FAQ
Content
- About MikroTik RouterOS™
- Logging on and Passwords
- Licensing Issues
- Installation
- Upgrading
- Downgrading
- TCP/IP Related Questions
- Bandwidth Management Related Questions
- Wireless Questions
- Payment information
What is MikroTik RouterOS?
MikroTik RouterOS™ is a router operating system and software which enables a PC or Mikrotik RouterBoard to be a dedicated router.
Can I test the RouterOS befor i buy it?
Off course, you can get the RouterOS from our Download section. The demo RouterOS will be fully functional without valid licence for 24h of total running time. It gives you plenty of time to test the RouterOS for 3 days at 8 hours a day, if you shut down router after working on it for 8 hours.
Where can I buy the License Key?
You can get the RouterOS key at Buy section, or you can buy it on MikroTik official web pages. Note that we have lower prices (because of reseller program) than MikroTik web shop.
Can MikroTik connect to high speed service provider such as T1, T3 or other high speed connection?
Yes, MikroTik RouterOS supports various Network Interface Cards, so your platform can become edge or backbone router, firewall or bandwidth manager, VPN server, WiFi access point, hotspot etc. Check Specification Sheet and Manual for supported interfaces!
How fast is Microtik RouterOS?
Intel PC is faster than almost any propriety router, but 100 MHz CPU does the job pretty well.
Can Mikrotik RouterOS do what Cisco router can?
Mikrotik RouterOS can do mostly everything, and even more than Cisco router for just small piece of the Cisco router price, and have flexibility in upgrading, ease of management and maintenance.
What Operating system is used to run Mikrotik RouterOS?
You don't need OS to run Mikrotik RouterOS. It comes with its instance of Linux Kernel which is very stable. Your hard drive will be erased by the instalation process. There is no support for additional disks, just one PRIMARY MASTER HDD or FlashDisk, except for WEB proxy cache.
Is RouterOS secure?
Yes! Access to the router is protected by username and password. If needed, additional users can be added. Each user groups can be assigned to specific rights. You can limit Access to the router is protected by username and password. Additional users can be added to the router, specific rights can be set for user groups. Remote access to the router can be restricted by user, IP address. Firewall filtering is the easiest way to protect your router and network.
What is the default username and password for RouterOS login?Username is 'admin', and there is no password (hit the 'Enter' key). To change the password use the '/password' command.
I forgot my password?
If you have forgotten the password, there is no recovery for it. You have to reinstall the router.
After power failure the MikroTik router is not starting up again?
If you haven't shut the router down, the file system has not been unmounted properly. When starting up, the RouterOS™ will perform a file system check. Depending on the HDD size, it may take several minutes to complete. Do not interrupt the file system check! It would make your installation unusable.
How can I access router if LAN has been disabled?
You can access the router either locally (using monitor and keyboard) or through the serial console.
How many time can I use RouterOS licence?
You can use licence infinite times, but only on one router, for which the licence has been created. You can not use licence on other routers.
Does the license expire?
The license never expires. The router runs for ever. But, the license has a limited upgrade time - a time period during which you can upgrade the software or the license to a newer version/level.
How can I reinstall the MikroTik RouterOS™ software without losing my software license?
You have to use CD, Floppies or Netinstall procedure and install the MikroTik RouterOS™ on the HDD with the previous MikroTik RouterOS™ installation still intact. The license is kept with the HDD. Do not use format or partitioning utilities, they will delete your key! Use the same (initial) BIOS settings for your HDD!
Can I use my MikroTik RouterOS™ software license on a different hardware?
Yes, you can use different hardware (motherboard, NICs), but you should use the same HDD. The license is kept with the HDD unless format or fdisk utilities are used. It is not required to reinstall the system when moving to different hardware. When paying for the license, please be aware, that it cannot be used on another harddrive than the one it was installed upon.
License transfer to another hard drive costs 15$. Contact support to arrange this.
What to do, if my hard drive with MikroTik RouterOS™ dies, and I have to install another one?
If you have bought licence, write to support@mikrotik.com and describe the situation. Broken harddrive could be requested to send to Mikrotik RouterOS as proof to get a replacement key.
No replacement key can be issued if you have a free demo licence. Please obtain another demo license, or purchase the base license.
How can I enter a new Software Key?
Entering the key using Console/FTP:
* import the attached file with the command '/system license import' (you must upload the licence key to the router's FTP server)
Entering the key using Console/Telnet:
* use copy/paste to enter the key into a Telnet window (no matter which submenu).
Be sure to copy the whole key, including the lines "--BEGIN MIKROTIK SOFTWARE KEY--" and "--END MIKROTIK SOFTWARE KEY--"
Entering the key using Winbox:
* use 'system -> license' menu in Winbox to Paste or Import the key
I have mis-typed the software ID when I purchased the Software Key. How can I fix this?
In the Account Server choose `work with keys`, then select your mis-typed key,
and then choose `fix key`.
How large HDD can I use for the MikroTik RouterOS™?
MikroTik RouterOS™ supports disks larger than 8GB (usually up to 120GB). But make sure the BIOS of the router's motherboard supports these large disks.
Can I run MikroTik RouterOS™ from any hard drive in my system?
Yes
Can multiple hard drives be used in Mikrotik RouterOS?
A secondary drive is supported for web cache. This support has been added in 2.8, multiple hard drives are not supported in older versions.
Why the CD installation stops at some point and does not go to the end?
There are some instalation issues on some motherboards. Try to reboot the computer and start the installation again. If the problem continues, try using different hardware.
How can I install additional feature packages?
You have to use the same version package files (extension .npk) as the system package. To see the list of installed packages, use the /system package print command . Check the free space on router's HDD using the /system resource print command before uploading the package files. You have to have at least 2MB free disk space on the router after you have uploaded the package files!
