USER MANAGER/INTRODUCTION

What is User Manager

User manager is a management system that can be used for:

• HotSpot users;
• PPP (PPtP/PPPoE) users;
• DHCP users;
• Wireless users;
• RouterOS users.

It is a separate package for RouterOS.

Requirements

• You should have the same version for RouterOS and the User Manager package.
• The MikroTik User Manager works on x86, MIPS, PowerPC and TILE processor based routers.
• The router should have at least 32MB RAM and 2MB free HDD space.

Supported browsers

All current generation browsers are supported, including:

• Opera (>= 9.0). Probably works fine also on Opera 8.x
• Mozilla Firefox (>= 1.5). Probably works fine also on Mozilla Firefox 1.0.x
• Microsoft Internet Explorer (>= 6.0).
• Safari (>= 2.0)

What is PFSense?

Now I submitted here my first post about PFSense and share some experience about that.

PFSense is an open source firewall and router distribution based on FreeBSD .Ina deep sense we can say that..

what is pfsense? Why we use term pfsense? Because

The name was as a result of the fact that it would make the OpenBSD packet-filtering system pf be much better non-technical customers.

pfSense is developed to be set up on a pc and is described for its balance and offering functions often only discovered in costly professional flame surfaces. It can be developed and enhanced through a web-based interface, and needs no information of the real FreeBSD system to control. PfSense is usually applied as a Advantage Application, hub, wireless access way, DHCP web host hosting server, DNS web host hosting server, and as a VPN endpoint.

pfSense is a free, free personalized circulation of FreeBSD designed for use as a software and hub. In addition to being a highly effective, versatile firewalling and redirecting foundation, it has a lot of related features and a program system enabling further expandability without including bloat and potential security weaknesses to the base circulation. pfSense is a popular venture with more than 1 thousand downloading since its beginning, and proven in plenty of set ups which range from small home systems defending a PC and an Console to large companies, colleges and other companies defending a large number of network gadgets.

This venture started in 2004 as a derive of the m0n0wall venture, but targeted towards full PC set ups rather than the included components concentrate of m0n0wall. pfSense also offers an included picture for Lightweight Display based set ups, however it is not our primary concentrate.

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PFSENSE BASIC INSTALL AND SETUP

Now we discussed here about the installation of PFSense Step By Step with Images.

PFSense is open source BSD.

1- Download PFSense from any mirror or server that give you better response. And also multiple link given here.

http://linux.softpedia.com/progDownload/pfSense-Download-550.html

http://snapshots.pfsense.com/FreeBSD6/RELENG_1_2/iso/pfSense.iso.gz

http://www.pfsense.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=58&Itemid=46

2- After Downloading ISO. This ISO burn into the disk.

3- After Completing the burning process insert disk into the CD-ROM.

Note: If u have 2 Internet or WAN connection from different ISPr, Use 3 LAN cards before installation. Use minimum 512 MB of 2.4 processor and 20 Gb HD for better performance and use LAN cards On Gbyte.

4- After inserting Disk into the CD-ROMs. Boot CD from CD-ROMs. Automatically loading files.

5- After boot up pfSense will existing you with a sequence of alternatives, you can use the standard by pushing the Enter.

6- Now allow pfSense a while to do many factors like install the computer file file program, etc…. After it’s done you have 10 a few moments to media I on your key pad to release the specialist, otherwise pfSense will automatic start (we do not want automatic boot).

7- On this display the specialist will allow you to modify some factors like: gaming system typeface and key map. Since I do not wish to modify any of the non-payments choose Take these configurations.

8- On this screen we can choose between installing using the defaults, do a custom install, or rescue an existing install. The defaults will work, select Quick/Easy Install.

9- This installation will occupy the entire hard drive which is why I select OK to continue.

10- Installation starts………………..

11- Select properly, in order to select the right choice on this display you have to be completely conscious of the components you are using. Since the system I am using to set up pfSense on has one brand I select Uniprocessor Kernel(one processor).

12- Restart and eliminate the CD/DVD from the generate plate.

13- One the first factors pfSense will do is make an effort to brand the system interfaces(remember their names). You will also be provided with the concern ‘Do you want to set up VLANs now ?’, since I rather set up VLANs via the web interface I entered N and media on the Get into key.

14- Move on to the system connections, automatic recognition never work for me instead I entered the name of the system interface and media get into. Both of the connections were recognized and given the brands of em0 and em1. Pfsense will try determining one interface to the LAN interface and the second one to the WAN interface, type Y to continue.

