Cheapest way to add traffic shaping?

R

robvas

Gawd
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Jun 30, 2011
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What's the good, inexpensive way to add traffic shaping to a small network? Let's say there are about 20 users on a T1 circuit. Existing router is an Adtran 3430 (from the telco so we can't touch it). Everything works fine except when they get really heavy with uploads/downloads when document scanning, and the telnet sessions to the mainframe app start getting dropped. Major PITA. Basically need to make telnet traffic a priority.

Now, I could drop a pfSense box in there using an old workstation, but I'd like something I can stick in a rack, or is at least really small and hopefully under $200 or so.

Suggestions?
 
mikrotik devices have some QoS features. And you can probably get one for about 50$
 
We have some Netgear GS108T smart switches, it looks like you can use DiffServ to QoS tag packets by protocol, but I don't know if that would work.

If not I will try to sell the boss on Mikrotik.
 
What are you currently using as a gateway/NAT device? Is that the Adtran or is it just passthrough?
 
Get an old Rack Server off eBay. I use Dell PowerEdge 1650/1750s. Just a warning- they are NOT quiet and can suck down the power. You may be money ahead to get an Atom rackmount unit. The PowerEdges are the cheapest way to get Redundant PS, Redundant Drives, Hot Spare Memory, Redundant fans, etc and a ton of spare parts to keep on hand cheaply.
 
The Adtran is the Gateway? And you don't have Control over it? Sounds like it's time to redesign your access to the internet. I'd find/build your own gateway (preferably that has QOS/Traffic shaping built into it) and have the Telco change the config to pass your public IP straight through. If you want to Build, the pfSense is king in this arena. Otherwise there are plenty of appliances that will do what you want and more...
 
EdgeRouter Lite or just a TP-Link box with OpenWRT a pfsense is just way overkill for this...
//Danne
 
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