Using Gargoyle as a wired Ethernet bridge for QOS only
Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 9:11 am
There's another product I use as a QOS-only device.
Like a router, it takes WAN in and sends LAN out. It sits between the core router and the switches distributing the LAN.
But, it operates as an Ethernet bridge. It is not a gateway. It steps in and queues and drops packets as needed. And generates comprehensive stats via NTOP. But it is not a gateway. And it doesn't act as a DHCP server either. The core router does all of that.
This QOS device just does QOS and so of course it's downstream of the core router, which is typically doing aggregation. For that reason, the aggregation router is going to be *a* gateway in this scenario like it or not.
Sure, I could double-NAT (and have done so) by putting the Gargoyle router downstream of the aggregation router. Then the Gargoyle gets gateway from the aggregation router. And in turn Gargoyle becomes the gateway and QOS device for all of the clients on the LAN. But that's double-NAT.
Is there a way of harnessing the QOS features of Gargoyle without having it act as gateway? Having it act purely as an Ethernet bridge yet managing the congestion and providing stats?
Environments I am contemplating have 100-400 active DHCP clients at a time and perhaps it's better to let the aggregation router handle the DHCP service.
It looks like the Gargoyle GUI doesn't anticipate any more than 254 clients anyway.
On the basic configuration page, does selecting "Wireless Bridge/Repeater" instead of "Gateway (Default)" also enable the device as a *wired* bridge with QOS and ACC? I'd specify the ISP's gateway as a custom ping target so as to manage congestion through the aggregation router. I'd also be shutting off the WiFi on Gargoyle as the LAN has its own APs.
Where am I going with this?
I'm wondering if a 1043ND or Buffalo WZR might be able to serve as a wired Ethernet bridge doing QOS for networks up to 50Mbit-class.
Like a router, it takes WAN in and sends LAN out. It sits between the core router and the switches distributing the LAN.
But, it operates as an Ethernet bridge. It is not a gateway. It steps in and queues and drops packets as needed. And generates comprehensive stats via NTOP. But it is not a gateway. And it doesn't act as a DHCP server either. The core router does all of that.
This QOS device just does QOS and so of course it's downstream of the core router, which is typically doing aggregation. For that reason, the aggregation router is going to be *a* gateway in this scenario like it or not.
Sure, I could double-NAT (and have done so) by putting the Gargoyle router downstream of the aggregation router. Then the Gargoyle gets gateway from the aggregation router. And in turn Gargoyle becomes the gateway and QOS device for all of the clients on the LAN. But that's double-NAT.
Is there a way of harnessing the QOS features of Gargoyle without having it act as gateway? Having it act purely as an Ethernet bridge yet managing the congestion and providing stats?
Environments I am contemplating have 100-400 active DHCP clients at a time and perhaps it's better to let the aggregation router handle the DHCP service.
It looks like the Gargoyle GUI doesn't anticipate any more than 254 clients anyway.
On the basic configuration page, does selecting "Wireless Bridge/Repeater" instead of "Gateway (Default)" also enable the device as a *wired* bridge with QOS and ACC? I'd specify the ISP's gateway as a custom ping target so as to manage congestion through the aggregation router. I'd also be shutting off the WiFi on Gargoyle as the LAN has its own APs.
Where am I going with this?
I'm wondering if a 1043ND or Buffalo WZR might be able to serve as a wired Ethernet bridge doing QOS for networks up to 50Mbit-class.