Configuring Bandwidth Management for Skype using App Rules

10/14/2021 96 16173

DESCRIPTION:

From SonicOS 5.8 (Gen 5) & SonicOS 6.1 (Gen 6) onwards, Application Control Advanced, CFS and IPS can be configured using the SonicWall Application Firewall infrastructure under Firewall | App Rules.  This article illustrates how to configure bandwidth management of App Control signatures using App Rules.

RESOLUTION:

Resolution for SonicOS 6.5

This release includes significant user interface changes and many new features that are different from the SonicOS 6.2 and earlier firmware. The below resolution is for customers using SonicOS 6.5 firmware.

Procedure:

Enable Advanced Bandwidth Management

Enable Bandwidth Management on the WAN interface

Set Bandwidth for App Control signatures

To add or configure a bandwidth objects

Create Match Objects with App Control Signatures

Create App Rule

Checking Bandwidth under App Flow Monitor

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enable Advanced Bandwidth Management

 Login to the SonicWall Management GUI

1. Click Manage in the top navigation menu
2. Navigate to Firewall Settings | Bandwidth Mangement
3. Enable Advanced Bandwidth Management. Maximum egress and ingress bandwidth Limitations can be configured on any interface, per interface, by configuring Bandwidth objects, access rules, and application policies and attaching them to the Interface.
4. Click on Accept button to save the settings.

Enable Bandwidth Management on the WAN interface

• Click Manage in the top navigation menu
• Navigate to the Network | Interfaces page.
• Click on the Configure button under an interface in the WAN zone. In this example the X1 interface.
• Click on the advanced tab and do one or both of the following:

1. Under Bandwidth Management, to manage outbound bandwidth, select the Enable Egress Bandwidth Management check-box, and optionally set the Available Interface Egress Bandwidth (Kbps) field to the maximum for the interface.
2. Under Bandwidth Management, to manage inbound bandwidth, select the Enable Ingress Bandwidth Management check-box and optionally set the Available Interface Ingress Bandwidth (Kbps) field to the maximum for the interface

• Click on OK to save

Set Bandwidth for App Control signatures

Bandwidth Management using App Firewall infrastructure involves using Action Objects of type Bandwidth Management. 

• Per Policy – When an Action Object configured with this method is used in multiple App Rules, the bandwidth set here will be calculated separately for each App Rule.
• Per Action – When an Action Object configured with this method is used in multiple App Rules, the bandwidth set here will be shared by all App Rules with this Action Object.

For the purpose of this article, we will be configuring bandwidth management using Per Policy.

• Click Manage in the top navigation menu
• Navigate to the Objects | Action Objects page.
• Select Action as Bandwidth Management  
• Click on Add New Action Object and enter the following in the Add/Edit Action Object window.

To add or configure a bandwidth object

• Click Manage in the top navigation menu
• Navigate to the Objects | Bandwidth Objects
• Click on Add button and enter the following in the Add/Edit Bandwidth Object window.

Create Match Objects with App Control Signatures.

SonicWall provides the same granularity when using Application Firewall infrastructure as in App Control Advanced. Application Control can be configured for a Category (like Social Networking, IM etc), for an Application (like youtube.com, facebook.com etc.) and for individual Signatures (like video in facebook.com etc).

In this article we would be using Application category, IM and Application, Skype (3).

1. Click Manage in the top navigation menu
2. Navigate to Objects | Match Objects page.
3. Click on the Add New Match Object button.
4. Configure the following in the Add/Edit Match Object window 
5. Click on OK.

Create App Rules

1. Click Manage in the top navigation menu
2. Navigate to the Rules  | Application Control page.
3. Click on Add New Policy to bring up the Edit App Control Policy and configure the following
4. Enable Flow reporting to check bandwidth usage under app flow monitor
5. Click on OK to Save

Checking Bandwidth under App Flow Monitor

If licensed for App Flow, bandwidth usage can be checked under

1. Investigate in the top navigation menu
2. Click Appflow Logs.

Resolution for SonicOS 6.2 and Below

The below resolution is for customers using SonicOS 6.2 and earlier firmware. For firewalls that are generation 6 and newer we suggest to upgrade to the latest general release of SonicOS 6.5 firmware.

Procedure:

Enable Advanced Bandwidth Management

Enable Bandwidth Management on the WAN interface

Set Bandwidth for App Control signatures

To add or configure a bandwidth objects

Create Match Objects with App Control Signatures

Create App Rule

Checking Bandwidth under App Flow Monitor

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enable Advanced Bandwidth Management

• Login to the SonicWall Management GUI
• Navigate to Firewall Settings | BWM
• Enable Advanced Bandwidth Management. Maximum egress and ingress bandwidth Limitations can be configured on any interface, per interface, by configuring Bandwidth objects, access rules, and application policies and attaching them to the Interface.
• Click on Accept button to save the settings.

Enable Bandwidth Management on the WAN interface

• Navigate to the Network | Interfaces page.
• Click on the Configure button under an interface in the WAN zone. In this example the X1 interface.
• Click on the advanced tab and do one or both of the following:

1. Under Bandwidth Management, to manage outbound bandwidth, select the Enable Egress Bandwidth Management check-box, and optionally set the Available Interface Egress Bandwidth (Kbps) field to the maximum for the interface.
2. Under Bandwidth Management, to manage inbound bandwidth, select the Enable Ingress Bandwidth Management check-box and optionally set the Available Interface Ingress Bandwidth (Kbps) field to the maximum for the interface

• Click on OK to save

Set Bandwidth for App Control signatures

Bandwidth Management using App Firewall infrastructure involves using Action Objects of type Bandwidth Management. 

• Per Policy – When an Action Object configured with this method is used in multiple App Rules, the bandwidth set here will be calculated separately for each App Rule.
• Per Action – When an Action Object configured with this method is used in multiple App Rules, the bandwidth set here will be shared by all App Rules with this Action Object.

For the purpose of this article, we will be configuring bandwidth management using Per Policy.

• Navigate to the Firewall | Action Objects page.
• Select Action as Bandwidth Management  
• Click on Add New Action Object and enter the following in the Add/Edit Action Object window.

To add or configure a bandwidth object

• Navigate to the Firewall | Bandwidth Objects
• Click on Add button and enter the following in the Add/Edit Bandwidth Object window.

Create Match Objects with App Control Signatures.

SonicWall provides the same granularity when using Application Firewall infrastructure as in App Control Advanced. Application Control can be configured for a Category (like Social Networking, IM etc), for an Application (like youtube.com, facebook.com etc.) and for individual Signatures (like video in facebook.com etc).

In this article we would be using Application category, IM and Application, Skype (3).

• Navigate to Firewall | Match Objects page.
• Click on the Add New Match Object button.
• Configure the following in the Add/Edit Match Object window and click on OK.

Create App Rules

• Navigate to the Firewall | App Rules page.
• Check the box under Enable App Rules.
• Click on Add New Policy to bring up the Edit App Control Policy and configure the following

Note: Enable Flow reporting to check bandwidth usage under app flow monitor

Checking Bandwidth under App Flow Monitor

If licensed for App Flow, bandwidth usage can be checked under Dashboard | App Flow Monitor.