• How can I do bandwidth management with Linux?
• Can Squid be used to manage bandwidth?
• What are the different types of BackBone connections that typical WISP's use

The Linux kernel has some built-in capabilities for doing bandwidth management.

This HOWTO on Linux Advanced Routing & Traffic Control has a great overview of Queueing Disciplines for Bandwidth Management. See chapter 9 for details - http://www.ds9a.nl/2.4Routing/HOWTO//cvs/2.4routing/output/2.4routing.html

Here is a presentation given at Linux Kongress 2001 on bandwidth management using Class-Based Queueing (CBQ) and Hierarchical Token Bucket (HTB) - http://ds9a.nl/cbq-presentation/

This link has technical information on HTB theory and implementation. HTB is considered to be an easier and more scalable alternative to using CBQ for bandwidth management - http://luxik.cdi.cz/~devik/qos/htb/htbman.htm

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by bbarrera edited by korym

Squid can be configured to use delay pools to provide a way to limit the bandwidth of certain requests based on any list of criteria. Delay pools are described in section 19.8 of the Squid FAQ. 

For those not familiar with Squid, "Squid is a full-featured Web proxy cache, designed to run on Unix systems, free and open-source software."

Superdog1 gets the credit for pointing out Squid as a bandwidth control technique.

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by StudMuffin edited by howe81

A: Here are some of the typical BackBone connections that WISP's use:

SDSL (Symmetrical Digital Subscriber Line):

Speed: 128Kbps up to 1.1 Mbps
Pros:

• It can go about the same speed as a T-1 at a fraction of the cost.
• In many cases it can be installed very fast
• Easy Installation

Cons:

• Ping times are not as good as many T-1's
• Many providers do not allow resale of these lines, so you have to be careful
  and check the TOS
• Downtime maybe greater then that of a dedicated line
• Speed is usually NOT guaranteed
• Not available in a lot of areas

Bottom Line: For startup WISPs who would like to provide service to a
minimal amount of people or who don't have the justification for a T-1 yet at
the time of service.

---

Dedicated T-1:

Speed: 56 kbps to 1.5 Mbps
Pros:

• Low Latency (Good Ping times)
• Speed is guaranteed
• Dedicated line (Great Tech Support, compensation for downtime)
• Available in almost all areas around the US

Cons:

• High Cost
• Tech Savvy setup

Bottom Line: For WISPs with a good customer base that are ready for the next step.

---

Bonded T-1's (Dedicated):

Speed: 3 Mbps to 6 Mbps
Pros:

• Low Latency (Good Ping times)
• Speed is guaranteed
• Dedicated line (Great Tech Support, compensation for downtime)
• Available in almost all areas around the US

Cons:

• High Cost
• Tech Savvy setup

Bottom Line: This is for WISPs that have exceeded or are projecting exceeding the maximum capacity of a T-1 in the near future, but can not justify
the cost of a T-3 yet DS3 Usually, they just add T-1's and bond them to make it fast, so the lowest speed would be around 3 Mbps, so that would make the cost double in most situations.

---

Dedicated T-3:

Speed: 12 Mbps to 45 Mbps
Pros:

• Low Latency (Good Ping times
• Speed is guaranteed
• Dedicated line (Great Tech Support, compensation for downtime)
• Available in almost all areas around the US

Cons:

• High Cost
• Tech Savvy setup

Bottom Line: This connection is for WISPs who have many customers and
are ready for a much faster connection. A T-3 is a big jump from a SDSL
connection or say a T-1 or a Bonded T-1, so don't buy a T-3 until you are sure
that you have enough users to pay for the connection.

---

OC-X:

Speed: 53 Mbps to Infinity
Pros:

• Low Latency (Good Ping times)
• Speed is guaranteed
• Dedicated line (Great Tech Support, compensation for downtime)
• Available in almost all areas around the US

Cons:

• VERY High Cost
• Tech Savvy setup

Bottom Line: A very fast connection with a very high cost. DO
NOT purchase one of these connections unless you have SUBSTANTIAL
financial backing!!! These connections require very expensive routers, and
a lot of technical experience just to get them to work.

---

NOTE: T-1's and T-3's are sometimes referred as DS-1's and DS-3's respectively.

Hopefully this FAQ will give you some information about the different types
of connections that are available.

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by Playa4life edited by seagreen
last modified: 2006-06-16 15:09:54