Best Configuration for Loop With 2x Netonix "Up Tower"

[uberdome]

I have a site with the primary router / rack in the basement, and only 2x Cat5e lines running up to the steeple. In the steeple there will be 2x WS-6-MINI switches. I plan to connect them together, what would be the best stable configuration to do so?

The purpose of connecting the switches together is for redundancy in case there is a communications problem with the primary line resulting from port issues or PoE injector issues.

There are multiple VLANs going up to the switches, all VLANs are on both main lines.

[Ideally, I would just have 4 lines running up and run two separate LAGs. It looks like adding wires at this point would be very difficult due to the way the lines were run originally and the building work that has been completed since then.]

Any suggestions?

Thank you, Chris

[sirhc]

I fail to see the need to connect the WS-6 switches as the percentage chances of POE injectors failing is very low but if you really want to then do this one way would be to enable STP/RSTP on the Juniper and disable STP on the WS-6 switches, no need for switches to jocky for root in this situation.

Make sure your using v1.5.0 or v1.5.2rc4 or newer as v1.5.1 has issues and was removed from circulation.

As always though I want to stress the importance of grounding.

99% of all WISP equipment damage is from ground current (I own a WISP)

Tower ground rods must be bonded to electrical service ground rods with HEAVY #2 wire.
I always add 1 or 2 “new” ground rods to older existing electrical services.
In the event bonding the service rods to tower rods is not possible possibly due to distance then definitely add additional NEW ground rods to electrical service to help prevent service ground current from ever seeing tower ground rods as a better path to ground.

The biggest issues with losing an Ethernet port, switch, or radio would be from ground current also the use of Ethernet surge suppressors are not recommended with "passive" POE switches and most damage is from ground current which they do NOTHING to prevent and they only add dB loss on Ethernet signaling and cause more issues. Our next line of "passive" POE switches will allow for their use if you want but I still recommend against their use and I use none in my entire WISP network and I lost 3 radios in past almost 3 years. Last radio I lost was due to failed flash but it was a 10 year old M5 Rocket. Other 2 radios were from site owner removing some of our grounding and their loss was ground current. YES WE REPLACED THE GROUNDING THEY REMOVED AND YELLED VERY LOUDLY.

[uberdome]

I am currently running MikroTik PoE routers where the WS-6-MINIs would go. They have been there for 5+ years without a grounding problem, so I'm not expecting one if I switch to Netonix hardware.

I need to add 48V hardware which is my primary reason for switching to the WS-6-MINI. I am currently running OSPF with the 3x routers on site, which may be overkill but allows for flexibility when doing maintenance and for the possibility of any local failure.

I suppose I could just skip out on the blue line. It just seems like such a small effort for a possible reasonable improvement in access (if it is reasonable to do).

[jakematic]

The issue that I see is how would you power the other WS-6-Mini if an injector did fail ?
You'd have to do a truck roll to move the cable to port 1 for PoE in, and could replace the injector easier.

If you only needed 4 ports up top, I'd put the two cables in a LAG instead and save an injector and Mini.

[uberdome]

The issue that I see is how would you power the other WS-6-Mini if an injector did fail ?
You'd have to do a truck roll to move the cable to port 1 for PoE in, and could replace the injector easier.

If you only needed 4 ports up top, I'd put the two cables in a LAG instead and save an injector and Mini.

If the injector fails to power the switch, definitely, I lose everything. But when an injector fails to pass traffic, then I have a work-around. I've only had that happen a handful of times, but I thought it was enough to be a consideration.

I need 7 ports up top at this point.