The NetEqualizer appliance line are network traffic shaping appliances available supporting throughput levels of 2 Mbps through 155 Mbps. For higher traffic or high availability needs, multiple NetEqualizers can be deployed in parallel, with the device's Linux-based OS able to implement its Spanning Tree Protocol, automatically configuring one unit as a master and the other as a slave such that if the master fails the slave can serve as a backup. The devices are deployed between the organization's Internet access point and the LAN, and are taregeted both to businesses and service providers.

The primary purpose of the NetEqualizer appliance is to continuously and automatically adjust traffic flows so that high-bandwidth uses such as heavy file downloads are limited, leaving more bandwidth available to lower latency uses such as Web browsing or E-mail usage. NetEqualizer does this via its built-in "fairness" rules, which are operational out of the box and require no rules-based setup on the part of administrators. The device implements these rules by examining all traffic on an Internet segment and maintaining an internal database of individual user traffic metrics. Every half-second the device determines those users that are utilizing excessive bandwidth and, as peak utilization is approached, these high traffic users are slowed as needed to relieve bandwidth congestion.

To throttle a user's connection, the device explicitly delays both the client's requests as well as the server's responses to those requests. According to the vendor, the fairness rules result in less performance complaints from customers and/or network users, since the throttling tends to be applied only to high-traffic uses such as file downloads where it is less noticeable than it would be for more immediately utilized traffic.

Administrators are not entirely without configuration options. In addition to the fairness rules described above, Bandwidth limits can be applied to specific hosts (up to 4,000 limits are supported), ports, MAC addresses, and subnets. Further, system-wide connection limits can be employed by the administrator at any time.

The latest NetEqualizer releases feature the ability to automatically give the highest priority to voice (VoIP) traffic.

The NetEqualizer appliances are available now. Representative pricing is $995 for a 2Mbps appliance; whereas a typical configuration with bandwidth equalizing up to 45Mbps lists for $2,750.

Visit the APconnections Web site for further information.

product submission by EITPlanet Staff

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