How to Configure SonicPoint FairNet Bandwidth Limit Policies

The SonicPoint FairNet feature provides an easy-to-use method for network administrators to control the bandwidth of associated wireless clients and make sure it is distributed fairly between them. Administrators can configure the SonicPoint FairNet bandwidth limits for all wireless clients, specific IP address ranges, or individual clients to provide fairness and network efficiency.

Features in SonicPoint FairNet

The following features are included in SonicPoint FairNet:

• Distributed Coordination Function
The Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) provides timing fairness for each client to access a medium with equal opportunity. However it can not guarantee the per-station data traffic fairness among all wireless clients. The SonicPoint FairNet feature is implemented on top of the existing 802.11 DCF to guarantee fair bandwidth among wireless clients regardless of the number and direction of flows.

• Traffic Control
The traffic control feature decides if packets are queued or dropped (e.g. if the queue has reached some length limit, or if the traffic exceeds some rate limit). It can also decide in which order packets are sent (e.g. to give priority to certain owns) and it can delay the sending of packets (e.g. to limit the rate of outbound traffic). Once traffic control has released a packet for sending, the device driver picks it up and emits it on the network.

Please Note: Fairnet is not supported on SonicPoint Ni and Ne.

This section contains an example FairNet configuration. To configure FairNet to provide more bandwidth in both directions, perform the following steps:

Step1: Enable the Fairnet Feature
Step 2: Create a policy for the required range of wireless IPs and assign a bandwidth limit.

Here's how to enable the FairNet feature:

1. Navigate to the SonicPoint | FairNet.
2. Select the Enable FairNet checkbox
3. Click Accept.

Next,  create the required Fairnet Policy:

1. Click Add.
2. Make sure the Enable Policy checkbox is selected. This checkbox is enabled by default.
3. Click the Direction drop-down menu, then select Both Directions. This applies the policy to clients uploading content and downloading content.
4. Click the Start IP text-box, then enter the starting IP address (172.16.29.100) for the FairNet policy.
5. Click the End IP text-box, then enter the ending IP address (172.16.29.110) for the FairNet policy.
   (Tip: The IP address range must be on a subnet that is configured for a WLAN interface.)
6. Click the Min Rate(kbps) text-box, then enter the minimum bandwidth (1000 Kbps) for the FairNet policy.
7. Click the Max Rate(kbps) text-box, then enter the maximum bandwidth (2000 Kbps) for the FairNet policy.
8. Click the Interface drop-down, select the interface (X2) that the SonicPoint appliance is connected to.
9. Click OK.
10. Select the Enable Fairnet checkbox.
11. Click Accept.

Your FairNet policy is now configured.