As a good start to face Networking concepts we can use MikroTik. Mikrotik is a uncomplicated platform to implement a way to networking library.

Install and usage

A way of simple and fast learn networks concepts as well as cheap solution for real work. First of all how to run a home lab with mikrotik we use an ordinary PC as our homelab platform

Step by step

  1. Install Debian GNU/Linux stable release as our OS
  2. Install Virtulabox as virtualization system which works based on libvirt library on linux

Mikrotik website download mikrotik RouterOS x86 iso image

Virtualbox

Create new virtual machine and then select Other unknown 64 bit procede with regular installation process and then enable Vtx virtualization to speed up proposes. in system process settings.

Start created virtual machine put it mikrotik-7.10.1.iso to CD drive and let it install by press i and enter key in boot screen

let it install OS and exit iso file

first start

login to console

user: admin
password: empty

Run command to get IP from internal dhcp server

/ip dhcp-client add interface=ether1 disabled=no
ip/address/ print

You must see somethings similar to

[admin@MikroTik] > ip/address/print 
Flags: D - DYNAMIC
Columns: ADDRESS, NETWORK, INTERFACE
#   ADDRESS           NETWORK      INTERFACE
0 D 10.0.2.15/24      10.0.2.0     ether1

Now we have a valid for this machine we can use NAT interface on virtualbox to connect from Host(local machine) to Guest(Mikrotik machine)

Inside virtualbox setting network adaptor NAT enable port forwarding feature and insert these two rules to enable ssh and webaccess to Mikrotik from Host machine.

Name Protocol Host IP Host Port Guest IP Guest Port
SSH TCP 127.0.0.1 9090 10.0.2.15 22
WebUI(webfig) TCP 127.0.0.1 8080 10.0.2.15 80

This means that every packet send 9090 and 8080 on localhost redirects to corresponding port on IP address 10.0.2.15

How to use MikroTik from HOST?

We have three way to use Mikrotik virtualized solution

  • In Web Browser(i.e. Firefox defenitly) webUI throu mikrotik webfig feature. open up 127.0.0.1:8080 in browser.

but how can use a named address to achive webUI?

instead of using IP:Port tuple we want to type a domain like webfig.ir to connect.

For that purpose we need a reverse proxy solution. (some notes about reverse proxy)

Nginx

nginx webserver program use as reverse proxy.

Here is config file

/etc/nginx/conf.d/local_proxy.conf


    server {
        listen 80;
        server_name webfig.ir;
    
        location / {
            proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080/;
        }
    }

Above config block create a new server which serves on local system.

This server work in this manner

Input

  • webfig.ir:80

Output

  • http://127.0.0.1:8080

Serves on hostname webfig.ir and port 80 accepts traffics on above address

Redirects all traffics to http://127.0.0.1:8080

    # check nginx config
    sudo nginx -t
    # restart nginx service to take effect changes
    systemctl restart nginx

To use webfig.ir in browser next step is to resolve address to IP. simplest solution is to use /etc/hosts

127.0.0.1 webfig.ir

Or we can use simpleproxy program to implement reverse proxy

sudo apt install simpleproxy
sudo simpleproxy -L webfig.ir:80 -R 127.0.0.1:8080

After all we can use http://webfig.ir as MikroTik webUI address in web browser.

With terminal emulator ssh to MikroTik ssh server to get a Console access.

ssh -p 9090 admin@127.0.0.1

To use simpler command we need add config to ~/.ssh/config

  ssh mikrotik

$ cat ~/.ssh/config                                                                                              

    Host mikrotik                                                                                                
        HostName 127.0.0.1                                                                                           
        User admin                                                                                                   
        Port 9090                                                                                                    
        KexAlgorithms diffie-hellman-group-exchange-sha256

Also we can get ride of password with copy public key to MikroTik.

  • With winbox.exe official program.
sudo apt install wine
wine winbox64.exe

Resources

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