Manual:Fast Path

Applies to RouterOS: v6.0rc2 +

Summary

Fast path allows to forward packets without additional processing in the Linux kernel. It improves forwarding speeds significantly.

For fast path to work, interface support and specific configuration conditions are required.

List of devices with FastPath support

FastPath support on the specific devices.

RouterBoard	Interfaces
RB6xx series	ether1,2
Most of the RB7xx series	all Ethernet ports
RB800	ether1,2
RB9xx series	all Ethernet ports
RB1000	all Ethernet ports
RB1100 series	ether1-11
RB2011 series	all Ethernet ports
RB3011 series	all Ethernet ports
CRS series routers	all Ethernet ports
CCR series routers	all Ethernet ports
Other devices	Not supported

List of interfaces that support FastPath

FastPath support on different types of interfaces

Interface	Supported	Notes
Wireless	Yes	If wireless-fp or wireless-cm2 package used
Bridge	Yes	Since 6.29
VLAN, VRRP	Yes	Since 6.30
Bonding	Yes	RX only (since 6.30)
EoIP, GRE, IPIP	Yes	since 6.33. Interfaces have per interface setting "allow-fast-path". Interfaces have side effect of bypassing firewall, connection tracking, simple queues, queue tree with parent=global, IP accounting, IPsec, hotspot universal client, VRF assignment for encapsulated packets that go trough fastpath
L2TP, PPPoE	Yes	Since 6.35
Other	No

Note: Allowing FastPath for tunnel interfaces does not guarantee that all packets will go FastPath, so for SlowPath packets regular processing happens as before.

FastPath Handlers

Currently RouterOS has following fast path handlers:

• ipv4
• ipv4 fasttrack
• traffic generator
• mpls
• bridge

Note: Packet can be forwarded by fast path handler only if at least source interface support fast path. For complete fast path forwarding destination interface support is also required. See the list of supported interfaces.

IPv4 handler

IPv4 fast path is automatically used if following conditions are met:

• firewal rules are not configured;
• firewall address lists are not configured;
• Traffic flow is disabled /ip traffic-flow enabled=no restriction removed in 6.33;
• Simple and queue trees with parent=global are not configured;
• no mesh, metarouter interface configuration;
• sniffer, torch and traffic generator is not running;
• connection tracking is not active;
• ip accounting is disabled (/ip accounting enabled=no);
• VRFs are not set (/ip route vrf is empty);
• Hotspot is not used (/ip hostspot has no interfaces);
• IpSec policies are not configured (ROS v6.8);
• no active mac-ping, mac-telnet or mac-winbox sessions restriction removed in 6.33;
• /tool mac-scan is not actively used;
• /tool ip-scan is not actively used;
• route cache must be enabled

/ip firewall connection tracking set enabled parameter has new auto value Which means that connection tracking is disabled by default until firewall rules are added.

IPv4 FastTrack handler

FastTrack is available on the devices with FastPath support. FastTrack is FastPath+Connection Tracking. Detailed information about the FastTrack.

Traffic Generator handler

Traffic Generator fast path is automatically used for interfaces that support this feature.

MPLS handler

MPLS fast path is automatically used for interfaces that support this feature.

Currently MPLS fast-path applies only to MPLS switched traffic (frames that enter router as MPLS and must leave router as MPLS) - MPLS ingress and egress (including VPLS tunnel endpoints that do VPLS encap/decap) will operate as before.

Bridge handler

Bridge fast path is automatically used if following conditions are met:

• bridge VLAN filtering is disabled,
• no bridge firewall rules (/interface bridge filter, /interface bridge nat) are configured,
• /interface bridge settings use-ip-firwall=no,
• no mesh, metarouter interface configuration,
• sniffer, torch and traffic generator is not running,

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