Configuring load balancing for multiple WAN (Wide Area Network) connections in MikroTik RouterOS 7 involves several steps. You’ll need to create appropriate routing rules, define the WAN interfaces, and set up load balancing. Here’s a general outline of the process:
1. Connect WAN Interfaces:
Ensure that all your WAN interfaces (e.g., multiple ISPs) are properly connected to the MikroTik router. Each WAN interface should have its own IP address and gateway provided by the respective ISP.
2. Configure WAN Interfaces:
Set up each WAN interface with appropriate IP addresses and gateways. You can do this in the MikroTik RouterOS web interface or using the command-line interface (CLI). Here’s an example CLI command for configuring a WAN interface named
/ip address add address=<WAN1_IP>/24 interface=WAN1 /ip route add gateway=<WAN1_GATEWAY> check-gateway=ping
Repeat this step for each WAN interface.
3.Create a Bridge Interface (Optional):
If you want to combine the WAN interfaces into a bridge for load balancing, create a bridge interface and add the WAN interfaces to it. This step is optional and depends on your network setup.
/interface bridge add name=bridge1
/interface bridge port add interface=WAN1 bridge=bridge1
/interface bridge port add interface=WAN2 bridge=bridge1
4. Set Up Load Balancing:
To configure load balancing, you can use the “PCC (Per Connection Classifier)” method. This method allows you to distribute traffic across multiple WAN links based on source and destination IP addresses.
/ip firewall mangle add action=mark-connection chain=prerouting connection-state=new in-interface=bridge1 new-connection-mark=WAN1_conn passthrough=yes per-connection-classifier=both-addresses:2/0
/ip firewall mangle add action=mark-connection chain=prerouting connection-state=new in-interface=bridge1 new-connection-mark=WAN2_conn passthrough=yes per-connection-classifier=both-addresses:2/1
/ip route add gateway= routing-mark=WAN1_conn check-gateway=ping
/ip route add gateway= routing-mark=WAN2_conn check-gateway=ping
/ip route add gateway= check-gateway=ping
Replace <WAN1_GATEWAY>, <WAN2_GATEWAY>, and <DEFAULT_GATEWAY> with the actual gateway IP addresses.
5. NAT Configuration (Optional):
If you want to perform NAT (Network Address Translation) for outgoing traffic, configure NAT rules for both WAN interfaces:
/ip firewall nat add action=masquerade chain=srcnat out-interface=WAN1
/ip firewall nat add action=masquerade chain=srcnat out-interface=WAN2
6. Monitoring and Testing:
You can monitor the load balancing performance using tools like ping, traceroute, and various MikroTik monitoring features.
Please note that load balancing configurations can vary depending on your specific network requirements and the version of RouterOS 7 you are using. Make sure to adapt these instructions to your specific setup and requirements. Additionally, ensure that you have a proper understanding of networking concepts and MikroTik RouterOS before making changes to your network configuration. Mistakes can disrupt network connectivity.
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