Configuring the QoS Blade

In the Access Policy > QoS Blade Control page you can activate QoS, define the QoS default policy, and add manual rules.

The QoS (bandwidth control) policy is a set of rules that lets you set bandwidth parameters to control the flow of communication to and from your network. These rules make sure that important traffic is prioritized so your business can work with minimum disruption when there is network congestion.

QoS can be activated on Internet connections and requires at least one Internet connection to be configured with the maximum download and/or upload speeds provided by your ISP. For more information about your download and upload speeds, contact your local ISP.

This page lets you configure a default simplified QoS policy. You can configure a more advanced policy in the Access Policy > QoS Policy page.

QoS policy applies to traffic over external interfaces only.

QoS

Select one of the options to set the Access Policy control level:

  • On - Enforces the default QoS policy.

  • Off - QoS default policy is not enforced.

    Note - When the blade is managed by Cloud Services, a lock icon is shown. You cannot toggle between the on and off states. If you change other policy settings, the change is temporary. Any changes made locally will be overridden in the next synchronization between the gateway and Cloud Services.

QoS default policy

Select the options for your default QoS policy. Alternatively, you can define your entire QoS policy through the Access Policy > QoS Policy page by clearing all of the checkboxes on this page.

  • Ensure low latency priority for Delay Sensitive Services (e.g. VoIP) - Select this option to make sure that traffic that is very sensitive to delay is prioritized. For example, IP telephony, videoconferencing, and interactive protocols that must have a short response time, such as Telnet.

    Click the Delay Sensitive Services link to see the default services included and add new ones or remove existing if necessary. QoS tries to send these packets before other packets. This option adds a rule to the QoS Policy Rule Base.

  • Guarantee X% of the bandwidth to VPN/all traffic on all services - Select this option to guarantee a minimum bandwidth for the specified traffic on all services or selected services.

    Enter the bandwidth percentage, change the type of traffic if needed, and if necessary click the all services link to edit a list of selected guaranteed services. This option adds a rule to the QoS Policy Rule Base.

  • Limit Bandwidth Consuming Applications - Applications that use a lot of bandwidth can decrease performance necessary for important business applications.

    Click the Bandwidth Consuming Applications link to see the default applications/categories included and add new ones or remove existing if necessary.

    Select the Limit Bandwidth Consuming Applications checkbox and select Download and/or Upload to determine where the limit is enforced and the maximum bandwidth in each of the selected options. Bandwidth consuming applications control can also be configured in the Access Policy > Firewall Blade Control and Policy pages.

To add a guaranteed service to the default policy:

  1. Select the Guarantee X% of the bandwidth to X traffic on all/selected services option and click the services link.

    The Edit guaranteed services window opens.

  2. Select Selected services.

  3. Click Select to show the full list of available services and select the relevant checkboxes.

  4. Click New if the existing list does not contain the service you need. For information on creating a new service, see the Users & Objects > Services page.

  5. Click Apply.