Load Balancing on Mikrotik at Karang Jaya Health Center Using NTH Method

Communication needs are very important along with the progress and development of today's communication technology. This requires better network capabilities to handle large data traffic and improve access speed and quality. Karang Jaya Health Center only uses 1 ISP as the main running internet network. The network often experiences downtime and slowness because quite a lot of clients use the network. Applying the nth method of load balancing techniques is a solution to maintaining the quality of the internet network at the Karang Jaya Health Center. The research method for implementing the nth load balancing method is divided into two, namely the data collection method consisting of the stages of Observation, Interview, Documentation, and Literature Study. As well as the development method, namely the Analysis Stage, Design Stage, Simulation Stage, Implementation Stage, Monitoring Stage, and Management Stage. After configuring the nth load balancing method on the proxy device at the UPTD Karang Jaya Health Center, it was found that the traffic results from the division of the two ISP lines were active and the traffic load was divided evenly so that overloads could be avoided. Distribution of traffic load is prioritized by seeing which ISP is not busy with greater bandwidth speed. As well as managing bandwidth can optimize the performance of the internet network at the Karang Jaya Health Center.


Introduction
The importance of communication needs is increasing in line with the progress and rapid development of data communication technology (Herlawati & Handayanto, 2020).More and more data is generated and sent through internet networks such as video streaming, cloud applications, and the Internet of Things (IoT).This requires better network capabilities to handle large data traffic and improve access speed and quality.In meeting the need for data communication technology, network administrators must be wise in managing the paths of a network so that the data traffic sent can run smoothly.Only use 1 ISP on the network with medium to large scale are very at risk of downtime on the internet network.Some companies or agencies use more than one ISP in their internet network system to ensure optimal quality of internet service.The advantage of using more than one ISP is that internet connection interruptions can be avoided when one of the ISP services used experiences interference.Adding one ISP or more can be used as a solution to meet these internet needs.Load balancing is a routing technique that can take advantage of several ISPs to be used simultaneously to share bandwidth evenly and back up each other if other ISPs go down or have problems (Sujarwo et al., 2020).NTH itself is a feature on a firewall that is used as a counter for data packets or connections (packet new).In NTH there are two main parameters, namely "Every" and "Packet".The "Every" parameter is used as a counter, while the "Packet" parameter functions as a packet pointer that determines the rule from which NTH will be executed.The advantage of the nth Load Balancing method is that it can make the performance of an ISP lighter by maximizing the distribution of the traffic load carried out on the proxy.The Load Balancing concept of the Nth method on the network technology infrastructure of a company or agency is used to balance the load or traffic load on the network with the aim that all departments or sections can make maximum and optimal use of it.One of the methods used in Load Balancing is combining two or more Internet Service Providers to obtain higher speed and availability as well as increase tolerance for failure.Network load balancing is very important if the scale in the internet network is getting bigger, when the data traffic in the internet network getting higher and higher (Idham et al., 2022).The Load Balancing method using the NTH method divides and balances the traffic load on two or more ISPs equally.By using this technique, the expected output is to maximize the throughput or data processing rate that can be achieved.By utilizing several ISPs efficiently, the NTH method can help optimize network resource usage and improve overall network performance by ensuring that data traffic is evenly distributed among available ISPs and minimizing response time and avoiding overload on one of the ISP lines (Abdullah, 2020).
