Create an Application-Based Traffic Tree

Instructions for detecting, identifying, and organizing the applications and protocols running on your network

Whether you want to know which applications are running on your network, understand their behavior, track their response times, or control their performance... you always need the same first step: traffic discovery. Automatic traffic discovery and classification are a good basis for this tree's traffic classes, but you can also add or tailor classes based on other criteria. An application-based tree is a simple tree to create and use. An application-based tree is suitable for a WAN or Internet link at any main or branch site where you want to vary traffic management strategies according to type of traffic (such as application) rather than according to destination or location. An application-based tree is most common at branch sites and main sites' Internet links. For more information on this type of tree's capabilities, limitations, scaling considerations, and configuration recommendations, see Traffic Tree Designs.

The following steps help you create a PacketWise traffic tree that identifies and organizes your traffic.

Steps:

1. Enable traffic discovery, telling PacketWise to automatically classify traffic as it passes. It lets you know what's running on your network as well as distinguishes traffic so that distinct control strategies can be applied later. PacketWise organizes the applications and protocols it detects into a hierarchical tree of traffic classes.
   
   For background information, see Traffic Classification Overview and Traffic Tree Overview.
   
   
2. Wait until enough time has passed to get a realistic representation of your network traffic. We recommend three business days if you aren't sure how long to wait.
   
   
3. Look at the Manage Traffic window (click the Manage tab). The list of traffic names on the left are the traffic classes PacketWise created in response to your network traffic.   show screen
   
   
4. Now, or at whatever point you want your traffic tree to remain unchanged, turn traffic discovery off. PacketWise will no longer add classes to your tree. If you want PacketWise to continue discovering new applications within one particular class, then enable traffic discovery just for the one class.
   
   
5. Delete the classes you don't need or want.
   
   Excess classes just add clutter to the traffic tree. A smaller tree will also improve PacketWise performance.
   
   
6. Modify or add class matching rules if you want to refine existing classes to track on additional criteria.
   
   
7. If there are multiple traffic classes that you'd like to view or manage as a group, create a folder class and move the subordinate classes into it.
   
   
8. Create classes yourself, if discovery didn't automatically identify important applications.
   
   
9. Are there classes that you would like to define further or refine? Consult Classification Hints and Examples for ideas.

Note: If traffic discovery is turned off, new types of traffic may not get recognized and may be classified as default traffic. PacketWise's adaptive response feature can automatically monitor the size of default classes and notify you when the size grows unexpectedly, indicating that you may need to turn traffic discovery back on. If you want to monitor a default class' traffic automatically without having to check it manually, the adaptive response feature can be helpful. See Create Default Traffic Agents.

PacketGuide recommendations that describe creation of a specific type of traffic tree:

• Create an application-based traffic tree
• Create a simple location-based traffic tee
• Create a location-based traffic tree with per-location applications
• Create a location-based tree with global applications