I'm going to connect 2 switches(CRS226-24G-2S+RM) in order to make them to work as a single switch. Unfortunately I don't have experience to interconnect mikrotik switches.

Could I use this optical cable http://routerboard.com/SplusDA0003 ?

If not, what is the best solution to provide the highest speed possible between these 2 switches ?

Thank you

Have to ask, do you really need more then 24 ports? Do you really need to use a Mikrotik?

There are 48 port switches available.

BUT if you really wish to stay with Mikrotik, then looking at the spec's for that cable you can use it to cross connect the two.

Plug your main router into port 1 of one of the switches, then plug this cable into SFP 1 and then plug the other end into the same port on the other switch, you will now have 47 ports available at gigaport speed.

My environment is completely mikrotik based, I have 2 cloud core routers, 5 switches and a few wireless access points, so I don't even think about other vendors. The sad thing is that mikrotik doesn't provide 48 ports switches that's why I need to build one from 2 (with 24 ports)

I didn't specified in the first post, I would like to have a 10G connection between them

DWJ, thx for the answer, but why should I use the first port of the switch to interconnect it with the router ? The switch has 2 sfp ports, so I can use one to interconnect it with the router, and the second to interconnect it to the other switch

Very few routers have SFP ports. You have one, then good for you. Since you did not tell us that I just when as a standard router.

Since you have a router with SFP, then connect SFP from router to SFP port1 on the first switch then port2 same switch to port 1 on second switch.

You say you want 10g connection between devices, using SFP will allow for the fastest data transfer that the fastest device will pass.

Yes, You can use the 10 direct attach cable

If not, what is the best solution to provide the highest speed possible between these 2 switches ?

2 x direct attached cable for both SFP+ slots and building a LAG (LACP)
aggregated you will own then an 20 GBit/s uplink between this switches.

Have to ask, do you really need more then 24 ports? Do you really need to use a Mikrotik?

If this will be enough speed for him, ok. But if not I really consider to take other switches
that can be really stacked together for a better performance and throughput.

D-Link DGS-1500-52 with 52 Ports - small networks
Cisco SG300-52 or SG500-52 Series with 52 Ports - midranged networks
Netgear GSM7352S with 52 Ports - normal networks

If not, what is the best solution to provide the highest speed possible between these 2 switches ?

2 x direct attached cable for both SFP+ slots and building a LAG (LACP)
aggregated you will own then an 20 GBit/s uplink between this switches.

Do not spread false solutions please.
The forum is full of topics, where people complaining about the implemented SW based solutions of LAG. Currently there is no written conformation, when HW based LAG will be available even in the CRS series, if it will be available at all.
And because of that, there is NO WAY, that the populated MIPS-BE based, 400 MHz controller can utilize 20 GBit pro sec throughput over any kind of link aggregation.

If not, what is the best solution to provide the highest speed possible between these 2 switches ?

2 x direct attached cable for both SFP+ slots and building a LAG (LACP)
aggregated you will own then an 20 GBit/s uplink between this switches.

Do not spread false solutions please.
The forum is full of topics, where people complaining about the implemented SW based solutions of LAG. Currently there is no written conformation, when HW based LAG will be available even in the CRS series, if it will be available at all.
And because of that, there is NO WAY, that the populated MIPS-BE based, 400 MHz controller can utilize 20 GBit pro sec throughput over any kind of link aggregation.

Well apparently SOME LAG is implemented in Hardware, here is some of a recent email I got from support

From: MikroTik support [Janis B.] [support@mikrotik.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2014 12:20 AM
Subject: Re: [Ticket#] IEEE 802.3ad Dynamic link aggregation in CRS226?

Hello,

There is no timeframe for dynamic link aggregation in CRS switch-chip yet.

have you tried to test directly connected CRS trunk with 802.3ad port group in Synology NAS? Is there no link at all or balancing does not work? We have tested CRS trunks with some other vendor LACP links and balancing still works even if LACP is reported as failed.


I also am waiting for true chip hardware level LACP support. I have even purchased another brand switch to put between my Mikrotik and my NAS. Guess what? so far NAS LACP to new switch just fine, but no luck so far in creating bonded link from new switch to CRS. emailed support a few times, hoping to hear something soon.

