ChangeGatewaytorepeater

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Changing a gateway to a repeater...
Well having re-read the recent 'switching gateways' thread I think that I am happy enough that the change below will be OK.

This wiki page is helpful - http://locustworld.com/tracker/wiki?p=DisableFailedUpstream - so I'll try setting the network up appropriately, although as I want the gateway change to be permanent I'll be setting the 2mb link as the fallback.

I'm still not sure about how the set preferred gateway option - set both repeaters to use meshap-HA ?

> I hope that you people will be able to share your knowledge and > experiences with me on this change in mesh structure I want to make. > > I currently have two gateways on my network. I want to change one > gateway to a repeater. Here's a picture

> meshap-HA         meshap-SR             meshap-DR >       |                               | >        |                               | >    8mb                          2mb >       |                               | >        |                               | >      int                            int

>  is a repeater link

> I want it to look like this

> meshap-HA           meshap-SR             meshap-DR >       | >        | >    8mb >       | >        | >      int

> meshap-SR has a static IP defined in WIANA and in /etc/STATIC. I'd > like to be able to keep the static IP for managment of the node.

> The 2mb connection is not being disconnected... so I'd like to be > able to reconnect meshap-SR to the internet quickly in the event of  > a failure of the 8mb link on meshap-HA.

> Can I simply set BOX FUNCTION to NEVER GATEWAY in WIANA? Will this > make meshap-SR into a repeater with a static LAN IP? > Are their any gottchyas that I should be aware of?

The "Disable failed upstream" should only take effect if the node loses its connection to the internet, which of course would happen if you switched off the ADSL router or pulled the Ethernet cable out.

What it will do is stop the node advertising itself as a gateway, so other nodes will hunt for another more efficient route.

When you reboot the node again it will assume it's a gateway due to the fact it has a /etc/STATIC file, then eventually relaise it doesn't have an internet connection and switch to being a repeater.

The nodes around it will adjust accordingly. As mentioned in the Wiki, a node which has become a repeater in this way will not automatically detect the recovery of the internet connection and become a Gateway again. You must reboot the node - although probably issuing 'detectmode' would persuade it to recover.

AFIAK, you won't be able to access the node using its static (public?) IP if its in repeater node, without doing some host mapping on the other gateway node.

Stephen - sounds like you and I want to do the same thing. It's interesting - there doesn't appear to be a quick an easy way of  stopping a gateway from providing a gateway. Jon suggests the disable failed upstream - but I don't think that either of us want to 'disable a failed upstream' as our 'upstreams' have not failed. I would like to know more about the following WIANA settings and how they affect a meshAP behaviour: box function, lock to gateway and preferred gateway.

Also, I am not sure about how the network will behave when I switch gateways - will I need to reboot my other nodes too? how quickly will the mesh self-heal in the event of a failed upstream'?

Anyone else with some input?

> Has anyone found a neat way of switching internet gateways? > > I have a scenario today whereby an ADSL router has failed. I wanted > to switch to using the other gateway (satellite), which is hung off > another mesh node. > > I tried just rebooting the mesh node with the ADSL router, but all > the other nodes just waited until it came back up again! I tried > unplugging the router, but the mesh node still thought it was a > gateway. > > In the end I had to power off the mesh node and then all other > nodes found the alternate gateway. This still leaves me with the > mesh node attached the the ADSL which will not use the other > gateway (cos it thinks it still has one!). > > Is there neat way of forcing a switch?