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Bandwidth Metering in NetScaler SDX
Sep 30, 2015
Note
The bandwidth metering feature is available on NetScaler SDX release 10.5 build 51.1017.e and later and in NetScaler SDX release
11.0.
SDX bandwidth metering provides you with an accurate, reliable and easy to use metering scheme that lets you to
efficiently allocate processing capacity and monetize bandwidth usage in simple and accurate manner. A metering scheme is
required to optimally allocate the bandwidth among various resources, keeping in mind that all the users at all the times get
the allocated bandwidth.
The bandwidth allocation can be done in the following two modes:
Dedicated bandwidth with a fixed rate of throughput
Dedicated bandwidth with minimum assured throughput and bandwidth bursting ability
Dedicated bandwidth with a fixed rate of throughput
In this bandwidth allocation method, each VPX is assigned a dedicated bandwidth. The VPX is allowed to use the
bandwidth up to the limit set. In dedicated mode the minimum and maximum bandwidth allocated are the same. If during a
period of time, the VPX requires more bandwidth than allocated, then in the dedicated mode the VPX cannot increase its
throughput. This can be a downside if a VPX is serving critical requests.
Also, if an SDX appliance has a number of VPXs and few of them are not utilizing their allocated bandwidth, then in
dedicated mode it is not possible to share their unused bandwidth. To overcome all these challenges, a dedicated
bandwidth with minimum assured rate with the ability to dynamically increase the bandwidth is useful.
Dedicated bandwidth with minimum assured throughput and bandwidth bursting ability
In this bandwidth allocation method, a VPX is allocated a minimum assured bandwidth with the flexibility to increase its
bandwidth up to a preset limit. The extra bandwidth that a VPX can use is called burst capacity.
The benefit of burst capacity is that if some of VPXs are having extra capacity which they are not using, then that can be
allocated to other VPX which are fully utilizing their allocated bandwidth and require more for certain periods of time.
Various service providers are also interested in providing various add-on services to their customers that require dedicated
capacity. At the same time they do not want to over provision bandwidth. Burstable bandwidth helps in such scenarios
where the customers are assured of a specific bandwidth with the option to increase the bandwidth during high demand
periods.
Selecting the Bandwidth Allocation Mode
Before you choose burstable throughput, you need to enable dynamic burst throughput allocation. To enable this option,
navigate to Configuration > System and from the System Settings group, select Change System Settings. Click on the
Enable Dynamic Burst Throughput Allocation check box to enable dynamic throughput.
When you provision a VPX, you can select from bandwidth burst or dynamic throughput. In the SDX UI, click Configuration >
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