Do yourself a favor and don't use MikroTik switches. They are more like 24 port routers.

barkas, Why shouldn't I use Mikrotik switches ? They provide me 24 ports which works at the wire speed, beside this I have access to router features (as you said). What is bad in this ? Moreover, this is very cool to have a switch with router capabilities

Also I like very much to see 48 port switches from Mikrotik

The switch chip in CRS supports port trunking. It provides failover and will balance outgoing packets equally on each port of the trunk.
Thus, if your switch switches 1000 packets from ether1 to trunk ether2+ether3, it will send 500 packets on ether2 and 500 packets on ether3.
LACP is not supported in hardware, or at least the mean to control it is not implemented in RouterOS.
Source: http://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:CR ... s#Trunking

tirkitneth, yep, but how to deal with master-port ? how to tell other ports to use the trunk as the master-port ? Because for now when I choose the master port I see only ether ports in that list

If you switch packets from between ether1 and trunk1=ether2+ether3, then you can set master-port=ether1 on ether2 and ether3.
If you wish to route packets on a trunk, then I don't know. I don't plan to use a CRS as a router.

tirkitneth, I also don't plan to use CRS as the router, the problem is I want to create a trunk between a CRS and a CCR

See the link posted earlier: http://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:CR ... s#Trunking

barkas, Why shouldn't I use Mikrotik switches ? They provide me 24 ports which works at the wire speed, beside this I have access to router features (as you said). What is bad in this ? Moreover, this is very cool to have a switch with router capabilities

Also I like very much to see 48 port switches from Mikrotik

The actual switching functionality is very limited and quite awkward to use.
Does it even support stp by now?

Unfortunately STP is one of the many features missing from the CRS.
It's a shame for a manageable switch but it's somewhat understandable at that price point.

Unfortunately STP is one of the many features missing from the CRS.
It's a shame for a manageable switch but it's somewhat understandable at that price point.

No it's not. Even the cheapest managed switch by, say, netgear does stp. Without that, you can't build redundancy, so it's useless as a switch.

i believe routerOS already supported stp/rstp in bridging but i dont know about switching.

You dont need STP/RSTP if you are connecting your switches using a star networked topology. If you are connecting your switches together to create some kind of loop than you will need STP.

However if you are looping your network on the CCR you can use a bridge with STP there and you wont have to do so on your switches.

From the alternative vendors you listed i can tell you from experience not to go with dlink or netgear. netgear does work but they do poorly in big networks and dlink switches lack performance.

i believe routerOS already supported stp/rstp in bridging but i dont know about switching.

You dont need STP/RSTP if you are connecting your switches using a star networked topology. If you are connecting your switches together to create some kind of loop than you will need STP.

However if you are looping your network on the CCR you can use a bridge with STP there and you wont have to do so on your switches.

From the alternative vendors you listed i can tell you from experience not to go with dlink or netgear. netgear does work but they do poorly in big networks and dlink switches lack performance.

All modern switches effortlessly do wirespeed.
The most common network topology is the star, and it's a good idea, but in enterprise networks you want everything redundant, that means doubled core switches and doubled access switches, that means loops and that means stp or multi chassis lagg or something like that.
I personally would use tp-link managed switches for low cost because they have a Cisco like cli. If possible, the real thing, and that means Cisco or juniper or something similar.
In no way MikroTik because of the lacking features and also, vlans on CRS are a real pita.

I'm going to connect 2 switches(CRS226-24G-2S+RM) in order to make them to work as a single switch. Unfortunately I don't have experience to interconnect mikrotik switches.

Could I use this optical cable http://routerboard.com/SplusDA0003 ?

If not, what is the best solution to provide the highest speed possible between these 2 switches ?

Thank you

Hi javajox. I read your post. What was your result? I have the same mission ☺ patch cables Lc to lc are OK.

I'm going to connect 2 switches(CRS226-24G-2S+RM) in order to make them to work as a single switch. Unfortunately I don't have experience to interconnect mikrotik switches.

Could I use this optical cable http://routerboard.com/SplusDA0003 ?

If not, what is the best solution to provide the highest speed possible between these 2 switches ?

Thank you

Hi javajox. I read your post. What was your result? I have the same mission ☺ patch cables Lc to lc are OK.

It worked !

Hi, What config you have on the ports to use the second device has a stack?