CakeQOS CakeQOS-Merlin

[Wade Coxon]

Withdrawing consent is not required.

Not required, but you do get about 50-100MB of RAM back once all the Trend stuff is unloaded!

I was running with just QoS off and none of the other AI Protect features in use. That gave me about 75% RAM free (normally Merlin runs at 80-85%.
With permission withdrawn, RAM usage dropped to 60%, and has crept up to 65% over the course of a few days.

 

[Stephen Harrington]

Withdrawing consent is not required, nor is manually disabling AsusQOS. Cake will automatically disable AsusQOS when installed and you can happily continue to use other AiProtect features.

Thanks @Adamm for clarifying that, this thread has been moving at the speed of light, it's hard to keep up ... thanks to all involved for your great work!
So it would be viable then at present to leave Asus Adaptive Qos/FlexQoS installed so that you can easily switch between Cake and FlexQoS by stopping and starting them alternatively - for the purposes of comparing them back-to-back and working out which is best for a particular situation?

Runner and FC are automatically enabled/disabled with Cake, I just pushed a hotfix to sync the nvram values so this shows in the WebUI so users aren't confused.

Can confirm this now displays correctly on my RT-AC86U, thanks!

 

[brummygit]

Not required, but you do get about 50-100MB of RAM back once all the Trend stuff is unloaded!

I was running with just QoS off and none of the other AI Protect features in use. That gave me about 75% RAM free (normally Merlin runs at 80-85%.
With permission withdrawn, RAM usage dropped to 60%, and has crept up to 65% over the course of a few days.

That’s a valid point, but on my AX88U memory utilisation isn’t an issue currently so I prefer the benefits Trend gives me.

There had been some views on the thread that cake is incompatible with the Trend services but it looks like we have a clear answer.

 

[brummygit]

Thanks @AdammSo it would be viable then at present to leave Asus Adaptive Qos/FlexQoS installed so that you can easily switch between Cake and FlexQoS by stopping and starting them alternatively - for the purposes of comparing them back-to-back and working out which is best for a particular situation?

Interesting question, I might have to try that myself

 

[brummygit]

posting my numbers with autorate-ingress on, after 12hr test.

Thanks for posting, this is really useful and inline with my less detailed tests yesterday.

I found that when my line is idle and then suddenly gets demand for all of the bandwidth (eg by running a DSLreports speed test) it takes a few seconds to ramp up to maximum speed, but latency remains good during this.

It might be worth a quick edit of the script on your router to apply auto rate-ingress just to your upload and see how it behaves then.

My current opinion is that auto rate-ingress has a use where bandwidth is variable (my own case is that my primary line has some issues and I sometimes failover to 4G) but for those where they have a consistent fixed bandwidth, the manual settings are preferable.

 

[JemTheWire]

I couldn't wait any longer, just had to install Cake!

Quick question:

The install script asks me to input both Download and Upload speeds. Do I enter my TRUE speed, as measured by Fast.com or my TRUE speed minus 10%.

I entered my TRUE speed minus 10%.

Before I installed Cake, according to Fast.com:
Overall: A, BufferBloat A. Unloaded: 10ms, Loaded: 36ms

After Cake:
Overall: A+, BufferBloat: A+, Unloaded: 13ms, Loaded: 17ms.

FYI: Cable connection DOCSIS 220 DL, 20 UL.

 

[rgnldo]

I don't believe in band delimitation. It is a difficult task to configure for the most diverse services offered by ISP. Traffic control takes place on both edges.
My intention with Cake is to work on priorities and reduce latency. I found the best option. I set DL/UP rate values above my connection and set it to unlimited. It's great.

Spoiler: CakeQoS

CakeQOS-Merlin - v1.0.0: Starting - settings: 5000Mbit | 5000Mbit | diffserv4 | unlimited nowash dual-srchost

 

[Treadler]

I don't believe in band delimitation. It is a difficult task to configure for the most diverse services offered by ISP. Traffic control takes place on both edges.
My intention with Cake is to work on priorities and reduce latency. I found the best option. I set DL/UP rate values above my connection and set it to unlimited. It's great.

Spoiler: CakeQoS

CakeQOS-Merlin - v1.0.0: Starting - settings: 5000Mbit | 5000Mbit | diffserv4 | unlimited nowash dual-srchost

I hear what you’re saying, but, in my country most connections are done via the ‘NBN’.
Anything uploaded first hits the NBN ‘policer’, which is set at the rate of the customer’s plan. (In my case, 40mbps).
The policer simply drops any packets above the rate, causing all sorts of trouble with reduced upload & download speeds.
To maximise my own connection, fixing an upper limit of 40mbps is the vital first step to high/consistent speeds, & lower bufferbloat.

 

[Treadler]

I couldn't wait any longer, just had to install Cake!

Quick question:

The install script asks me to input both Download and Upload speeds. Do I enter my TRUE speed, as measured by Fast.com or my TRUE speed minus 10%.

I entered my TRUE speed minus 10%.

Before I installed Cake, according to Fast.com:
Overall: A, BufferBloat A. Unloaded: 10ms, Loaded: 36ms

After Cake:
Overall: A+, BufferBloat: A+, Unloaded: 13ms, Loaded: 17ms.

