Creating a QoS Policy
Overview
The InstaGate product line has the capability to create rules that enforce packet prioritization. These rules can be added in a variety of different ways to suit the needs of your specific network. Rules can be added based on source, destination, or service.
This document will provide instruction for the creation of a Quality of Service Policy to define priority for those protocols that are vital to the efficiency of a business.
Configuration
QoS Policies use the same Custom Services as Firewall Policies. To check the current list of services available for use on the unit, go to Firewall -> Custom Services
To create a new service click the Add button.
NOTE: Unless you know for certain that traffic will not follow normal practice and always originate on the same port, the source port should be left as ANY.
Once the appropriate service is available for use, you can create a policy to regulate it.
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From the menu on the left select Firewall-> Quality of Service Policies.
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Click the Add button.
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Fill in the following information:
- Name the policy
- Specify the source and destination networks. If you wish to apply the policy to all traffic, leave it at the default Source Network of 0.0.0.0/0.0.0.0 and Destination Network of 0.0.0.0/0.0.0.0
- If you would like traffic to be controlled by priority select the appropriate value from the Priority drop-down menu. The default priority for any traffic will be "Normal".
- If you require a bandwidth limitation for a policy, fill in the Rate Limit field with a value in kbps (kilobits per second).
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Select a service or services for the policy to apply to.
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Click Apply.
Troubleshooting
Take caution when applying high priority and unlimited rate limit policies. If a high priority policy takes up all of the available bandwidth lower priority services will never be de-queued.
Remember that the "Rate Limit" value is in kilobits per second. Limit the bandwidth appropriately based on your total bandwidth available from your Internet service.
Verify the custom service is configured correctly. For most services the source port should be left as ANY.
Quality of Service happens on a per packet level. Remember this when troubleshooting bandwidth issues as packet size will have an impact on bandwidth usage and service levels.
