Working on a solution to tie 18 facilities together on a common LAN with a mulitiple ring topology. Ethernet, fiber and ePMP will be utilized. A ring with 14 nodes and 28 ePMP radios would see undesireable latency at apogee, so I've added a couple of home runs to reduce the number of hops in each ring. The attached diagram is a crude representation of the concept. The network will support VoIP with at most 100 instuments, FAXXBOCHS x 14, 36 surveilance cameras, alarm monitoring, LAN access to backup server, mail server and DC, Interrnet access for 80 workstations and the cnPilot E400 connected devices at all facilities.
I'd like to use MikroTik routers at each facility to handle LACP, etc. Or ZyXel L2/3 managed switches.
Any thoughts regarding best practice or experiences with OSPF within a distributed LAN or IS-IS? Other protocols or even Cisco EIGRP?
Nothing is set in stone yet, other than approval to make it happen. The goal is to eliminate separate Internet accounts and gain control over the separate networks. Add UTM and content filtering. Additionally, each location will see multiple paths to home plate and the Internet. With this system a DIA account will replace the MIR accounts with ultimately higher and symetrical speed.
Looking at the rough diagram I think OSPF is the ideal way to go. I don't really see where you would use LACP as all paths you have shown are different from one another. LACP is often useful more in a setup with dual paths between common devices.
Based on the diagram OSPF sounds like a simple, easy to deploy solution that would provide the desired level of redundancy, without adding complexity into the network. Ideally it will pick the shortest path between any two points on your network, or in the case the paths are equal you can favor the one with a better connection, or faster link, or just simply weighting the path because you like it more.
Other options? You could consider MPLS, or even a protocol from Brocade called Metro Ring, I believe Juniper also has something similar if you're wanting to go with enterprise gear at the locations.
But back to the keep it simple concept, OSPF will do the job. It will provide you with reliability, and it will be fairly simple to deploy. Give each site a /24 of private IP space and it should be simple to remember, simple to build, and simple to manage.
I'd agree with OSPF for this setup, all in a single OSPF area 0. Anything else looks like overkill. Just remember to adjust your reference port costs as necessary for the speeds you're using in your network to get accurate path selection.