CS-RCS Pro Setup: Step-by-Step Installation and ConfigurationCS-RCS Pro is a professional-grade routing and control software designed for scalable network management, offering advanced traffic shaping, session control, and protocol-aware routing. This guide walks you through a complete installation and configuration process, from system requirements and pre-installation checks to advanced tuning and troubleshooting.
Before you begin — requirements and preparations
- Supported platforms: Linux distributions (Ubuntu 20.04+/Debian 11+/CentOS 8+/Rocky/AlmaLinux), with optional Docker deployment.
- Hardware: Minimum 2 CPU cores, 4 GB RAM, 50 GB disk; recommended 4+ CPU cores, 8+ GB RAM for production.
- Network: At least two network interfaces for edge deployments; ensure static IPs or DHCP reservations.
- Privileges: Root or sudo access.
- Dependencies: OpenSSL, libpcap, gcc/clang, make, iproute2, systemd.
- Backup: Backup existing network and routing configs (iptables, nftables, network scripts) before proceeding.
Installation
1) Obtain the software
- Download the CS-RCS Pro package from your vendor portal as a tarball (.tar.gz), DEB (.deb), RPM (.rpm), or container image.
- Verify the package signature (GPG) if provided.
2) Install system packages and dependencies
On Debian/Ubuntu:
sudo apt update sudo apt install -y build-essential libssl-dev libpcap-dev iproute2 ca-certificates On CentOS/RHEL:
sudo yum install -y gcc gcc-c++ make openssl-devel libpcap-devel iproute 3) Install from package
- DEB:
sudo dpkg -i cs-rcs-pro_VERSION_amd64.deb sudo apt-get install -f - RPM:
sudo rpm -Uvh cs-rcs-pro-VERSION.x86_64.rpm - Tarball:
tar -xzf cs-rcs-pro-VERSION.tar.gz cd cs-rcs-pro-VERSION sudo ./install.sh - Docker:
docker pull vendor/cs-rcs-pro:latest docker run -d --name cs-rcs-pro --network host --restart unless-stopped vendor/cs-rcs-pro:latest
4) Enable and start service
sudo systemctl enable cs-rcs-pro sudo systemctl start cs-rcs-pro sudo systemctl status cs-rcs-pro Initial configuration
1) Default config location
Configuration files are typically located in /etc/cs-rcs-pro/ with a primary config file named cs-rcs-pro.conf and subdirectories for rules, certificates, and modules.
2) Basic network and interface setup
Edit /etc/cs-rcs-pro/cs-rcs-pro.conf to set:
- management interface and IP
- data/edge interfaces
- listening ports (control, API, telemetry)
- logging level and log paths
Example snippet:
[network] management_interface = eth0 data_interface = eth1 management_ip = 192.0.2.10 3) Licensing and activation
Follow vendor-specific steps: place license file in /etc/cs-rcs-pro/license.key or use CLI:
sudo cs-rcs-pro-cli license activate --key-file /path/to/license.key 4) Certificates and TLS
Generate or install TLS certificates for the management API and web UI. Place cert and key in /etc/cs-rcs-pro/certs/ and update config:
[ssl] cert_file = /etc/cs-rcs-pro/certs/server.crt key_file = /etc/cs-rcs-pro/certs/server.key Creating routing and control policies
1) Policy concepts
- Flows: define traffic selectors (source/destination IP, ports, protocol).
- Actions: allow, deny, rate-limit, route-to, mark, redirect.
- Chains and priority: order rules by priority; use chains for modularity.
2) Example policy file (YAML)
policies: - id: 1001 name: Limit-HTTP match: protocol: tcp dst_port: 80 action: type: rate_limit rate: 1mbps Load policy:
sudo cs-rcs-pro-cli policy load /etc/cs-rcs-pro/policies/limit-http.yaml sudo cs-rcs-pro-cli policy activate 1001 3) NAT, SNAT, and routing
Define NAT rules and route-maps to steer traffic to upstreams or virtual appliances. Example iptables-based SNAT integration:
sudo iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE Prefer configuring through cs-rcs-pro routes module when available.
High availability and clustering
- CS-RCS Pro supports active-active and active-standby modes.
- Configure cluster peers in /etc/cs-rcs-pro/cluster.conf with heartbeat IPs and priorities.
- Use shared storage or configuration sync (rsync/etcd) for rulesets and certificates.
- Monitor cluster health via built-in telemetry or Prometheus exporters.
Monitoring, logging, and telemetry
- Enable structured logs (JSON) and rotate logs with logrotate.
- Expose metrics via Prometheus endpoint:
[metrics] prometheus_enabled = true prometheus_port = 9100 - Integrate with syslog, ELK, or a SIEM for long-term analysis.
Performance tuning
- Increase file descriptors and kernel network buffers:
sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf <<'SYSCTL' net.core.rmem_max = 16777216 net.core.wmem_max = 16777216 fs.file-max = 200000 SYSCTL sudo sysctl -p - Tune worker threads and packet batching in cs-rcs-pro.conf:
[performance] worker_threads = 8 batch_size = 64 - Use CPU pinning and hugepages for high throughput workloads.
Security best practices
- Run management interfaces on a separate, restricted network.
- Enforce mTLS for inter-node communication.
- Apply least privilege to service accounts and API keys.
- Regularly update software and apply CVE patches.
Backup and upgrade
- Backup /etc/cs-rcs-pro/, license files, and any DB/state files before upgrades.
- Use rolling upgrades in clusters: drain node -> upgrade -> rejoin.
- Verify config compatibility between versions using vendor tools or dry-run mode.
Troubleshooting
- Check service status and logs:
sudo systemctl status cs-rcs-pro sudo journalctl -u cs-rcs-pro -f tail -n 200 /var/log/cs-rcs-pro/*.log - Common issues:
- Port conflicts: ensure ports configured aren’t in use.
- Missing dependencies: check install logs.
- Cluster split-brain: verify heartbeat and time sync (NTP/chrony).
Example checklist (quick)
- [ ] Verify OS and dependencies
- [ ] Install package or container
- [ ] Start and enable service
- [ ] Apply license and TLS certs
- [ ] Load and activate policies
- [ ] Configure monitoring and backups
- [ ] Test failover (if HA)
- [ ] Document configuration and runbook
If you want, I can generate example config files tailored to your OS, write specific policy examples for your traffic profile, or help craft a runbook for upgrades.
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