We are now very much aware that IPCop is more than just a basic packet-filtering firewall. We have seen the built-in intrusion detection system as well as the powerful VPN options. Another addition we have is the ability to manage traffic through a couple of different technologies, traffic shaping and caching. We will now look at how we can use these to increase the performance of the network where we need it.
In most networks in use at the moment there will generally be a number of different services provided and used by the network and there may be multiple links to other networks. With so many services in place we can use up bandwidth very quickly. The easiest way to ensure you have enough bandwidth for all the services and users on your network is to buy fast links with low contention. This is a good theory, but the economic reality is a little bit more complex, as bandwidth can be expensive and can be a major overhead to a...