FYI: Cable connection DOCSIS 220 DL, 20 UL.

My connection is FTTH, 100 down, 40 up.
I started with the 100 & the 40 as my Cake limits, then did much experimenting with fast.com, speedtest.net, & dslreports.

The best results found, Cake set at 98 down, & 40 up.
I now get overall, bufferbloat, & quality A+ consistently.
Loaded & unloaded latencies reported by fast.com are now always in in single digits.

Prior to using Cake, results like this were unknown.

 

[rgnldo]

I hear what you’re saying, but, in my country most connections are done via the ‘NBN’.
Anything uploaded first hits the NBN ‘policer’, which is set at the rate of the customer’s plan. (In my case, 40mbps).
The policer simply drops any packets above the rate, causing all sorts of trouble with reduced upload & download speeds.
To maximise my own connection, fixing an upper limit of 40mbps is the vital first step to high/consistent speeds, & lower bufferbloat.

Whatever the situation, stipulating DL/UP fees on commercial connections for the home user is an illusion. It is functional if your ISP has a good infrastructure. With this setup, CakeQOS works for me.

 

[Treadler]

Whatever the situation, stipulating DL/UP fees on commercial connections for the home user is an illusion. It is functional if your ISP has a good infrastructure. With this setup, CakeQOS works for me.

Locally, the ‘NBN’ sits between most customers & their ISP’s.
The NBN does the ‘last mile’ of most connections. The ISP infrastructure can be A1, but the NBN has to be gone through first.

It’s just the local situation we have to work with.

 

[Wade Coxon]

Whatever the situation, stipulating DL/UP fees on commercial connections for the home user is an illusion. It is functional if your ISP has a good infrastructure. With this setup, CakeQOS works for me.

One thing you have to account for worth the Australian NBN, is that 99% of the time, there is absolutely no bottleneck on the ISP side. Their pipes are always able to deliver the maximum speed. At least for the good ISPs that is. In that situation, applying the limits on the customer equipment is very effective.

 

[rgnldo]

Their pipes are always able to deliver the maximum speed. At least for the good ISPs that is. In that situation, applying the limits on the customer equipment is very effective.

In this infrastructure, yes, functional. It is not the reality of 90% of ISPs in the world. Business connections, with their own circuit, control is feasible.
In general, CakeQoS will have settings for all environments.
I suggest that the script makes it easier, offering automatic bandwidth support and other options. Users are confused by technical terms.

 

[skeal]

I’ve been running cake with AiProtect and App Analysis in the QoS Bandwidth Monitor switched (QoS itself is turned off). I’ve been configured in this way for the whole time I’ve been running cake and I see no issues that I’m aware of.

What are you seeing that makes you think they’re incompatible?

It very well may be that AI-P is the culprit and that Cake-QOS or any other QOS may not be responsible. I had the same issue using FreshJR updated by @dave14305. The issue is a spooling affect at the top of the hour. The video freezes momentarily and then like its on fast forward plays catches up. The sound is not affected only the video. It's a glitch that when AI-Protection is off seems to work fine.

 

[ugandy]

It very well may be that AI-P is the culprit and that Cake-QOS or any other QOS may not be responsible. I had the same issue using FreshJR updated by @dave14305. The issue is a spooling affect at the top of the hour. The video freezes momentarily and then like its on fast forward plays catches up. The sound is not affected only the video. It's a glitch that when AI-Protection is off seems to work fine.

use suricata instead of AIProtection.

 

[skeal]

I noticed with AI-Protection on, I noticed under the QOS>Classifications Tab, that it is populated with information where as without AI-Protection it shows nothing. In both instances QOS is reported as off.

 

[skeal]

use suricata instead of AIProtection.

suricata??? Please explain.

 

[ugandy]

suricata??? Please explain.

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/suricata-ids-ips-on-asuswrt-merlin.63280/

 

[ugandy]

I don't believe in band delimitation. It is a difficult task to configure for the most diverse services offered by ISP. Traffic control takes place on both edges.
My intention with Cake is to work on priorities and reduce latency. I found the best option. I set DL/UP rate values above my connection and set it to unlimited. It's great.

CakeQOS-Merlin - v1.0.0: Starting - settings: 5000Mbit | 5000Mbit | diffserv4 | unlimited nowash dual-srchost

thanks @rgnldo

i'll give "unlimited" a try to see how it fares with my comcast line.
"dual-srchost", from reading the man page, sounds like something that one should always use, along with "ack-filter". thanks!


with "docsis unlimited ack-filter dual-srchost" i just got 330/17 bufferbloat A on dslreports.
latency was good even with multiple clients in use.

but I need to see what happens on a week day, during work hours, when comcast node gets congested

 

[brummygit]

It very well may be that AI-P is the culprit and that Cake-QOS or any other QOS may not be responsible. I had the same issue using FreshJR updated by @dave14305. The issue is a spooling affect at the top of the hour. The video freezes momentarily and then like its on fast forward plays catches up. The sound is not affected only the video. It's a glitch that when AI-Protection is off seems to work fine.

I've not noticed that. Could it be traffic analyser saving stats every hour?