FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The questions that arise before adopting a tool. Where the accurate answer is "not yet" or "it depends", that is what is stated here.
What is RosRunner?#
A Windows desktop application for people looking after several MikroTik RouterOS devices. From one device list it can send the same commands to the devices you tick, watch what each network port is doing, draw what is plugged into what, and check a device from top to bottom.
It is paid, commercial software.
Does it replace WinBox?#
No. WinBox is MikroTik’s own tool and remains the better choice for configuring an individual device.
RosRunner picks up the part that repeats: the same job done many times, results that need reading device by device, and something you can hand over afterwards. It reads the address list you already keep in WinBox, so the two sit alongside each other — you do not have to pick one.
Which RouterOS versions does it work with, and how does it connect?#
Tested against RouterOS 6.49.x and 7.21.x / 7.23.x. There are four ways of reaching a device: the one WinBox uses (port 8291), the API, SSH and REST.
A few things to know: REST only exists on RouterOS 7.x; SSH needs /ip service ssh switched on at the device; REST needs /ip service www or www-ssl. Running commands over API or REST is also 7.x only, and port monitoring works over 8291 only.
Does my device data or password go anywhere?#
The application connects to two kinds of thing: your own devices, and the address it checks for updates. Your device list, your commands and the results never go to us or to any third party.
But being a desktop application does not by itself mean nothing leaves the machine, so to be precise: a password you type stays in memory for as long as the application is running; credentials you save go to the Windows Credential Manager; and a saved group of devices holds the devices only, never the commands or the output.
Two of the audit checks require the device itself to originate an outbound connection in order to verify reachability, and both are disabled by default. Files you export yourself are a separate matter: they may contain configuration, device identifiers, or secrets present in command output. Review an export before distributing it.
Can it cope with a lot of devices? Is it worth it for just one?#
Both are supported. With a single device, RosRunner provides a working environment suited to the task: commands are retained, the port view updates itself, and a full audit completes in one pass. There is no minimum estate size before it earns its place.
For bigger lists: the application lets you import up to 100,000 devices and run up to 100 at once, with 20 as the recommended figure. These are enforced ceilings, not tested throughput. No long-run report at that scale has been published, and none is implied here.
Is it free? Where are the licence terms?#
It is not free, and it is not open source. How you may use it is governed by a licence agreement between you and the copyright holder.
The licence document deliberately does not fix a price, a trial period, perpetual updates or a support commitment. Those come from your actual purchase terms or a written agreement. That is also why no price list appears on this site: nothing has been agreed that could be published, and publishing an unconfirmed figure would be inaccurate.
How do I get it, and how will updates work?#
There is no download yet. The download page carries the current status, and licensing enquiries go to support@rosrunner.com.
Once released, the installed build downloads and applies new versions itself. The portable single-file build does not: it reports that a newer version exists and opens the download page, and the file is replaced manually. In both cases, a failed update never affects the version already running.
Is the download digitally signed?#
Not currently. The builds examined to date carry no Windows digital signature — the mechanism by which the operating system identifies the publisher of a file at launch. Until that holds true of a released file, RosRunner will not be described as signed, verified or certified.
Will it change my devices without asking?#
No. Running commands runs the commands you wrote, and it always asks first, showing what is about to run and on how many devices. The health check and the network map only read. The one change the monitoring window can make — cutting power to a port and restoring it — has to be enabled deliberately and is confirmed again every single time.
One thing that has to be said plainly: when the screen says "Completed", that means the device reached the end of your commands — not that every line succeeded. And if the connection drops after the commands were sent, it reports the outcome as uncertain and does not send them again.
What languages is the application in?#
English, 繁體中文 and 日本語. You can switch between them while it is running, without restarting. Light and dark themes are both there too.
Still have a question?
Product, licensing, compatibility — any of it can go by email.