Configuration and traffic management are effortless with QoSWorks 10000. Within minutes of insertion into the network we were able to point and click our way to creating bandwidth policies. This 2U form factor appliance offers CBQ combined with TCP rate shaping to smooth traffic of all types, unlike the AceDirector 4, which relies solely on queuing techniques to provide this functionality.

In our baseline runs, our simulated SAP R/3 and FTP traffic sucked up over three-quarters of the available bandwidth. After applying a policy in the QosWorks, that same traffic was limited to 11 megabits per second each, which smoothed the flow of traffic considerably. We liked the ability of both the QoS Control for e-Business and QosWorks to allow classes of traffic to "borrow" bandwidth if the class became oversubscribed and there was bandwidth available from other classes.

Unlike AceDirector 4, QoSWorks can specify the maximum time a packet can be held by the QoSWorks in milliseconds. This option is useful for ensuring a low jitter rate for VoIP or streaming media traffic. In our test runs we also saw QosWorks manage bandwidth in such a way as to provide fairness across client connections. No single client connection in a class was starved; rather they were all afforded about an equal amount of bandwidth.

Not found in AceDirector 4 is QoSWorks' caching feature. QoS Control for e-Business provides a cache redirector, but we like the integrated HTTP cache on QoSWorks - it's one less device to deploy and manage. We'd like more options for classing traffic. Today, QoSWorks can class only by IP address, network transport protocol and port. It would be useful to offer a wider array of options like the ones found in AceDirector 4, such as its ability to classify traffic by VLAN, filters, and URL.

Sitara Networks QoSWorks 10000 1.7, Sitara Networks, $25,000, (888) 932-8693, (781) 487-5900; fax (781) 684-8291. www.sitaranetworks.com