Full MikroTik MTCNA - Brief overview of Winbox

Summary

This video tutorial delves into the functionalities of WinBox, a popular tool for managing MikroTik routers. It covers the interface's three main sections: session, settings, and dashboard, highlighting features like safe mode, which allows for reversible changes, and the ability to customize the dashboard with widgets. The script also touches on various configuration options available in WinBox, including interfaces, wireless settings, and IP addressing, offering a comprehensive introduction to the tool's capabilities for network management and troubleshooting.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video provides an in-depth look at how WinBox, a MikroTik router configuration tool, works.
• 🖥️ The presenter demonstrates connecting to a MikroTik router using WinBox by entering the IP address, admin login, and a blank password.
• 📊 The WinBox interface is explained, highlighting three main options: Session, Settings, and Dashboard.
• 🔒 The 'Safe Mode' feature is introduced, which allows for temporary changes that can be reverted if the session is not closed or the mode is deactivated.
• 🔍 The 'Settings' option lets users customize their experience, such as hiding passwords, adding inline comments, and zooming in for better visibility.
• 📈 The 'Dashboard' is showcased as a useful feature for monitoring device statistics like CPU usage, memory, and uptime.
• 🔄 The 'Undo' and 'Redo' functions are mentioned for correcting accidental changes in the router's configuration.
• 🌐 The 'Interfaces' section is discussed, which includes configuration for physical ports and VLANs on the router.
• 📶 The 'Wireless' section is briefly mentioned, indicating where one can configure WLAN settings for access points or wireless clients.
• 🔌 The 'Bridge' section is touched upon, explaining its role in allowing certain ports on the router to function as a switch.
• 🛠️ The 'Tools' section is highlighted for its exclusive troubleshooting utilities available for managing and diagnosing network issues.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the video?

The purpose of the video is to provide an in-depth explanation of how WinBox works and the various features and capabilities it offers for managing MikroTik routers.

What are the three main options visible at the top of WinBox?

The three main options at the top of WinBox are Session, Settings, and Dashboard.

What information does the Admin app display in WinBox?

The Admin app displays the login credentials used to access the device, the IP address, the session details, the device's name or router identity, and the version of WinBox.

What is the function of the Settings in WinBox?

The Settings in WinBox allow users to configure options such as hiding passwords, adding inline comments, and zooming in to make the interface larger for better visibility.

What can be monitored and managed through the Dashboard in WinBox?

The Dashboard in WinBox allows users to monitor and manage various aspects of the router such as CPU usage, memory usage, uptime, and other system statistics through widgets.

What is the significance of the Undo and Redo functions in WinBox?

The Undo and Redo functions in WinBox provide a way to revert or reapply changes made in the configuration, which can be useful if a mistake is made or a command is accidentally removed.

What does Safe Mode in WinBox allow you to do?

Safe Mode in WinBox allows users to make changes on the router without applying them immediately. If the session is closed or Safe Mode is toggled off, any changes made while Safe Mode was active will be reverted.

What is the role of the Interfaces section in WinBox?

The Interfaces section in WinBox is used to configure and manage the physical interfaces on the router, including setting up VLANs and checking the status of ports.

What can be configured in the Wireless section of WinBox?

In the Wireless section of WinBox, users can configure WLAN settings to connect to an access point or set up the router as an access point.

What is the purpose of the Bridge section in WinBox?

The Bridge section in WinBox is used to create certain ports on the router to function as a switch, allowing for more flexible network configurations.

What does the Tools section in WinBox offer for network management and troubleshooting?

The Tools section in WinBox provides exclusive MikroTik tools for network management and troubleshooting, which can help in effectively managing and diagnosing network issues.

Outlines

00:00

🔧 Introduction to WinBox Features

This paragraph introduces the audience to the functionalities of WinBox, a software used for managing MikroTik routers. The speaker begins by connecting to a MikroTik router using its IP address and explains the three main options at the top of the WinBox window: session, settings, and dashboard. The session shows the login details, including the IP address used to log in, the device's name, and WinBox's version. The settings allow for customization such as hiding passwords, adding inline comments, and zooming in for better visibility. The dashboard is highlighted for its ability to add widgets for monitoring CPU usage, memory, and uptime, which are essential for assessing the device's performance. Additionally, the paragraph touches on the undo and redo functions and the importance of safe mode, which allows for temporary changes that can be reverted if the session is closed or if safe mode is deactivated.

