Transient Access

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for setting up shortcuts to help you connect to your sites quicker, it also outlines the various methods of accessing your devices.

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Introduction

Transient Access is a features designed to provide temporary, secure access to MikroTik devices through a managed tunnel. When you use this feature, the MikroCloud platform generates temporary credentials that allow you to connect to yoru router using WinBox or SSH.

This process works in the following way:

#	Feature	Description
1.	Secure Tunnel:	When a router is added to the MikroCloud Portal, a secure tunnel is automatically created.
2.	Generate Credentails:	Temporary login credentials are generated via the MikroCloud portal.
3.	Access and Use:	Once the credentials are generated, they can be used to connect to the device. The WinBox launcher and SSH terminal simplifies this process by handling the connection automtically.
4.	Automatic Revocation:	The generated credentials expire after a set amount of time, but you can also manually revoke them.

This feature ensures secure and conventient remote management of your devices without the need for complex configurations and permanent exposure.

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WinBox

In an effort to streamline the connection to your MikroTik router, we provide a WinBox launcher for both Microsoft Windows and macOS. These launchers simplify the connection process and eliminates the need for manual credential entry.

Windows Launcher

This is a quick walkthrough that will take you through the steps for installing the MikroCloud WinBox laucher on your machine.

Step 1: Download WinBox

Download the latest version of WinBox from the MikroTik Website.

Step 2: Download the Launcher

Download the Launcher from this link.

Step 3: Move the files to your C: Drive

Move the 2 files that you downloaded to the C:\ drive.

• These files must be accessible at C:\winbox64.exe and C:\winbox-open.exe.

Step 4: Add protocol handler to registry

Download the custom protocol handler we wrote for Windows. Once downloaded, run the winbox-handler.reg file.

• It contains registry instructions and is safe to execut.
• You can download it here

Step 5: Click and Launch

You are not set up to just click the WinBox icon on a Transient Access session, which will open WinBox on you machine locally and log you into the router automatically.

macOS Launcher

This is a quick walkthrough and installation guide for the WinBox launcher for macOS users.

Prerequisites

• You should have Wine installed and configured on you machine before continuing with the installation of the WinBox Launcher for macOS.

Step 1: Download the WinBox Launcher for macOS

1. You can contact support to provide you with the mikrocloud-winbox-launcher.app file.

Step 2: Download WinBox

1. Download the latest version of WinBox from the MikroTik Website.

Step 3: Move the files into your Applications folder

1. Move the files that you just downloaded into your main Applications folder on your macOS machine.
2. Make sure that these files are in the following directories:
   • /Applications/MikroCloud macOS Launcher.app
   • winbox64.exe

Step 4: Configure the launcher application

Depending on how and where you installed Wine, you might have to configure your application to work.

1. Open your terminal application and type the following:
   • whereis wine

It should display the folder location of where wine is installed.

2. Make a note of this folder location, as you will need it later on.
3. Within your Applications folder, right-click on the MikroCloud macOS Launcher.app file and then select show packages contents

4. The Folder will open displaying the Contents directory, expand this and navigate to the following directory and file:
   • Contents/Resources/macos-winbox-launcher.py

5. Right-click on this Python file and open it with your favourite Code/ Text Editor.
   • You can also use the built-in Text Editor app.
6. With the file open, replace the selected text with the location of your Wine installation.

• When you are done, save the file and close all settings.

7. You are now set up to launch the winbox application directly from the MikroCloud portal, by clicking on the winbox icon for your transient access session.

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SSH Terminal

For users who prefer to use SSH, you can connect to your MikroTik directly from your portal.This process will automatically create the transient access and open a ssh terminal window on your site overview page.

Step 1: Navigate to your site

1. From your Dashboard, navigate to your Sites.

2. Select the site you wish to connect to via SSH, this will take you to the Site Overview page.

Step 2: Create and log into the SSH Terminal

1. From your Site Overview page, click on the Terminal button at the top-right of the page, next to the Actions dropdown menu.

2. A Terminal window will open at the bottom of your page, this is the ssh terminal windows which connects directly to your device.

3. Once the Configuration is finished, you will be presented with the terminal window, this is the MikroTik device's terminal, and you are free to check configurations and make changes as you would normally on a locally connected MikroTik's terminal.