SteelHead™ Deployment Guide : QoS Configuration and Integration : Guidelines for the Maximum Number of QoS Classes, Sites, and Rules
  
Guidelines for the Maximum Number of QoS Classes, Sites, and Rules
The number of QoS classes, sites, and rules you can create on a SteelHead depends on the appliance model number, the traffic flow, and other RiOS features you enable.
If you are using a release previous to RiOS v8.5.1, some of the features described in the chapter might not be applicable. For information about QoS before RiOS v8.5.1, see earlier versions of the SteelHead Deployment Guide on the Riverbed Support site at https://support.riverbed.com.
Riverbed recommends that you do not exceed the guidelines in this section.
RiOS v7.0.3 and later enforces a maximum configurable root bandwidth per appliance model. Bandwidth enforcement issues a warning when you configure the sum of the bandwidth interfaces as a value greater than the model-specific QoS limits. The limits were introduced in RiOS v6.5.4 and v7.0.1. The warning appears when you save a configured bandwidth limit that exceeds the supported limit. If you receive the warning, adjust the sum of the configured QoS interface values to be lower or equal to the model-specific bandwidth limit and save the configuration.
Riverbed strongly recommends you configure the bandwidth at or below the appliance limit, because problems arise when you exceed it. Upgrading a SteelHead to RiOS v7.0.3 does not automatically fail when the configuration has a greater QoS bandwidth limit than the appliance supports. However, after the upgrade, RiOS begins enforcing the bandwidth limits and disallows any QoS configuration changes. This could result in having to reconfigure all QoS policies to accommodate the bandwidth limit.
In RiOS v8.5.1 and later, QoS limits are no longer enforced, with the exception of the QoS bandwidth. To restrict the possibility of exhausting the system resources, use these safeguard limits:
  • Maximum number of total rules: 2000
  • Maximum number of sites in basic outbound QoS mode: 100
  • Maximum number of sites in advanced outbound QoS mode: 200
    • In RiOS v6.5 and later, QoS performance is based on the number of connections per second. The guidelines are as follows:
  • Desktop models: 200 new connections per second
  • 1U models: 500 new connections per second
  • 3U models: 1,000 new connections per second
    • The following tables show recommendations for the number of QoS classes, sites, and rules for the xx50 series, the xx55 series, the xx60 series, and the VSH series.
    Exceeding the recommended limits can lead to severe delays when you change your Riverbed QoS configuration or boot the SteelHead.
    This table shows the bandwidth limits and the Riverbed recommended optimal performance guidelines for the SteelHead xx50 models.
     
     
    SteelHead Appliance xx50 Model
    Recommended Maximum Configurable Root Bandwidth (Mbps)
    Recommended Maximum Classes
    Recommended Maximum Rules
    Recommended Maximum Sites
    150
    4
    150
    150
    15
    250
    4
    150
    150
    15
    550
    10
    250
    250
    25
    1050
    45
    2000
    2000
    200
    2050
    100
    2000
    2000
    200
    5050
    200
    2000
    2000
    200
    6050
    310
    2000
    2000
    200
    7050
    1000
    2000
    2000
    200
     
    This table shows the bandwidth limits and the Riverbed recommended optimal performance guidelines for the SteelHead xx55 (CX) models.
     
     
    SteelHead Appliance CX Model
    Recommended Maximum Configurable Root Bandwidth (Mbps)
    Recommended Maximum Classes
    Recommended Maximum Rules
    Recommended Maximum Sites
    CX255P
    6
    300
    300
    50
    CX255U
    10
    300
    300
    50
    CX255L
    12
    300
    300
    50
    CX255M
    12
    300
    300
    50
    CX255H
    12
    300
    300
    50
    CX570L
    12
    500
    500
    50
    CX570M
    20
    500
    500
    50
    CX570H
    20
    500
    500
    50
    CX555L
    12
    500
    500
    50
    CX555M
    20
    500
    500
    50
    CX555H
    20
    500
    500
    50
    CX755L
    45
    1000
    1000
    100
    CX755M
    45
    1000
    1000
    100
    CX755H
    45
    1000
    1000
    100
    CX770L
    45
    1000
    1000
    100
    CX770M
    45
    1000
    1000
    100
    CX770H
    45
    1000
    1000
    100
    CX1555L
    100
    2000
    2000
    200
    CX1555M
    100
    2000
    2000
    200
    CX1555H
    100
    2000
    2000
    200
    CX5055L
    No limit
    2000
    2000
    200
    CX5055M
    No limit
    2000
    2000
    200
    CX5055H
    No limit
    2000
    2000
    200
    CX7055L
    No limit
    2000
    2000
    200
    CX7055M
    No limit
    2000
    2000
    200
    CX7055H
    No limit
    2000
    2000
    200
     
    This table shows the bandwidth limits and the Riverbed recommended optimal performance guidelines for the SteelHead xx60 (EX) models.
     
     
    SteelHead Appliance EX Model
    Maximum Configurable Root Bandwidth (Mbps)
    Recommended Maximum Classes
    Recommended Maximum Rules
    Recommended Maximum Sites
    EX560
    12 for G, L, M configurations
    20 for H configuration
    250
    250
    25
    EX760
    45
    500
    500
    50
    EX1160
    100
    500
    500
    50
    EX1260
    100
    500
    500
    50
    EX1360
    100
    500
    500
    100
     
    This table shows the bandwidth limits and the Riverbed recommended optimal performance guidelines for the SteelHead-v (VCX) models.
     
     
    SteelHead Appliance VCX Model
    Maximum Configurable Root Bandwidth (Mbps)
    Recommended Maximum Classes
    Recommended Maximum Rules
    Recommended Maximum Sites
    VCX255U
    4
    150
    150
    25
    VCX255L
    12
    150
    150
    25
    VCX255M
    12
    150
    150
    25
    VCX255H
    12
    150
    150
    25
    VCX555L
    12
    250
    250
    25
    VCX555M
    20
    250
    250
    25
    VCX555H
    20
    250
    250
    25
    VCX755L
    45
    500
    500
    50
    VCX755M
    45
    500
    500
    50
    VCX755H
    45
    500
    500
    50
    VCX1555L
    100
    1000
    1000
    100
    VCX1555M
    100
    1000
    1000
    100
    VCX1555H
    100
    1000
    1000
    100