MikroTik is a Latvian company that manufactures and sells computer networks and wireless telecommunication equipment. MikroTik’s accounting software under the name of MikroTik Router OS is the most important product of this company. This software is a Linux-based router. In addition to installing on home computers, Mikrotik’s macro accounting software is also provided as a software-hardware package and even Mikrotik’s operating system. This software is one of the most powerful routers and is offered at a much lower price than other routers.
Overview of MikroTik accounting software (MikroTik RouterOS)
MikroTik RouterOS is a standalone Linux-based operating system that powers the MikroTik RouterBOARD hardware. Although the name of this software may be misleading, Mikrotik accounting software can be used as an operating system for devices other than routers. This software can be installed on personal computers to turn these devices into dedicated routers. This software includes a wide range of features, including configuration, firewall, routing, MPLS, VPN, wireless, DHCP, hotspot, quality of service, proxy, and various tools.
Additionally, Mikrotik’s accounting software can be tried without a license. Mikrotik allows you to test the software before you buy it. In this case, you are allowed to test the Mikrotik accounting software for 24 hours and familiarize yourself with its features. After 24 hours, you need a license to continue working with the program.
What is a router, and what is its role in accounting?
A router board is considered an integrated mini-computer because it has a processor, RAM, ROM, and flash memory. The operating system of this small computer is RouterOS, which acts as a network router, bandwidth manager, proxy server, DHCP, DNS server, and hotspot server. Due to the many features of Mikrotik routers and their reasonable prices, many organizations and offices are willing to purchase these routers. They have implemented or troubleshot Mikrotik-based networks using Mikrotik router boards.
Bandwidth management
Internet traffic control is an opportunity to restrict access to certain websites. The collection manager can track the company’s expenses with a simple control program. In addition, it also provides the possibility of estimating the number of packets received from the Internet service provider by the computer. Internet traffic monitoring tools for computers show operations performed by users, dynamic pages, and the number of connections and provide data about connection speed.
The first step to controlling anything is to be able to measure it. The same goes for bandwidth. If one wants to monitor bandwidth usage, one must be able to measure bandwidth usage. Mikrotik’s accounting software can act as a network usage monitor to measure bandwidth usage. Using this software, you can check the amount of bandwidth usage according to what your internet service provider offers. This software also helps in IP and interface grouping in virtual partitions for ease of monitoring and bandwidth accounting.
How to manage bandwidth with Mikrotik accounting software
All information related to monitoring computer performance is stored in the Mikrotik accounting software database. This way, one can access them anytime and view a simple or detailed report.
The data packages offered by Internet service providers are controlled by specific counters that record the total amount of data received. Counters may be customized. For example, network traffic can be intercepted. When the limit is reached, the system sends a warning signal or blocks access to the target computer.
Certain counters monitor Internet security, blocked data packets, networks, splitters, protocols, and ports. You may see reports for a particular course with all the points mentioned above.
By combining traffic control and speed control software with a firewall, a good antivirus, and DLP systems, you can protect your data from unauthorized access.
Application of Mikrotik accounting software in bandwidth management
Bandwidth management refers to optimizing the bandwidth that carries traffic over networks. Bandwidth, or the amount of data transmitted over a communication channel in a certain period, can be controlled by bandwidth management tools.
These tools allow network administrators to control traffic and allow high-priority traffic to use more bandwidth than lower-priority traffic. Business-critical applications, including e-commerce transactions, depend on proper bandwidth management. Using MikroTik or MikroTik RouterOS accounting software and bandwidth management, network users can also be managed. Among the benefits of bandwidth management, we can mention the following:
- Creating different levels of service to meet customer needs
- Residential services
- Asymmetric services
- Loading speed 25% loading speed
- Job services
- Symmetric bandwidth
- Billing based on usage or unlimited usage
- Ability to set limits
The importance of managing bandwidth and users
The use of content and bandwidth control software is very important for Internet business owners and Internet service providers for many reasons. Among the reasons for the importance of accounting software such as Mikrotik accounting software, we can mention the following:
- Optimizing network performance: Employees are not distracted and spend more time on their work tasks
- Monitoring the amount of traffic used by users and identifying the need or lack of need for employees to access websites
- Prevent unnecessary and inappropriate access
Network traffic management includes possible overloads and allows you to adjust the connection speed in time. It also increases the security of the work network and identifies computers that violate the rules; Learning this section requires familiarity with network user management training, which you can use extracurricular training courses to learn more about. Of course, we will learn a little more about this concept later on.
Manage network users
Managing network users means implementing a RADIUS server in RouterOS that centrally provides authentication and user authorization for a specific service. Having a central database of users allows better tracking of users and customers of the system.
Managing network users using Mikrotik
User Manager is a separate package accessible in all configurations, including SMIPS, but care should be taken when using it due to space limitations. This software supports various authentication methods, including PAP, CHAP, MS-CHAP, MS-CHAPv2, EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, and EAP-PEAP. DHCP, Dot1x, Hotspot, IPsec, PPP, and wireless are among the features in RouterOS that benefit the most from the user manager.
Using user management software, users can view their account statistics and manage existing profiles using the WEB interface. It should be noted that the User Manager software works according to the RADIUS standard defined in RFC2865 and RFC3579.
Application of Mikrotik accounting software
As mentioned, the accounting software helps us to control bandwidth usage, and by using it, we can apply bandwidth usage limits for different users and user groups. Also, by using the Mikrotik accounting software, you can get specialized reports of users’ performance. Mikrotik accounting software can manage bandwidth and users in restaurants, internet cafes, companies, and offices, as well as all the collections that provide Internet to many users.
