I have two networks I'm managing - my small home network and a new
streaming media site. On both, I could use some way to prioritize
traffic with our limited bandwidth. The last time I did any serious
network admin was in 1992, and apparently some new technologies are
available. Like, say, switches.
The home network is on ADSL, and has a Linux web/mail server and a few
PCs connected to a 3Com 3300XM managed switch, which goes into one port
of my Pix 501, which connects to the DSL modem. (No VLANs are set up or
needed). I'd like to make sure that one particular PC gets full
bandwidth when needed for web surfing, etc., and that the web server
gets throttled when I do large downloads, not the other way around. I'd
also like to make sure my P2P-loving roommate doesn't hog the
connection.
At work, we've got a few production Linux servers outputting a number of
media streams plus a web site; we have only four boxes, so they're all
directly connected to the 4-port switch in the Pix-501, which connects
to our upstream link. I'd like to make sure that port-80 traffic, e-
mail, etc. gets prioritized lower than the outgoing streams.
They both sound like they need the same basic solution - some type of
policy-based traffic shaping or policing, so I can say that "server 1 on
port 80 gets priority" or "server 3 on port 4662 never goes faster than
2Mbps". It has to be able to set policy by IP endpoint and port number,
not just by physical interface. I've started looking through Cisco's
router lineup, and I'm sure that one of the low-end routers will work -
SBS100, 851, 871 - but I can't tell which one is the cheapest one I need
for the job, and if I'll care about the fancier queueing and policing in
the 871. I will have no need for VOIP at either site, and clearly I
don't need traditional routing.
Can anyone guide me to the right product? If I can use the same or
similar one in both places, it would simplify administration, but I do
want the right tool for the job. I had hoped that the 501s would get
7.0, with its QoS, but that's clearly not happening, at least not any
time soon.
--
Jay Levitt |
Wellesley, MA | I feel calm. I feel ready. I can only
Faster: jay at jay dot fm | conclude that's because I don't have a
http://www.jay.fm | full grasp of the situation. - Mark Adler