Information has become a basic need for various fields, both government agencies, educational institutions and especially health agencies (Arta & Penelitian, 2016).UPTD Karang Jaya Health Center is an agency engaged in the field of health services.UPTD Karang Jaya Health Center also utilizes the internet network to support the work of its employees and improve service quality.Karang Jaya Health Center has network problems in terms of using one of its internet providers (ISP).Currently the Karang Jaya Health Center only uses 1 ISP as the main internet network that runs.In current conditions, the network often experiences downtime and slowness due to quite a lot of clients using the network.When the internet connection is lost/down, this becomes an obstacle that hinders the smooth running of activities (Hariadi, 2021).So that the performance of the puskesmas often decreases.Starting from poor access to health information, ineffective communication between medical personnel, patients or other health institutions and poor data management due to slow access.Of course, this can hinder work that requires an internet connection because the distribution of the traffic load is not optimal, using only one ISP results in an overload because too much traffic is passed and there is no filtering access to the client.
By applying the load balancing technique, the NTH method is expected to be the right solution to maintain the quality of the internet network at the Karang Jaya Health Center.The NTH load balancing method maintains traffic to keep running in balance by splitting the load into several lanes or links so that there is no overload which causes the internet network at the Karang Jaya Health Center to go down.
Additional internet resources are needed in order to achieve optimal network stability when there is interference with the ISP used (Haris et al., 2018).With the addition of one ISP, the NTH load balancing method makes the network not rely solely on 1 ISP but is divided equally between the two existing ISPs, so that the system can run properly without overloading 1 ISP.In this case the author uses a proxy as a load balancer using the NTH method.Load balancing is used to separate two or more network links by distributing the traffic load equally on both connection lines.The goal is for internet traffic to travel evenly between these paths.When using MikroTik, packets that want to access the internet will be tagged, and then MikroTik will choose the ISP line that the packet will use.In addition, MikroTik will also include load information on both ISPs to assist in decision making in dividing traffic equally.By using this technique, network capacity usage can be optimized, as well as improving the overall reliability and performance of the network.With Load Balancing technology, benefits can be obtained such as ensuring service reliability, availability and scalability of a network (Hidayat et al., 2021).
Various previous studies that became references in this study were carried out by Achmmad Mustofa and Desi Ramayanti with the research title "Implementation of Load Balancing and Failover to Device Mikrotik Routers Using the NTH Method (Case Study: PT.GO-JEK Indonesia)", from the results of their research it can be concluded in the context of PT network.Go-jek Indonesia, implementation of load balancing, failover and bandwidth management with the NTH method and MikroTik mangle configuration can help improve the performance, reliability and efficiency of PT.GO-JEK Indonesia (Mustofa & Ramayanti, 2020).And research conducted by Ahmad Tantoni, Sofiansyah Fadli, and Arifin Hargianto with the research title "Implementation of Load Balancing with the NTH Method Using Mikrotik at SMKN 2 Kuripan", from the results of his research it can be concluded that the test results show that the QoS parameter index for Modem-1, Modem -2, and the NTH Router has the same value, which is 3.75.With this value, QoS quality is categorized as "Satisfactory" (Tantoni et al., 2021).And research conducted by Idham, Rodianto, Hendra Wahyudi with the research title "Implementation of Load Balancing and Failover on Internet Networks Using the NTH Method", from the results of his research it can be concluded that the implementation of load balancing using the NTH method in semaras esport was successfully implemented and the failover method was successful and it takes 8 seconds for the second ISP to take over if a loss connection or RTO occurs (Idham et al., 2022).