Upload the package files using the ftp BINARY mode to the router and issue /system reboot command to shut down the router and reboot. The packages are installed (upgraded) while the router is going for shutdown. You can monitor the installation process on the monitor screen connected to the router. After reboot, the installed packages are listed in the /system package print list.
How can I upgrade?
To upgrade the software, you must download the latest package files (*.npk) from our website (the 'system' package plus the ones that you need). Then, connect to the router via FTP and upload the new packages to it by using Binary transfer mode.
Reboot the router by issuing /system reboot command.
I installed additional feature package, but the relevant interface does not show up under the /interface print list.
You must to obtain (purchase) the required license level or install the NPK package for this interface (for example package 'wireless').
If I do upgrade RouterOS, will I lose my configuration?
No, configuration is will not be deleted one version family. When upgrading version families (for example, V2.5 to V2.6) you may lose the configuration of some features that have major changes. For example when upgrading from V2.4, you should upgrade to the last version of 2.4 first.
How much free disk space do I need when upgrading to higher version?
You need space for the system package and the additional packages you have to upgrade. After uploading the newer version packages to the router you should have at least 2MB free disk space left. If less then 2MB space left do not try to upgrade! Uninstall the unnecessary packages first, and then upgrade the remaining ones.
How can I downgrade the MikroTik RouterOS™ installation to an older version?
Downgrade is possible by reinstalling the RouterOS™ from any media. The software license will be saved with the HDD as long as the disk is not repartitioned / reformatted. The configuration of the router will be lost (it is possible to save the old configuration, but this option has unpredictable results when downgrading and it is not recommended to use it).
Another way is by the /system package downgrade command. This works only if you downgrade to 2.7.20 and not lower. Upload the older packages to the router via FTP and then use the /system package downgrade command.
I have two Network Interface Cards in the MikroTik router and they are working properly. I can ping both networks from the router but can't ping from one network through the router to the other network and to the Internet. I have no firewall setup.
This is a typical problem, where you do not have routing set up at your main Internet gateway. Since you have introduced a new network, you need to 'tell' about it your main gateway (your ISP). A route should be added for your new network. Alternatively, you can 'hide' your new network by means of masquerading to get access to the Internet.
Please take time to study the Basic Setup Guide, where the problem is described and the solution is given.
There is an example how to masquerade your private LAN:
[admin@MikroTik] ip firewall nat> add chain=srcnat action=masquerade out-interface=Public
[admin@MikroTik] ip firewall nat> print
Flags: X - disabled, I - invalid, D - dynamic
0 chain=srcnat out-interface=Public action=masquerade
How can I change the TCP port number for telnet or http services, if I do not want to use the ports 23 and 80, respectively?
You can change the allocated ports under /ip service.
When I use the IP address/mask in the form 10.1.1.17/24 for my filtering or queuing rules, they do not work.
The rules 'do not work', since they do not match the packets due to the incorrectly specified address/mask.
The correct form would be:
10.1.1.0/24 for the IP addresses in the range 10.1.1.0-10.1.1.255, or,
10.1.1.17/32 for just one IP address 10.1.1.17.
I need to set up DHCP client, but there is no menu '/ip dhcp-client'.
The DHCP feature is not included in the system software package. You need to install the dhcp package. Upload it to the router and reboot!
Can I statically bind IP's to MAC addresses via DHCP?
Yes, you can add static leases to the DHCP server leases list. However, DHCP is insecure by default, and it is better to use PPPoE for user authentication and handing out IP addresses. There you can request the user to log on from a specified MAC address as well.
How can I masquerade two different subnets using two different external IP addresses for them?
Use
/ip firewall nat rule with
chain=srcnat action=nat, specify the
to-src-address argument value. It should be one of the router's external addresses. If you use
action=masquerade, the
to-src-address is not taken into account, since it is substituted by the external address of the router automatically.
I cannot surf some sites when I use PPPoE.
Use
/ip firewall mangle to change MSS (maximum segment size) to a value less 40 bytes your connection MTU.
For example, if you have encrypted PPPoE link with MTU=1492, set the mangle rule as follows:
/ ip firewall mangle
add chain=forward protocol=tcp tcp-flags=syn action=change-mss new-mss=1448
Can I use MikroTik as a bridge and a traffic shaper in one machine?
Yes. You can use all the extensive queue management features. Set the queue to the outgoing interface, when passing through the router. It is not the bridge interface! The queue on the bridge interface is involved only for the traffic generated from the router.
Can I limit bandwidth based on MAC addresses?
For download:
1. connection-mark all packets from the MAC of each client with different marks
for each client using
action=passthrough:
/ip firewall mangle add chain=prerouting src-mac-address=11:11:11:11:11:11 \
action=mark-connection new-connection-mark=host11 passthrough=yes
2. Remark these packets with flow-mark (again different flow-marks for each connection-marks):
/ip firewall mangle add chain=prerouting connection-mark=host11 new-packet-mark=host11
3. We can use these flow-marks in queue trees now.
While this solution should function, it is fundamentally flawed as the first packet of each connection destined to these clients will not be taken into account.
For upload:
[admin@AP] ip firewall mangle> add chain=prerouting src-mac-address=11:11:11:11:11:11 \
action=mark-packet new-packet-mark=upload
Can I bridge wlan interface operating in the station mode?
No, you cannot.
How can I pay Mikrotik licence?
You can pay Mikrotik licence with your credit card. None of your credit card info will be stored. The payment is managed by secure payment gateway which assures you of safe and reliable shopping. Payments are non refundable! Your card will be billed in Croatian Kunas (HRK), based on the exchange rate of the day. Your bank may charge a fee for the currency exchange.