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I have an IOT device with static IP connected to a Mikrotik LTE device on ether1. The IOT host sends a multicast packet every second. The packet contains the IP and MAC of the host.

IP-Multicast: 232.0.100.1, MAC-Multicast: 01-00-5e-00-64-01

I need to configure the IOT device on a Linux box connected to the internet. (DDNS but I am also willing to configure the IP.)

What is the easiest way to get the host IP and MAC to the Linux server? Will it be to configure multicasting or by sending the hostname (IP and MAC) from the Mikrotik to the Linux server on startup?

Other constraints are that I would like to stop the multicast once the IOT device is detected and it would also be nice if the link can include compression as it is XML data that is sent via the TCP or UDP packets in both directions so at least a 25 % cost saving can be achieved.

The purpose of forwarding the multicast is to read the IP- and MAC- address of the IOT device as mentioned. The information is contained in the multicast packet. Once the information is detected, the multicast will be unsubscribed from that specific device, but I will still need to detect the multicast from others, so I suspect I will need IGMPv3 if multicasting is used?

I do not know if it will be simpler to just use the hostname table on the Mikrotik? I then need the Mikrotik to report the IP and MAC to the Linux box on start-up.

The final deployment will not be via the internet but on private APN and so no security is required, only compression as mentioned.

What I know so far:

  1. create bridge1 on the Mikrotik - I can do this
  2. move lte1 and ether1 to bridge1 - I can do this
  3. set up the static IP route on the mikrotik - help please
  4. do I need to configure the firewall - help please
  5. test route and firewall by pinging in both directions - I will be able do this
  6. etc. ?

Any help or suggestions are welcome.

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    Hi and welcome to network engineering. Two things to consider: A) Multicast routing does not work on "vanilla internet". You'll need some form of privately operated overlay network (for example a bunch of GRE tunnels, IPSec usually won't work) which use Internet as the underlay. The overlay network then interconnects the routing instances capable of multicast routing. I don't know if mobile providers can/will offer some "closed user group" or "enterprise networking" style LTE based subscriptions, technically isolated and capable of more advanced things such as multicast routing.
    – Marc 'netztier' Luethi
    Commented Apr 23, 2019 at 11:30
  • B) What you're describing looks (at least to me) like heading for a many sources, few (one?) receivers setup. This might possibly be a bit outside of what multicasting was meant for. I.o.w: The problem itself might be solveable by a multicast construct, but will make little use of the advantages of multicast. You'd probably be better off if that IoT device just unicasted its "I'm here!" packet to a preconfigured unicast/anycast/loadbalanced server address. Maybe: the CPE would do some multicast-to-preconfiguredServerAddress-unicast conversion, much like a DHCP relay does.
    – Marc 'netztier' Luethi
    Commented Apr 23, 2019 at 11:40
  • For a device to be on-topic here, the manufacturer must offer optional, paid support. Unfortunately, MikroTik does not offer that. You could try to ask this question on Server Fault for a business network.
    – Ron Maupin ♦
    Commented Apr 23, 2019 at 13:46
  • Hello skvery and welcome ... I'm wondering if instead of the narrow multicast-on-Mikrotik question you asked a wider data gathering question; it might be a lot easier to help you, and you might find non-multicast solutions are a lot easier. Especially if you have good control over the data capture devices.
    – jonathanjo
    Commented Apr 23, 2019 at 17:10
  • Thanks for assistance. Do I need to delete the post?
    – skvery
    Commented Apr 23, 2019 at 17:26

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