Limiting Bandwidth on a Cisco Switch

You dont mention the Cisco Model but some have
"granular rate-limiting" and/or "rate-limiting"
   The procedure is In the Cisco IOS on a Catalyst switch (not on a router), there’s an Interface Mode command called shape round-robin queue bandwidth. More specifically, the command is srr-queue bandwidth.
  This command has been around since IOS 12.2(25). For these examples, I’m using a Cisco Catalyst 2960 switch.

You may need a firmware update done to your switch to get this feature or it may not be capable.
 Post your Model and I can tell you if it can.

Wes


 

 

I am using a Cisco 4506 Switch.  I am using the following for my IOS
"bootflash:cat4500-ipbase-mz.122-54.SG.bin"

See below it doesn't look like I have an option for a shape or srr-queue command.

LAN_SW(config)#int gi3/2
LAN_SW(config-if)#?
Interface configuration commands:
  access-group        Access group configuration
  arp                 Set arp type (arpa, probe, snap) or timeout
  auto                Configure Automation
  backup              Modify backup parameters
  bandwidth           Set bandwidth informational parameter
  bgp-policy          Apply policy propagated by bgp community string
  carrier-delay       Specify delay for interface transitions
  cdp                 CDP interface subcommands
  channel-group       Etherchannel/port bundling configuration
  channel-protocol    Select the channel protocol (LACP, PAgP)
  dampening           Enable event dampening
  default             Set a command to its defaults
  delay               Specify interface throughput delay
  description         Interface specific description
  duplex              Configure duplex operation.
  eou                 EAPoUDP Interface Configuration Commands
  ethernet            Ethernet interface parameters
  exit                Exit from interface configuration mode
  flow-sampler        Attach flow sampler to the interface
  flowcontrol         Configure flow operation.
  help                Description of the interactive help system
  ip                  Interface Internet Protocol config commands
  keepalive           Enable keepalive
  l2protocol-tunnel   Tunnel Layer2 protocols
  lacp                LACP interface subcommands
  link                Configure Link
  lldp                LLDP interface subcommands
  load-interval       Specify interval for load calculation for an
                      interface
  location            Interface location information
  logging             Configure logging for interface
  loopback            Configure internal loopback on an interface
  mac                 MAC interface commands
  macro               Command macro
  mtu                 Set the interface Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU)
  neighbor            interface neighbor configuration mode commands
  network-policy      Network Policy
  no                  Negate a command or set its defaults
  pagp                PAgP interface subcommands
  pppoe               Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet
  qos                 QoS configuration
  rep                 Resilient Ethernet Protocol characteristics
  rmon                Configure Remote Monitoring on an interface
  service-policy      Configure CPL Service Policy
  shutdown            Shutdown the selected interface
  snmp                Modify SNMP interface parameters
  source              Get config from another source
  spanning-tree       Spanning Tree Subsystem
  speed               Configure speed operation.
  storm-control       storm configuration
  switchport          Set switching mode characteristics
  timeout             Define timeout values for this interface
  transmit-interface  Assign a transmit interface to a receive-only
                      interface
  tx-queue            Configure interface transmit queue
  udld                Configure UDLD enabled or disabled and ignore global
                      UDLD setting
  vlan-range          config vlan
  vtp                 Enable VTP on this interface

these downloads, are they from the internet or local servers? you could configure QoS for either one using policy maps.

Here is what I found on Cisco's,
  It's pretty involved so I will just refernce what you need to look at,
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/switches/lan/catalyst4500/12.2/15.02SG/configuration/guide/qos.html#wpmkr1440744 m:
Is the Topic of QOS ,
From your Qestion you want to review the section:
Shaping, Sharing (Bandwidth), Priority Queuing, Queue-Limiting and DBL Catalyst 4900M, Catalyst 4948E, Supervisor Engine 6-E, and Supervisor Engine 6L-E support the classification-based (class-based) mode for transmit queue selection. In this mode, the transmit queue selection is based on the output QoS classification lookup.

Sharing (Bandwidth) The bandwidth assigned to a class of traffic is the minimum bandwidth that is guaranteed to the class during congestion. Transmit queue sharing is the process by which output link bandwidth is shared among multiple queues of a given port.

Wes

Catalyst 4900M, Catalyst 4948E, Supervisor Engine 6-E, and Supervisor Engine 6L-E support a range of 32 kbps to 10 Gbps for sharing, with a precision of approximately +/- 0.75 percent. The sum of configured bandwidth across all queuing classes should not exceed the link bandwidth.

Dowloads from the internet and transfering files over the site-to-site VPN to branch offices  is what really takes up all the bandwidth.  If I need to transfer a file to a branch office for example, it will transfer at about 9.1mbps which is basically my whole circuit.  If its a large file and takes along time users can really notice internet slowness.  This is also the same for internet downloads.  This is why I would like to do some kind of rate limiting so a transfer or download doesn't eat all the bandwidth.  

Using the above referenced Link see:
Configuring Transmit Queues
The following sections describe how to configure transmit queues:

•Mapping DSCP Values to Specific Transmit Queues

•Allocating Bandwidth Among Transmit Queues

•Configuring Traffic Shaping of Transmit Queues

•Configuring a High Priority Transmit Queue

Depending on the complexity of your network and your QoS solution, you might need to perform all of the procedures in the following sections. However, you will first need to answer the following questions:

•Which packets are assigned (by DSCP value) to each queue?

•What is the size of a transmit queue relative to other queues for a given port?

•How much of the available bandwidth is allotted to each queue?

•What is the maximum rate and burst of traffic that can be transmitted out of each transmit queue?

How much bandwidth would you like the downloads to use?
Is there a dedicated File server at the remote office which is used for no other purpose (such as exchange...etc.)?
is upload and download of files the only communication between the remote site and HQ?
does the remote office use the internet connection at the HQ or do they have their own internet?
is the switch a L3 or do you have a router that connects to the remote site?

limiting internet is easy enough.

Every Branch Office has their own Internet Connection and their own AD/Exchange server.

Yes the upload and download of files is the only communication between the branch office and the Corporate Office.  

The 4506 does have a Layer 3 sup engine.

Can someone show me what an example configuration would look like on the 4506.  Let say I want to limit http traffic to not use more than 5 mbps and ftp traffic to not use more than 3mbps.  Thanks.

Thanks