I think I should explain the setup I have before I ask this question. Basically it looks like this...
All PCs are connected using Ethernet cables and modem is connected via a network adapter. Currently the internet is shared using ICS and a network bridge and works fine. All computers are running Windows XP.
Now for the question. I was wondering if anyone knew of piece of software that did the job of softperfect?s Bandwidth Manager that was free. If not then is there some way to perform a similar function built into Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. When I have asked elsewhere I was told to use a Proxy server but the ones I have downloaded shape the bandwidth on the adapter as a whole rather than shaping the traffic that runs through it. What I need to be able to do is limit the access to the internet but not the network as a whole, it is also important that I limit the upload as well as the download. I?m loathed to spend £50 on a program without exhausting all the options.
hey,
thanks for that insightfull piece of information but, if im not gona buy a £50 piece of software what makes u think im gona buy a router? i mean realy i didnt ask what i could use to limit access and content, i asked about bandwidth limitation, if anyone can make a constructive piont ive been working on this 4 a while and im @ a loose end any help greatly appriciated.
Robbie
P.S. if you right click on the broken link icon and select 'view image' it will link u to the image.
You don't want to spend the equivelent of $100 US on software, I figured $30/us, 15 pounds, might be a little more reasonable.
Besides, you'd be able to recapture the original box as a usable computer and stop using it as a router, unless running 2 or 3 nic's is what you really, REALLY want to be doing.
The router also gives you the opportunity to block things like video/pics/whatever, I was thinking that might help your bandwidth issue. You must either have very, very little downstream or a REAL problem w/ bandwidth leeching on the tier 2 computers.
The only really good solution I can see to your issue is to turn the original computer into a straight up *nix idiot server box, and use the server-level software that comes w/ your favorite linux flavor to allocate your bandwidth.
Of course, one ghetto fix could be to go into the network properties for the tier 2 computers, and gimp down the TX speed for the card, which may or may not be an option on that particular nic. I can't turn this one down below 10mbits, but I know that you can turn some down to 1mbit. This is probably also an option w/i the router of your choice, but apparently you'd prefer to have network cable and nic's spread all over the place, so good luck w/ that.
