Download WatchGuard Firebox X Edge e

Managing Network Traffic
CHAPTER 8
Managing Network Traffic
The Firebox® X Edge e-Series allows many different ways to manage the traffic on your network. You can
limit the rate of traffic sent to the external interface using QoS (Quality of Service) through Traffic Control. You can manage data transmission by giving more or less bandwidth to different traffic types. You
can also change the apparent network address of incoming or outgoing traffic to prevent conflicts using
NAT (Network Address Translation).
About Network Traffic
Bandwidth is the quantity of data that can be sent through the network in a specified increment of time.
It is usually expressed in bits per second (bps), kilobits per second (Kbps), or megabits per second
(Mbps). A T1 line supplies approximately 1.5 Mbps, while a dial-up connection supplies approximately
56 Kbps. Latency is the quantity of time necessary for a packet to go from a source to a destination.
Together, latency and bandwidth define the speed and capacity of a network. You can improve latency
by configuring Traffic Control. You must upgrade your Internet connection with your ISP to improve
bandwidth.
When too many users or devices try to send data at the same time, the Firebox® X Edge cannot send all
of the data quickly. When the Edge has more traffic than the external connection can send at the same
time, some programs appear to operate slowly.
Causes for slow network traffic
Many programs use as much bandwidth as possible to operate. If too many users operate these programs, other users cannot use the network. Peer-to-peer (P2P) services, instant messaging, and file
downloads are programs that frequently use large quantities of bandwidth.
To limit the quantity of bandwidth those software applications can use, you must use Traffic Control. To
deny or allow traffic from those software applications, you must configure a service. For more information on services, see Chapter 7, “Configuring Firewall Settings”.
User Guide
93