Features and features of Mikrotik accounting software
Mikrotik accounting software provides its users with many facilities and features that can be used to manage bandwidth and users in the best possible way. The features of this software include:
TCP/IP protocol management
Among the services provided by Mikrotik accounting software in the field of protocol management, we can mention the following:
- Firewall and NAT: Stateful packets filtering; Peer to Peer protocol filtering; NAT source and destination; Classification by source MAC, IP addresses, ports, protocols, protocol options, interfaces, internal markings, content, match frequency
- Routing: the possibility of defining static routing; equal multipath routing; policy-based routing (classification based on source and destination addresses and firewall marking); Ability to support RIP v1 / v2, OSPF v2, BGP v4
Don’t forget that Mikrotik rooting training is one of the most important issues before you start rooting.
- Data rate management: based on / IP protocol/subnet/port/firewall; HTB, PCQ, RED, SFQ, byte-bound queue, packet-bound queue; Hierarchy Limit, CIR, MIR, Difference Ratio, Dynamic Customer Rate Equalizer (PCQ)
- Hotspot: Hotspot port with RADIUS license or account; data rate limit; traffic quota; actual status information; Walled-Garden; custom HTML login pages; iPass support; Secure SSL authentication
- Point-to-point tunneling protocols: PPTP, PPPoE, and L2TP Concentrators Access and clients; PAP, CHAP, MSCHAPv1, and MSCHAPv2 authentication protocols; RADIUS authentication and accounting;
- MPPE encryption; compression for PPPoE; data rate limit; PPPoE dialing on demand
Simple tunnels: IPIP, EoIP (Ethernet over IP) tunnels - hashing algorithms; DES, 3DES, AES-128, AES-192, AES-256 encryption algorithms; Full Transport Group (PFS) 1,2,5
Web Proxy: FTP, HTTP, and HTTPS storage proxy server; HTTP transparent storage proxy; SOCKS protocol support; Support for storage on a separate drive; access control lists; storage lists; Parent proxy support - Save Client DNS: fix naming for local use; dynamic DNS client; Local DNS cache with static entries
Universal client: transparent address translation does not depend on client settings - VRRP: VRRP protocol for high availability
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support - NTP: Network Time Protocol server and client; Synchronization with GPS
- Monitoring and management: manage IP traffic, log firewall actions
- M3P: Mikrotik’s packetization protocol for wireless and Ethernet links
- Tools: Ping; routing; bandwidth test; ping stream; talent; SSH
Connections
The mentioned items were only some of Mikrotik’s accounting software features in the protocol management layer. In addition to these features, Mikrotik’s accounting software has other features in the field of connections, which we will mention below:
Wireless: IEEE802.11a/b/g wireless client and access point; Support for wireless distribution system (WDS); virtual AP; WEP 40 and 104 bits; access control list; authentication on the RADIUS server; Roaming (for wireless client); Access point bridge
Bridge: including tree protocol; multiple bridge interfaces; Firewall
Configuration features
Configuring Mikrotik routers is not that difficult. It’s easy to do using MikroTik’s accounting software (RouterOS), which provides a powerful command-line configuration interface. You can also manage the router through the easy remote configuration WinBox-GUI for Windows, which offers all the benefits of a command line interface without the actual “command line.” This may be daunting for novice users.
In the following, we will get to know some of the main features of the Mikrotik configuration interface:
- Clean and consistent user interface
- Runtime configuration and monitoring
- Multiple connections
- User policies
- Activity history
- Operating under safe mode
- Ability to schedule scripts periodically or within events to run at a specific time. Scripts support all command line commands.
You can take advantage of online and offline educational services in this field to get more information about routing or to participate in computer network training classes.
Mikrotik routing
To get familiar with routing and routing training, we must first understand the concept of routing. A Mikrotik router keeps routing information in several separate spaces to make decisions about packet forwarding. The act of routing involves saving a copy of the necessary routing information.
Every routing protocol except BGP has its internal tables. In this part, routing decisions are made based on the protocol. BGP has no internal routing tables and stores the complete routing information obtained from its peers in the RIB.
The RIB contains routes grouped by routing flag value into separate routing tables. All routes without routing flags are stored in the main routing table. These tables are used to choose the best route. The main table is also used for next-hop lookups.
Computer Networks
Another use of Mikrotik routers is to create computer networks. A computer network is a group of interconnected computers that enables each computer to communicate with other computers and share resources, data, and applications. Computer networks can be classified based on their size. Computer networks are mainly of four types:
- LAN (local area network)
- PAN (Private Local Area Network)
- MAN (urban area network)
- WAN (wide area network)
We are maintaining network security using a Mikrotik router.
Network security is a broad term that encompasses many technologies, devices, and processes. In its simplest form, network security is a set of rules and regulations designed to protect the integrity, confidentiality, and access of computer networks and data using software and hardware technologies. Every organization, regardless of size, industry, or infrastructure, needs network security to protect its information from cyber threats.
A Mikrotik router acts as a barrier between the Internet and the devices on your home network. The router’s firewall features are enabled by default and block any requests for information from the Internet direct to your computer. You can see the available settings on the “Firewall” page in your router’s interface’s “Security” tab.
Bandwidth management is one of the most important applications of the Mikrotik router, and it can be used to control and monitor network traffic. Also, this will significantly save network traffic consumption. Familiarity with bandwidth management software, including Mikrotik’s accounting software, is mandatory for experts, managers, and all people who deal with traffic devices differently. It is recommended to have sufficient mastery of Mikrotik’s settings in training classes and be concerned about participating.
Network bandwidth control, such as limiting the volume and speed of users’ downloads, setting their access to the Internet and network resources, and applying various restrictions, are among the duties of the network administrator and the facilities that Mikrotik’s accounting software provides.