Chapter 3 of 6 · MikroTik MTCTCE
Quality of Service
HTB and the queue tree, limits, priority and burst, queue types, and how simple queues work with the queue tree.
- 4topics
- 20 minfast track
- 2diagrams and exhibits
Topics in this chapter
Take them in order, or jump to the one you need.
- 1HTB and the Queue TreeLearn how RouterOS implements HTB with the queue tree: parents, children, leaf and inner queues, packet marks, global parents and…Diagram5 min
- 2HTB Limits, Priority and BurstLearn the HTB dual limitation with limit-at and max-limit, how priority shares spare bandwidth, and how burst limit, burst…5 min
- 3Queue TypesLearn the RouterOS queue types FIFO, SFQ, RED and PCQ, how each handles packets inside a leaf queue, and how queue size affects…Diagram5 min
- 4Simple Queues and the Queue TreeLearn RouterOS simple queues: target, max-limit upload and download, priority, burst, queue types, and how a simple queue…5 min
About this chapter
What this chapter covers
This chapter explains how RouterOS limits and shares bandwidth using queues.
A queue controls how fast packets leave an interface, and which packets go first when the link is busy. RouterOS builds all of this on one mechanism, the hierarchical token bucket, known as HTB.
The chapter has three syllabus topics. They cover the HTB mechanism, the queue types that decide how packets wait, and the simple queue, which is the easy way to create HTB rules.
How the topics fit together
HTB sets how much each queue may send, and the queue type sets how packets inside it are handled.
- HTB is the structure. It has parents and children, a guaranteed rate, a maximum rate, a priority and an optional burst.
- Queue types are the behaviour of the buffer inside each leaf queue.
- Simple queues are a shortcut. You give a target and limits, and RouterOS builds the HTB structure for you.
- Queue tree is the manual method. It needs packet marks from mangle, and it offers more control.
Packet marks come from the mangle table in the previous chapter. A queue tree cannot match traffic until mangle has marked it.
How to use these pages
Each topic page has the same shape, so you can skim for what you need.
- What it is: the idea in plain words.
- How it works: the mechanism, with diagrams and example commands.
- What to remember for the exam: the facts to memorise.
- Common mistakes: the classic traps.
- Check yourself: three questions to test your understanding.
Draw a small tree on paper with a parent and two children, then give each a guaranteed rate and a maximum rate. Work out who gets what when the link is idle and when it is full. That exercise is the core of the topic, and the same reasoning applies to every example.
Where RouterOS version 6 and version 7 behave differently, the pages say so.
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