Research Method
In this research, there were two methods used by the author, namely the Data Collection Method and the Development Method.The data collection method consists of several stages, namely as follows: a) Observation, namely data collection techniques that use observations of research objects that can be carried out directly (Idham et al., 2022).In this case, the author visited the UPTD Karang Jaya Health Center located at Kel. Karang Jaya, Kec.
Karang Jaya, Kab.Musi Rawas Utara Province South Sumatra to observe the internet network used by the health center.b) Interview, namely the process of obtaining information for research purposes by means of question and answer (Mustofa & Ramayanti, 2020).Met directly with the staff of the Karang Jaya Health Center and asked about the quality of the network in the Karang Jaya Health Center.c) Documentation, which is an information gathering technique that is carried out by collecting data in the form of notes, pictures, and so on related to research (Idham et al., 2022).d) Library Studies, namely a form of research method that writes to find data by reading books or journals, browsing the internet and its contents so that it can be used as input material in an effort to compile journals, the author uses books or journals and data from the internet as references related to load balancing (Hidayat et al., 2021).
The development method that the authors use in this study is the Network Development Life Cycle (NDLC) method.According to (Yuliad & Nugroho, 2016) the Network Development Life Cycle (NDLC) system development method is a reference in the Load Balance Implementation process with the following considerations: 1) In accordance with the system development process that the author needs.
2) NDLC has a flexible nature, so it can be applied to both large and small network scopes.
The stages in the NDLC method that the author uses are: a) The analysis phase, namely the initial steps taken include analysis of needs, analysis of existing problems, analysis of user desires, and analysis of existing network topologies.b) Design Stage, namely this stage the author will make a design drawing of the network topology to be built, it is hoped that this image will provide a complete picture of the existing needs.
c) The Simulation Stage is the stage where the network is developed which will be made in the form of a simulation with the help of Cisco Packet Tracer tools.d) Implementation stage, namely the author will implement the NTH load balance configuration that is on the Mikrotik Router OS.
e) The Monitoring phase is an important stage so that networks and communications can run according to the wishes and goals of the author in the early stages of the analysis.
f) The Management stage, which is of particular concern is policy issues, namely in terms of activities, maintenance and processing of used network devices such as proxy, access points, cables and others are categorized at this stage (Idham et al., 2022).

Results and Analysis
In this section the author discusses the network that is being implemented at the Karang Jaya Public Health Center and the network proposed by the author as well as the design of the load balancing network using the NTH method.The following is the design model for the Implementation of Load Balancing on Mikrotik Devices Using the NTH Method at the Karang Jaya Health Center: .Being the only internet network that is used in all puskesmas activities that require internet, the ISP icon often experiences interruptions and is slow when used because the load received by the ISP icon becomes overloaded.

Proposed network
The following is the topology that is implemented in the load balancing implementation design on the proxy device at the Karang Jaya Health Center.The addition of a new ISP is expected to be a solution in overcoming slow network problems so that community health center activities that use the internet network can run properly.Using ORBIT with bandwidth up to 15 Mbps as an additional ISP and using the NTH method, it is hoped that the distribution of internet access from the two ISPs can be divided equally so that there is no overload for one ISP.The DHCP server is used for the local network, when a laptop or computer is connected to the local network it will get a gateway from the proxy directly.

Management Bandwidth
Manage network bandwidth with the aim of limiting max downloads and uploads so that each user can get the same maximum bandwidth even though there are many network users.The bandwidth limit that is set is 2 Mbps for Upload and 2 Mbps for download, the maximum speed can only be obtained when the network is not busy, here is the configuration:

Conclusion
The NTH method of load balancing is one of the routing techniques by maintaining traffic so that it continues to run in balance by breaking the load into several paths or links so that there is no overload which results in the network going down.After configuring the NTH load balancing method on the proxy device at the UPTD Karang Jaya Health Center, it was found that the traffic results from the division of the two ISP lines were active and the traffic load was divided evenly so that overloads could be avoided.Distribution of traffic load is prioritized by seeing which ISP is not busy with greater bandwidth speed.Currently, internet connection breakdowns can be avoided by having a backup link by additional ISPs, as well as limiting bandwidth to control bandwidth usage by certain users or devices.thereby preventing a single user from consuming a large portion of bandwidth resources and reducing its negative impact on other users.By managing bandwidth, it can optimize the performance of the internet network at the Karang Jaya Health Center.
Figure 2. Current Network Topology Figure 3. Implemented Network Topology 3.3.Configuration of Load Balancing NTH Method The load balancing configuration using the NTH method has several settings so that traffic sharing can work properly.The following are the steps for the Load Balancing configuration of the NTH method: 3.3.1.Configure IP Addresses Assigning an IP address is the first step in a load balancing configuration.The configuration to set the IP address is as follows: Figure 6.DHCP Server 3.3.2.NAT Configuration (Network Address Translation) Configuring a NAT firewall can group incoming connection data to make it easier to map local network addresses to external networks.
Figure 20.Management Bandwidth