Guide to bandwidth measurement and management

Today's enterprise applications are demanding more and more network bandwidth. How do you ensure you have enough bandwidth and manage it well? Find out with these resources.

Bandwidth is like the soul -- everyone thinks they know what you mean when you discuss it, but they are probably thinking about something entirely different. And that's because, like the soul, bandwidth does not transparently exist in any of the simple ways that we tend to believe. [IMAGE]

Why begin this guide with bad metaphysics?

For a start, the word "bandwidth" is not even semantically sound -- it's a vague label improperly attached to a range of meanings (see Bandwidth is a misnomer for more insight). Implicitly, it most typically refers to the maximum rate at which data can be transferred, either at a single interface or across an end-to-end path. But even this straightforward idea of "maximum data-transfer rate" can be endlessly qualified. Anything from packet size, to cross traffic, to corruptions can limit the effective transfer rate.

Somehow, though, bandwidth remains the central characterization for most networks. As if size matters. And it does. Sort of. Continued ...

[IMAGE]  Understanding bandwidth 

Tutorial: Bandwidth 101
Q&A: Which Layer 2 switching functions increase available bandwidth? Answer
Q&A...

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RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary baseboard management controller  (SearchNetworking.com) fault management  (SearchNetworking.com) loose coupling  (SearchNetworking.com) maximum segment size  (SearchNetworking.com) maximum transmission unit  (SearchNetworking.com) network coding  (SearchNetworking.com) packet loss  (SearchNetworking.com) phase-change cooling  (SearchNetworking.com) round-trip time  (SearchNetworking.com) throttled data transfer  (SearchNetworking.com)

RELATED RESOURCES 2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary

: How do I control Internet bandwidth per IP on my LAN? Answer
Q&A: How can I determine the peak bandwidth of my WAN connection? Answer
Q&A: How do I allocate the bandwidth dynamically in ad hoc network? Answer
Q&A: How do you interpret a bandwidth utilization graph? Answer

[IMAGE]  Managing bandwidth 

Tip: Optimizing Internet bandwidth with link load balancing
Tip: Calculating bandwidth
Tip: Software gathers network traffic stats on bandwidth use
Tip: Invisible traffic that steals bandwidth
Tip: Identifying performance degradations due to TCP
Tip: VPN bandwidth issues
Series: Understanding bottlenecks and bandwidth utilization
Column: The QoS scam: Paying for reduced bandwidth
Column: Numbers lie: Your NIC could be killing your network performance
Column: Performance bottlenecks

[IMAGE]  Planning for bandwidth 

Tip: From bandwidth management to bandwidth governance
Tip: Optimizing bandwidth for the enterprise
Tip: The bandwidth challenge - How much is enough?
Tip: Biggest networking myth: More bandwidth gives you better performance
Column: Jumbo packets
Column: Bandwidth is a misnomer
Column: Bandwidth scam: Sticky fingers at fault

[IMAGE]  Additional resources 

Free network monitoring tools
This list of freeware will help you keep your network in shape, without needing to spend a dime!

Chapter download: Open Source Network Administration, Chapter 3 (PDF)
This featured chapter describes MRTG. MRTG produces Web pages that display graphs of bandwidth use on network links on daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly scales. This can be an invaluable tool for diagnosing network problems because it not only indicates the current status of the network but also lets you visually compare this with the history of network utilization.

Chapter download: Bandwidth management
This selection from CCSP Self-Study: Cisco Secure Virtual Private Networks (CSVPN) explains how you can configure the Concentrator to deliver the most effective bandwidth settings for your particular network.