Traffic optimization

Bandwidth is measured as a bit rate over a time interval. This means that over time, bandwidth available on any link approaches infinity. Unfortunately, for any given period of time, the bandwidth provided by any given network connection is not infinite. You can always download (or upload) as much traffic as you like; you need only wait long enough. Of course, human users are not as patient as computers, and are not willing to wait an infinite amount of time for their information to traverse the network. For this reason, bandwidth must be managed and prioritized much like any other limited resource.

You will significantly improve response time and maximize available throughput by eliminating unwanted and redundant traffic from your network. This section describes many common techniques for making sure that your network carries only the traffic that must traverse it.