05:01

📡 Exploring WinBox's Advanced Configuration Options

The second paragraph delves into the advanced configuration options available in WinBox. It discusses the various sections of the software, including Quick Set for basic configurations, CAPsMAN for managing wireless networks, Interfaces for configuring physical ports and VLANs, and Wireless for setting up WLAN connections. The paragraph also covers Bridge, which allows certain ports to function as a switch, and Triple P for connecting via PPPoE or L2TP. The Switch section is mentioned but not elaborated upon, and the speaker reassures that it won't be part of the MTCNA exam. The IP section is highlighted for its extensive submenus, and the speaker notes that not all options will be covered in the video. The paragraph concludes with mentions of MPL, Routing, System, Captive Portal (CUE), Files, Logs, and Tools, emphasizing the latter for its exclusive troubleshooting tools available for network management.

Keywords

💡Winbox

Winbox is a software utility used for configuring MikroTik routers. It is the primary focus of the video, as the script explains how to navigate and utilize its various features for managing network devices. The video mentions connecting to a MikroTik router using Winbox, indicating its role in establishing a session for device configuration.

💡MikroTik Router

A MikroTik Router is a type of networking hardware made by MikroTik. In the script, the presenter connects to a MikroTik router using its IP address to demonstrate the use of Winbox. It serves as the central device for the practical examples provided in the video.

💡Session

In the context of Winbox, a session refers to an active connection with a router for the purpose of configuration. The script explains that the session box in Winbox allows users to manage their current connection, including disconnecting or closing the window.

💡Settings

The settings in Winbox are used to customize the user interface and behavior of the software. The script mentions the ability to hide passwords, add inline comments, and zoom in for better visibility, which are all part of the settings that can be adjusted in Winbox to enhance the user experience.

💡Dashboard

The dashboard in Winbox provides an overview of the router's status, including widgets for time, CPU usage, memory, and uptime. The script describes the dashboard as a useful tool for quickly accessing key information about the device's performance and health.

💡Safe Mode

Safe mode in Winbox is a feature that allows users to make temporary changes to a router's configuration without affecting the device if the session is interrupted. The script explains that any changes made in safe mode will be reverted if the user logs out or if there is a reboot, providing a safety net for configuration adjustments.

💡Interfaces

Interfaces in the context of the video refer to the physical ports and connections on a router that can be configured through Winbox. The script mentions that the interfaces section in Winbox shows whether a port is up and running, indicating its status and ability to communicate.

💡Wireless

The wireless section in Winbox is used to configure WLAN settings, allowing the router to connect to an access point or function as one. The script briefly mentions this section, indicating that it is part of the comprehensive set of features available in Winbox for managing network connections.

💡PPP

PPP, or Point-to-Point Protocol, is a method for establishing a direct connection between two networking nodes. In the script, PPP is listed as one of the options in Winbox for configuring network connections, such as PPPoE or L2TP, which are types of PPP connections.

💡IP Addressing

IP addressing in the video refers to the configuration of IP settings on a router, which is a fundamental aspect of network setup. The script mentions the IP section in Winbox, which contains various options for managing IP configurations, such as assigning static IP addresses or setting up DHCP.

💡Tools

The tools section in Winbox provides troubleshooting utilities exclusive to MikroTik devices. The script highlights the usefulness of these tools for managing and diagnosing network issues, emphasizing their importance in network administration.

Highlights

Introduction to WinBox and its functionalities.

Explanation of the three main options in WinBox: Session, Settings, and Dashboard.

Description of the Admin App showing login details and device information.

How to connect to a MikroTik router using its IP address.

Use of settings to hide passwords and add inline comments for configuration.

Zoom feature in WinBox to enlarge the interface for better visibility.

Dashboard widgets for monitoring CPU usage, memory, and uptime.

Undo and redo functions for mistake correction in configuration.

Safe mode feature to make temporary changes without affecting the router's stability.

Safe mode's functionality to revert changes upon disconnection or reboot.

Overview of the taskbar and its various options for router configuration.

Quick Set feature for quick configuration similar to WebFig.

Interface section for configuring physical interfaces and VLANs.

Wireless section for configuring WLAN to connect to an access point or create one.

Bridge section for creating ports that function as a switch.

PPP section for setting up connections like PPPoE or L2TP.

IP addressing section with various options for IP configuration.

System section for configuring system-specific settings like hostname and logging.

Tools section with troubleshooting tools exclusive to MikroTik.

Conclusion summarizing the capabilities of WinBox and its menu options.

