Traffic policing

Definition

Traffic policing is a network management technique used to control the amount of data transmitted over a network by enforcing predetermined traffic parameters. It helps ensure that traffic adheres to defined bandwidth limits and quality of service requirements, allowing for fair resource allocation among users and preventing congestion. By monitoring and regulating the flow of packets, traffic policing plays a crucial role in maintaining network performance and reliability.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Traffic policing differentiates between allowed and excess traffic, dropping or remarking packets that exceed predefined limits.
2. It can be implemented at various layers of the OSI model, often at Layer 2 (Data Link) or Layer 3 (Network).
3. Traffic policing can help prevent network congestion by ensuring that no single user or application consumes excessive bandwidth.
4. Unlike traffic shaping, which buffers excess packets, traffic policing may drop or mark them immediately based on policy.
5. Effective traffic policing can lead to improved overall network performance and user experience by maintaining service levels.

Review Questions

• How does traffic policing contribute to network efficiency and performance?
  • Traffic policing contributes to network efficiency by enforcing limits on the amount of data users can transmit, preventing any one user from monopolizing bandwidth. This regulation ensures that all users have equitable access to network resources, thus reducing the chances of congestion. By monitoring traffic and applying defined policies, it maintains overall performance, allowing critical applications to function optimally without being impacted by excessive usage from others.
• Compare and contrast traffic policing with traffic shaping in terms of their mechanisms and outcomes.
  • Traffic policing and traffic shaping both aim to manage network bandwidth but differ in their approach. Traffic policing enforces bandwidth limits by dropping or remarking excess packets immediately when they exceed set thresholds. In contrast, traffic shaping buffers these packets, delaying transmission until it fits within allowed limits. While both techniques help maintain network performance, traffic policing provides more immediate enforcement while potentially leading to packet loss, whereas traffic shaping smooths out traffic flow at the cost of increased latency.
• Evaluate the impact of implementing traffic policing on a network with diverse applications requiring varying quality of service levels.
  • Implementing traffic policing on a network with diverse applications can significantly enhance overall performance by ensuring that high-priority services receive the necessary bandwidth. However, it must be carefully managed; if not calibrated correctly, low-priority applications may suffer from dropped packets and degraded performance. Thus, balancing these competing demands through well-defined policies is essential for maintaining service quality across different applications while avoiding potential conflicts among users seeking to maximize their bandwidth.

Related terms

Quality of Service (QoS): A set of technologies and techniques used to manage network resources and ensure the performance of critical applications by prioritizing traffic.

Bandwidth: The maximum rate of data transfer across a network path, often measured in bits per second (bps).

Traffic Shaping: A technique that controls the volume and rate of traffic sent into a network, ensuring that it conforms to specific bandwidth and timing requirements.