Hi!
For now I am using one VM with VyOS for doing bridges between zt networks and virtual adapters on my CHR routers the way if I need that a router has presence in a ZT network I can do that.
I know that you guys, from MikroTik, are doing excellent efforts to release new features, but I keep doing me one question: will we have ZT package for CHR or this idea is over?
I will search more to see if you talked more about that in some place I did not see, but if someone can answer, I wil give thanks.

I appreciate your attention!
Thanks!

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Hello there,

I think a better answer can come from an official MikroTik employee, but from my understanding there is no plans to add ZT for any other architectures besides ARM and ARM64. I personally would love for ZT to come out for smaller MTs as well as CHR, but it seems like that is more of a dream than something that will actually happen. It does suck that if you want ZT that you are basically forced to use specific MikroTiks

Hi Trcosta,
As we already know:

• ZeroTier Central provides a friendly web UI managing ZeroTier Network Controllers, but its free version is limited to 25 Nodes.

• On the other hand, MikroTik now offers ZeroTier Hosted Controller with unlimited possibilities, but only for ARM/ARM64 architectures.

This article aims to explain how to overcome this limitation so we can use Self-Hosting ZeroTier Network Controller with proper UI (ZTNCUI) inside of a Docker container on CHR.
That is something you can build up on.

Thanks,
Dobri

Hello there,

as a side note: I am running a virtualized x86 ROS on Proxmox (=KVM/QEMU).
Zerotier addon would be available.

In the meantime, install a ZeroTier client controller on the same virtual server using a headless minimal Linux dist (less than 100 megs) and bridge it to a suitable interface on the CHR.

I know that you guys, from MikroTik, are doing excellent efforts to release new features, but I keep doing me one question: will we have ZT package for CHR or this idea is over?

Agreed. But some clarity on "never" vs "one day" vs "coming soon" on ZeroTier on non-ARM be good to hear from Mikrotik . It be annoying to architect a solution using separate container/VM/RPi/ARM-RouterOS etc to later find support for ZT in CHR/MIPS/etc. in some upcoming 7.9-12-ish release etc.

Perhaps it's some licensing thing, IDK however.

@Mikrotik employees do not read this!

No license required to run zero trust cloudfare tunnel........add the bloody package to ROS and thus available to ALL DEVICES..................

No license required to run zero trust cloudfare tunnel........add the bloody package to ROS and thus available to ALL DEVICES..................

I'm not sure it bode well that there isn't a ZT for X86/CHR/MIPS. But I feel like there is underutilized ARM-based Mikrotik device in Nova Scotia, just waiting to escape the device-lock tundra....

I speak for the masses,,,,,,, those who run servers, who need to do so safely and without unneeded complications of containers and the like, nor requiring the extortion carrot of buying another MT ARM device. Imagine, the possibilities and heck, dont have a public IP, no worries, we got you covered. This is the cats meow, surprized rextended isnt here extolling its virtues!!!

By the way I would be remiss not to note the added mT video on CHR hosting.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpDOPm_-TkQ&t=164s

By the way I would be remiss not to note the added mT video on CHR hosting.....

What it doesn't show is a ZeroTier package however. (@anvu, ZT CHR is really is a critical link to enabling the same features you like in Cloudflare...) e.g. you'd want the public IP for ZeroTier network, but that best be a datacenter, and in a datacenter easiest option is CHR on some VM (on whatever platform the hosting datacenter uses).

If you have to bring up a 2nd VM to run ZeroTier, and as shown on TV, virtual networking is a little tricky in VM host. Adds complexity and fragility too – exactly where you don't want it, the central hub where ZT network could get out to internet. Even worse is ZT wants to look for paths, by running it a separate VM, you have to wire all the virtual networks twice to achieve the same path discovery that comes automatically when ZT is run within RouterOS CHR (which is already plumbed to the VM host vSwitch). And running two instances in a datacenter adds costs for sure too.

In the case of ZT, they have a package already. Just not on CHR.

I agree. IMO they should split the current ZT implementation into two separate packages, one with just the ZT Client and the other for the ZT Controller. (EDIT: ZT v2 will soon be dropped which should be a good opportunity to perform a split)

The small ZT Client is sufficient to join, participate and control ZeroTier networks using the standard web administration (my.zerotier.com). Since the footprint is only about 10 megs, it should fit all platforms and devices just like WireGuard. As for a good reference have look at the Alpine implementation.

The ZT Controller is only needed when you want to setup your own self-hosted and autonomous network. However, in order to be completely independent you also need to host your own ZT Root Server which is not included in the package. As the standalone ZT Controller lacks an admin GUI you have use either json or install a third party admin package like Ztncui or ZeroUI in a container or on separate computer.

Yeah they're seperate things. I'd say, if you're at CHR, I'm not sure just running the controller as seperate VM is a bad approach. The general idea here is that is some BGP-ish network behind it.

Conversely, if CHR may just be a router with a few/many/lot interfaces, so just being able to bridge those, using the client is enough. I'm sold on ZT for remote management for sure, but spinning up another VM just so winbox discovery works automatically is bit over kill – still annoying since I have dozen of ARM devices that can show up just by connecting to the right ZT network.

I think the controller story is more complex, but feature parity across arch's is important IMO. I can see TILE isn't easy, but CHR and MIPS really limits what you can do with ZeroTier today – it's [relatively] easy to change from using my.zerotier.com to your own, but if CHR (and MIPS) can't join any ZT network that's the first problem...