instead of adding a local configuration such as:
/caps-man provisioning add action=create-dynamic-enabled hw-supported-modes=gn master-configuration=CurrentMethod name-format=prefix-identity name-prefix=2.4Ghz-
/caps-man configuration add channel=2.4GN country="united states3" datapath.bridge=LAN .client-to-client-forwarding=yes .local-forwarding=yes distance=indoors installation=indoor mode=ap name=CurrentMethod rates=A/N/AC security.authentication-types=wpa-psk .encryption=aes-ccm group-encryption=aes-ccm .group-key-update=5m ssid=TestAP

The CAPsMAN Server would instead make the API call and see a JSON string like below which it would use to do the same thing as having the static configuration created.

/caps-man provisioning add action=create-dynamic-enabled hw-supported-modes=gn master-configuration=FROMJSONAPI name-format=prefix-identity name-prefix=2.4Ghz-
and the return from the webserver would look like this:
{
  "channel": "2.4GN",
  "country": "united states3",
  "datapath.bridge": "LAN",
  ".client-to-client-forwarding": "yes",
  ".local-forwarding": "yes",
  "distance": "indoors",
  "installation": "indoor",
  "mode": "ap",
  "name": "JSONSample",
  "rates": "A/N/AC",
  "security.authentication-types": "wpa-psk",
  ".encryption": "aes-ccm",
  "group-encryption": "aes-ccm",
  ".group-key-update": "5m",
  "ssid": "TestAP"
}
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Sep 05, 2023 11:10 pm

Feature: ability to interact with Ansible, and script running capabilities e.g Python/Netmiko for network automation.
ansible can be integrated by today - (rest) api and ssh with pubkey-auth
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Sep 06, 2023 1:48 am

Option 2, which in many ways I think would also create the framework for an incredible functionality within RouterOS would be replacing a configuration with JSON client that makes a get request along with various parameters embedded in the request headers and the webserver returns a JSON formatted RouterOS provisioning config.
/caps-man provisioning add action=create-dynamic-enabled hw-supported-modes=gn master-configuration=FROMJSONAPI name-format=prefix-identity name-prefix=2.4Ghz-
Wouldn't a simpler solution be some "from-script=" where a script can provides the master-configuration? The script could then /tool/fetch if desired whatever configuration, without being tied to a specific approach like fetching JSON.

Option 1 would be a RADIUS based provisioning method that is part of a configuration profile where the CAPsMAN server contacts a RADIUS server during radio provisioning to get certain attributes like the SSID & WPA
If you have RADIUS, why not just WAP-EAP and have CAPsMAN set to use that? I always think of RADIUS as "per-user" thing – so CAP AP provision seems an abuse of RADIUS protocol since mappings on RADIUS server-side wouldn't be clear.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Wed Sep 06, 2023 3:05 am

Before making a big commitment to a new software product; let's get the bread and butter products in order:
  1. RouterOS 7 "stable" becomes truly stable (not just a label) first and foremost before all else.
  2. RouterOS 7 becomes feature complete first and foremost before new software products.
  3. Hardware products requiring RouterOS 7 features should not impact installed base.
Existing customers make or break a vendors reputation and they thrive or die from that.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Sep 09, 2023 11:28 pm

Before making a big commitment to a new software product; let's get the bread and butter products in order:
  1. RouterOS 7 "stable" becomes truly stable (not just a label) first and foremost before all else.
  2. RouterOS 7 becomes feature complete first and foremost before new software products.
  3. Hardware products requiring RouterOS 7 features should not impact installed base.
Existing customers make or break a vendors reputation and they thrive or die from that.
This feels like Apple a few years ago with the iOS releases prior to iOS 12, they rushed year after year to add "features" instead of stability and bug fixes.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sat Nov 18, 2023 10:00 am

for electricians? those who know how to do everything but are not network experts
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Feb 06, 2024 10:50 am

Any update on the controller topic?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Feb 06, 2024 11:53 am

Just make promethus exporter and zabbix templete and most of user will be happy
 
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robmaltsystems
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Tue Feb 20, 2024 12:24 am

Background: i love Mikrotik devices but they have a flaw: their wireless software part. It works but ... it's not.
Idea: let me install openwrt on them (i already did that)
Are you suggesting that openwrt works better on Mikrotik devices. If so, then the faults in RouterOS Wi-Fi must be software related and therefore fixable? I was of the opinion that the flaws were partially hardware?
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Sun Feb 25, 2024 4:11 pm

ROS + wifi-qcom-ac is way better performing than OpenWrt with mentioned devices. Legacy wireless maybe was stable, but lacked speed and 802.11k, 802.12v (not sure about that) and 802.11r. Now we have this on wifi-qcom-ac and roaming between 2,4ghz/5ghz works like a charm. And enhanced throuput as well.
 
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Re: MikroTik Devices Controller

Thu Feb 29, 2024 1:20 am

My organization is very interested in a centralize controller based RouterOS architecture, but please consider making the controller cloud enabled for AWS/Azure, but Azure would be my preference.

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