Re: [TCLUG:14253] Napster and bandwidth allocation

[Scott Dier - dieman <dieman@ringworld.org>]

On Fri, 3 Mar 2000, Phil Plumbo wrote:

> How hard is it for a sysadmin to do some kind of bandwidth shaping directed

No.

Welcome to scarcity and life on a shared resource funded from tuition and
public money.  This does not fly well.  

As someone I know said, "Its like parking your car sideways out on the
street."  In other words, blocking others from legitmate use.  I had
problems reaching the rest of campus from the reshall because of it.

Since napster was using over 30% of bandwidth here at the UofM it could
have been 'shaped'.  But the thing is, napster has 'super-stealth' modes
that would just turn on to get around it.  Change the incoming ports.

Napster does this:

Contacts one of two coordination/search servers.

Requests a file from a remote server

Remote server makes incoming connection on arbratray port. and eats
bandwidth.

What everyone is doing is blocking everything from where the two search
servers are.  Napster wont give out the servers, and they dont have enough
cash to move them around all the time, so by blocking the servers we
render 99.9% of the usage hard to do.  

The rest of it is easy to find from snmp flows of of the managed switches
(mmmmm. cisco hardware rocks).

Keep in mind, I do not work for the people involved in this, Network and
Tel. Services... I am on a mailing list that I have been able to converse
with other reshall people and some NTS people about it.  

-- 
Scott Dier <dieman@ringworld.org> #nicnac@efnet 612.301.0265
http://www.ringworld.org/  finger:dieman@destiny.ringworld.org

<coax:#linuxos> Who led you to believe that this was a channel in which we
even CARED about your question, let alone give you an answer? Is there a
sign that says "I want to do live tech support" on my head?
<SuperQ:#linuxos> yes