15- Let me crack the information, you have just set up pfSense to a disk generate and allocated both of the system connections to their appropriate responsibilities. In the monitor shot below you can see the IP details for both the LAN and WAN connections.

PFSENSE MULTI WAN LOAD BALANCING WITH FAIL OVER

 In this tutorial I will be show you how to configure a WAN Load Balancing and Failover server using PFsense 2.xx

My Network Diagram:

Requirements: PFsense v2 with 4 network adapter, 2 Internet Connection

1. Load Balacing Configuration

Configuring the network Interfaces. Go to Interfaces> click WAN and change the WAN name to WAN1, then set the IP address to 172.16.1.1/24

Make sure you set a gateway on this interface

To add a gateway on WAN1, below on IP Address there is a small

“add new one” click on it, and set your gateway to 172.16.1.254 which is the IP address of your Modem1

Do the same thing to WAN2

Set the IP Address to 172.16.10.1/24

Gateway 172.16.10.254

For LAN, set the IP address to 192.168.1.1/24 and note: in this case do not set any gateway

Make sure to un-check the “block private networks” and “block bogon networks”

For Wireless Interface

Set IP Address to 192.168.10.1

Also no gateway on this interface

Now we need to add two different DNS server, one pointing to WAN1 and the other one to WAN2, in our example below we use googleDNS for WAN1 and openDNS to WAN2

Go to System > General Setup

Next we need to edit the monitor IP address for each gateway

Go to System > Routing

On WAN1 set the Monitor IP to googleDNS – 8.8.8.8

On WAN2 set the Monitor IP to openDNS – 208.67.222.222

Monitor IP is the “always up” server from the internet that allow to response ICMP packet

Next we need to create a group for each connection

Go to System > Routing > Groups

Click the (+) button, set the group name to “LoadBalance”

Also set the gateway priority to same tier, just select “Tier1” to each gateway, on Trigger Level set to “Packet Loss or High Latency” and you can set the description anything you want. Press Save to save our configuration.

Next we need to create another group call “Failover1” if WAN1 fail then it will go automatically to WAN2

Set the group name to “Failover1” also set the gateway priority to different tier, select “Tier1” for gateway1, and “Tier2” for gateway2, on Trigger Level set to “Packet Loss” and again you can set the description anything you want. Press Save to save our configuration.

Again, we need to create another group call “Failover2” in this case if WAN2 fail then it will go automatically to WAN1

Set the group name to “Failover2” also set the gateway priority to different tier, select “Tier2” for gateway1, and “Tier1” for gateway2, on Trigger Level set to “Packet Loss” and again you can set the description anything you want. Press Save to save our configuration.

The configuration should look like this

To make all this configuration work, we need to apply it to our firewall rule

Go to Firewall > Rules

Select LAN tab, click on (+) button to add a new rule

Set Protocol to – Any

Source to – LAN Subnet

Description to – Anything you want

Leave the other settings to default

And in the “Advance features” set the Gateway to – LoadBalance, that is the group we just created

Just click Save to save the configuration

Next we need to create another rule for “Failover1” and “Failover2”

“Failover1”

“Failover2”

Now it’s done, to test the failover unplug your modem1 it should automatically redirect to your second connection.

Note:

Below Rules are optional if you want to add WiFi router separately with separate ip and subnet.

On Wireless rule we do the same configuration, just go to “Wireless” Tab

Wireless LoadBalance Rule

Wireless Failover1 Rule

Wireless Failover2 Rule repeat same step as failover2 in gateway.

Now we will configure the DHCP server for LAN and Wireless adapter

Go to Services > DHCP server

Click on “LAN” Tab

Set the IP range from 192.168.1.101 to 192.168.1.130 this range allow 30 dhcp users in LAN network

DHCP range for LAN

Do the same thing on the “Wireless” Tab

DHCP range for Wireless

We also need to configure the DHCP forwarder.

Go to Services > DHCP forwarder

Note: You need to disable DHCP server on your wireless access point in order to user our DHCP

PFSENSE INSTALL FROM MEMORY STICK

There are many ways to install pfSense. My personal favorite would be the
option to write the pfSense image to a memory stick (any stick with at least 512
MB of space will do) and install it from there onto a harddisk. How to do this
will be described in the steps below.

