seaweed27
asked on
Locking down network bandwidth
I'm trying to acquire a new customer that is experiancing issues with people on thier network using bittorents etc that are tieing up thier network bandwidth. One of the users on the network is complaining that his Voip is not working due to experienceing latency as a result of the torrent offender(does this sound fesible). Would someone help point me in the right direction.
Do i need hardware/software or both?
Thanks in advance
Chris
Do i need hardware/software or both?
Thanks in advance
Chris
Block bit torrent at the firewall,
If your using cisco gear look to see if your switches support QOS/Traffic shaping and make use of it.
If your using cisco gear look to see if your switches support QOS/Traffic shaping and make use of it.
How are they connected to the Internet, is there a router in place, if so, what is the make and Model number?
ASKER
to the best of my knowledge, they have t-1 coming in and are using a linksys router. Not sure on the available budget.
I guess the most efffective and low cost solution available would be the route to go.
Chris
I guess the most efffective and low cost solution available would be the route to go.
Chris
You definitely need to look at firewalling as previous posters have suggested.
But, if I were you, I'd be looking to gather more evidence about what the real issue is - who is using the bandwidth, which protocols ?
Maybe get yourself a copy of Ethereal and do some analysis of what is going on on this network: http://www.ethereal.com/. Also, check the firewall logs & statistics if there are any available.
If you are having VOIP issues caused by other applications hogging the bandwidth, then look at implementing QOS policies if possible to prioritise the VOIP traffic, and lower the priority of offending traffic.
Anything unwanted traffic that is found during your analysis process should definitely be blocked by a firewall on your Internet connection.
HTH
Nigel.
http://www.bowden-software.com
But, if I were you, I'd be looking to gather more evidence about what the real issue is - who is using the bandwidth, which protocols ?
Maybe get yourself a copy of Ethereal and do some analysis of what is going on on this network: http://www.ethereal.com/. Also, check the firewall logs & statistics if there are any available.
If you are having VOIP issues caused by other applications hogging the bandwidth, then look at implementing QOS policies if possible to prioritise the VOIP traffic, and lower the priority of offending traffic.
Anything unwanted traffic that is found during your analysis process should definitely be blocked by a firewall on your Internet connection.
HTH
Nigel.
http://www.bowden-software.com
ASKER
Is there a reccomended firewall with a nice GUI that would make my life easier regarding this matter?
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Agree...
PIX with new FOS 7.x and ASDM (upgrade from PDM) is very nice but you basically need a firewall that will filter inbound and *outbound* traffic.
CDW should be able to get you a cheaper solution that Cisco.
PIX with new FOS 7.x and ASDM (upgrade from PDM) is very nice but you basically need a firewall that will filter inbound and *outbound* traffic.
CDW should be able to get you a cheaper solution that Cisco.
Use a decent quality router or firewall, as some cheaper firewalls only port block inbound traffic.
I like Cisco but depends on your budget.