Contacting MikroTik Support with supout.rif and Logs

What it is

A good support request gives the support engineer everything needed to see the problem without further questions.

MikroTik support can be reached by e-mail at support@mikrotik.com. The faster you supply the facts, the faster the answer arrives. The key items are a support output file, logs, a readable configuration and a diagram of the network.

The support output file has the extension .rif. It is a snapshot of the router state, which you can create at any time or which the router can create after a failure.

How it works

You collect the evidence, describe the problem clearly, and send it in one message.

supout.rif

The supout.rif file is a support output file. It holds the configuration, the resource usage, the logs and other state of the router at the moment you create it.

/system sup-output name=supout.rif
/file print

The file appears in the file list of the router. You then download it and attach it to your message. The file is a single package, so one attachment gives the engineer much of what is needed.

Create the file while the problem is present. A file made after the fault has passed shows a healthy router and helps no one.

autosupout.rif and the viewer

The autosupout.rif file is created by the router itself. It is produced when the router detects a software failure and restarts, so that the cause is saved.

The watchdog service controls this behaviour. After an unexpected restart, look in the file list for an autosupout file and send it with your report. Do not delete it before support has seen it.

The viewer is a tool on the MikroTik website that opens a .rif file in a browser. It shows the contents as readable sections such as the configuration, the logs, the resources and graphs. Use it to read your own file, or one you received, without a router.

System logs and debug logs

The router logs events in several topics, such as system, firewall, wireless and PPP. By default only some are stored. For a hard problem, turn on more detail.

/system logging add topics=pppoe,debug action=memory
/log print
/log print follow

A logging rule names the topics to record and the action that says where to put them. The memory action keeps them in the router RAM, and other actions can write to disk or send to a remote server. The debug topic adds detailed messages for the topic it is paired with.

The command /log print follow shows new messages as they arrive. Start it, reproduce the problem, and watch what the router reports.

Debug logs are verbose, so enable them only while you test. When you are done, remove the rule.

/system logging print
/system logging remove numbers=3

A readable configuration

The engineer needs to read your configuration. Send a text export, not a binary backup.

/export file=config-for-support

A text export is readable, and on recent versions it shows only the changes from the defaults, so it is short. A binary backup cannot be read by support. Check the export for secrets such as passwords before sending it.

Make the configuration easier to read with these habits:

• Give firewall rules and other entries a comment that says why they exist.
• Give each router a clear identity.
• Remove old and unused entries.

A tidy configuration is easier for the engineer and for you.

Network diagrams

A diagram shows how devices connect. Support cannot see your network, so a simple picture saves many questions.

Include in the diagram:

• the devices and how they are cabled,
• the IP addresses and subnets,
• the interface names where they matter,
• the place where the problem occurs.

A hand drawn sketch is enough, if it is clear and its labels match the configuration.

Writing the request

State the problem in a few clear sentences. Say what you expected and what happened instead.

Say how to reproduce it, and give the RouterOS version and the model.

/system resource print
/system routerboard print

These two commands give the version, the architecture and the model. Attach the support output file, the export and the diagram.

One message with all of this is better than a series of short messages.