PacketShaper is an application traffic and bandwidth management system that delivers predictable, efficient performance for applications running over the WAN and Internet. The combination of its layer 7 classification, analysis, control, and reporting capabilities enables network administrators to keep critical traffic moving at an appropriate pace through bandwidth bottlenecks and prevents any single type of traffic from monopolizing the link.

Feature highlights include:

• Automatic Traffic Discovery: PacketShaper systems utilize their layer 7 classification capabilities to automatically identify all applications running across the network. Please see the PacketShaper data sheet for a list of applications.
• Extensible traffic class definitions: Create custom criteria for measuring and controlling traffic. Classify traffic by application, protocol, address, subnet, port number, URL or wildcard, host name, LDAP host lists, Diffserv setting, 802.1p/q, MPLS, ISL, IP precedence bits, IP or Mac address, direction (inbound/outbound), source, destination, host speed range, Mime type, web browser, Oracle database, Citrix Published Application, VLAN. Combinations of the criteria are supported, enabling more targeted monitoring and control.
• Real-time traffic monitoring: Traffic network utilization (peak and current rates) for the link and by application.
• Monitor response time for each application.
• Differentiate network delay from server delay.
• Monitor network efficiency: Determine how much bandwidth is wasted from retransmissions.
• Threshold all performance metrics and automatically notify an administrator via email or SNMP trap when threshold is crossed.
• Policy-based enforcement of application priorities and bandwidth allocation for capacities of up to 200 MB: Directly control bandwidth allocation by application, server, or user to proactively prevent congestion related application performance problems.
• Traffic marking for DiffServ-, ISL-, 802.1p/q-, or MPLS-enabled networks
• On-board historical reporting

PacketShaper systems provide typical monitoring features that provide network administrators with valuable intelligence to control their application performance and maximize existing network resources.

By relying on monitoring as a baselining and strategic function rather than for passive observation, PacketShaper products enable organizations to discover and classify applications, analyze their performance, and then enforce policy-based bandwidth allocation based on their business importance. PacketShaper systems generate an array of reports to validate performance results, ensuring that applications are indeed aligned with business priorities.

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