1. Get yourself a copy of pfSense from
   
   one of the pfSense download mirrorsLook for the lines containing memstick (not the ones with serial in it as
   well) and the correct processor architecture which suits your needs (amd64
   for 64 bit, i386 for 32 bit):
   Extract the downloaded img.gz file with a tool like WinZip or WinRAR. This
   will leave you with a .img file.
2. Download Image Writer from
   
   this website (mirror)
   and extract the files to any folder you like
3. Run the Win32DiskImager.exe file from the extracted Image Writer files.
   At my Windows 7 machine this lead to an error during startup which can
   safely be ignored by clicking OK. At my Windows 8 machine it didn’t provide
   this error. Either way, the error can be ignored.
4. Now insert the memory stick you wish to use for the installation of
   pfSense. It must be at least 512 MB in size and will completely be wiped by
   this process, so make sure there’s nothing on it you wish to keep. If your
   memory stick is not being detected, try another one as some sticks don’t
   seem to work for unclear reasons.The inserted memory stick should show up under devices. Double check to make
   sure its the right drive because it will completely be wiped. Select the
   pfSense image file as downloaded and extracted at step 1 and click Write to
   start the process of copying the bits to the memory stick.Note that this tool does not support writing to the usb stick from an image
   placed on a network share, so make sure you have downloaded the pfSense
   image to your local pc and select that one.
   
5. It is safe to click Yes on the Confirm overwrite warning window
6. The copy process will start. This will take a few minutes. Wait for it
   to be done.
7. Once done, you can exit Win32 Disk Imager by clicking Exit, remove the
   memory stick and plug it in to the machine you wish to install pfSense on.
   Make sure the machine is set to boot off the USB memory stick and the
   installation of pfSense will follow automatically. You can now delete the
   downloaded pfSense files as well as the Win32 Disk Imager files if you wish.

BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CAT5, CAT5E, CAT6, CAT6E, CAT6A CABLES

Basic Difference Between CAT6,CAT6e and CAT6a Cables

Basic Difference Between CAT5 and CAT5E Cables

Category 5
Category 5 cabling transmits at a frequency of 100MHz. This provides a rated line speed of up to 100Mbit/s and a cable segment length of 100 meters maximum. Most Category 5 cables, were designed for earlier networks replacing cat 3, only used two twisted pairs of wires. However, older Category 5 cabling continues to make up the majority of the world’s network cabling infrastructure.

Category 5e
Category 5e was later introduced as an improved specification to the very popular Category 5 that replaced Cat 3.  The improvement was in noise reduction. By reducing the noise and signal interference beyond Cat 5, Category 5e rated transfer speeds increased to 350 Mbit/s over 100 meters. The new 5e cabling standard however also required all the cabling to include four twisted pairs not just two like with Cat 5. All eight contacts has to be used. Cat 5e introduced and optimized encoding scheme that allows up to 50-meter lengths of Category 5e cable to provide at or near Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T) speeds. This was during the era of the early stages of Gigabit

Category 6
Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T) became mainstream and required new industry-standard cables capable of transmitting at a higher frequencies than Cat 5e to go beyond the 50 meter limitation. Cat 6e transmits at 250 MHz. The new Category 6 cable uses thicker-gauge wire to attain the higher frequencies, it has increased shielding, and more pair twists per inch to reduce signal noise and interference. The new tighter specifications introduced with Cat 6 cabling guarantee that 100-meter runs of Category 6 are capable of 1000 Mbit/s transfer speeds. As with 5e reducing the cable length can achieve higher speeds than the category types design goal so 10-Gigabit Ethernet speeds can be achieved  when reducing cable lengths to less than 50 meters.

Category 6e
The limitation of 50 meters of 10Gugabit was over come with Category 6 Enhanced (6e).  Cat 6e is an augmented specification designed to double transmission frequency of Cat 6 to 500 MHz. It has the more pair twists per inch as does Cat 6 but it’s also wrapping Category 6 in grounded foil shielding, a full 10-Gigabit Ethernet speeds can be achieved without sacrificing the max cable length of 100 meters.

Category 6a
Category 6a (or Augmented Category 6) is defined at frequencies up to 500 MHz—twice that of Cat. 6 but he same as 6e. Because it is shielded, Cat 6a performs at improved specifications over 6 and 6e, in particular in the area of alien cross-talk when compared to Cat 6 UTP   Cat 6 UTP exhibited high alien noise in high frequencies.6A. To reduce the noise, 6a EA specification (not EIA/TIA) require a new generation of connecting hardware that offers far superior performance. 6A connectors performs 3 dB better than a Cat 6a connector that conforms with the EIA/TIA specification. 3 dB equates to 100% increase of near-end cross-talk noise reduction. 

