Hi all,

I have two hEX routers (RB750G r3) that are connected to each other via a wireless link. The wireless link is done with two SXT5 ACs (SXT G-5HPacD r2). I'd like to have the two hEX routers talk OSPF to each other and have a routed L3 network go over the wireless link. Also, I need a management interface for the SXTs. Basically right now I have a couple options I'm considering.

Option 1 is to make an EoIP or a VPLS tunnel over the wireless link and have bridges on both SXTs. This way I would only need a single small /29 or /30 routing network for the two hEXs and either have a management IP for the SXTs in the routing network or activate VLAN filtering on all devices and extend a separate management network to the SXT using a tagged VLAN.

Option 2 is to only use L3 routing. This way I would need three subnets for the link (R1 to SXT1, SXT1 to SXT2 and SXT2 to R2). I would also need to configure a virtual OSPF link between SXT1 and SXT2 and put the routing subnet between them to a different OSPF area (a transit area). This sounds very cumbersome to me.

The question really is, what is the recommended way to do OSPF over a wireless link as a whole. What is more of a resource drain for these devices: To use bridges with VLAN filtering, which will basically disable any hardware offloading, or to do pure L3 routing and use OSPF all the way with the wireless links being designated as transit areas?

Have same question.

I don't know if this satisfies whatever requirement you envision for management, but the standard way to configure this is to make the two SXTs into an L2 bridge on a /29 or so, and just have the hosts at either end treat them as a stupid cable.

(Don't try to run OSPF on the SXTs themselves, they will cake the bed bad. Besides, you wouldn't run OSPF on a cable.)