Priority Packet Priority Packet =============== Priority Packet is an Intel program that adds Traffic Class Expediting features to Intel PRO/100+ adapters. Traffic Class Expediting (IEEE standard 802.1P/802.1D) is a method of assigning different levels of priority to data packets based on user defined filters. This allows the user to grant a greater share of available network bandwidth to critical applications. To realize any gain from this feature, your interconnecting network hardware (hubs, switches, etc.) must also support Traffic Class Expediting. Priorities can be assigned to packets by the user based on network layer properties, such as the Node address of the destination computer or the Ethernet type, or by various properties of the TCP/IP and IPX protocols. See "Configuration" below for details on setting up packet filters. System Requirements =================== This software program can be installed in Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 98. It can also be installed in Windows 95 if it is service release 2 (SR2) or higher. If you are not sure what release of Windows 95 you are using, open the Control Panel and check the release number on the General tab. If the release number is 4.00.950 or 4.00.950A Priority Packet will not work. If it is 4.00.950B or higher you can install Priority Packet. Installation ============= To install, click Start, then Run. Enter the path to the Packet Express setup program in the PKTXPRSS directory on your CD (example; D:\PKTXPRSS\SETUP.EXE where D: is the drive letter for your CD-ROM drive). Click on OK and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the install. A Priority Packet icon will be added to the Windows Control Panel. Configuration ============= There are two ways to launch the Priority Packet configuration program. - Open the Control Panel and double click the Priority Packet icon - From PROSet, click the Priority Packet button. When you run the Priority Packet configuration program, you will be presented with a dialog box with 2 tabs. One tab is titled Filters, and the other is titled Statistics. The Filters tab is where you will add, remove and examine the properties of the various filters you define. The Statistics tab is where you will examine and control the activity of your filters. Adding a filter Click Add. This will start the Filter Wizard. You will be presented with 2 options; Pre-Defined Packet Filter and Custom Packet Filter. Select Pre- Defined Packet Filter to select from a list of filters that have already been defined. Select Custom Packet Filter to define your own custom filter. Defining a Custom Filter If you select Custom Filter, you will be presented with a choice of 3 basic types of filters; - Node Address /EtherType Filter - TCP/IP Filter - IPX Filter A Node Address / EtherType filter assigns priority based on network "layer two" properties. These include the destination node address and the Ethernet packet type definition. A TCP/IP filter assigns priority based on TCP/IP protocol properties. These properties include the TCP/IP address and subnet and specific protocols within the TCP/IP protocol suite. An IPX filter assigns priority based on IPX protocol properties. These properties include the network number, destination node address and IPX socket. Defining a Node Address / EtherType Filter If you select Node Address / EtherType Filter, you will be given the choice of specifying a destination Node Address. By specifying a node address for a filter, you limit the packet prioritization for that filter to a specific computer on the network. If you select Specify Node Address, you must enter the node address of the destination computer. The term Node Address refers to the 12 digit MAC address (a.k.a. Ethernet ID) burned into the LAN interface adapter or, if locally administered addressing is being used, the local address assigned to the adapter in that computer. When finished with this screen, click Next. In the next step, you will have the option of specifying an EtherType. If you specified a Node Address in the previous step but do not specify an EtherType, all traffic going to the specified node address will be given the priority you specify for this filter. You can select an EtherType from the list, specify your own or specify none. Click Next when you are finished. In the next screen, enter the following information; - Name - Enter a unique name for your custom filter. - Tagging Method - Currently IEEE 802.1p is the only tagging method supported. - Priority level - 7 is the highest priority, 0 is the lowest. Click Next when you are finished. The next screen will give you a summary of your new filter's properties. Click Finish when you are done, then click Apply to activate the new filter. Defining a TCP/IP filter If you select TCP/IP Filter, you will be given the choice of specifying a Destination IP address and subnet mask. If you skip this step, you must specify a protocol or port on the next screen. If you specify a Destination IP address and subnet mask, then this filter will affect only packets sent to that address. If you enter a destination IP address and select Do Not Specify a Protocol on the next screen, then all IP traffic to that destination address will be sent with the specified priority. In the next screen, either select Do Not Specify a Protocol or Port, or enter the following information; - Specify Protocol (from list) or - Specify Protocol (other) If you specify TCP or UDP as the protocol, you must enter a specific port number. In the next screen, enter the following information; - Name - Enter a unique name for your custom filter. - Tagging Method - Currently IEEE 802.1p is the only tagging method supported. - Priority level - 7 is the highest priority, 0 is the lowest. Click Next when you are finished. The next screen will give you a summary of your new filter's properties. Click Finish when you are done, then click Apply to activate the new filter. Defining an IPX filter If you select IPX filter, you will be given the choice of specifying a Destination Network number, Destination Host number or Destination Socket. You can assign any combination of these parameters. - Destination Network Number This is the Net number assigned to a specific segment and frame type. - Destination Host Number This is the Node address of a specific LAN adapter - Destination Socket This is an IPX socket number. Only static IPX sockets can be entered. In the next screen, enter the following information; - Name - Enter a unique name for your custom filter. - Tagging Method - Currently IEEE 802.1p is the only tagging method supported. - Priority level - 7 is the highest priority, 0 is the lowest. Click Next when you are finished. The next screen will give you a summary of your new filter's properties. Click Finish when you are done, then click Apply to activate the new filter. * Brand, name, or trademark owned by another company.