Thursday, July 9, 2009

What does URL-based QoS do?

QoS marks IP packets with a Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) number that routers then examine to determine the priority of the packet. If packets are queued at the router, higher priority packets are sent before lower priority packets. With URL-based QoS, IT professionals can prioritize network traffic based on the source URL, in addition to prioritization based on IP address and ports. This gives IT professionals more control over network traffic, ensuring that important Web traffic is processed before less-important traffic, even when that traffic originates at the same server. This can improve performance on busy networks. For example, you can assign Web traffic for critical internal Web sites a higher priority than external Web sites. Similarly non-work-related Web sites that can consume network bandwidth can be assigned a lower priority so that other traffic is not affected.
What does mobile broadband device support do?
The Windows 7 operating system provides a driver-based model for mobile broadband devices. Earlier versions of Windows require users of mobile broadband devices to install third-party software, which is difficult for IT professionals to manage because each mobile broadband device and provider has different software. Users also have to be trained to use the software and must have administrative access to install it, preventing standard users from easily adding a mobile broadband device. Now, users can simply connect a mobile broadband device and immediately begin using it. The interface in Windows 7 is the same regardless of the mobile broadband provider, reducing the need for training and management efforts.
What do multiple active firewall profiles do?
Windows Firewall settings are determined by the profile that you are using. In previous versions of Windows, only one firewall profile can be active at a time. Therefore, if you have multiple network adapters connected to different network types, you still have only one active profile—the profile providing the most restrictive rules. In Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7, each network adapter applies the firewall profile that is most appropriate for the type of network to which it is connected: Private, Public, or Domain. This means that if you are at a coffee shop with a wireless hotspot and connect to your corporate domain network by using a VPN connection, then the Public profile continues to protect the network traffic that does not go through the tunnel, and the Domain profile protects the network traffic that goes through the tunnel. This also addresses the issue of a network adapter that is not connected to a network. In Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, this unidentified network will be assigned the Public profile, and other network adapters on the computer will continue to use the profile that is appropriate for the network to which they are attached.

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