LARTC - Apr 2003 - Bandwidth Shaping

I own a WIreless ISP and have recently began suppling bandwidth to college 
dorms.  As I expected, 90% of the bandwidth they consume is downloading music 
with programs such as Kazaa.  I would like to throttle this bandwidth, only as 
needed.  As long as extra, unused bandwidth was present, the music folks 
should be able to use it, but when a web or email user needed more bandwidth, 
the music user should be throttled and the web user should access the Internet 
at full speed.  

I don''t want to eliminate the music users ability to download music, I
just
would like them to receive the "left over" bandwidth and not the
"Lion''s
share."

Is there a way to accomplish this with Linux?

I have reviewed several applications and appliances that claim to do this very 
thing.  I would however like to find a cost effective Linux solution as 
opposed to a $5000 packateer solution.

I beleive the only way to accomplish this is to look at the application layer 
of the communication.  Limiting via port is not sufficent as Kazaa and many 
other programs can be configured to operate on port 80.

Any and ALL help would be MUCH appreciated.

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On Friday 04 April 2003 02:46, bbeverage@intelliwave.com
wrote:
> I own a WIreless ISP and have recently began suppling bandwidth to college
> dorms.  As I expected, 90% of the bandwidth they consume is downloading
> music with programs such as Kazaa.  I would like to throttle this
> bandwidth, only as needed.  As long as extra, unused bandwidth was present,
> the music folks should be able to use it, but when a web or email user
> needed more bandwidth, the music user should be throttled and the web user
> should access the Internet at full speed.
>
> I don''t want to eliminate the music users ability to download
music, I just
> would like them to receive the "left over" bandwidth and not the
"Lion''s
> share."
>
> Is there a way to accomplish this with Linux?
Yes.
The only problem is separating the bulk download traffic from the other.  
Kazaa and other software uses dynamic ports.  
> I have reviewed several applications and appliances that claim to do this
> very thing.  I would however like to find a cost effective Linux solution
> as opposed to a $5000 packateer solution.
I can give you my bank account and create a black box for you for that money 
:)
> I beleive the only way to accomplish this is to look at the application
> layer of the communication.  Limiting via port is not sufficent as Kazaa
> and many other programs can be configured to operate on port 80.
What you also can do is put all non-bulk traffic in a class (http, https ftp, 
smtp, ssh, telnet, DNS, SYN, ACK, ... can be easy filtered) and all other 
traffic in the default bulk class.  
The only thing you have to do is to check that you don''t put non-bulk
traffic
in the default, bulk class.  But that''s easy.  If people complain that
some
stuff is not working, you can filter it out and put it in the non-bulk class.

Stef

-- 

stef.coene@docum.org
 "Using Linux as bandwidth manager"
     http://www.docum.org/
     #lartc @ irc.oftc.net

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