In the context of bandwidth management (BWM), what does "per network traffic" mean?

Products

• ISG Proxy

Issue/Introduction

Note: The ProxySG appliance does not attempt to reserve any bandwidth on the network links that it is attached to or otherwise guaranteed that the available bandwidth on the network can sustain any of the bandwidth limits which have been configured on it. The appliance can only shape the various traffic flows passing through it, and prioritize some flows over others according to its configuration.

Environment

SG/ASG/ISG-Proxy

Resolution

In the context of bandwidth management (BWM) on the ProxySG, "per network traffic" refers to the ability to shape bandwidth based on specific types of traffic or conditions, rather than applying a blanket limit per user across all services. Let me clarify this further:

Bandwidth Shaping Scope:

1. Per User vs. Per Traffic:

   • Per User: Bandwidth can be shaped based on the specific user or user group by referencing them in the policy. This means the ProxySG can apply limits to the traffic generated by specific users or groups of users, but it’s typically tied to specific traffic types or services (e.g., HTTP, FTP).

   • Per Traffic Type: The ProxySG appliance allows you to shape bandwidth based on specific types of network traffic, such as streaming, downloads, or uploads for certain content types (e.g., MP3s, videos). You can also shape bandwidth based on other conditions like time of day, protocols, or MIME types.

   In the example you shared, bandwidth is being controlled specifically for MP3 file downloads during certain hours for students, rather than shaping all traffic for all services for the student group.

2. "Per Network Traffic" Definition:

   • "Per network traffic" means the bandwidth management is applied to specific categories of traffic flowing through the ProxySG appliance. This could mean:
     • Traffic related to a specific protocol (e.g., HTTP, HTTPS).
     • Traffic to or from a specific domain or IP address.
     • Traffic with a certain content type (e.g., video, audio, application).
     • Specific times of the day, ensuring critical business hours are preserved for higher-priority traffic.

3. Customizability:

   • You can define multiple bandwidth classes, and each can be tailored to certain types of traffic (e.g., streaming media, software downloads) or certain users (e.g., guests, employees). For example, employees might have unrestricted access during work hours for business-related content, while non-essential traffic (like social media or entertainment) might be bandwidth-limited.
   • Hierarchy of Traffic: In more advanced setups, you can also define a bandwidth hierarchy to prioritize certain traffic over others (e.g., prioritizing business-critical traffic over entertainment).

Important Points:

• Not a Blanket Per User Limit: The ProxySG doesn’t just limit overall bandwidth for a user across all services; rather, it limits or shapes bandwidth for specific types of traffic or services used by the user. You can define which services or traffic types are controlled.

• Granularity: Bandwidth shaping is highly granular, allowing you to apply restrictions only where necessary (e.g., on streaming or file downloads) while leaving other services (like email or intranet browsing) unaffected.

Example Scenarios:

• Per User Group and Traffic Type: Limit bandwidth for social media traffic (Facebook, Twitter) for employees during work hours, while allowing unlimited bandwidth for internal tools or business-critical services.

• Per Service: Apply a cap on streaming media (e.g., YouTube) to prevent it from consuming too much bandwidth but allow unlimited browsing or VoIP services.

In summary, "per network traffic" refers to bandwidth management being applied selectively to specific types of network traffic (such as by content type, protocol, time of day, or user group), rather than uniformly across all services for a user. This gives administrators fine control over how bandwidth is allocated and prioritized on the network.