MikroTik & Network Setup
RouterOS 7 PCC Load Balancing: Design and Live-Test Checklist
Per Connection Classifier (PCC) is a RouterOS matcher for consistently classifying connections. It is commonly used in multi-WAN designs, but it is not itself routing or load balancing. A production configuration must be tested against the actual links, NAT policy, services, and traffic patterns it will carry.
What PCC can and cannot establish
- PCC can classify a connection using selected header fields and a hash; matching packets can then receive connection marks.
- Routing marks and route selection are separate configuration steps; PCC alone does not create routing behaviour.
- A connection should remain on its selected path so that return traffic and source NAT stay coherent.
- Unequal links require an intentionally chosen weighting design; do not assume two circuits should receive equal traffic.
Live validation before any production claim
- Record RouterOS version, WAN interface names, public-address/NAT model, link capacities, and every locally hosted or remotely reachable service.
- Start with a maintenance window and a rollback export verified on the target router.
- Test new outbound connections repeatedly from multiple clients; confirm the intended marks and selected routes in RouterOS.
- Test persistent sessions, DNS, HTTPS, hotspot authentication/payment callbacks, PPPoE/RADIUS, inbound services, failover, and recovery after each WAN changes state.
- Measure link utilization and session failures under representative load. Keep the evidence with the final configuration and mark any untested path as unverified.
This page deliberately does not publish a copy-and-paste PCC rule set. The right mangle, routing-table, NAT, router-originated-traffic, and exception rules depend on the tested topology. We will add a versioned tested configuration only after the planned live test passes.
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