ETHERNET CABLE – COLOR CODING DIAGRAM

The information listed here is to assist Network Administrators in the color coding of Ethernet cables. Please be aware that modifying Ethernet cables improperly may cause loss of network connectivity. Use this information at your own risk, and insure all connectors and cables are modified in accordance with standards. The Internet Centre and its affiliates cannot be held liable for the use of this information in whole or in part.

T-568A Straight-Through Ethernet Cable

The TIA/EIA 568-A standard which was ratified in 1995, was replaced by the TIA/EIA 568-B standard in 2002 and has been updated since. Both standards define the T-568A and T-568B pin-outs for using Unshielded Twisted Pair cable and RJ-45 connectors for Ethernet connectivity. The standards and pin-out specification appear to be related and interchangeable, but are not the same and should not be used interchangeably.

T-568B Straight-Through Ethernet Cable

Both the T-568A and the T-568B standard Straight-Through cables are used most often as patch cords for your Ethernet connections. If you require a cable to connect two Ethernet devices directly together without a hub or when you connect two hubs together, you will need to use a Crossover cable instead.

RJ-45 Crossover Ethernet Cable

A good way of remembering how to wire a Crossover Ethernet cable is to wire one end using the T-568A standard and the other end using the T-568B standard. Another way of remembering the color coding is to simply switch the Green set of wires in place with the Orange set of wires. Specifically, switch the solid Green (G) with the solid Orange, and switch the green/white with the orange/white.

Ethernet Cable Instructions:

• Pull the cable off the reel to the desired length and cut. If you are pulling cables through holes, its easier to attach the RJ-45 plugs after the cable is pulled. The total length of wire segments between a PC and a hub or between two PC’s cannot exceed 100 Meters (328 feet) for 100BASE-TX and 300 Meters for 10BASE-T.
• Start on one end and strip the cable jacket off (about 1″) using a stripper or a knife. Be extra careful not to nick the wires, otherwise you will need to start over.
• Spread, untwist the pairs, and arrange the wires in the order of the desired cable end. Flatten the end between your thumb and forefinger. Trim the ends of the wires so they are even with one another, leaving only 1/2″ in wire length. If it is longer than 1/2″ it will be out-of-spec and susceptible to crosstalk. Flatten and insure there are no spaces between wires.
• Hold the RJ-45 plug with the clip facing down or away from you. Push the wires firmly into the plug. Inspect each wire is flat even at the front of the plug. Check the order of the wires. Double check again. Check that the jacket is fitted right against the stop of the plug. Carefully hold the wire and firmly crimp the RJ-45 with the crimper.
• Check the color orientation, check that the crimped connection is not about to come apart, and check to see if the wires are flat against the front of the plug. If even one of these are incorrect, you will have to start over. Test the Ethernet cable.

Ethernet Cable Tips:

• A straight-thru cable has identical ends.
• A crossover cable has different ends.
• A straight-thru is used as a patch cord in Ethernet connections.
• A crossover is used to connect two Ethernet devices without a hub or for connecting two hubs.
• A crossover has one end with the Orange set of wires switched with the Green set.
• Odd numbered pins are always striped, even numbered pins are always solid colored.
• Looking at the RJ-45 with the clip facing away from you, Brown is always on the right, and pin 1 is on the left.
• No more than 1/2″ of the Ethernet cable should be untwisted otherwise it will be susceptible to crosstalk.
• Do not deform, do not bend, do not stretch, do not staple, do not run parallel with power cables, and do not run Ethernet cables near noise inducing components.

Basic Theory:

By looking at a T-568A UTP Ethernet straight-thru cable and an Ethernet crossover cable with a T-568B end, we see that the TX (transmitter) pins are connected to the corresponding RX (receiver) pins, plus to plus and minus to minus. You can also see that both the blue and brown wire pairs on pins 4, 5, 7, and 8 are not used in either standard. What you may not realize is that, these same pins 4, 5, 7, and 8 are not used or required in 100BASE-TX as well. So why bother using these wires, well for one thing its simply easier to make a connection with all the wires grouped together. Otherwise you’ll be spending time trying to fit those tiny little wires into each of the corresponding holes in the RJ-45 connector.