Transcripts

welcome back in this video we'll be

going a bit more in depth

in how winbox works and the different

things that you can achieve in one box

so

let's get into it i'm just going to

change my screens

and here we can see the win box window

i'm going to connect to the microtech

router

using its ip address

login admin password blank i'm going to

connect

and the first thing that i want to do is

i want to explain

what's happening so with one box at the

very top you'll see there's three

different options you get your session

you get your settings and you get your

dashboard

so

even before this if you look at the very

top you can see there's an admin app it

shows you what your login is that you

logged in with

how you logged into the device so what

the ip address is you logged in with the

session what the device's name is or the

router identity

what winbox's version is

and that's about it

so besides that we get these three boxes

uh session settings dashboard with the

setting or the session

uh the biggest things that you'll be

doing here is you'll be disconnecting or

closing windows stuff like that it's

things that's happening in the station

that you're in now when you're connected

to the microtic

your settings it allows you to hide

passwords whenever you're configuring a

password

give you inline comments

and what's useful is for people that

might be because maybe you're like

thinking this screen is too small

we can zoom in using the settings so

what i'll do is i'll just zoom in with

winbox so it makes everything a bit

bigger

and then you can clearly see what the

text is and

what everything else is

the dashboard is quite nice because with

the dashboard if you click any of these

options if i add time it will add a

widget i can say with the time in it

i can add the cpu which tells you how

much of the cpu of the device is being

used

memory uptime

all the good things that you might want

to see on a device i think the memory

usage cpu and uptime is really important

just to give you a good indication of

how long the device has been running and

what the resources look like

other than that you get also these

undo and redo

functions i really use them but the

option is there if you do accidentally

make a mistake you can undo it or you

can redo a command that you might have

accidentally removed

safe mode now this is quite important so

safe mode

allows you to effectively make changes

on the router without breaking anything

let me just quickly reconnect sorry i

dropped my session to this device

uh for some reason

let me just connect onto the mac address

there we go so safe mode what this

allows us to do let me just zoom back in

control there we go

so if i click on safe mode you'll see it

actually gets pressed in it gets grayed

out

and then what that is telling us is

anything that i

change on the device during safe mode

it will revert if my session isn't

closed or if i don't click the safe mode

button again so if i click save mode i

make any changes and i accidentally get

knocked off of the router and i reboot

the device

all of the configuration that i made

will be reverted which is a good thing

sometimes because maybe you made a

mistake and that caused an issue safe

mode allows you to revert the changes in

a good manner

so to reiterate if you click save mode

any commands that you change or any

settings that you change will only take

effect once you click save mode again

if you click save mode you make changes

and you log out of the router you're

going to lose all of your changes so

make sure if you're using safe mode what

you're doing with it

if safe mode is off and you make changes

they're applied and they just on the

router automatically

now we've got this nice big taskbar and

each taskbar or each of these items

represent a different thing that you can

access through inbox obviously so we've

got our quick set which is the same as

on webfig that you can quickly

set or configure the device with certain

settings

caps man we're not gonna look at this uh

course

interfaces so this is quite important so

interfaces is the actual physical

interfaces on the router that you can

see so you can also configure stuff like

vlans which we'll look at at the re

course

but

these physical interfaces these ports

are all listed on the interface list and

this will also tell you whether a port

is up and running so if it's got the r

it's actually receiving signals and it's

able to connect and communicate

if you double click on a

option or a thing here you'll actually

see

what what the name is

all of the different features but i'll

go over the interfaces in a separate

setting i just want you to understand

this will cover all of the physical

interfaces

as well as any other type of tunneling

software you might configure on the

device

we get our wireless which is where we

can configure wlan to connect either to

an access point or to make the router

and access point which we'll go over in

the wireless section

we've got a bridge and i explained

earlier kind of what a bridge does

and there is a separate section

specifically for bridges but in short it

allows us to

create certain ports on the router to

work as a switch

we've got our triple p

so this is effectively like connecting

on pppoe or lttp or stuff like that

there's the switch chip so if if it's a

physical router board you'll obviously

have the switch option here and this

will allow you to do different type of

switching functions but don't worry too

much about it you won't get quizzed on

it on the mtcna

measures don't worry about that ip

addressing here so this is what i need

to show you with one box as well besides

these options here

if the option has this arrow going to

the right it means there's more sub

menus that you can go through so with ip

as you can see ip actually has a lot of

different things that you can do with it

so i'm not going to go through every

last thing in this video it's just to

show you that there are more options

than what you see if there are arrows

mpl is you really don't need to worry

about in the mtcna this is covered in

the mtc ine which is the last

certification that you can get with

microtig

there's the routing

so dynamic routing will cover not in

mtcna some of it in mtcre a lot of it in

mtc ine

system so this is where we can configure

system specific stuff like an identity

which is the host name

we can configure logging so this is

effectively things related to the system

itself to the physical router board

cues we will be playing around with some

cues or qos later on in the course so

quite exciting

files so this is a separate section

we'll go through in a video quite soon

logs just shows you all of the logs

that's being picked up

and tools

which is awesome because there are some

great troubleshooting tools that

microtic has exclusively available that

you can use to

you know

manage your network or do some

troubleshooting which i enjoy

so this is going to cover

one box itself um i'm not going to go

into like i said all of the menus i

don't want to explain everything it's

just to show you or make you understand

that there are options in the menu that

you can go into and you can access

different sub menus from the options so

that covers winbox i hope you enjoyed

the video and i'll catch you in the next

video bye